FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why was F.S.M. formed?

F.S.M. was formed to help aspiring manga artists and writers create their own manga and to meet others who have similar goals.

What does "First Storm" mean?

First Storm represents the first "brainstorm" or the first idea that all works start from.

Why is F.S.M. centered on manga and not American comics?

Comics are already well established in the United States. F.S.M. focuses on manga in order to nurture and promote a manga creator's culture in the United States.

Why should I join F.S.M.?

In addition to being a fun and friendly group open to all ages and skill levels, F.S.M. serves as a resource for aspiring artists and writers to not only create art, but also to gain exposure.

GOALS AND PHILOSOPHY

What are the goals of F.S.M.?

Promote F.S.M. and its members by printing and distributing member-created manga.

Create a U.S. doujin culture and host an annual convention dedicated to manga creation.

What things will F.S.M. not pursue?

Even though F.S.M. occasionally publishes works on paper, we will never become a publishing company.

While we do encourage collaboration between members, we will never force members to work together.

What things will F.S.M. not tolerate?

What if I feel that I'm not "good enough" to write or draw manga?

We encourge all members to create, regardless of skill level. Members are encouraged to seek and provide constructive criticism from each other.

If I work on a project that is published by F.S.M. in some fashion, who owns the project?

F.S.M. makes no ownership claim to member works published either on our webpage or in print. All copyrights revert to the artist(s) involved.

If I work on a project with another member, who owns the project?

Ownership of collaborative works are to be negotiated between members. F.S.M. makes no ownership claim to any works produced by members.

What should I bring to the meetups?

For artists, feel free to bring your sketches or any other artworks. For writers, feel free to bring notes, plots, or story ideas. It would be handy to have a writing or drawing utensil and a notebook or sketchbook. Laptops can be handy as well.

How important is it for members to be active?

F.S.M. requires members to be at least minimally active. Those who are inactive (usually after a period of time) will be removed due to inactivity. Exceptions will be made for those who have unforseen circumstances which do not allow them to participate in group activiies as much as they would like to.

If I can not make most or all of the meetings, can I still be active?

Yes, you will need to attend at least one meetup meeting per month, be it one of the online midweek meetups or one of the local meetups. If you cannot attend any meetups that month, we suggest that you contact an organizer.

I've registered on the new forums. What now?

After registering, one of the organizers will set the appropriate permissions so you can see the internal boards. We will email you once this is done.

What are the advantages to registering on the F.S.M. forums?

For one you'll be able to communicate with other F.S.M. members and be able to use the F.S.M. chat with other members as well as to participate on the online meetup chats held on Wednesday nights.

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