About & FAQ
It's the mid 90s in the Pacific Northwest, and Oregon, as beautiful as it is, is even weirder than ever. Suzie Sterling likes to keep to her studies and prides herself in being one of the only normal kids in her school. But one day, she discovers her literature teacher isn't actually human, but some kind of demonic being from another dimension! Her grandfather, who had disappeared for almost 10 years, suddenly appears to save the day, and he's more than eager to show Suzie there's a lot more mystery and wonder in the world than she could ever imagine! With Grandpa Coach, Suzie explores the realms of the paranormal, the fantastical, and the just plain weird.
My Magic Grandpa is a 'monster of the week' style story, meaning each episode has a different supernatural encounter that must be dealt with in some way. While episodes can be standalone, it is following a linear timeline which will have continuity. This comic has a Young Adult rating for mild language and horror elements[Art by bloodyarchimedes]
Suzie Sterling
‘Suzie is a very adamant straight A middle school student in bizarre but beautiful Roseland City in Northwest Oregon. Being so focused on her grades, she has no time for friends, and thinks it’s better that way. But when she gets herself caught up in a supernatural situation, her whole world view gets flipped upside down. With a scientific mind, she has to open up to possibilities that once seemed like make believe, but also, somehow, she has to balance all of that with keeping up in school. School is very important after all! If she ever got bad grades she wouldn't know what to do with herself!
[Art by bloodyarchimedes]
Grandpa Coach
An eccentric vagabond with magic powers, Coach is one big mystery wrapped up in a ball of enthusiasm and adventure! With his magical golf club it seems like the possibilities are endless with him. He can fly, open portals to other parts of the world, manifest items, and much more! He has dedicated himself to not only helping people who get in supernatual kinds of trouble, but the otherbeings as well if they can be reasoned with! As a mediator between the 7 realms of Earth, Coach has a lot cut out for him, but it's a little easier now that he can bring Suzie along for the ride! He's not the best at social interaction, it's not that he's antisocial, he just has a hard time picking up on signals or acting appropriately...
Q&A
Is “My Magic Grandpa” going to have an overarching story? And if so, is it going to be one big story through the whole thing? Or will there be TV-style seasons with their own arcs?
A: My Magic Grandpa is set up with an overarching story and plot, but with individual ‘episodes’ that can work on their own, much like how the show 'Supernatural' is formatted. There will be five seasons, each with a different overarching plot and all connecting and leading up to the final season. Each season contains 11 episodes, and an episode can have anywhere from 1-4 chapters that each consist of 28-32 pages. This comic is planned to last a really long time, so rest assured you won't have to worry about it coming to an end for a good while.
How Often Does MMG Update?
A: My Magic Grandpa updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! If a hiatus ever happens it will be announced so everyone knows what's going on.
Can you add in my OC?
A: Sorry, but no. I was thinking of adding a reward tier on MMG’s patreon for people to cameo but I realized it wouldn’t be a good idea if I’m planning to publish this comic. It’s just better for all of us if we don’t involve people I don’t personally know, there’s a lot of risk in drawing someone else’s character in a published work. However! I may add a tier where you can have your OC drawn with any of the MMG cast, which is better in a way since you’d get to choose what’s happening. (within reason, of course)
Will you be doing all the work yourself, or will you be planning on bringing in more people?
A: Right now I have someone who will be putting in the flat colors for the comic, and I have a few friends that I brainstorm ideas with. But overall, this project is all mine and I want to be able to do as much of it on my own as possible, if I can help it. But if it turns out later down the line that I really need help, I’ll consider my options.
Are you expecting any sort of major roadblocks for MMG?
A: The main issue is my financial situation. At the moment, it’s a bit unstable, so if a financial emergency hits, it hits hard. Another issue would be if my other projects don’t finish up as soon as I wanted them to, I really want my old tumblr ask blogs to reach a conclusion but I don’t want them to take up the time I need for My Magic Grandpa. If for any reason they don’t conclude, I’ll just have to make them side projects and it will take longer to end them. I’m trying my best to get them finished up, but I’ve known from experience that things can and will go wrong sometimes.
Further down the road would you self publish or seek a publisher?
A: I plan to try to look in to being published in some way after the first season of My Magic Grandpa is completed, possibly with Hiveworks or through a kickstarter or some other way if I can find them. I have formatted the comic to be at proper comic print resolution so there shouldn't be any issues there. I will probably go back and fix some things first, though, like my word bubbles which weren't always consistent and weren't following proper publisher quality rules.
Is My Magic Grandpa LGBT inclusive?
A: Absolutely! My Magic Grandpa is all about seeing past differences and learning to cope with and accept not only others, but oneself. Some serious topics will be addressed in the comic, it isn’t going to just be fun silly hijinks but a look in to what it means to be human. Sexuality, gender, and race are all things that are embraced in this story. As a member of the GSRM Community (Gender, Sexual, and Romantic Minorities) I have personal experience, being a pansexual transgender man.
Will My Magic Grandpa feature other cultures, classes, beliefs, and mental conditions?
A: I grew up in poverty and live with ADHD, PTSD, and Bi-Polar Type 1 (meaning I can experience long lasting psychotic episodes). I am also a peer wellness specialist, meaning that have training in the mental health field and have a lot of on hand experience in working with those who have mental illnesses and addiction. This is a world I feel needs to be shared, so My Magic Grandpa will have quite a few mental health conditions featured. Coach himself has ASD. I'm also white so I also know I have privelege and might not understand POC experiences in the same way they would, but that won't make me shy away from including them. I won't write about what I don't understand, however, I make an effort to understand as much as I can so I do study various cultures before writing about them, and talk to as many people as I can to learn about their personal experiences. I will try to be inclusive and inoffensive to the best of my ability, and I do want to explore various walks of life.
How dark is this story going to get?
A: I know, I’m pretty notorious for dark storytelling, and those elements won’t be missing from this comic either. However, this is a story that is meant to show that there are ways out and that not everything is quite as terrible as it might seem. Human nature is a huge theme of the story, many of the creatures are representations of certain aspects of people. There will be topics addressed such as alcoholism, abuse, murder, cults, cattle mutilations… A good way to explain just how ‘far’, it will not go beyond what shows like Supernatural and Being Human get in to. I still want this to be aimed at young adults.
Now, that aside, My Magic Grandpa still overall is a positive story, it just has dark elements in it. It is meant to be fun, even if things get crazy it will never lose the fun element to it. Starting out the series will be generally lighthearted and will only gradually become more serious as the main character gets older and has to deal with the things that come with being older.
The main thing I can say for absolute sure about this comic: It will pull at your heartstrings in all directions, even directions you might not have known they could have been pulled.
You’re all in for a hell of an adventure.