Onchain Myth.

To every age its art, to every art its freedom.

TL;DR: I'm creating a graphic novel for readers who like sci-fi, and fantasy, integrating blockchain concepts and Nouns in a web3 world. Distribution will be digital and physical, with plans for translation in 4 Languages. The project development will be shared through videos, live streams, and Open Editions, aiming for completion in 10-12 months.

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A Graphic Novel (Vol 1).

Draft Cover/Poster

I’m targeting Graphic Novel readers (15+) who love both sci-fi and fantasy + adventure, usually read action-packed stories, but also love tech, and (included but not limited) are crypto users. The artwork will include concepts related to decentralization, blockchain, and internet technologies, and Nouns will be the characters that inhabit this universe.

I firmly believe that we can find the right audience in Web3 at first, it’s an amazing niche to build a tech-oriented story and ultimately an onchain mythology, in which Nouns could be not only at the core of it but represent great values and a positive-sum culture.

To me, nouns are not only pixel characters, but something more, they are storytelling vehicles full of potential. And at the same time, there are dozens of small elements in our community lore to include in the story.

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Evolution of the Nouns aesthetics (from my POV):

We all love the original Nouns, they are perfect as the source material, but they are also really adaptable to using them in different styles.

The last two images are from April-June 2022.

In this world-building adventure, I've given the term "Noun" a fresh perspective, digging into its meaning both on the surface and at a deeper, symbolic level. This project isn't just about testing how Nouns look; it's also about spinning an engaging tale. We want to hook current Noun fans and introduce new readers to our world, even if they're not blockchain or DAO experts.

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Distribution:

Draft Cover.

Digital First: The main distribution strategy will be online (Free download from the website, manga/comic reader apps like Comixology, Viz Media, Kindle, and P2P/torrents). Most of the dedicated comic reader apps have more than 500K users minimum, but in the case of bigger apps like Comixology or Viz Media, they have millions of users combined in both the App Store and Google Store.

Physical: Physical copies will be handled through Amazon (highly efficient, global coverage, and no upfront costs). Plus, in case we can make a deal with regional publishers, it's easy to shut down the distribution of a translated version directly on Amazon.

4 Languages: English, Spanish, Japanese, and French.

I cannot emphasize enough the significance of translating the graphic novel. Translating the artwork can create opportunities for publication by one or multiple publishers in Europe, Asia, or North America. Since many major publishers prefer to review a complete work, and this being the first volume, it could serve as an ideal means to engage regional publishers worldwide.

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Concept Art:

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Summary of the story (subject to changes):

Meet Shady, a Noun who doesn't quite fit the mold of an obedient or exemplary citizen in a world teeming with adventurers, mysteries, and high achievers. His existence is a quiet rebellion in a society that prizes conformity. However, it seems destiny, if it exists, has grander designs for Shady. His insatiable curiosity catapults him into the uncharted territories of unexplored worlds.

As Shady embarks on this enigmatic journey, it becomes clear that more than just his life is at stake. The fate of his entire kind rests on his shoulders, and time is of the essence. He's faced with a dilemma: will he seize this opportunity to change the course of history or let it slip through his fingers?

Sample Pages

Characters from the first volume:

Featuring the NounBots:

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Building in Public + Key Milestones:

I’m also building a graphic style to present the development of the project to the public in a more entertaining way using videos and/or live streams. This way people can follow more closely the development of the graphic novel and can ask questions about nouns and their ecosystem.

The goal is to make 2 videos per week (1 to 2 hours each) showing the process of the Graphic Novel, the idea is to use Twitch or YouTube (ideally both). I can also use propdates.wtf to show the latest news of the prop and the Manga channel in Farcaster.

This is a sample of how the videos could look like.

Key Milestones:

Concept and Team (Months 1-3): Develop the storyline and artistic style. Assemble and prepare the creative team.

Production and Marketing (Months 4-10): Create the 64-page graphic novel while translating it into multiple languages. Implement marketing and promotion strategies on online platforms.

Distribution and Launch (Month 11-12): Plan and execute the distribution strategy for both digital and physical copies. Officially launch the graphic novel, including online and potentially in-person events.

Audience Engagement and Public Building (Ongoing): Continuously engage with the community on various platforms. Adapt the project based on audience feedback and reception.

Global Expansion and Future Planning (Ongoing): Start the conversations with external publishers to get the graphic novel. Evaluate the project's performance and plan for the next chapters.

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Scope and Budget:

Since this is a graphic novel of 64 pages I will need around 10 to 12 months to finish it. The ideal deadline would be the next Nouniversary and I’ll push myself and the team involved to do so, but I’m organizing the dates including all the team efforts and the standard timeframes to make the deadline more realistic so it could be released in October/November next year.

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Budget Breakdown:

• Preproduction - 8 eth
  • World Building
  • Concept art
  • Environment design
  • Character Sheets
  • Props Design
• Script - 8 eth
• Art Development - 29 eth
  • Layouts - 6 eth
  • Pencils - 8 eth
  • Inks + Screentones - 11 eth
  • Lettering + VFX/SFX - 4 eth
• Editorial - 6 eth
  • Proofreading and formatting for each language.
  • Title and character/localization.
• Translation - 8 eth
  • Japanese, French, Spanish.
• Marketing - 15 eth
  • Contests / Collaborations
  • Promoted content inside specialized comic websites/forums.
  • Extra collectibles: Wallpapers (desktop and mobile), Open Editions, etc.
  • Promotional video.
• Management - 10 eth.
• Website - 6 eth

Total= 90 eth + Noun 81*

*I would need some extra help with the transfer of the Noun in case the DAO accepts the request.

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It's a me, Messhup!

For some of you who don't know me, let me introduce myself.

My name is Messhup and I:

• Coined the rubber hose style on Nouns back in 2021.
• Created the art for the 1st contest made by NounsDAO.
• Lost Nouns founding team (Onchain Nounish derivative).
• Made the 1st Nouniversary artwork (featured in Brave browser globally for 24H).
• Constructed a coloring book series (100 days of Nouns) in 6 months. around 260 copies sold, and 1300 downloads, which served as the main source for several contests and attracted more artists.
• Sent the coloring books to DesignerCon 2022 and Devcon Bogota.
• Nouncil founding member (POAP).
• Made The MetaSquare for TNS.
• Helped to raise 21+ ETH to support a Shark DAO core member.
• Drew 26 covers for the Noun O Talk podcast.
• Illustrated a NounsDAO banner for the Coincenter dinner.
• Designed merch for a boat, pin, and tshirts for Nouns at NFT NYC.
• Created GGBot, and a current collaborator in Nouns Esports (more coming soon).
• Made the art for Keep Nouns Weird.
• Created a Nounish collection called Serial Collectors (more to come).
• Core member of Nouns Amigos (spanish branch of Nouns)

Outside of Nouns:

• Collaborated with Noadz multiple times.
• One of the first Nouns artwork in another blockchain*
• Meme Seizer OE (17K+ mints) + Onchain narrative.
• 1st Cryptoadz anniversary on Zora (13,660+ mints).
• 1st Boneyversary OE (4,700+ mints).
• POAP Checks (1100+ mints in less than 2 hours).
• Featured in the NFT yearbook.
• Worked with Bankless for 7 months as an illustrator.

I also worked with Adidas, ExxonMobil, Penguin Random House, LEGO, and more to come.

I have more than 10 years as an illustrator and I feel confident executing this project because I've been preparing this for around a year now, I'm here to stay, I'm aiming high with this prop, and I want to make an epic graphic novel that breaks into the mainstream media. Let's do it together 🔥

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Got Questions? I have a separate doc highlighting some of the possible questions I could receive for this prop and will update the doc during the voting period. Feel free to check them out HERE.

You can also find me on Farcaster, Discord, and Twitter as @Messhup. Thanks for reading, have a good one ᛉ