hold the hypothetical phone!

[Jeffy]

I just got a possibly bright idea that I want to bounce off you peoples. I have my comic generally planned thru at least 5-6 chapters, but as I was wandering over to the latrine, I got the idea of having each chapter being a self-contained story.

For example, the way I had it planned was the normal way of doing things, each chapter building off of the last. But, with the new way, instead of taking the characters I introduced in the first chapter into the second, third, etc chapters, I essentially start over again with a new character/s, in the same world and dealing with the same things I had planned for them to be dealing with previously. I would also, depending on what is needed for said chapter, have 'cameos' of other characters from previous or future chapters, doing whatever makes sense for themselves.

I think that's enough of a general idea of what I'm talking about, I shall make a poll for the hell of it, lemme know what is thought.

[Black Sparrow]

I'm a linear-storyline kind of person.

Frankly, I have issues with keeping track of characters, especially if there are a lot. Introducing new characters would make it very confusing in that respect. Plus, readers would have less reason to get attached to certain characters if they knew that they'd essentially disappear in twenty strips. So you'd have less empathy and, as a result, less immersion in the comic as a whole.

That's just one opinion, though

[Tellurider]

I think the question you really need to ask yourself is: do I want my comic to be like a novel or a collection of short stories?

[Joel Fagin]

I thought of this myself and I'm still debating. The novel my comic is based on would be ideal for this (although, of course, the various stories would converge at the end for the climax as they do every Summer at DC comics).

My current CGen account, however, would no longer be appropriate. I'd need a differently named one.

It's tempting because it would work and I don't think it's been done before. It adds variety and some surprise to the line up. It's like waiting for the next appearance of the Borg in Star Trek. People would like it more when their favourite character returns because of the wait.

I can't really help, though. I'm still tossing up myself.

- Joel Fagin

[JTigerclaw]

I've seen it done successful both ways, and I like either way. I think either one would work, though it would be harder to build reader empathy with characters if you do short stories. Not impossible, just harder.

[Taiwanimation]

There are advantages to keeping the stories self contained- namely, if you don't finish the whole project, no big deal, the stories can stand alone.

[Fortunesfools]

I've seen it done successful both ways, and I like either way. I think either one would work, though it would be harder to build reader empathy with characters if you do short stories. Not impossible, just harder.

I think that is the main difficulty with the short story route. Also, there is more set-up time in establishing the characters with each chapter (this is only significant depending on the rate of updates).

There is also the possibility of doing completely self-contained stories that have very little to do with one another, except for the characters. Joel referenced "Star Trek" and wasn't that all the early incarnations really were? A collection of self-contained stories with the same faces. Sometimes there might be a reference to a previous episode, but just as often the following episodes would be completely unrelated.

Of course, having said that there is no reason why your short stories would need to have all new characters each time. Chapter One and Four might end up having the same cast of characters. I do think either path has a lot of possibility. I believe that the completely self-contained stories probably requires the most amount of effort to develop completely separate groups of characters, in appearance and action, that don't feel too much like the previous group (otherwise, why the different faces?). So, if you're of the opinion the potential payoff is enough to warrant the investment, then I think you should go for it.

[Sortelli]

If your short stories are building off of each other, aren't they still linear anyway?

[Jeffy]

I'd like to think of it as quasi-linear. In any case, I guess I've got time, since I'm maybe halfway thru the first chapter and no matter which I decide, the first chapter will be the same.

[Blackaby]

I like your new idea.

I'm a non-linear kind of girl.

[Sput]

I'm a linear-storyline kind of person.

Frankly, I have issues with keeping track of characters, especially if there are a lot. Introducing new characters would make it very confusing in that respect. Plus, readers would have less reason to get attached to certain characters if they knew that they'd essentially disappear in twenty strips. So you'd have less empathy and, as a result, less immersion in the comic as a whole.

That's just one opinion, though

look who's talking!


i don't like that idea of yours. i'd definitely not be able to read it, because i get lost rather easily. :V

[McDuffies]

There are definitely a lot of advantages in what you call a quasi-linear: you build characters slowly through stories, and keep each story self-contained. Writing one large epic story is a dificult job, there are so many things that you have to take care of, and that's why there's so many confusing "epic" comics out there and even those that never get finished. Self-contained stoies is definitely a safer route, and probably the one where you have to headbutt less and enjoy making comics more.

[CSchaefer]

How big of a cast are you considering, for each storyline? If it's kept fairly small and tight, it might be easier to avoid the "too many characters to keep track of" problem that would crop up after two or three story shifts. Still have the empathy issue, though.

[Jeffy]

Not big, but I'm also not really planning on having main characters, just characters. Either way I do it, I'm gonna end up using the same characters I think, just get them used differently. What I'm NOT planning on doing is making every single new chapter have new people, that'd just get ridiculous and would produce far too many characters.

I think I am now leaning towards the 'quasi-linear' approach, since it'd be something to keep my interest, and assuming I keep the same average number of readers I have over the years, I will hear no complaints for whatever I do.

Now it is time for me to work on possibly slightly changing my basic art style.

[Captainclover]

i think it can be cool, but only if done well... it's a good way to elongate one storyline (if it's a really good one).

david mack did this with kabuki. he went through and had a pretty long kabuki story line, then he retold the story through the eyes of another agent, scarab. but in the end it all came together and you saw how the two were related. it was interesting because in kabuki, you don't know anything about scarab, but after scarab you end up getting emotionally attactched to her and it sorta changes the way you felt about the entire outcome.

[Shishio]

I voted for the third option. But ultimately, you should go with your gut.

[Guildmaster Van]

White Hydra was intended to have both - large arcs containing several chapters to culminate a whole story, and then the chapters themselves which contain sub-stories that devlop plot points.

[Joel Fagin]

White Hydra was intended to have both - large arcs containing several chapters to culminate a whole story, and then the chapters themselves which contain sub-stories that devlop plot points.

Not quite the same thing unless you switch characters/groups each chapter. That's the crux.

- Joel Fagin

[Jeffy]

damn you Crux! damn you and your conditions!

[Christwriter]

I guess you could say I have two prefferences. If your story has the different characters meeting and interacting with each other, go with a linear storyline for a while. I'd say a good 75% of my enjoyment of comics is the byplay of character off character, and trying to keep storylines and characters seperate would be distracting.

If the characters only interact once in a while...like, say, walk past each other in a hall or meet each other for lunch, and are for the most part well-established so we know who they are and what they're doing, then you can go with self-contained chapters.

I'd also say be careful with it and try to do as good a job as possible with it. Fancy storytelling tools are much fun, but they're very easy to break and when broken, they look really, really icky. (which is why I use few fancy storytelling tools...I don't want to break the story). Know EXACTLY what you want to do, and you should be able to pull it off.

CW