Comic03 : Box of Memories

Where impatience meets ambition, technical limitations, and a story that refused to stay untold

I've always dreamed of creating a web comic. Not just any static, frame-by-frame affair, but something with movement—life breathing through the panels. And so began my somewhat questionable adventure into making an entire comic in GIF format. Was it ambitious? Definitely. Was it practical? Absolutely not.

The comic follows an ex-boyfriend who meets his former partner to give her a box of good memories. While she has developed a very negative outlook on their failed relationship, he reminisces about the good old days they shared. The box becomes a physical manifestation of the perspective shift he hopes to offer—a reminder that what ended painfully still contained moments worth cherishing.

This story had been living in my head for ages, demanding to be let out. I pictured this seamless reading experience where animations would unfold naturally as you moved through their bittersweet reunion. What I didn't fully appreciate was the technical quicksand I was enthusiastically diving into.

 

The Vision vs. The Reality

Here's what I learned: when you make a complete comic as a GIF, you can't:

• Control the timing of individual frames (hope you're a speed reader!)
• Edit specific frames after completion (hope you got it right the first time!)
• Allow readers to pause and appreciate details (hope they have superhuman perception!)

But sometimes the only way to learn these lessons is to crash headfirst into them.

About halfway through the project, reality set in. The treatment wasn't working as I'd envisioned. The animations were moving too quickly, the narrative was hard to follow, and the whole thing was becoming a technical mess.

I stood at the crossroads every creator eventually faces: abandon ship or press forward?

Sometimes finishing a flawed project teaches you more than starting ten perfect ones.

I couldn't leave it half-done, nor could I bring myself to start over. There's something to be said for embracing imperfection and seeing things through to their conclusion, even when they've gone sideways.

1. GIFs enforce a uniform timing for all frames—not ideal for storytelling where some moments need to linger.
2. Once compiled, you can't go back and edit individual frames without starting over.
3. File size becomes monstrous for anything with reasonable quality and length.
4. Readers can't control the pace, creating an often frustrating experience.

The Story Survived

Despite all the technical shortcomings, I'm pleased that this story about perspective and the bittersweet nature of ended relationships finally escaped my head. The treatment might not do it justice, but a flawed expression is better than perfect silence.

I'd like to think there's a certain charm to the rushed, imperfect nature of this experiment—like early silent films with their too-fast movements and technical limitations. Sometimes the very constraints become part of the aesthetic.

Hope you enjoy this strange little animated tale, despite its frenetic pacing. Please ignore the speed of the animation—technical knowledge I wish I'd had before embarking on this ambitious first attempt!