Hello /m/ first time posting on this board because, honestly,

>>15532299
>Why aren't there really any American made Mecha based form of entertainment.?
Mecha is niche
>If there was an American made Mecha comic would you read it?
if the art and designs were good

>>15532309
What would you like to see in it?

Like I love Gundam, but I don't want to be an American made Gundam Clone...

I don't want to be Saban.

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>>15532319
I don't really care as long as it looks cool.

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>>15532332
I guess that's fair
Here's a pic of a older mech design I had (incomplete). Its recently been scrapped as the main mech because of a different direction I want to take the comic. But just to get since of the style.

>>15532319
Just have it be cool without being too japanese, make sure the characters aren't terrible

>>15532360
I want it to focus on multiple character's and their struggles rather than just one character who somehow gets this OP Mecha that no one else seems to know how to piolet but him.

>>15532299
>>if there was an american made mecha comic would you read it
If possible.
>If you were to read it what would you like to see in it?
I have an itch for a deep story about a new frontier in space where people around the asteroid belt fight each other in space mining robots for asteroid mining rights and whatnot. It'd be about mankind's greed, the benefits and downsides of our desire for more, and the space man's ability to shoot the other guy to get what he wants.

>>15532365
I've been reading a lot of HFY stories lately if you want a brief idea of where I want to take the comic

Dude, why not just let /m/ compete on making a story, and then use that.
That way get everything the community would want

>>15532375
That actually would be a pretty solid idea, but there would be the headache pf trying to please everyone. And that never works out well in the in (Marvel, LoK, etc.) So I think it would be best to see what a lot of people would like and work in what can be worked in.

Thought there is the other end of the spectrum where I want to the story to come from multiple viewpoints from multiple characters. So I could, potentially, work in almost everything everyone wants.

The other problem with that though is, that I am only one man, I would need a team to actually do that plan.

>>15532363
Then how about making some sort of mecha sentai?

>>15532375
Oops, misread that comment. Actually that would be cool to do actually. Like in between comics have a small miniature story that takes place during the main story but apart from it.

That's a cool idea

>>15532384
Having a Mecha sentai is pretty much the same concept of the one piolet that able to piolet that's able to piolet the one OP Mecha. Except now it breaks that mecha piolet into 5 (or 6 can't relaly remember the number).

>>15532392
Then make all of the 5 characters interesting and give them all cool designs. Give each character his own struggles and try to focus on all of them equally.
Also make them struggle against the antagonists, don't make them invincible, maybe make some of the characters get new mechs after their original mechs get destroyed. And, don't make it predictable, don't be afraid to kill some of the characters if it helps the story's progression.

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>>15532450
So basically just 5 mains rather than 5 OP character's. That could work.

I mean the story does start with a 4 character conversations in a diner. Easy to just use those 4.

>>15532459
If it helps, you could use Doug Tennapel's Gear as reference material.

>>15532359
What is this? Some kind of caterpillar slug rhino pig? I hope you don't mind my being blunt, but this thing's overall shape is just really indistinct and confused. Are your other works like this as well?

>>15532491
No no no, not at all they become a lot more human-like with the recent the designs.

The original concept I had was the Mecha were a relatively new weapon, so the original designs were made to look more primitive and clunky. I wanted them to be built like a tank: Sacrifice speed and mobility for firepower and armor.

But since changed the starting location and time of the comic I had change the designs to look more futuristic. These designs are still in the comic, but more so to shot how the original design of the mecha were

Like in a history book or a museum scene or something. but mostly for flashbacks and history and lore clarification

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>>15532491
this is the last picture of the mech before I changed it

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>>15532508
I see. So that would be the mech equivalent of tanks that could still be disguised as a bathtub.

As for your question, my take is that there may yet be a real market for mecha style fiction in the US, especially if it's illustrated, as a comic would be. That said, because mecha is not an established genre in the west, there is no emotional investment or expectations of the genre itself. For a work to succeed, or gain popularity, it would have to stand entirely as an original fiction, but also make sure that mecha is an indispensable part of it. Doing this would be tremendously hard, and would more be a matter of luck than intention, but it's not impossible. Asimov's robot series and Caves of Steel stories did it for, well, robots way back when, but that's why they're classic and Asimov is the Patron of Sci-Fi.

Another way to approach this would be to appeal to people who are already fans of mecha who happens to live in the west, but there's a reason there aren't many people who do this. First is that there are just way too few of us. The second is, because mecha is a very broad genre, it's almost impossible to appeal to every kind of fan, which only makes the first problem worse.

So I guess, my reasoning is that for any mecha work to be successful in the west, the most important thing is for it to have a good story; only it has to be written in a way that it is only good because of the role mecha play in the world/story. But also do it in a way that western audience will find the themes relevant and thought provoking.

>>15532517
Looks a lot like the prawn mech from District 9 crossed with Savage from FMP. Your ability to draw mecha is okay, but the human is a little weird looking. How tall are your machines?

>>15532299
>The thing is I am an aspiring American comic book artist and, as I am sure you are all aware, there isn't really a market for that here. Well its not that there isn't a market for it here, its just that its a market that isn't really tapped by American Artists. Other than Transformers, no one else really touches Mecha inside the US.


Webcomic.
Patreon.
Cater to South America/Singapore/Thailand/Indonesia/Malaysia.... it just so happens your comic happens to be written in English Then American readers will happen to pick it up.

There, I just hammered out a rough outline on how to get your Mecha comic going.

>If you were to read it what would you like to see in it?

AUTHENTICITY MATTERS, avoid doing robots that were done in the style of Giga-Robo, and all the other "LOOK, JAPANESE MECH SEE HOW SAMURAI/KAIJU IT IS" in Western media.

>>15532359
Okay, this mech design is outright horrible for a "main mech" to headline and carry your comic.

You really need to start thinking of the main mech in the "face of the brand" sense that it will carry the initial impression and premise of the comic.

>>15532548

I think the real solution is to not limit yourself to the American audience. Yes, Pacific Rim kind of worked but there were a lot of x-factors going into it, Chinese movie money aside.

Take an established American genre, add mechs, profit. That seems the safest route

>>15532548
Thanks for the insight dude. And yeah, no pretty looking mechs. Just a backtub with legs.
>>15532558
I was going for 75 feet tall. About the night of a traincar and a half

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>>15532558
>>15532578
>>15532548
>>15532491
So for those that hater the mech design, don't worry. Again those are the antiques. If I draw them in, they'll only be used for flashback and historical purposes. But, again, I did just changed the concept so I only have concepts for the new mechs.

These pictures are concepts for the basic mass produced foot soldiers.

>>15532633
I really like your style. It's very clean and organic-looking. Kinda reminds me of Kondo's work. I would love to read your comic, OP.

>>15532299
Honestly, based on what mecha works have become popular in the west, I'd say the way to go is to be toyetic. Westerners love consumerism. Come up with a lot of designs with a lot of gimmicks and interesting little features, and have the colors be bright and even a little garish. Have a lot of concept art and proposals for a marketable toyline ready when you make your pitch to the publisher. Merchandising is everything.

This doesn't mean you have to sacrifice story quality though. Just look at Dougram. It was toyetic as could be, but damn was it good.

As to what I prefer, I myself am writing something along the lines of an Eldran show. I like the structure of a story to be simple and the mecha to be flashy and have finishing moves and whatnot.

>>15532633
22 meters seems a bit tall for this kind of look. Any particular reason why they're so big?

>>15532332

Second this.

Sorry for the slow replies, out and about currently

>>15532703
I kind of too the cockpit as slightly larger than a car. And the foot of the machine being the side of the cockpit. I guessed how big the body would be based on those measurements.

Also, always had a weakness for the picturesque scene of people walking through a mech hanger and the size difference between them and their mecha look.

Giant mechs are okay.
Giand mechs and giant monsters are great.

>>15532649
Don't forget to start your design from silhouette first.

>>15532919
Why silhouettes?

>>15532299
>Why aren't there really any American made Mecha based form of entertainment.?
Mecha in Japan is an evolution of super-heroes. In America Mecha/robots are more based in western sci-fi novels. So it's not that you don't see the same elements in East/West stuff, but they're going at it from different perspectives.
>If there was an American made Mecha comic would you read it?
Yeah, if it was good. There's already a few examples, but nothing with a major focus on Mecha that's outstanding.
>If you were to read it what would you like to see in it?
Just be original, and don't be a weeb. It's fine to take inspiration, but if your main Mecha is just a blue mazinger I can't see it turning out well.

My best advice would be to start a webcomic. While that medium is oversaturated as it is, you'll still get attention if you're doing a niche genre like Mecha. But if you want something more professional, you can always try pitching to Image or Dark Horse. I believe they still take submissions, BUT your art better be FUCKING GREAT if you even want them to consider you.

>>15532919
I can't draw
I'm just praying a publisher will have mercy on me or that I have enough money to self-publish, if I ever even finish it anyway

>>15532985
You're making a mech comic as well?

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>>15532299
Hey! welcome to /m/ we are very friendly to new users here

>Why aren't there really any American made Mecha based form of entertainment.?
American / western mecha actually is very common. It's prevalent in children's stuff ( power rangers, bionicles, hero factory, transformers, many of the other old lego lines, etc). One of the problems with this is just that. Series that focus on mecha are considered kids' stuff with just a few exceptions.

Battletech is accepted as adult stuff, as well as things like Avatar and Star Wars, where mecha are included but not put at the forefront.

>If there was an American made Mecha comic would you read it?
Yes.

>If you were to read it what would you like to see in it?
I'd love to see more stuff in the style of the Five Star Stories, L-gaim, Akira, MD Geist, and other 80s OVAs. I like cyberpunk or space military settings, and I especially like mechs that hint at exposed externals. Getting a peek at interior detail is awesome, whether it be through the detailed interior of a spaceship or the bevels between armor plates on a mech.

I really like your design >>15532359, but as other anons said, it would be better off as a grunt/enemy/supporting suit. Your main suit should have better posture and possibly some kind of defining head. It's the "hero" look.

I agree a LOT with >>15532572, be original in your designs and especially in the silhouette/body plan of your mech. getting just a little bit creative can really add visual interest, which will be 90% of what draws new readers into your comic.

For inspiration on changing the 'silhouette', I'd recommend searching up the SAFS, Kangaroos, and Neu Spotters from Ma.K, the Dogs from VOTOMS, a lot of the star league mechs from BT, and of course every mech in Dragon's Heaven. Star Wars ships and walkers count too. Remember that part of the hit success of SW was the way it shook up ship design and had outlandish models that mixed WWII aesthetics with interesting hull shapes.

>>15532359
The thing about mecha is that for the design to be good, it needs to have a recognizable silouhette. You need to be able to have entirely black figures on white surfaces and be able to be like:

>That's X
>That's Y

etc.

The robot you provided doesn't seem to do that, but don't feel bad. That's actually why western mecha sucks in general. Try to be more distinctive with your designs.

>>15533007
No, just struggling to get to the 11,000th word of a novel

>>15533135
>>15533057
Oh no worries again, that is an old design it wont be used as the main mecha. Its been scrapped since I changed the location. Which is a good thing, it allows me to be a lot more diverse with the mechs. The new designs I have here >>15532633 are meant to be the concepts for the basic mass produced mecha. These will be seen often. So I will be drawing it a lot.

>>15533208
You can do it homie I know you can I believe in you!

>>15532365
>>15532966
>>15533057
Also guys thank you for the information. Its really helping me out quite a bit. Making me think of things that I've never thought of.

>>15532815
Yes to both of these
>>15532572
No, trust me, I hate those super Japanese mecha. Its going to have more a military vibe rather than a 1v1 sword fight all the time.
>>15532585
I am not one for pipedreams. I know I can't reach everyone... That's nearly impossible. But this was never going to be a 'MERICA pandering comic. I just want to make a good Mecha comic that a lot of people would like.

A good comic... That just happens to be about Mecha and Mecha Piolet.

>>15532375
This would be pretty fun, looking at how many lorefags /m/ has this would be pretty fun

>>15532299
>Why aren't there really any American made Mecha based form of entertainment.?

To paraphrase an answer I gave in bother thread:
For the US and much of the West, cinema is the main propogator of pop culture influence since the 1950s or earlier.

Giant robots just aren't easy to film without CG, so the robots would either be too expensive to make or simply unconvincing beyond toku stuff without CG. Hell, even with CG it's not cheap or convinving to animate giant robots. As a result, no big Western filmmaker decided to make giant robot stuff.

The most effective medium would be animation. Much cheaper and easier to animate robots than build one for a film pre-CG, and Mecha is, at its core, about watching big robots beat the crap out of each other. Non-visual media ain't gonna cut it. Hence, in Japan in the 80s when mecha got big, where anime was more varied than in the West, there was an opening for Super Robot and Real Robot alike, hence the explosion there.

In the West, when animated Mecha was trying to get going in the '80s only kids watched it, as animated works have been predomianntly seen as children's stuff due to the success and proliferation of kids cartoons due to Disney. This, added with difficulty of making Mecha films as said before, leads to No well-known mecha stuff=No big cultural influence or momentum to catch on.

Hence, we have a current situation now where many people in the West aren't exposed to Mecha, and with the diversifying of media it's hard for it to catch on now despite film not being the main medium of entertainment.

>>15534479
That's that added fear if being one of few and helping establish a genre that exists but doesn't really have a foothold in America (Apart from power rangers, Transformers, etc.). Well with those listed, I mean establish it as something that can appeal to adults as well.

And Yeah I can see your point on that. Sadly though, I am nowhere near the Cinema level of popularity. But most movies made these days have their roots in some form of written of drawn medium before it hits there. Movies aren't my plan... That isn't why I want to draw this comic at all, comics drawn with the sole purpose of being made into a movie one day always tend to fall flat. I just want a good story.

Funny thing, originally it was going to be a animation. But that comes with the added task of finding a team to do it (which I already said I was opposed to sadly). And its not that I don't like working with other people. I love working with other people. But I don't want to have anybody work for me and not be able to pay them for their work you know?

>>15534410
Hell I'm a lorefag, I would love to be able to draw up extra stories to expand the universe and the people.

>>15532633
I really like these

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>>15538837
I'm planning on posting more concept and stuff as time goes on. Here are two more concepts I was thinking about. One is incomplete sadly.