Understanding Web Comics

I grew up reading comics. I know good artwork and story lines because I've seen both good and bad. In the print world, it's difficult getting a comic printed without both good artwork and stories. Bad comics DO get printed, but they're the exception, rather than the rule.

The stuff you buy at a comic book store is pretty polished, and it's gone through some major filters to get to the shelf. Unfortunately, a lot of good stuff gets rejected because the filtering process is driven by what publishers think will make money at any given time.

On the web (as usual) there are very few filters, and the rules are short and clear. Producers can put up anything they want as long as they don't infringe on copyright. Writers and artists can cover any topic, aimed at any age/audience. Of course, they can't break any laws and have to work within the limits set by their service providers, but the sky is pretty much the limit.

Anybody who can digitize a scribble can make a web comic. This does not mean that there aren't good artists and writers on the web, or that it's really easy to make a GOOD web comic. It does mean, however, that there's a wide range of quality in stories and artwork to wade through to find a good comic. On the plus-side, they're not all about superheroes and detectives.

I've spent about six months "researching" web comics. OK, I've been finding, reading, and dabbling in WRITING and DRAWING comics for the last 6 months. And, I've acquired some skills in filtering out the bad ones.

It's rare that an artist just pops into existence with a perfect presentation. Those that do, have had a really long career doing print art, or some other graphic design work. Phil Foglio, for example, has been around forever and decided to start putting back-issues of his comic "Girl Genius" online, three pages per week. Most artists start making web comics somewhere between having made some doodles on note paper and being refused by print publishers.

In order to appreciate the comic, the artwork needs to meet a minimum QUALITY. Characters need to be recognizable from panel to panel. They also have to look unique. The story works better when you know who's talking. You're threshold may be higher than mine. Considering my fairly low threshold, I also require that the artwork gets better over time.

STYLE is another very important factor to consider. Foglio has an Anime meets art Nouveau style. Rich Berlew draws really good stick figures with accessories. They're completely different, and yet I like both their styles.

I usually stumble onto a comic by clicking a link to its most current, just webbed page. If the comic has been around for a year, and the art stinks, I'm not likely to read the comic, unless the story on this one page is REALLY GOOD.

If I find myself on the first page of the first story of a comic, I'll take a peak at a more recent page to see if the art improves. If there's improvement, I'll give it a shot. Don't be discouraged when you see less than stellar art on page 1 of day 1 of a comic.