Does anyone actually read "History" Pages?

[Valkyrk]

You know those "History" pages? The ones that every fantasy writer wants to make because there's this HUGE world behind the comic and there is no way to describe it within the comic?

Does anyone actually read those?

If No, is there any reason to have one on your website?

If Yes, what is the best way to go about making one?

[Boozeathon4billion]

I don't normally read many fantasy comics... but when I do, I try to start at the beginning and go forward from there. So the history page has helped occasionally when I decided to be lazy and not start from the beginning for one reason or another (crappy start, bad art at the get-go, laziness on my part, etc). I would just slowly compile it, keep it as short as possible (while still saying all you need to), and keep it up to date if you're going to do it. Otherwise, they aren't really worth it.

[Joel]

I read them, because I find them to be cool.

For my comic, I'm making a wiki-style encyclopedia.
Having it all on one page seems way too much for a reader to read.
All though I only update that as the story progresses, so I don't leave any spoilers behind.

[AspComics]

History pages frighten me. The ones I come across are usually long, boring, and explain way too much... feels like I'm reading essays. A Wiki would be nice; much easier to read through. The main thing I'd say is just don't go over every fine detail of your world in an attempt to rationalize it all... it's fantasy, let the imagination have some fun.

[Metruis]

Wikis scare me and I hide from them, to be different here. I don't mind history pages if they're REASONABLE.

To be honest, you're not Tolkien--no one is, and I don't give a darn whether you have created a 60 page essay on the history, customs, sexual practices, recipe books, geography textbook and language dictionary about your fantasy world. I write fantasy too--and evidently now I'm trying to draw it or I wouldn't be here XP--and here's a fact: I don't read appendices. If it was worth knowing, they told me in the story, usually. I don't mind a bit of information on the language, or the history, or family lines if it was relevant to the story, if it's not a 20 page novella, and really just couldn't be put in without dumping. I LIKE seeing the following: maps, illustrations, and even a short dictionary if there were a few foreign words used in the story...

Otherwise, keep in mind.

No one really wants to read your author notes unless you're Tolkien or Herbert, really. You have to be famous and preferably dead, and then people will want to read them. People seem to like reading notes from old dead guys. (coughs)

Anyway, I do skim history pages for webcomics. I enjoy seeing them well done. A map, maybe a few paragraphs on the history of the world, a paragraph on the history of each race. If you created a race, I don't mind reading a bit more. When it gets to be over a page or two in Word, it's turning into story material rather than webcomic support and that was valuable time I could've spent reading your archives instead.

Generally--if you can show it in the story, show it in the story and keep the history page for a bit of support. Clarification on what those fancy words mean and maybe that your elves age backwards and your dwarves are in fact sentient rocks with beards and that those beards are alien parisites controlling their minds and speaking for them, and that the T'sar'alin are shapeshifter moon slimes... that's all good and you should probably have it for people like me who WON'T read the entire archive. Or people like me with short memories who have to double check once in a while.

If you feel you need to have information on the entire world and every little facet of creation, wiki. But those scare me more than a bit of a history page.

History pages frighten me. The ones I come across are usually long, boring, and explain way too much...

Just don't do that.

Really, don't do that.

Spend that time making more comics, y'know?

[Rhenny]

A way around that is the "last time.." quick synopsis. long bulky text doesn't do it for me, add art, spice it up. After all if your readers want a novel..they will read one of those, webcomics are short in and out experiences..

[Redtech]

I feel I'm guilty as charged and I don't even do a Fantasy comic!

I do tend to read the background details to add context to a piece, although the best written work is self-explanatory to a degree.

Which I suppose means one should only describe what cannot be easily described in a comic, such as "why do they all have 6 fingers" or "what is this god they talk about" and so on, things that the characters already know the answers to and so would be out of character to question it.

[Galaxydefenders]

History pages tend to be a big warning sign to me.

I started drafting this reply yesterday, and since then Metrius has pretty much explained a similar opinion to mine.

Basically: I mean - researching webcomics in the last few months to help me make choices with my own, one of the most sad things I have seen accompanying a comic is a massive backstory explained in (often unprofessional looking un-proofread) history pages... The question it usually begs is "Will my enjoyment of this comic increase if I spend time reading the motivations of the war between the half-elf-cats and the dwarkin dwarvish tribes that happened thirteen centuries before the first plotline of the comic?"

If world-building and backstory is important to your comic, then as an alternative it can be a really interesting addition to the story to use flash-backs, flash forwards, narration, and a bunch of other dramatic techniques already used in cinema, TV series, comics and novels. I can't think of any examples of those other media that ever expect the person watching / reading them to have also read a seperate essay on the back-story.

I am NOT saying that writing a history page for your comic is automatically bad! If you do it right, then it could be worthwhile addition to the comic. But if you are planning to use one, then the most useful kind of history page I personally would like would be something short that allows a new reader to drop in at the most recent storyline to try your comic out.

That said - my comic is based in a world I designed for a unique table-top RPG. At some point I may include a background page - but this would be designed for games-masters interested in world detail rather than for casual readers.

-Tom

[Wadefade]

As a reader, I personally don't unless somewhere in the middle of reading the archives I start scratching my head wondering wtf is going on.

I do appreciate comics that mention something, put a little * after it, and mention it below the panel or in that same pane.

[Joel]

another thing that I'd want to say, seeing how most people here prefer not to read them/ suggest not doing them.

like working on a web comic, you have to enjoy making the history page. I'm making one because I like to make one, not if I'm wondering if you would read it or not.

I'm going to use me for an example, although I wouldn't really classify my comic as fantasy as in medieval swords and such. It takes place in more of a future.
I'm using the "history" page to explain the tech, weaponry, vehicles, ranking and classes. Accompanied with technical drawings and all that stuff. Even though they may not show up in the comic, maybe in the backdrop.

And for the "history" history part, since I don't it would fit in the comic because of different time settings (feudal medieval and near future). I wouldn't really use that page to explain the storyline of the comic itself.

In a way, it would be like one of those "cool other things" that you would make. Like, "Hey! Check this out, even though it relates a little to the comic!"

Like an art gallery, why do we make an art gallery for our web comic? Cause it's cool, and that's what we like to do.

[Wadefade]

Well, is it really history page if it is just some things that come from the "universe" of your webcomic and nothing to do the actual story at hand? Yes I can see how it could be interesting, but I thought we were talking of a page that actually paraphrased events up to the actual story.

I am actually a fan of how Kez, does War of Winds where when you start the archives it is actually be beginning of the comic, in comic form. That way when I go to a web comic site I read the history in the comic, not a wall of text. If I wanted to read on of those, I would pick up a book.

[[geoduck]]

I don't have a history page posted on my fantasy comic, but I do have a plot-recap, for those who don't want to read through going-on-five years worth of daily updates..

[Wendybird]

Having a history page is a lot better than starting off your comic with a lot of introductory comics that don't have any memorable characters in them. This has been bothering me a lot lately. It makes it really hard to get into the comic.

The way I've tried to do things is start with my characters interacting and just slip in little hints about how the world works and what has happened in the past. Later there will be a flashback from the perspective of one of the established characters that will give all the necessary information about the nature of the wizard wars. The way I see it, the characters drive the story, and if information isn't important to them, it isn't important to the story. You can find a way to work it in, even if it is an assumed fact of their daily lives.

That said, I do have a page on the quirks of the elves' lives and life cycle, just because I think it's fun information. Some of it will become relevant to the story, but by then, I will have worked it in.

If you make a detailed history page, will people read it? Well, I have never been inclined to read the Silmarillion, but I hear some people enjoy that kind of thing.

[Kieve]

I typically glance over them to see if there's any useful tidbits to pluck out - if I encounter something [in] the storyline that seems odd or off-beat or needs explaining, I'll go back and double-check. My only advice when writing a history section is to make it easy to read. As previously mentioned, walls of text please no one but the scholarly.

If it adds to or clarifies the material at hand? Mostly a good idea, IMO. I might be a little biased though.
MS - 6-20-08
-> Giz calls B1V5-13 a Core-2. And apparently, Core-2's don't have feelings. So does that mean some meksens do?
From the About section:

Core-2 (The Emotional Wreck) ...Unfortunately, for all their focus on intelligence, the Core-2's designers had neglected to account for its emotional responses. Early Core-2 MechaSentients suffered from a host of emotional disorders, rapid mood-swings, bipolar issues, and many experienced at least one nervous breakdown within their first quarter-cycle of operation. All emotional programming for the Core-2 generation was disabled, and the code completely erased for meksens constructed after 203-ssc...

I dunno about you guys, but 'bots with mental and emotional disorders just makes me chuckle a little.
But back to my point, in this case I think it helps to explain the differences between a "Core-1", -2, and -3.

Will everyone read it? No, probably not. But if you actually make use of the material and it's pertinent to the story, you can feel vindicated in knowing that the information is right there and available, at least.

[Wadefade]

The way I've tried to do things is start with my characters interacting and just slip in little hints about how the world works and what has happened in the past. Later there will be a flashback from the perspective of one of the established characters that will give all the necessary information about the nature of the wizard wars. The way I see it, the characters drive the story, and if information isn't important to them, it isn't important to the story. You can find a way to work it in, even if it is an assumed fact of their daily lives.

This.