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Biography and Frequently Asked Questions 
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Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 2:24 pm
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Post Biography and Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a capsule biography of my work. You'll find more details further down in the FAQ section of this thread.

Nickname: Max Hass

Age: Getting up there

Location: United States

HIPComix Positions: Writer, Forum Administration

HIPComix Stories: Midnite Sisters/Midnite Family/Justice Legion and
Mega*Girl with Timo, Changing Of The Guard with Bukanan and
Scar City Chronicles and Scarred World Chronicles with Mitru

Favorite self created character: Tied; Ticha, aka Mega*Girl and
Eolande McKengan, aka Cyan

Favorite story, self penned: Tied: Mega*Girl: Spare Parts and Changing
Of The Guard: In The Beginning

Favorite HIP Character: Kimberly Starr, aka Ms. Midnite

Favorite mainstream heroines: Batgirl, Supergirl

Favorite mainstream comics: Batman

How did I enter the field of adult comics? Over the past 20 years or
so, I've read a lot of really poor writing in both the mainstream and
adult comic markets. After one too many stories, I sat down for a year
and wrote an epic fan fiction which I used as a calling card to
demonstrate what a well thought out story could look like. With this,
I sent Timo samples of my writing and feedback on his Midnite Sisters
project, as well as his fan images.

Upcoming stories: I have an ongoing request for a project that gets back to my own childhood roots in the superhero genre. I hope to begin this in 2017 after I conclude Scarred World Chronicles.

OK, so I don't get a lot of FAQs.

But in light of new developments in our advertising, I have come up with a fun new project.

How does one become involved in the adult entertainment business?
What tools and skills do you have?
What inspiration do you make use of?
Who have you read in the past that impressed you?

These and other topics will be covered in this ongoing thread. First up, how I entered the industry.


Last edited by Max Hass on Sun Sep 21, 2008 5:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.



Thu Nov 22, 2007 2:04 pm
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How did your career in adult comic projects begin?

At first, I was a reader of many various amateur fan fictions and professional projects published on the web and in magazines like Heavy Metal. Some were, to put it bluntly, really poor.

They were either so badly written that the images were reduced to a sad afterthought, or the images were awful but with a story that was reasonably compelling enough to suffer through.

Around 1999, I began to see a new wave of artists using 3D graphic applications to create very interesting sets and characters. With my interest piqued, I began to work in the medium I'm most comfortable in. I began to write scripts based on unscripted images collected in various websites I had seen on the web.

One artist responded with a very positive reaction. Timo was very excited when I sent a proposal for a fan story he had rendered and let slip onto the web. We exchanged ideas for several months until we were both confident that any work we did would be to the levels we both expected.

In late 2005, I got an e-mail out of the blue asking if I would script an original project that Timo had begun but was growing overwhelmed with due to having to perform both the artwork and script. After some negotiation over the schedule and specific job responsibilities were settled, I began writing for Timo's Ms. Midnite/Justice Legion project.

Timo had developed a full universe of characters and a massive overall story arc that took two years to produce. We're at the end of The Justice Legion story as we had planned.

Along the planned arc we developed, new characters stood out. I saw a chance to create a stand alone story based on one heroine I had really wanted to tell.

As a kid, I had seen Chariots of the Gods and was mildly interested in a what if story based on the dubious claims made by the author of the book the film was based on.

What if humanoid aliens had come to Earth hundreds of thousands of years ago and genetically intervened in the development of life here? Would this explain the near superhuman exploits of being in the earliest of human history?

So I wrote a story of a female humanoid alien who quietly appeared in a world already shaken by events shaped by native metahumans. She was mistaken as yet another metahuman who had been accepted fully by the 'good guys' at the Justice Legion. The public named her Mega*Girl. (One of our fans came up with her name as a reward for his enthusiasm).

Ticha is my very first professional and independently written character. Everything else I've written for belongs to the artists who created them.

And that's how the ball started rolling.


Last edited by Max Hass on Sun Sep 21, 2008 5:56 pm, edited 4 times in total.



Thu Nov 22, 2007 2:05 pm
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What tools do you use to create your stories?

Since I am primarily a writer, the simple list goes like this:

A computer that is connected to the internet via a high speed connection like a DSL or cable modem.

A web browser.

A word processor.

That's the basic configuration. Beyond this, some special software tools do come in handy.

Even if writers do not produce the images themselves, the ability to add dialog balloons to a picture is very valuable. In my case, since I use a Macintosh, I use a third party application called Comic Life. It is also available for Windows and the finished files are cross platform compatible.

This is an application that allows one to place an image in a fancy frame and add various styles and colors of dialog balloons to several image formats.

Being able to add text to images relieves the artist from that part of the workflow, allowing him or her to focus on other work.

Beyond Comic Life, a basic command of a regular image editor like Photoshop is very important. Comic Life has improved and can produce finished grade pages. However you should be ready to fix things that Comic Life isn't able to cope with.

My workflow goes something like the following.

First, I create the story in basic outline form, based on the specifications established with the artist I work with. From there, a series of chapters are generated, with a fixed number of pages per chapter established to break at dramatic points. The concept of cliff hanging chapter endings is very important in my line of work, so planning as far in advance is critical.

The artist then produces a set of images based, in part, on any dialog I can produce as well as specific examples of work he has done in the past to set the poses, angles, lighting and colors.

Lately, I've been fortunate in that I have a large gallery of work by my partner, Mitru. I've been able to compose a visual prototype page to act as a cue for the artist.

Substituting my character and backgrounds for his, he is able to produce original images that are unique, yet did not take a great deal of reorganization with the software application he uses.

In the past, I would receive the final raw images, then place them in a folder and sort them into a working order.

When the picture order is set, I open Comic Life and use it to make the pages for the chapter. The color, shape and overall page size is set in the application, so all that remains is to drop the ordered pictures into the specific large and small image windows.

Once I am happy with the final image pages, I upload them to the website image server. My artist and I select an action or drama oriented image and use that as the basis for him to generate a cover page for the chapter.

Thanks to the use of existing models. sets and props, the creation process is accelerated. We can do up to 30 finished pages comfortably in a week if we only do one project at a time.

Today Mitru owns a copy of Comic Life and uses it for his multiple projects with other artists and writers he works with. As I noted already, he can create the desired page layout, save the CL file and e-mail it to me. I then apply the website logos, FX and lettering balloons to each page.

While I'm on the subject of models, props and sets, I have to thank my first artist Timo for his tireless work on my behalf, creating hundreds of images for the stories we told.

And there are some unsung heroes in this process. A legend in the 3D community is known by the name of Davo. He creates and sells models and sets to the Poser users of the world. We make use of many of his products, which are sold via an online store hosted at the Renderotica website. Technology has progressed to the point where Mitru is obtaining photo realistic quality image with the software he uses. It is impossible to keep up with 3D rendering unless you're in the middle of the industry, so I just say thanks and focus on my strength, which remains writing.


Thu Nov 22, 2007 2:38 pm
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Petty Criminal

Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2007 10:46 am
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Post cool background on you guys
Hey Max!

Thanks for the FAQ, it was a great story of how you and Timo hooked up and started the series!

I often have a lot of story ideas and was always interested in creating an epic universe with heroines and villainesses. I have written one concept story that has not been fully finished yet, perhaps you guys would like to check it out?

I really appreciate the time and effort you guys took to create the Legion universe. This is what makes the stories stick; the continuity and conversion of the plot to all those different and powerful levels. You become emotionally engaged with the characters.

As I mentioned before, I love Ticha! I have'nt signed up to the hipcomics site yet to check out her solo life. I'm still peeling through all the stories of all the artists on this site.

So as the legion tales come to an end, are you and Timo going for another epic? Would you be interested in checking out the stories I wrote, maybe even perhaps develop them?

Keep up the fantastic work,

j.


Mon Nov 26, 2007 4:27 pm
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Thanks for the feedback.

Timo was responsible for the core of the Justice Legion universe. I dotted some I's and crossed a couple of T's along the way.

The basic character development and plot points were already in place when I took the reins of the dialog from Timo.

As for looking over your ideas, I wish I could. But these days, plagiarism looms large over every creative business. Rest assured that Timo and I have about a half dozen projects we're looking forward to developing. Some old characters and a lot of new ones are on the hard drive in Timo's computer.

Keep watching and reading! We intend to stuff the pay area beyond your wildest expectations!


Mon Nov 26, 2007 11:13 pm
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Now, back to the FAQ, already in progress...


How do you deal with the creative nature of your work?
When and where do you get your ideas?
Do you listen to music while you write?
Who do you read these days, now that you're an author?


Good questions!

First off, a lot of the creativity is based directly from the images that the artist I work with provides me to develop. While I make out a firm story line and write scripts as far in advance of the image production process, once I see the final images on my screen, changes and edits fly into the out line. In the case of my work with Mitru, he's made my workflow so much easier by standardizing on Comic Life so we get the best return from our time.

As for when inspiration will strike, that's all around me. My best thinking occurs when I'm driving. I mentally load the images and outline in my mind and take a drive. Some of my best dialog has come from this process. That, and meeting deadlines for publishing the next chapter!

Music? That's a hard call. Sometimes I'll have some classic rock playing through the speaker system I've attached to the computer at home where I do the majority of the writing and page layout.

I also use a 15" Intel Core i7 laptop that allows me to perform almost everything I can do at home if the need arises. A nice pair of earbuds isolate my head from the surrounding demands of the world when the inspiration strikes away from home.

Reading? Hm. Can't say I do much reading anymore. Nor do I see many movies. It's hard to be creative and watch the work of other authors without something rubbing off. I tend to take plagiarism seriously. If I'm not being original in my work, that's not fair to the person who came up with the original ideas. I give credit where credit is due.


Fri Dec 07, 2007 10:29 am
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Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2007 2:46 am
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Location: Victoria BC Canada
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Hi Max,

Posted your top two questions/answers on my HIPcomix blog, link is in my sig below. ;-)

Thanks Max.

_________________
My Sites: Comixxxfan.com, Adult Comics Lover, Adult CG Porn, HIPcomix Blog!


Sat Dec 08, 2007 5:26 pm
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I guess this is a good place for the following FAQ I've been having in my e-mails.


What are you working on now?

When will we see some new work from you?

Glad you asked.

I can't be very forthcoming at the moment, but something is happening. And it may or may not involve "Changing of the Guard" somehow. You'll have to wait just a bit longer and I'll make the formal announcement when the ink has dried.

Keep watching the sky!


Thu May 15, 2008 8:09 pm
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HIPComix Artist

Joined: Sun May 28, 2006 11:41 pm
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8) It sounds like it will RULE! 8) 8) 8)


Mon May 19, 2008 7:04 pm
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Bukanan wrote:
8) It sounds like it will RULE! 8) 8) 8)


Oh, indeed it will rule.

We're nearing a point where an announcement can be forthcoming. More as we near the completion of the details.

It won't be very much longer, friends.


Thu May 22, 2008 8:20 pm
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Another question of interest came via a private message.


Do you plan to do any work in existing stories by other artists?

That's always been a hard question for me to answer. As a creator, it is difficult to enter the universe created by others without a clear invitation. Fan fiction was a blast. But after a year of pounding keys and knowing I would never see a dime for any of it, I had to stop and figure a way to make some money off of the labor.

But I do have some news on that front that I've already released elsewhere. Bukanan has asked me to pen the final chapter of one of his stories. So, I'm in the middle of a full creative partnership where the characters are already fully established.

This is somewhat the same as my work on Timo's Justice Legion stories, but I had more of an opportunity to fold my own ideas into the stories we created.

In the case of Flarebright, the task is to plot an ending to a fully laid out story line. The trick is to remain faithful to what Bukanan has started. In this case, it is a challenge I enjoy and look forward to releasing in the near future.

And there are other projects in the planning stages. That's the nice thing about ideas. They don't tend to run out.


Mon Aug 04, 2008 12:06 pm
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After seeing my work paired with Max's excellent wordsmithing I realized that he is indeed worthy to Pen the concluding Flarebright Homecoming episode.
Look for it around the beginning of October...


Mon Aug 04, 2008 8:06 pm
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Here's another question from a friend of mine.


Is there any chance we'll be seeing more of Bukanan's art in the free area soon?

Glad you asked! We just discussed that very topic. Expect to see some sweet pin up art from Bukanan in the very near future. It will be worth the wait!


Tue Aug 05, 2008 1:46 pm
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