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Okay, so I think I'll try that column name on for size and see how it fits. I think it fits my random musings and analysis of things pretty well, and has a nice tongue-twisting ring to it.
As my title above states, this month I'm going to look at the topic of, "So you want to draw a web comic?" By no means do I claim to be any kind of expert on drawing and publishing a web comic, but after several years' worth of reading a diverse assortment of such sequential art, I think I can posit a few things for people to think about before they dive into their own Keenspot page.
The first point is that I have not observed any guaranteed formula for success. I have read many well-written, nicely drawn web comics that barely garnered enough donations to cover the costs of producing the art and maintaining the web presence, while others of more simplistic art and writing gain a strong and generous following. You can't always measure the quality of your art or your story on the support it receives, nor can you count on excellence in both to result in sufficient support to make a living off the art. One aspect, though, that does factor into success is a long-term commitment to the comic. Your readership should build over time, so before you take the plunge, make sure you can support the comic for long enough to build a "fan base"
The second point to consider is your update schedule. Normally, the art gets easier to produce the longer you do so, and therefore you can assume that it will take less time to generate your updates as the comic matures. What I would suggest is taking into account how long it takes you to produce an update right now, and plan your comic frequency accordingly. If it gets easier and you can realistically update more frequently, great. If not, though, you'll find your audience can be very intolerant of missed updates, and if it happens too often, your readership will shrink.
Now, most people understand the demands of day-to-day living, and the unexpected occurrences that can interrupt the best intentioned plans we have. In that, if you're going to miss posting new comics, at least take a couple of minutes to post an announcement. A quick note to say, "Sorry, folks, but a bout of food poisoning is keeping me away from the drawing board" is something most of us can relate to (even if we never get close to a drawing board anyway). Going weeks without a new comic or even so much as a "Hi, I'm still alive" is a good way to send the message that, "I don't care about you, my reader."
One way to help insure regular updates is to learn from one of the best at that, Howard Tayler of "Schlock Mercenary".
http://www.schlockmercenary.com/
The only time I ever remember the comic not updating on time each day is when some unforeseen technical glitch happens, and then it's always been fixed as soon as Howard became aware of it. If I recall correctly, "Schlock Mercenary" has updated every day, 365 days a year, for seven years running. How? Howard works to maintain a decent "buffer" of comics. He tends to get antsy if he drops below two weeks worth of comics ready to upload, so if an illness or a convention does keep him away from the drawing board for a few days, the comic still goes up on schedule. He's also very good at posting updates to his blog on the comic, so the readers know what's going on. By the way, Howard left a lucrative corporate job to devote his attention to Schlock, but even when working a full-time job, plus being a husband and father, he still maintained his updates. There may be no guaranteed formula for success in the web comic world, but were I going to take my stab at it, I'd do my best to emulate Howard Tayler's methods.
Another important point is that you need to be ready for your readers. This is something I do have personal experience with, as this is something shared between sequential art story-telling and the text-only narrative. It's wonderful when your readers love your work and tell you so, but it's almost a sure thing you're going to hear from the other side as well. No matter what you do or how well you do it, someone isn't going to like it and will tell you so, often in rather unpleasant ways. You need to have a thick skin with sufficient sensitivity that you learn from the valuable critiques, but don't let the caustic ones discourage you. You need to remember, too, that your readers are valuable, and treat them accordingly. Don't look down on them or remain aloof. Don't ignore them or take them for granted. Without them, you might as well just save all your art in a scrapbook to read by yourself and not waste the time or money to post it online. Take care of your readers, and your readers will be much more likely to take care of you.
Above all, go into such a project with your eyes open. Don't imagine you're going to launch a new web comic, and then sit back to watch the money and accolades start rolling in. I've read far too many frustrated blogs by web comic artists to believe otherwise. The competition for the donations is fierce, and far too many of the readers are happy to partake of free content without ever shelling out a dime in support. So you want to draw a web comic? Do it because you love your characters, you enjoy the art, and you want to share both with the world. Do it with enthusiasm and consistency, and let others get caught up in that.
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