TWCL

[Casual Notice]

So...um...Gamer comics in general, comics with specific referrals, comics that describe an inside joke as if anyone else in the world thought it was funny, or massive product placement?
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What I lack in sincerity, I make up for in sarcasm.
S*P*Q*R

[iaviv]

Casual Notice wrote:

So...um...Gamer comics in general, comics with specific referrals, comics that describe an inside joke as if anyone else in the world thought it was funny, or massive product placement?

Also - Comic Sans. I think.
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[microbrien]

Casual Notice wrote:

So...um...Gamer comics in general, comics with specific referrals, comics that describe an inside joke as if anyone else in the world thought it was funny, or massive product placement?

also, breaking the fourth-wall instead of writing a punchline, the bored central character who reacts to everything with a smirk and one eyebrow raised, trying desperately to appeal to an intended audience by making gratuitous references to things that are widely regarded as overrated or obnoxious anyway, the faux Family Guy style of art that many are determined to use, and writing/drawing a comic that is supposed to convince everyone it's just like Penny Arcade! on waaaay better lol

Also comic sans.

Don't take me too seriously


I write [citation needed] and more at cn-comics.com

[smbhax.com]

Ooh! I got one! Webcomics "produced" by some sort of "studio" or whatnot; I think some authors think calling themselves "Studio BlahdeBlah" or whatever makes them sound more professional, but I think it really sends the wrong message; I mean, one of the big draws of webcomics is the personality of and interaction with the author, and the whole "Studio" thing just feels like a cold wall. :P
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[mooncity]

THIS!

smbhax.com wrote:

Ooh! I got one! Webcomics "produced" by some sort of "studio" or whatnot; I think some authors think calling themselves "Studio BlahdeBlah" or whatever makes them sound more professional, but I think it really sends the wrong message; I mean, one of the big draws of webcomics is the personality of and interaction with the author, and the whole "Studio" thing just feels like a cold wall.

A cold wall constructed by a dumbass thinking it's the fast track to Easy Street.

Marketing is all well and fine... IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO ACTUALLY MARKET!
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Mooncity
Reversing the polarity of the neutron flow since 1976!


The comic strip that never was.

[iaviv]

Wow. The most subtle spam ever, or what? Could barely notice it.
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[wendyw]

Spam? Where?

Clearly, you are imagining things.


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Blog

[iaviv]

It's off to the loony bin for me...
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[Clint Wolf]

mooncity wrote:

THIS! smbhax.com wrote: Ooh! I got one! Webcomics "produced" by some sort of "studio" or whatnot; I think some authors think calling themselves "Studio BlahdeBlah" or whatever makes them sound more professional, but I think it really sends the wrong message; I mean, one of the big draws of webcomics is the personality of and interaction with the author, and the whole "Studio" thing just feels like a cold wall. A cold wall constructed by a dumbass thinking it's the fast track to Easy Street. Marketing is all well and fine... IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO ACTUALLY MARKET!

Eh. My wife and I (after weeks of "that name's lame/that name's taken/that name might get us sued" debate) came up with "Lab Reject Studios" to use as a publishing label. It had nothing to do with thoughts of Easy Street, we just wanted to get a consistent DBA going for convention and paperwork purposes. And we didn't want to use Zombie Ranch for that because a) she's still promoting her own "Art of Dawn" gallery, and b) we have every intention of branching out into some other comics eventually.

Now this fact is not plastered all over our comic sites, which may be the specific annoyance being brought up.

Right now I think the worst possible side effect is the occasional fan getting lost on the convention floor despite our reminders that the program listing isn't going to specifically mention ZR or our names, but that's (hopefully) why we have our banners. Rightly or wrongly I wanted to get the broader "brand" out there sooner rather than later... I won't claim it was absolutely the right decision, but I also don't think it's built any kind of cold corporate wall. Then again I suppose anyone feeling somehow intimidated wouldn't be talking to me, despite my slickly professional wardrobe of Hawaiian shirts
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[mooncity]

Most people who "brand" themselves that way don't actually have anything to brand, let alone anything approaching a real "studio." Most of the time it's all just empty marketing and thus ultimately pointless and pretentious.
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Mooncity
Reversing the polarity of the neutron flow since 1976!


The comic strip that never was.

[Eve Z.]

Is anyone here annoyed by artists who don't give much attention to backgrounds, but concentrate more on the characters and storytelling and neglect backgrounds? well, not completely neglect them, like they're non-existant, but only use those at the beginning for the setting, then only use a background color.

Well, I do that. A LOT.

---
Okay. I hate it when I have to play 'Find Willie' when reading a webcomic. There aren't many cases out there that I know of, but I've seen one where the artist gave the background so much attention that the character practically got lost in the picture. It was a B/W comic too. If it wasn't for the speech bubble, I wouldn't know where the characters are.
Also, I dislike Bright, oversaturated colors in comics. Especially in poorly-drawn ones. They make my eyes hurt.
As well, comics that have too many sexually-related jokes or boobage for the sake of boobage and characters that walk half naked for no reason for the sake of being half naked. >.> This comic sums it all up.
And NOT the last category - comics where all female characters are hookers and all the males are either their clients or self-proclaimed 'saints' who hate women and have all the rights to treat them like crap. Being a woman myself, I find those rather offensive.
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[microbrien]

Eve Z. wrote:

Is anyone here annoyed by artists who don't give much attention to backgrounds, but concentrate more on the characters and storytelling and neglect backgrounds? well, not completely neglect them, like they're non-existant, but only use those at the beginning for the setting, then only use a background color. Well, I do that. A LOT.

I wouldn't worry about it. I think this is one of those threads where 90% of what we've listed is stuff we've done ourselves--or the comics that we love often do. It's funny (and sometimes annoying) because its so common.

It really depends--the way I've always felt is that it really doesn't matter what you do, as long as its effective.

If a comic is about character development, relationships/interactions between characters, and character exploration, it would make sense to use a lot of panels without backgrounds.

Or maybe it's just practical. If the comic releases 3-5 strips a week and each one is a joke, using simple backgrounds is neccessary.


I write [citation needed] and more at cn-comics.com

[Casual Notice]

Eve's link to a pointless boobage comic brought up my least-PC complaint.

If you can't speak a language fluently, don't write in that language!!! I'm sure it comes up in other languages, but, being an English speaker I notice it more in English-language comics written by people who have clearly never heard English actually spoken. The comic Eve links above can't be taken for any of its other values or failings simply because the mental voice you get when you read it is a comical indeterminate-European accent, like Balki from Perfect Strangers or Manuel from Fawlty Towers.
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What I lack in sincerity, I make up for in sarcasm.
S*P*Q*R

[Clint Wolf]

Is it just me, or does the blonde in the site banner look frightened that you've found her home?
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[mooncity]

Eve Z. wrote:

Is anyone here annoyed by artists who don't give much attention to backgrounds, but concentrate more on the characters and storytelling and neglect backgrounds? well, not completely neglect them, like they're non-existant, but only use those at the beginning for the setting, then only use a background color. Well, I do that. A LOT.

Ha, ha! So YOU'RE the one who's been reading my comic!
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Mooncity
Reversing the polarity of the neutron flow since 1976!


The comic strip that never was.