Frequently Asked Questions
Updated: February 28th 2014
Wasn’t Dreamers Ink called something else?– It was called, “Friction Fit Theatre”, then “Genuine Draft”, and finally “Dreamers Ink”. I decided to call it Dreamers Ink after the website URL in order to avoid further confusion. The questions below will give more details.
Why are there multiple stories?– There are 2 main storylines that happened when I split them apart durring what I refer to as “The Neverending Story Pt.1”. It was a retcon of sorts. I didn’t follow my instincts when starting the comic. I threw so many things in at once and tried to make them co-exist together and it was a huge mess. I decided to split them apart. Each storyline now work as intended. There is the 153rd timeline which is based on an old comic I created years ago. The other is the Burgatory story. Which is Bob’s story. Bob is the main character and is the only person who knows what’s been going on.
What is Genuine Draft?– It’s a comic made with LEGO® elements. It was the 2nd name of the comic based on a novel I had written. I decided to change the comic’s name again because of the love I have for the Genuine Draft story. I knew it would be a long time before I got to that story in the comic. There are 3 basic story themes. The 153rd Alternate Timeline Unit. Burgatory. And random and general stuff.
What is Friction Fit Theatre? Friction Fit Theatre was the original title for Genuine Draft before I changed it. I had a hard time coming up with a name for the comic. Friction Fit is the technical term LEGO® uses to describe how the bricks hold together. Genuine Draft is the name of my written masterpiece, personal opinion of course. I loved the story and the title, so I chose to use it. I had a metal MGD sign which was in front of me when coming up with a title for the novel. I began using the term to describe the finished unedited version of stories.
Why LEGO® Bricks? Why not? I can draw very well. I drew for years. But I lost the desire to actually sit and draw a comic. I still do a few doodles. I also have carpel tunnel and various nerve issues which prevents long times at the drawing board. I like to create things, comics, novels, woodworking projects, classic cars. I have a love for LEGO® building supplies. So when I stopped Life Is A SitCom, I still wanted to make a comic. I debated on what to do. After reading a few comics made with LEGO® elements, I figured I could too. I built the Burgatory diner first and created a story that utilized my collection.
Does The LEGO® Company help make the comic? Only by making those wonderful little building blocks. LEGO® does not endorse, sponsor, or have anything to do with Genuine Draft. LEGO® is a registered trademark of the LEGO® Group of companies, which does not sponsor, authorize, or endorse this site. This material is presented in accordance with the LEGO® Fair Play Guidelines.
Which character is you, the creator? I am all of them! But seriously, it’s Col.James M. Samson. He’s been my little fantasy character since 1983 when he was created for a comic book I did, Freedom Fighters.
How long does it take to make a comic? Depends. I write the scripts 20 or more at a time. I then build the sets, or use existing, or modify one of the generic sets for the scenes needed to be filmed. Then I gather the minifigs, position them, and begin taking pictures. It can take an hour or more to film depending on what’s on television. Then it’s upload to the Mac, processed through Photoshop (which is resizing, dpi settings, color corrections, and effects.) then imported into Illustrator for lettering. I can make 20 comics in 3 to 5 hours which makes a daily update possible.
How many LEGO® things do you own? A lot. And counting. I have specific themes I collect. Castle, Agents, ’09 Pirates, Indiana Jones, and Exo-Force are the most sets I have. I have a few StarWars and some misc themes. I have more parts than complete sets. I buy more specific pieces now due to the storage problems I have encountered with the growing collection.
Why is there different, “themes”? I have a variety of ideas that run through my brain. 153rd is more specific in how I write the story. There are certain goals that are the drive to get the story from point to point. Burgatory is humor and story based on the particular characters used in the theme. Random is just that. It’s something that strikes me funny or a comment on an item. Everything is cannon. It all meshes together somehow. So you could get Dragons serving the 153rd team dinner at a fast food joint.
How do you make Genuine Draft? For that information check out the behind the scenes page (under construction)
What comics do you read? These will be posted in the Links section when available But I read several LEGO® based comics. And a variety of other comics.
Do you have a link banner available? YES! In several popular sizes. Pick the one you want. They are on the Links page.
What do you use to display Genuine Draft? I use a free PHP based blog designed for comics call LiteDoodle. http://hari.literaryforums.org/entry.php/litedoodle It’s a manual updater, meaning there is no database’s to configure, just add the next comic to be displayed into the cartoons folder and it updates. It’s really simple to use and configure.
Why don’t you call them legos? It’s in respect to the LEGO® companies fair play guidelines. They simply ask that they aren’t called legos, but LEGO® elements or bricks. I’m okay with it since I figured out where the ® is on the keyboard!
What is Single Draft?– It’s a comic made with LEGO® elements. I I’ve been tinkering with a second comic using some panels from the comic and just creating misc pics with whatever parts and figs laying around. I was originally going to launch it as a second comic alongside Genuine Draft. It’s a single panel comic, so it’s simple. My initial plans didn’t work out so I put it on hold for a while. I checked my stats for the last 18 months and found that I get less than a dozen hits on Saturdays and Sundays. And a few comments from my twitter friends have said they don’t like to have to click back 3 strips to get to the last comic they saw then continue. So I thought I’d make the weekends different and not related to the main storyline.
