Reading Criteria?

SI Rob · Post by **SI Rob** » Sun Jul 14, 2002 8:05 pm

Since I'm seeing so many people plugging. I'm guessing you all want your comics to enjoy some sort of readership/popularity. Of course I'm assuming everyone wants that.

Anyways, maybe to help out those of you desperate for readership...

What makes YOU want to read a new comic?
What grabs your attention and makes you start reading? Genre? Art? Word of Mouth?

For me, art definately plays a part, which it shouldn't since I don't even do the art in my comic. But its still something that I tend to find important.

After that, its an attention grabbing first few comics. You need to have something that'll keep my attention quickly, I know I've quit reading many comics that are "popular" after 5 or so comics because it was boring the hell out of me.

Finally, consistancy...if ya haven't updated for a while when I go to read it...forget you, I want something that I know will keep updating.

So what can a comic do to get you to read it?

DunnBoyz · Post by **DunnBoyz** » Sun Jul 14, 2002 9:50 pm

As long as its within my sphere of interest (gaming/college/entertainment/politics), I am in. It also has to be witty and somewhat not cookie-cutter.

Spectralsingularity · Mon Jul 15, 2002 12:02 am

Well I am big on art alot of my favorite comics tend to look pretty "undefined" as far as the art goes. But then that's why webcomics are so great, even if your art is still developing you can take it and run with it on the net and still get an audience if the idea is solid. So I'd have to rate the idea over the art. And yeah, consistancy is good, though I've noticed alot of my favorite daily webcomics seem to be getting stale lately, I'll wait if that's the price of quality.

Twentyfour · Post by **Twentyfour** » Mon Jul 15, 2002 3:43 pm

Hmm... art and story are big pulls.. what about characters? crappy characters can kill a story and make you pretty apathetic about the whole comic in general, whereas terrible artwork can be overcome with characters you actually give a damn about.
I think we need one specific thing you can look for inna comic that will tell you at first glance whether it's worth getting into or not.. I waste ours going through really bad comics and then finding near the end of their archives that I've really started to like it.

Sidwood · Post by **Sidwood** » Mon Jul 15, 2002 7:08 pm

You tricked me! I thought this post was about things that an artist should read to better draw/understand comicking... but since I'm here, I'll answer. Story, humor, and characters are the key. That sounds very vague, I know. But if all three of these peices fit together in harmony, you have a great comic worth coming back to. By harmony, I mean that the story fits the characters, the characters the humor, etc. etc. Everything must complement eveything else. Why? Because that gay guy on the Discovery Channel said so. Christopher Lowell wouldn't lie, would he?

TheWhiner · Post by **TheWhiner** » Mon Jul 15, 2002 7:40 pm

I only buy into a comic for one reason: the art.

If I don't like the style, or I think that the comic could be done better I don't read it. I know this is cruel to all the up and coming artists but that's just the way I am. The comic MUST have a finished touch to it.

I am also a genre nut. I'll read anything horror/insane/weird or anything fitting into my social clique.

That is all I have to say.

DunnBoyz · Post by **DunnBoyz** » Mon Jul 15, 2002 8:43 pm

The art is OK as long as the artist continually improves. Look at PVP and Penny Arcade. Compared to today, their first strips were lacking. But the characters and the strip storylines were awesome and sold the strips.

Halflight · Post by **Halflight** » Tue Jul 16, 2002 9:39 am

characters is the biggie for me. if it doesn't have charming and engaging characters, i probably won't go back. Art, for me, has to be pretty much faultless, tho not necessarily spectacular art that i would ooh and ah at if it were just art. perfect, anatomy, perfect compositions, perfect expressions, no confusion between who's who, perfect polish etc. The style matters much less than this, though i prefer the distinctive styles (can't remember a single pure-manga-style comic i've been able to pay attention to.) I'm partial to fantasy, also, and it has to be an epic storyline-- no interest in gag-a-day.

Eurgh, the update schedules, bane of my existence.... i update one chapter a month, and i think that KILLS my hitcounts, even though it adds up to more pages than if i did a couple of times a week. Damnit, i'm just NOT THAT ORGANIZED to know how every bit of dialogue of a chapter will go before i've done the whole thing... sigh. maybe someday.

ZOMBIE USER 7782 · Post by **ZOMBIE USER 7782** » Wed Jul 17, 2002 3:12 pm

First impressions are very, very important. Good layout/grasp of HTML i.e. not messy is important, and the first comic I see should grab me. And make me want to read more. Can't say the same about my current project (below).

Ratbert · Post by **Ratbert** » Wed Jul 17, 2002 9:32 pm

Something that's funny. I don't really care about HTML layout or even art, but if it's funny, I'll read it.

SuperJoe · Post by **SuperJoe** » Thu Jul 18, 2002 12:43 am

Whatever is really stupid is what I read.
That's why I like Scrubbo's strip so much.