Before Starting a Webcomic
Things to consider when starting a webcomic
So, you decided to start a webcomic huh? I can hazard a guess on why you started one:
- Like, oh my god, you’re a real fan of that show/series/movie, fan comic;
- Want to start on the comic industry;
- Cause you’re bored;
- Cause it’s fun;
- Money;
- As practice.
Whatever the reason you decided to start a webcomic, the important thing is, do you really have the time, energy and patience for it? Webcomics might seem easy, but it’s a lot of work. You gotta love what you’re doing or else you might regret it in the future, or be bored after a while. Also, what’s the point of doing it if you don’t like it? I myself can attest to all of these, if evidence of my schedule slips are enough, ehem.
Roles of a webcomic author
Three components make up a webcomic author/s. You could be just one person (like most webcomic creators or authors) or a group collaborating, whatever, but all of these roles are important. All of them should work together to bring the webcomic to greater heights. If you’re working solo, you have to consider these roles, but it’s still perfectly fine if you want to concentrate on the comic. You can just hire someone after all, or use one of those free webcomic hosts for the web part.
The Writer
The writer makes the story or writes out the humor, horror or action in it. I would say this the most important person in comics. You can pretty much get away with everything if your comic has excellent writing, just ask that guy from xkcd.
The Artist
Second most important guy because, what’s a comic without the art? Granted, it doesn’t have to be “stunning gorgeous fine” since that takes time, both in practice and effort. The artist is responsible for making the comic, from sketches, to the final piece.
The Web guy
A lot of webcomics ignore this aspect of the webcomic. It’s understandable because they can concentrate more on making the comic, but really, ignoring this is a waste of potential. This guy’s aim is to make navigating the website easier while keeping the website looking nice and tidy.
Questions you have to ask yourself before starting a webcomic
I don’t mean to scare any of you off, but you might not want to start a webcomic.
Do you really want this? It’s very possible that you’ll get bored somewhere down the line. That’s sad because if you have any fans (you will get them), you and them will have wasted their time because the comic ended just like that.
Do you have the time? I’m gonna say this is the thing that most beginner webcomic authors underestimate a lot, because I do too! Webcomics take a lot of time to make though it varies between artists. You have to stick to a schedule too if you want regular fans visiting your website.
Do you have the skill? It’s alright if you didn’t start out awesome with drawing, writing or whatever, because you WILL get better. Take a look at some of the famous comic artists that started out sucky! The key here is practice. This means taking time to learn the tools and programs involved in making a comic, the techniques and observation skills required to draw as well as color. Even the website needs some work, it’s a webcomic after all.
Are you REALLY sure you want this? Important.
Can you take criticism? This is the Internet, and you will get criticisms at some point. Some will be glad to help you, but some are trolls. But the harshest critic of them all is probably yourself.
Are you a nice person? No matter how crappy you are, it’s really hard to hate a guy who’s nice all the time, also trolls hate that. It’s also hard to like the stuff a guy makes if they’re douchy about it.
Who are you writing for exactly? There’s no problem with making something just for yourself, but why post it in the Internet if you don’t care? That also gives you less motivation to work.
Welp, hope that helped you before you even think about making a comic. I’m gonna be honest, I just want to lessen the number of crappy and/or abandoned comics since they waste space, time, and some of them actually have good titles (also a waste). I may write another post about actually starting a webcomic, especially on one of those free webcomic hosts, as well as how to prepare the images, etc. Just comment or send suggestions about what I can add here or the next one!
@Coffee Sure thing, good luck!
Thank you for this, this is all very important to consider! I’m sort of in doubt of actually posting my comic online, but on the other hand, publishing what you make seems to grant some sort of drive I really need. Also, communities are fun!Â
If I manage to get some pages rolling and know more of what my speed is and how I handle comicking in general, I’ll definitely give it a shot ^^
ShmeaShmeaSorry for the late replay, and you're welcome!
This was helpful, thank you 🙂