Hi, I’m back. Last Saturday I posted a brief blurb about trying to get my comic published. As a brief update, I’ve started preparing another submission. This one is more detailed and will take some time to assemble. In the meantime, I thought I’d give you a quick review of some of the resources I’ve been using throughout the process of creating my comic and attempting to bring it to print. Today I’ll focus on a book that has had a big impact on my behind the scenes decisions on creating the comic. If you’ve been reading my comic from the beginning, and there are a few of you out there, I’ve been prepping pages for print, and in doing so I’ve made some changes–added some color here and there, improved image quality where needed, and made a few other changes where possible. This was intentional. I wanted people to get something for their money. I’ve even redrawn a few pages and added a panel or two to clarify things.
One of the reasons for the changes I made is the book I’m going to talk about today. “How To Make WebComics” was written by four guys who make their livings as webcomic creators. Brad Guigar (Evil Inc.), Dave Kellet (Sheldon), Scott Kurtz (PVP), and Kris Straub (Starslip Crisis), collectively known as Halfpixel.com, are vocal proponents for webcomics and financial independence through the use of the internet as a publishing tool. This book is an awesome resource for anyone just starting out in webcomics, and it even has something to offer to the individual hoping to go straight to print. This is not a “how to draw” book. It deals with everything after the ability to draw has been achieved. It does offer suggestions about design and layout, but spends most of the time discussing the business side of things. The book is very readable with interjections of humor and examples based on each of the writers’ experiences.
As a result of reading this book, I made changes to my scanner settings, which greatly improved the appearance of later pages. Of course, then I had to go back and rescan my older pages with these new settings. I also picked up a few tips for working with Photoshop that made things easier, faster, or better. If you’re skilled in Photoshop, some of the tips in this book are fairly basic and function as good reminders. If you don’t already work in a field with publishers or printers, there is a ton of information here for you. You can find everything from how to set up the pages for the printer to storage of books once they’re printed. There is also a section on working at cons with practical suggestions about small details you might not think of on your own. They even give a blueprint suggestion for booth design and materials needed for set up.
The downside of the book? It’s written by four guys who all do what are essentially gag strips. Each strip is similar to what you would find in a newspaper. Much of their advice assumes the reader is creating something similar. That doesn’t mean you can’t use what they offer. However, and they are quick to point out that most successful webcomics follow this format, and they don’t really have much knowledge about other formats. This presented a slight problem for me since my strip is done in a traditional page layout, and the story stretches out. I try to give the reader some kind of payoff with each page, but it doesn’t always work out that way. My biggest problem is that I do a lot more cliffhanger than I do payoff. The only other weakness I could see was a lack of attention to web hosting. There is more info on how to do print than there is on how to set up and run a website. So, if you don’t know anything about hosting a site, don’t rely on this book to get you through that part of things; it won’t help.
All in all, “How to Make Webcomics” is a great reference tool I strongly recommend. If you are interested in creating your own comic for the web or print, get this book. You won’t be sorry. That wraps it up for this time.
