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What are the top three comic strips of all time? Dave and Brad share their lists ‚ and combine to share a list of overall best strips. But first, Dave’s dog has a nemesis, and it’s a cat that channels Paul Lynde.
Questions asked and topics covered…
What are the top three comic strips of all time?
Is it possible to be “too niche”?
If you’re new to webcomics, what’s the best way to start?
How do you change gears on Patreon once your backers have gotten used to certain rewards? But first, did you know Sha-Na-Na opened for Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock?
Questions asked and topics covered…
Changing gears on Patreon
What mistakes would you avoid if you started all over
It happens, from time to time — especially if you’re offering exclusive content on Patreon. Criminals (there’s no other word) access your site and use various means to scrape the content and post it in places people can access it for free. As long as we, as artists, allow ourselves to be undervalued, there will always be people comfortable doing this. So, what can you do to stop it?
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What’s the best process for submitting your work to the Eisner Award committee? Dave and Brad get some great advice from Jackie Estrada, who has been in charge of the awards since 1990.
But first, Brad’s sons ask how they got their names… and the answers are revealing.
Questions asked and topics covered…
Eisner Award advice
Intermittent updates
An “About” page for your cast
Applying the “webcomics business model” to other types of media
I’m just starting out. Where should I host my webcomic? I get this question quite often — both here and on the ComicLab podcast. And traditionally, I’ve pointed people towards building their own website. But I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. And in light of the omnipresence of social media — and the increasing dominance of smartphone users — I’m beginning to suggest a different approach.
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What’s in a name? Quite a bit if you’re trying to name your book. Crafting the right title can have a significant effect on everything from Kickstarter pledges to audience response. And there are some very real pitfalls to avoid.
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I think it’s one of the pervasive mistakes made by webcartoonists today — they’re doing strips when they ought to be doing longform comics. It’s an easy mistake to make, after all. Most of the webcomics that have caught our attention in the early part of webcomics history (2000-2010 or so) have been comic strips.
And that’s why webcartoonists have chosen the strip. And it’s a big reason they may be struggling.
Here’s why…
A comic strip has a very prominent expectation for today’s reader: The strip has to be a free-standing — and satisfying — reading experience. More often than not, satisfying means “funny”. But that’s not always the case. Nonetheless, the reader comes to a strip expecting a plot to be delivered in three or four panels.
And if your writing doesn’t deliver that, you’re losing readers.
A few years back, I critiqued a webcomic called Fried Cheese Balls. It told a story of culture & identity from the creator’s life as a second generation Indian American who split time between India & the US. These include lost-in-translation moments, culture clashes, the dichotomy of being a single child living in a big, multi-family home in India, and celebrations of the absurd.
During the time I was critiquing the comic, it was telling the story of the arranged marriage between his mother and father. It was a fascinating story that shared a lot about the culture and history of India along the way.
There was only one problem — the creator, Arp Laszlo, has chosen to deliver the story in a newspaper comic-strip format. And the story was suffering.
When I reviewed it, I pointed out that the strip were not satisfying reading chunks, and I suggested that Mr. Laszlo consider re-imagining it as a longform comic.
That was several years ago.
This weekend, however, I was delighted to hear from Mr. Laszlo over Twitter.
@guigar Hey man – a couple of yrs ago you critiqued my comic in your forum that I was using the wrong format. You were right 🙂 I started redrawing it as a page: https://t.co/3WtNY8vprG
First of all, the art had matured, but that’s to be expected. More importantly, however, the comic was interesting. It was a much more satisfying experience than the comic had been.
It’s very good.
But longform is harder to succeed at than strips
I really don’t think that’s the case. In fact, I don’t think there’s ever been a better time than right now for longform webcomics. With such factors as the promotional power of social media and the readership’s increased savvy regarding eBooks, I think today’s longform-comics creator has an equal chance of success as a comparable strip creator.
Is the new Fried Cheese Balls perfect? Not really.
The creator is still publishing this comic as if it were 2005. And I would strongly encourage him to read some of the archive pieces I’ll link to below that outline my thoughts on an improved publishing strategy for longform-comics creators.
But that first step — changing from a strip to longform — was a doozy!
It’s one of the most frustrating parts of promoting a Kickstarter — communicating that long URL. Sure, you’re provided a truncated version. But have you ever tried to point podcast listeners to http://kck.st/2HQTXbr? Luckily, there’s a better way.
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