xfreischutz:
feathernotes:
feathernotes:
there’s been a few folks talking about the state of webcomics in my last post, particularly how the landscape has changed since webcomics became something bigger corporations could make money off of…. and, well, exploit people to get it.
I want to talk a little more broader on the topic at one point, but yeah, it’s been a tough few years seeing ‘new shiny thing’ and uncovering the rot beneath.
Please support your fellow indie creators however you can- tell your friends about your favourite comics, make posts reccomending them, share your fics, fanart, your fave moments, etc etc. Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful and nebulous ways to support folks!
I’ve seen a few additions on my webcomic posts talking about the ‘barriers for entries’ when making webcomics and my stomach just dropped.
It wasn’t always like that. The expectation to feel the need to be perfect before you begin a webcomic, the need to be Super Popular On Social Media to be ‘relevant’, the want to have 1million subs to feel you’ve ‘made it’ even though the payout is scraped from the platform for their benefit (and nice 50% too).
The amazing part of webcomics is the fact that you can and WILL grow as you make them. This is what makes them special.
I will be honest in the fact that, there are Very Few People nowadays that can make a living off of webcomics. Even those who seem most successful still have other avenues to generate income.
I think it’s unfair that theres this corperate greed that drills this expectation in folks to match industry standards, and imho, that is the opposite of what webcomics should be.
They should be wonky sometimes, have some typos, linger too long on things, read imperfect, and most importantly- show that growth of creation over the years.
I have a webcomic podcast (screen tones) and our theme always comes back to anyone can make a webcomic, because its what makes webcomics unqiue and accessible. It’s what makes them what they are.
So please, if you feel like you’re ‘not good enough to start a webcomic’- stop lingering on the Expectations these greedy companies have to make you obsess over subs and likes and contests, and make your comic.
And make it as unhinged and wild and indulgent as possible. Because i guarantee you, even if they are silent readers, SOMEONE needs your story.
I just want to say, (at least in Korea) the corporate-sponsored webtoons/webcomics industry literally shoves people into the meat grinder to fuel their weekly updates of 80+ full-colour illustration-quality panels. There’s separate people for putting down flat colours, shading, and lines. and even then people literally die from overworking. I’m not joking. People have died because of how hard the webtoon industry works them. You get a bit of leeway depending on your style and genre but this is what happens as a result of corporations setting the goalposts to attain.
No single person can compete with that.
Webcomics used to be something you did because you wanted to, because there was a story you wanted to tell, and the line has now blurred between these personal projects and the “comics that are held to a quality standard that also happen to be accessible via web”.
If you have a story that you want to tell via comic, you should go for it. You probably wouldn’t make money off of it, but the discipline of making something consistently (not even of consistent quality, but literally just having something to post weekly) is pretty gratifying! It literally doesn’t matter what the quality is like. If someone is mean about it, it will hurt but also what have they made? what kind of effort have they made into being creative? have they pursued a project with any kind of effort? you’re doing so much more for yourself and for the world by making something and putting it out there.
The social aspect can and might bog you down, because it’s nice to have that quantifiable validation that your work is liked. It might even stop you from posting. But it’s not the core aspect of making a webcomic, and it’s certainly not a Necessity to getting started. And if there’s readership to be gained, you won’t get it by never starting it. Just make your thing. Also your art will improve so fast when you’re literally drawing so many panels every week. Don’t worry about it. Post on a private blog if you’re really afraid to show people. But really, just get started. And don’t worry about it.
This is something deeply personal to me and yes, the landscape has changed SO much. I started making webcomics in 2005, fresh out of high school and have been making them ever since. I make mostly grayscale comics on a schedule that doesn’t overwhelm me (1 comic updates twice a week, the other once a week, and the third twice a month). I use the same program I used back in 2005, though the newest version of it that came out in like 2010 I think.
The very first comic I worked on was silly and fun, but I still get the occasional email today of folks telling me how much it meant to them. After years of rejection & getting better each year, I started working on the stories I wanted to tell. I managed to get an agent, and one of comics was picked up by Dark Horse. I did not go to art school, I never got the networking a lot of the bigger folks got, and I don’t live in the US (which, fun fact, locks me out of being able to use Webtoons fully - they’ve region-locked their app AHAHAHAH FUN).
So yeah, start whenever the heck you want! If you have a story you want to tell, that is the only reason you need to start. The more YOU enjoy your story, the more that’ll show through. If you want your art to grow, nothing will improve you faster than starting a webcomic. Also, read comics, look how your favs construct a page. Panel composition is more important than you think. The main key to a good webcomic is “is what I’m trying to show clear” and just keep on pushing.
You can start anywhere. You can show whoever you want, or no one at all (I did comics for me all through elementary school). Everyone has their own personal goal of where they’d like to be. And I’m by no means a success story. but only YOU can determine your success, and I’m happy where I am.
START THAT COMIC! you’ve got this ^_^ (also, if you don’t want to do color comics YOU DON’T HAVE TO! If anyone bugs you about it, just tell them Elaine said it was fine and they can go make their own comic in color if they care so much XD)
And readers? SHARE THE COMICS YOU LIKE! Word of mouth does so much, and if we ever want the little folk to have a chance against the mega corps, or even just the highly popular aggregate sites, boost the heck outta the comics you love ^_^
As a heads up I’ve edited my addition to this post to remove a bit that was me reacting to a very specific (tapas marketing implementation) situation that, when generalized, came across as me shitting on WT and Tapas creators & their overseas studios and I want to make it 100% clear that that was NOT my intention and I apologize that it came across that way.
I will always support creators, regardless of platform and we absolutely should not be shitting on the creators who are just trying to get by, and I apologize for not making myself more clear & unfairly generalizing.
I want to make it clear that my ire is directed only at the corporations in charge here & that any way people want to get their comics out there is a legitimate form of comic creation. I just want everyone to be treated fairly, regardless of their employers, & I feel like, at this moment, the online sites like WT and Tapas have a bit of a free pass to grind creators to a pulp for pennies and I do NOT want that to happen to anyone.
So yes, I just really wanted to make it clear to everyone where I stand and I’m sorry to those I hurt with my careless wording.
We can only win this if we stick together.
