link hereI hate the way 99.9999% of webcomics are designed and written. Thank God I had a nice, long gap in my life where I did other things besides checking up on webcomics that I used to like. Now that I'm browsing through the comic archives, I end up asking myself, "Why the fuck did I have any interest in this particular comic?" As I nostalgically browse over each of my once-favourite comics, I notice so many flaws that caused me eventually lose interest in them. Allow me to list them as follows.
1) The comic starts out with a decent plot and interesting characters, but eventually the author hits a writer's brick wall. Desperate to keep the fans reading the comic, the author plagiarises ideas from currently popular movies, current news stories, and anything else popular, to the point where said references fuck up the entire plot of the comic.
2) The comic author bites off more than he can chew by trying to appeal to too many audiences at once. This is especially demonstrated by spinning off side-story after side-story after side story, to the point where the reader gets confused as to which side story links with what, or what the author was smoking when he made this current side story instead of focusing on the main comic.
3) The author tries to appeal to the furry fandom and/or anime fanatics, both of which are guaranteed to kill any comic that dabbles in them, because furries are disgusting animal fuckers, and anime fanatics are disgusting Japan-obsessed pedophiles.
4) The comic author reveals his computer fanaticism by promoting Linux and other non-Windows products, despite the fact that nobody gives a fuck about using old geeky shit in the modern world. And nothing insults the readers more than jokes that directly insult them for not being religiously blessed by whichever non-Windows software is popular at the moment.
5) The comic starts out fine, and the plot progresses in an interesting manner, but all of a sudden, the author decides to let others host their versions of his comics on his site. Before you know it, what was once a good comic ends up being a clusterfuck of conflicting storylines.
6) The website is so disorganised that you have to wade through a pile of garbage links and a sloppy archiving system just to pick up where you left off.
7) A really good comic ends with a cliffhanger, and to find out what happens next, you have to drive or fly all the way to some comic convention, and endure the stench of unwashed basement dwelling geeks just to buy an overpriced paper edition of the author's comic. You then read the paperback, and wonder why the author made you waste tour time and money on a comic that now has a worse plot than where you left off.
8) The author starts off writing good comics, but after a couple of years, spends less and less time working on the comic. However, the author is still trying to keep the fans coming to his site like drug addicts to a well-known dealer, so he comes up with pointless jokes, full-page sketches of female characters, and other space fillers to bide his time. Eventually, the author spends so much time creating swimsuit pics or strategically censored nude pinups of female characters that the comic series degrades into yet another softcore porn gallery, with an actual comic strip here and there.
I conclude what
I hate with some suggestions to any current or aspiring comic book writers who are even reading this post. I can only hope that some of them will help said artists produce something that rises above the artistic wasteland that stretches beyond the horizons of the Internet.
First, If the comic series is obviously dying, it's perfectly fine to wrap it up, cut your losses, and focus on another project. If it means that the main character dies horribly at the hands of a psychotic ninja, or marries that incredibly hot alien chick he met at the train station, or gets a job, let it be so. There is nothing more boring than watching a comic author dragging an already dead plot along in hopes of finding some magic voodoo spell to revive it.
Second, if you don't know how to advance the plot, for God's sake, please do not substitute lame gags or blatantly plagiarised references to what's currently popular, just to fill up space. This is where most good gomics die. Just put the comic on hold whilst you seek inspiration. If you still can't find anything new, wrap up the comic and try something else.
Third, it would be a wise idea to plan out your comic long before you write it. If it means you eventually release your comic 3 years from now, so be it.
Fourth, if you absolutely have to draw half-naked pics of your female characters, please create a section of your site called the GALLERY, and put them there. Most webcomic readers have already endured the agony of wading through hastily and poorly drafted sketches of voyeur scenes and "wardrobe malfunctions" just get back to the main comic.
Fifth, try to be creative and original with your comics, and do the best that you honestly can at it. Even if your comic doesn't make it to the big leagues, at least you will be remembered for trying something new.
Sixth, please, for the love of God, no more furry comics! Our eyes bleed and our brain cells die when we see cartoon animals on the screen.
Seventh, if nobody besides your computer lab buddy is familiar with the in-jokes and slang that you are using, it's probably time to use your intellectual skills to learn about what appeals to a typical comic reader. It may help immensely to buy a dictionary and thesaurus, and brush up on your grammar before writing any further comics.
Eighth, take note that aesthetics are the first thing a viewer notices when reading your comics. It cannot be repeated that for every comic out there that is drawn decently, there ate thousands with God-awful artwork that could have been coughed up by a kindergarten kid with a crayon pack. Always seek to improve upon your drawing skills, even if it means taking an extra course in art. Learn as much as possible about the elements and principles of design, Gestalt Psychology, and all other helpful guides that you can use to draw something better than turds with faces.
Finally, it would also help greatly if your websites have better organization. Divide the main comic into chapters or pages, and place the side-stories and guest comics in other sections. That way, if potential fans stumble into your site, they can find comics that are at least structured in a more fluid reading manner.
And so, I end my post.
Aug 6 3:57 PM UTC 
