Yonkoma is a 4 panel comic format from Japan. «Yonkoma Pitch» is a project where through that format I explore on possible IP ideas that have been brewing on my mind. An illustrated «I have a great idea for an X» if you will.

Not ready for primetime

Among my many ideas for, let's call it Narrative Content, there are a handful that have potential but I can't quite crack them just yet or at all. This post is about a handful of such ideas, my "Not ready for primetime" batch.

I find them enticing yet haven't come full circle to become a full pitch. You'll see why, they are literally half‑baked or need an oomph I haven't yet quite deciphered so read with a pinch of salt.

Finally, this post will have sketch art that is slightly worked but not illustrated as the other ones.

Covered

A couple accidentally murders their friendly landlord. Helpfully it’s Halloween, so all their cover up is read as shenanigans of escalating humor and near misses.

Why there isn't a pitch

This one is simple, I don't have an ending. The idea came to me on a Halloween while in on Uber with my then partner, we remarked how a killer could probably get away with having an arm coming out of the trunk just by virtue of the season providing cover. I thought it was funny so I devised it as a dark comedy, and made our killers "sympathetic" by making them accidental ones.

Still I could never think of an ending that satisfied me and bringing the concept full circle.

Sad Songs to Get Over Them

An irredeemable fuckboy finds a breakup playlist from a relationship yet to come. He uses the songs to find out with whom is this relationship. His detective work makes him meet with old flames, missed connections, and possible new partners.

Why there isn't a pitch

This concept came to me while reading about the "McConaissance" how the last proper RomCom he sold out to was Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, a mash‑up of A Christmas Carol with Cassanova. That got me thinking, what non-obvious stories could have a lothario twist embedded in them. What I arrived at was Mirai Nikki (an anime whose premise is receiving diary entries from the future) meets Arrival meets 9 Songs.

The basic story beats would be finding the playlist, sleuthing, meeting his future partner, and lastly, be faced with the choice of going into this relationship fully knowing it will end or not. The mechanics of the story pan out but I really couldn't figure out the character of the "future partner". Are they and old flame? Someone he meets while playing detective? Or someone else entirely. I haven't come up with satisfying enough option yet.

Love and other tradecraft

Vienna '85, city of spies. The only city where espionage is legal. Spies from different nations engage in a game of cat and mouse, filled with deceit, betrayal, and even heartbreak. Their mission, inane, collect intelligence. Bored out of their minds, only their romances motivates their days.

Why there isn't a pitch

Espionage is not only legal and one of Austria's cottage industries. Thing is intelligence gathering is a patience game. So I figured what would people with diplomatic immunity and a "non-job" job do in the city of Mozart ? The same thing that athletes do in the Olympic Village.

It's a sexy premise, no doubt. Spies are so rarified in pop culture we forget their actual job is to pretend to have a job somewhere else and take notes of every minute thing in case it comes in handy. Boredom is fertile ground for relational/flirtatious shenanigans.

The premise and the setting are done, all I'm missing is characters. I'm thrown on a loop here because besides the obvious sort of Bond parody and a femme fatale for leads, I have no interesting characters to follow in this world. Maybe I'll revisit this as a Tabletop Role Playing Game Powered by The Apocalypse.

So there you go, my "Island of Misfit Toys" laid bare. Any ideas? Comment below.