The creators of webcomic "Spy6Teen" promise all sorts of intrigue: espionage, high school drama, family secrets, exotic adventure and an overarching mystery that ties the whole thing together.

But first it needs to win this month's contest at Zuda Comics, which offers head-to-head "American Idol" type contests that award one-year contracts to the competitor that receives the most votes.

The winners will get paid for their work, but that's not the real draw, said "Spy6Teen" writer Tim Simmons, 34, a former Honolulu resident who now lives in Los Angeles. As far as he's concerned, the more lucrative prize is being hosted by Zuda, whose parent company is DC Comics, home to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and other comic book heroes.

Artist DJ Keawekane, 32, who lives in Hilo, said he doesn't know what the future of the comic will be if it doesn't win. On top of that, he hasn't even been clued in to where the plot will go if it does win, since Simmons hasn't shared the overall plot outline, not that surprising considering Simmons has been discussing story structure and such with one of his best friends, who has written for "Lost."

At this moment, the webcomic is eight pages long and offers just an introduction to the characters through a brief adventure Simmons said is meant to be similar to the short story-before-the-story at the start of an "Indiana Jones" movie.

The entry offers just a glimpse into the world of Cally Calhoon, who has to balance homework with spy work and navigate the treacherous halls of her high school while fighting against a worldwide terrorist organization. Simmons says the story will evolve to include espionage and teen emotional drama worthy of the former WB network ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Smallville" and "Gilmore Girls").

For those who have often been disappointed when a good series suddenly seems to lose its way, Simmons said that he knows where he wants the webcomic to end, although he doesn't mind taking a meandering path there with input from his collaborators, and he's likely to get it, judging from this exchange:

"It's like taking a road trip or a Sunday drive. You know where you're going to end up, but you can take whatever road you want to get there," Simmons said.

Keawekane, who draws the panels based on the text Simmons e-mails him, made a subtle amendment: "(Tim's) the bus driver, but we can tell him the stops."

Both noted that by the time the comic has also gone through colorist Lisa Moore and letterer Brant W. Fowler, it has often morphed from what was expected. "It's like a baby being born. It grows it's own way, and that's what's kind of cool about it," Keawekane said.

Since the writer and artist are close to the same age and share fond recollections of the comics section of Jelly's when it was located on Ke'eaumoku Street, they say the collaboration has been easier than with other people they've worked with, who might not have an affinity for old-school "X-Men" and "Danger Girl" and don't immediately get references to old episodes of "G.I. Joe," "Transformers" or the "A-Team."

Keawekane said his initial attraction to the collaboration was that while most writers want someone to draw a project that's already written, Simmons wanted to work on a project an artist wanted to draw. The fact that they had so many common points of reference made the team more appealing, since it saved Keawekane from getting bogged down in research trying to figure out what Simmons was looking for.

Those who want to see "Spy6Teen" and its competitors need to go to www.Zudacomics.com, register and cast their votes by tomorrow, since the contest ends around midnight Hawai'i time.