Majority will say story over art, but I'll say both. It's called a graphic novel for a reason, it's supposed to be a story told in pictures. Both are equally important. A good story needs art to portray it at its best visually, and good art is nothing without a good story.
Yah perhaps versus was a bad choice of words. Lemme rephrase that as to which creators personally think they are challenged more by; creating an interesting read, or creating an interesting visual. For me the story/dialogue comes MUCH easier than the artwork.
I've had multiple industry professionals tell me that if a story isn't written well, it doesn't matter if they are the best artist in the world. But if the art is sub-par and the story is written well, it still has a very good chance of doing well. Most people aren't completely aware of how professional art should be, as long as it properly communicates with the audience.
Popular comedic adult cartoons have amazing examples of this:
Look at South Park, the Simpsons, etc. That sh*t was not done well AT ALL at first, especially in terms of artwork O_O it's the writing that makes it something capable of looking over, and those shows tanked originally without good enough writing, and some were cancelled.
At the same time, shows like Bob's Burgers which aren't very visually appealing can be off-putting to the point where people don't even give it a chance, even if the writing is done well.
The balance is important, as well as finding a niche and making a reputation out of it if it isn't going to look all that great.
Oh I was writing and didn't see your new post. In terms of what comes easier, I think the writing is a quick, flowing thing for me, where the artwork is something to constantly take major time on. They both have their challenges
Well, in that case, I'm much stronger at creating an interesting visual. I think I've mentioned it before in another thread, but dialogue can be difficult for me but I am trying :S
I think I am basic at writing dialogue but other writing I can do just fine. I find art challenging because I notice when things are wrong more so than when I am writing.
To be honest I don't think I've ever noticed bad writing in anything and if I do I just ignore it. Because I'm more interested in seeing what happens next than worrying about plot holes. Art on the other hand.....yeah it is much more noticeable and harder to ignore.
I'm gonna say story. Art is just as important, but as I've said it a million times before, people will come for the art, but stay for the story. It doesn't matter how beautiful your comic is, if the plot/content sucks, no one's gonna want to stick around for it. That's one of the biggest reasons why comics like Cyanide and Happiness, XKCD, and Homestuck are so popular - the content they deliver is worth reading. If they looked beautiful, well, good on that, but if the content they made wasn't as good as what they're making now, then what would have been beautiful art would have just been overlooked.
Honestly, there's no conflict between them. In comics, the writing and the art both tell the story. Do you know how much story you can tell with a single panel of a character's facial expression? Or how much meaning you can pack into the contrast between what is said in the dialogue and what is shown in the pictures? I mean, my story would be nothing without the visuals.
And as my ambition is to be good at storytelling, I strive to be good at both aspects.
I think both are very important and everyone will have their own preference. However, me personally, I care a little more about the story.
hands down writing is more important. good art is always important, and can really sell a comic, but it comes down to the writing.
there are loads of comics sold professionally with, honestly, bloody awful art that get sold on their awesome storyline (im thinking mainly of runaways here)
in western comics especially, you tend to get a 'good art but bland story' or 'bland art but good story' kinda thing, although there are more and more exceptions these days, lets not forget they do hire artists separate from writers, which makes getting both good art and story easier.
its possible to make a successful comic where theres little to no story but tonnes of incredible art (and probably a fair amount of fanservice /sigh) but honestly id take stick figured with a good story over fancy art with nothing behind it any day.
It's important to distinguish the writing from the story. The writing and the art are used to tell the story. I don't think it's a case of one versus the other - Providing they both compliment the story, they can be any any style or quality (or even absent?).
I'm keen on word play an writing style and my webcomic is mostly a single repetitive image with very little variation. In honour of this thread I have written a strip with little text and a different image in each panel. Enjoy1.
If the writing's bad, and the art's amazing, I'm not going to read it. If the writing's amazing, I don't care how bad the art is ^^
