Topic: Everything I've wanted to know about webcomics (but was too afraid to ask) (Read 7898 times)

Norton Quintessential · « **on:** 07 Feb 2009, 10:43 »

OK, so I'm starting a webcomic, and there are some things I've been wondering about for a while.

Big one, what's the etiquette for guest strips? Like, say I have an idea for a guest strip for Webcomic A. Do I wait for Webcomic A's author to contact me, or do I send it to them so they have it, or what? Or is there no real set of general rules for that thing?

Also, I'm not trying to be a pretentious jerk or anything, so I'm sorry if I come across like that or something.

Jace · « **Reply #1 on:** 08 Feb 2009, 04:35 »

First you make at least a couple handfuls of your own comic, establish yourself, then make guest strips and send them to the various artists. If you are just some random dude though, it'll get thrown into the fanart section. Webcomiceers are an elite caste, and even they have cliques within cliques.

Trollstormur · « **Reply #2 on:** 08 Feb 2009, 11:19 »

I see many things... I see cliques within cliques.

tomselleck69 · « **Reply #3 on:** 09 Feb 2009, 12:33 »

proper guest strip etiquette is to wait until you are asked.

of course, getting to the point where a guest strip by you is something people will ask for may take some time, so keep your eyes peeled for people who put out open calls for guest strips.

also be funny and draw well. this is the most important thing.

second most important thing is: do a strip about guild navigators

Norton Quintessential · « **Reply #4 on:** 19 Feb 2009, 05:44 »

OK, second question here:

The comic I'm doing, while comedic, has a definite plot drive to it, with an overarc connecting the first few stories (think Telltale's Sam and Max games): should I release pages of the story on separate days to give myself more leeway, or should I post an entire story about once a month so the details of the overarc are fresh in the reader's minds?

Jeans · « **Reply #5 on:** 19 Feb 2009, 06:34 »

If you have too big intervals, people will forget about the comic. Post strips instead.

Gurkburk · « **Reply #6 on:** 08 Mar 2009, 07:56 »

You want your comic to be like good crack, where people come back the very next day wanting more.

Not to be confused with bad crack, where people die choking on their own vomit.

Norton Quintessential · « **Reply #7 on:** 29 Mar 2009, 02:43 »

OK, I'm working simultaneously on bolstering a cache of material and creating a website to house it.

Does anyone know how I can add a forum to my website? Everything I've looked at is horribly confusing.

EDIT: So I've been struggling with Dreamweaver for weeks now, and I'm about ready to say fuck it. Do you think running my webcomic out of a blog would be a viable option, like Kate Beaton did with hers for a long time?

JD · « **Reply #8 on:** 30 Mar 2009, 08:55 »

LiveJournal is a viable solution. yuko (of johnny wander fame) has done it for a while. It'd the only LJ I check regularly.

bicostp · « **Reply #9 on:** 04 Apr 2009, 08:54 »

Yes, running it out of a blog would work, especially if you use WordPress with the ComicPress add-on. You could also use a standalone system like ComicCMS or Walrus if you feel ambitious.

But if you don't want to deal with all that, or don't have your own hosting, you can always throw it on a free comic host like ComicGenesis. This might be the way to go, since you'll get listed in their directory (for more exposure). The only drawback is you wind up competing with 1,895,213 other people in the same position, so (as Yahtzee said) it's like throwing a message in a bottle off your desert island into an ocean made entirely of messages in bottles.

http://www.comicgenesis.com/

Norton Quintessential · « **Reply #10 on:** 04 Apr 2009, 07:47 »

To everyone: thank you very much! You've all been really helpful.

Bicostp: my idea was to host it on Blogger or something, post comics every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and then do miscellaneous writings on Tuesday and Thursday, with no major alterations to the blogging script.

Also, one final question: I've got a domain already purchased from when I planned to do a huge, custom lay-out thing. How can I make my domain redirect to my blog?

P-Frank · « **Reply #11 on:** 05 Apr 2009, 01:18 »

I might go for ComicPress instead. It is much more professional than just using Blogger. Blogger is a fine thing for blogs, but I have only seen one good Blogger comic.

And regular updates are THE most important thing on a comic if you want to be successful (lots of readers, if that is how you define success). Artistically that may be bankrupt, but there are plenty of awful comics that update 7 days a week and they will always be more popular than a once a week deal. At the moment I update five days a week, three-four real pages and one-two one-panellers. Due to the style it would be very difficult to do it any more than that.

Also, I recently did one solicited guest comic (Octopus Pie) and one un-solicited (Anders Loves Maria). I did the other one because I know Rene is pretty lax on her guest comics and also that she needed them fast and I already had an idea for one. Un-solicited fan art is generally better as a rule though. Comics take too long anyway.

- Frank!

Norton Quintessential · « **Reply #12 on:** 05 Apr 2009, 01:49 »

My only problem with Comicpress is I literally have no idea how to work code or things like that. And ComicGenesis... this is probably stupid, but I was hoping to get it done in the next week or so so I can post the content I have and get a Comicon Pass.

Doing this by the skin of my teeth, I know, but I've been working on this concept for about a year and a half (ironically, the idea to do it as a webcomic didn't hit me until about a month ago.)

lolwut · « **Reply #13 on:** 17 Apr 2009, 05:03 »

Quote from: Jeans on 19 Feb 2009, 06:34

If you have too big intervals, people will forget about the comic.

http://www.blastwavecomic.com/

Jeans · « **Reply #14 on:** 17 Apr 2009, 05:25 »

Ha, that's what I was thinking of when I posted what you quoted, actually. I check that like once a year now when I remember it even exists.

Norton Quintessential · « **Reply #15 on:** 18 Apr 2009, 07:53 »

Heh, don't worry. I'm not launching until I've got enough material that I can update for a month or so before I run out.

And I'm forgetting San Diego this year. I feel like slapping something together would be disrespectful to guys like Jeph who do this for a living, so I'm going to cut my teeth on it for a year or so first.

lolwut · « **Reply #16 on:** 18 Apr 2009, 12:50 »

Quote from: Norton Quintessential on 18 Apr 2009, 07:53

I feel like slapping something together would be disrespectful to guys like Jeph who do this for a living

I don't follow.

Norton Quintessential · « **Reply #17 on:** 18 Apr 2009, 01:40 »

I just feel like a few months at it wouldn't be enough. I don't know, maybe I'm just being stupid.

lolwut · « **Reply #18 on:** 18 Apr 2009, 01:46 »

Quote from: Norton Quintessential on 18 Apr 2009, 01:40

I just feel like a few months at it wouldn't be enough. I don't know, maybe I'm just being stupid.

no i mean i don't see why it would be disrespectful, but okay.

JD · « **Reply #19 on:** 18 Apr 2009, 04:42 »

I think what Norton is saying is he doesn't want a rushed project.

Norton Quintessential · « **Reply #20 on:** 18 Apr 2009, 05:23 »

Yes, thank you Zombiedude. That's pretty much it: I don't want to go to THE BIG ONE with barely any content under my belt.

I want to establish an identity for my work first, THEN go and tell people about it.

P-Frank · « **Reply #21 on:** 19 Apr 2009, 09:07 »

My comics been up a couple months and I'm about to debut a merch line as well as hit three cons this summer. Ain't a thang.

talihal · « **Reply #22 on:** 01 May 2009, 09:02 »

Ok, now I have a question:

I plan to do a comic as soon as I can get a Wacom tablet (and hopefully Photoshop since right now all I have is Gimp and I hear it has problems with tablets) but I don't know like what fanbase I'm looking at. It's a rather cliché idea, but it's about some kids in a band and the side-plot is that they're Vamps. It's gonna be mainly a teenage/early adulthood fanbase for people who are into that sort of thing. I know it's a relatively dumb idea and very cliché, but I need some ideas on which direction to gear it. Anyone got any ideas? And please, constructive criticism not flaming. Go ahead and tell me it's cliché, but dont go on a rant about how its just another twilight ripoff or whatever. I already know that. But you don't like it, too bad. Deal.

lolwut · « **Reply #23 on:** 02 May 2009, 12:13 »

Constructive criticism?

Pick a different horror sub-genre: Vampires are soooo late nineties/early noughties.

Norton Quintessential · « **Reply #24 on:** 02 May 2009, 04:42 »

"Noughties". Is that what we're calling them now? I always wondered.

OK, one final question: I finally have the comic up, updating M-W-F: How long before I should start telling people about it?

I'm eager to post it in the plug yr comic thread, but I've only got two strips up so far.

JD · « **Reply #25 on:** 02 May 2009, 07:07 »

ehh, go ahead and plug it

also, Tali, look for a more obscure mythical monster if you don't want to change what you have too much.

For example,Selkies are pretty cool

talihal · « **Reply #26 on:** 06 May 2009, 09:46 »

Quote from: Zombiedude on 02 May 2009, 07:07

ehh, go ahead and plug it

also, Tali, look for a more obscure mythical monster if you don't want to change what you have too much.

For example,Selkies are pretty cool

Thanks! I'm not sure if I'll go with selkies but maybe something else...or I've been thinking about maybe dropping the mythical creature thing all together. We shall see.

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Author Topic: Everything I've wanted to know about webcomics (but was too afraid to ask) (Read 7898 times)

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