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Question: Story vs Strip

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Adam Murray:
I'm in no way an expert in this, but i would say this.  If you're doing story stuff (and we all should.  its a much harder skil than telling a joke in three panles or whatever)  we have to relaise the medium that we're in.  Web based stuff is very immadiate and not as intimate as say, a printed comic.  When i approach story stuff, i always remember the mantra that "every chapter is someone's first chapter"  and everything we put up has to accesiable in its own right.  I'm not saying that you should sacrifice backstory and continuity for the sake of new readers, just present each chunk in a manner that stands on its own.

I remember one of my favourite comics, The Hellboy story, "The Copse" by Mike Mignola.  It was printed originally in two page segments and every two pages, BOOM something exciting happed that made you crazy to wait for the issue.  

I guess what I'm trying to say that its diffucult to start up stories based around plot a page at a time.  But its a skill worth learning

BTW, Rone?  read your comic, great stuff.  Have you tried to get it into print?

bev:
I work on a story based comic and am well aware of all the problems that come with gaining new readership. Firstly alot of people who are mad about story comics can also be very cynical and have pretty high standards. Since a story comic is long you have to make sure what you write is worth someones time, don't dilly dally about, make every page or strip matter. I've recently gotten into the habit of using an infinite canvas, meaning that there is no standard strip length, they're as long or short as they need to be. Working this way means that each strip is a "scene". Basically, no strip starts off mid-sentance or halfway through a conversation (except the last few). So I make sure each strip starts and ends properly, and I've had some strips end up really long just to make sure I ended a scene right.

The other thing I guess is, even though my comic is sorta serious, I have humour strips every so often, like the latest one, which are part of the story but in no way advance it. They're just there for a quick laugh.

I also have a gag strip comic which I ended a while back called Sub n' Scorps. I got more hits out of this comic than I could ever hope to get with Chooken, simply because it's a gag strip and people could get in and get out quickly, with no commitment.

Gag strips are like a one night stand, you can give them another go, and who knows, you may even end up spending all your time with them.

But Story comics are a commitment, you're in it for the long haul, and some people just don't like to commit...

Rone:

--- Quote from: Adam Murray ---Rone? read your comic, great stuff. Have you tried to get it into print?
--- End quote ---


Thank you for the compliment!  As for print, I've had several people ask, but I'm not sure it would make the transition well.  Most of what I've done is using natural media, and I'm not sure that it would go from computer to page very well.  That, and re-scanning all those pages (so far SoG is...300?  I think that's right) is a daunting task.  

Despite that, I'm planning to make a book once everything is finished.  Which should be in...oh...a year?  Two years?

I definitely agree with pacing story segments.  I update with anywhere from 2 to 4 pages an update, typically, because I want to try and leave it on a little hill of suspense each time.  Apparently I'm doing a decent job of it, because the few times in real life that I've met people who've read my work the first thing they do is shake their fist at me and exclaim, "Damn you!  What happens next??"

And much cackling on my part ensues.  Ah....

bev:
You're lucky, the few people in real life I've met who've read my stuff think it's shit. But then again people in Tasmania have this chip on their little indie shoulders, they think it's cool to hate EVERYTHING.

Vlishgnath:
A friend and I attempted an RPG-esque comic about a year ago that went... 14 comics, then a combonation of him not having any free time and me not being able to fit words within an acceptable boundary killed it.

Definately the biggest problem I see with story based comics is the necessity for rapid delivery of content.  Transitional episodes leave a lot to be desired and it's really hard to accrue an audience unless you pump out that content like a mad bastard.

Or it's simply the greatest thing in the world and everyone latches onto it ravenously.

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