Comic Strips and Tapastic

[ToonDoctor]

Hello everybody and thank you very very very much for the great feedback. I’ve never received so much from actual readers. This is really helpful.

Johnny Bullet is a comic strip. It was not designed as a long form vertical comic at all. On my Web site, each page appears independently. The logo appearing in the top corner - a long comic strip convention - is not an issue when the strip occupies the whole page.

From the feedback, I understand that a comic strip will not do well here, so I won’t continue with updates. I wanted to become more involved with Tapastic but when even staff members offer negative comments, there’s no point continuing.

The comments about writing are the most interesting to me. Many people assume that I know nothing about comic books and just know animation. If one digs a bit further, one would soon realize that I know comics inside out. I’ve been reviewing them since 2002 at ComicBookBin.com and reading them for decades before that.

I’m interested in creating a comic strip. I’ve created many comics before but this is my first strip. In terms of writing, Johnny Bullet is quite deliberate and planned. There is a clear structure with every page ending in a cliffhanger. There is a mini introduction, a conflict and a climax in every page. Only a few have conclusions that lead to more ‘to be continued.’ But I understand that something based on the structural premise of another form of sequential art just won’t work here. That’s okay.

The comic and newer pages are available in both French and English directly at ComicBookBin.com. If any of you wonder why I love ‘tacky’ comic strips so much you can read two great articles by Tom Spurgeon about why comic strips matter. The comic strip is the first form of modern sequential art after all!

The Modern American Comic Strip Today

How To Read Classic Newspaper Strips And Why You Should

Johnny Bullet is an important comic for me. I’m not trying to replicate anything that exists today. I really enjoy creating a comic strip about a guy in the 1970s who drives muscle cars and solves crime. I’ll find the right audience eventually.

Thank you for everything.
Hervé

[ck_tapastic]

Anyways - wishing you the best luck! We admire everyone in the creative business

[PotooGryphon]

As an instructor, you're probably very familiar with constructive criticisms. None of the above suggestions are meant as personal attacks against you or your art (though some may be worded a bit strongly). We're all here to help and answer your questions to why your current format might not be having the effect you're looking for.

Your approach is different and unique for any of the other series currently on Tapastic, however, there are other artists posting strip comics (quite successfully too). Check out Wuffles, this comic series has that classic Disney comic strip feel to it that some other people in the thread have mentioned.

I think all it'd take for you to find an audience on Tapastic is to just reformat your strips a bit so they're easily read for mobile users. It is important to cater to readers and the devices they use to read comic inorder to avoid being overlooked. So when reader's these days aren't grabbing the concept your laying down, you have to find new inventive ways to keep with the times and appealing to the newer comic reading generation. That doesn't mean scrapping newpaper style comic strips, that just means reinventing it. Who knows, maybe you'll come up with the next best thing in comics.

Also try posting each segment in its own comic episode instead of grouped together. Seeing multiples logos in a row, in the same episode, of the same comic, is probably what's really throwing readers off. They're probably thinking, "Yeah, I get it already. I know the name of the strip." However, if they're in individual episodes, it communicates that this is a new strip and the logos will be more like an opening, like how you're intending it.

Eitherway, good luck with Johnny Bullet whether on or off Tapastic.

[ToonDoctor]

Thank you Cindi for the words of encouragement. I'd just like to correct an assumption that Johnny Bullet is not mobile friendly. I'm a human-computer interaction researcher that investigates usability and user experience problems. When I created Johnny Bullet, I was extremely conscious of usability issues of the electronic comics. That's why one of the reasons I adopted the comic strip format. I've tested Johnny Bullet successfully on 320 pixel-wide devices. The problem with Tapastic, is that it favours the long form vertical form of electronic comics above other formats that also work for mobile and tablets. Ergo, when browsing comics within their apps, whether on the iOS or Android, only vertical comics look 'good' on for a user.

Their apps eschew the horizontal/landscape orientation that other digital comics apps have used. Thus the folks at Tapastic argue that only vertical comics work and are successful. Of course that is the case, if the very structure of the app favours one type of format over others that are also compatible with small devices. It's a self-fulfiling prophecy.

This long form vertical comic format fits in with the webtoon format developed in Korea. I'd rather Tapastic be more upfront than claim that they have solved a usability problem. They have found one solution to a common usability problem (vertical scrolling) and are now 'encouraging' if not forcing creators to adhere to a format that fits in with their business plan.

Tapastic also confuses Web comics and digital comics. Web comics formats are usually more flexible than digital comics formats. Tapastic plays both sides of the fence here, marketing itself as a Web comic platform while optimizing its digital comics offering. When a creator uploads a new comic, it offers no mobile preview allowing the testing and corrections on the go. The interface and previews are geared towards Web comics - yet Tapastic claims that its users are mostly users of its apps.

I understand that my comments will not be popular here. Johnny Bullet is not formatted properly for Tapastic. It doesn't mean that it's not mobile-friendly. I made a few changes but I'm not going to totally modify my work to please Tapastic. It's up to Tapastic to adapt to creators and offer them a platform that supports both portrait and landscape comics, as opposed to forcing creators to adjust their work to one type of comics. Responsive developers adapt to their users.

Here is something that I've written about this issue just last month - Information Architecture, User Experience and Comic Strips

[sundanceann]

I don't think Tapastic has a usability problem. I've thought about whether they should offer a horizontal version, but I'm kind of glad they don't. As a reader, I like the consistency and I think the vertical format works well with story-telling. Good creators adapt to the industry.

[ToonDoctor]

On a philosophical level, your statement is problematic. You are saying that artistic expression should always be determined by the audience. Many artists and critics would argue that without creator agency, there is no point to art. The whole point of creating something is too challenge the existing order and add something new to culture. If artists don't break rules, what's the point of art? Is art just another product that should be ready-made and easy to consume without challenging the audience that interacts and perceive it? If good creators always adhere to the wishes of their audience and in this case the platform where their work is displayed, then there is no point to art. Let's just make sausages.

[elixiadragmire]

Decompression in comics has occurred since the late 1990s and it is a phenomenon that has been chronicled and criticized often.

Off topic! Never seen criticism about decompressed comics, actually Until you mentioned it I didn't know decompressed comics was a thing! I've been reading since the early or mid nineties and just accepted these as 'comics' they got my 5 years self to read properly. I guess that says a lot as it is that decompressed comics are clearly a norm. The only 'compressed' comics I can think of i read were Beano, Dandy, Rupert the bear and My little pony annuals (which I coloured in, clearly i missed the concept)

I can see your plight here, things have changed a lot from what was the norm to what is expected now in comics. Personally, I'm not a fan of compressed comics, too much is packed in I like to immerse in a story, noticed the the character's mannerisms, speech patterns, enjoy the dialogue and wordplay.

[Pacing these days is more about knowing where to compress and where to expand! where to build tension and where to relase. Wait hold that thought! Gonna find my favorite video!

These guys explain pacing sooooooooo well.

You have a lot of experience under your belt and I'm sure you'll find you'll ideal audience

[Doubtcent]

Extra Credits taught me a lot about content creating as well. Just by watching anything they have about writing has made me a better writer and comic maker.

[elixiadragmire]

oh yes! They are the hammer hitting the nail on the head!!! I love listening to them when I'm planning to write, makes me think pretty deep.

[Elm]

a platform that supports both portrait and landscape comics

I find it quite simple to adapt to landscape comics, since I just turn on screen rotation and hold my phone horizontally. At which point, I took the liberty of checking your strip out and it shows reasonably well horizontally. Though I like to think I have a pretty decent phone, when shifted vertically you do lose the amount of detail shown.

While there are plenty of strips on Tapastic. I would say many are self contained stories in a strip, that or gag a days. That's not to say, that's what should be on here. There's a versatile amount of readers, and creators who all have varying interests and preferences. There is always an audience.

[noxfox]

The comments about writing are the most interesting to me. Many people assume that I know nothing about comic books and just know animation. If one digs a bit further, one would soon realize that I know comics inside out. I’ve been reviewing them since 2002 at ComicBookBin.com and reading them for decades before that.

I'm sorry if what I will say sounds a bit blunt, it's not meant as a personal attack, but being in the industry and being a teacher aren't gages of talent and quality. There are bad authors who are published, there are bad teachers who give classes in sometimes prestigious schools, the world is unfair, that's how it is. It doesn't matter what titles or diplomas you have, because they aren't what you use to create your stories. What you use is your brain, that of a unique person, as unique as anyone else. (Also I'm a bit surprised by your late discovery of a series as famous as Michel Vaillant, but then maybe it's not as famous on your side of the Atlantic?)

In terms of writing, Johnny Bullet is quite deliberate and planned. There is a clear structure with every page ending in a cliffhanger. There is a mini introduction, a conflict and a climax in every page. Only a few have conclusions that lead to more ‘to be continued.’

I must admit that after reading your strips, I don't see in them what you tell about here. A cliffhanger requires that we know what's going on to begin with, so to grow tension and leave it in suspense. Plus, having cliffhangers everywhere nullifies the effect. You would do much better to focus on building curiosity but allowing each page to have a closure and opening.
In Singmire Haze I try to have each page either give information or explore the themes of the story, the first panel is like the start of a sentence, and the last panel is a period, but in between those, questions have aroused to make the reader excited for what will be coming next. It allows them to wait for the next page without being too much on the edge, and sometimes there's a cliffhanger. If you put a cliffhanter at every page it'd better be extremely comical on the long run, else it's just gonna be utterly ridiculous. Especially if there's no reason for it to be.
I went to read the Quebecois version of your strips to see more content and start to understand a little what the story was about, but when I read them I don't have any emotions, I'm not touched, I don't feel involved with the characters and I just wonder why I'm even reading. You seem very sure of the quality of what you've done, but it does seem that nobody here could get the point of your strips. When none of your readers understand what's going on, it would be worth putting your work in question rather than them.

Your strips don't remind me of the 90s but of those in the 50s, with narration from the 20s. It makes me think of Laurel & Hardy. Back in their time they were considered to be amazing humorists, but if someone were to use their gags again nowadays it would probably be very awkward, because the audience has changed. I don't know if you want to do something retro or if you use that argument to justify the absence of narration. It's true that your art style could certainly be improved, and maybe this horizontal format doesn't display best on mobile devices. But to me that's not a problem. The real problem is a writing one: I was seriously expecting that the whole thing would be made of absurd humor or parodying old school comics and I have no idea what your intentions are.
You can't really hide behind the argument "readers have to wait to figure what's going on" because, while most "decompressed" comics offer a bit of narration for the reader to get into the story and get to know character, yours provides nothing such. It really feels like watching a movie from which many scenes were removed, as if you were constantly hitting the "go to next scene" button.

Now if you think you know better and mock at the criticism and feedback you get, that's your choice.

[ToonDoctor]

I find your comment rather hurtful and disingenuous. This is not really constructive criticism but personal attack at this point. When you say that Johnny Bullet is narrated like a comic from the 1920s, it's obviously hyperbole and nonsensical. I mean what comic from the 1920s? I'm dying to know. Your criticism about me learning about Michel Valiant late is odd. How is that a negative thing to learn about one comic book series late? How is that even something you can use against someone?

There seems to be this perception that there is one way to tell a story. There's almost a cult on what many of you refer to as characterization. Characterization is not a toy you stick on a character. It's something that is drawn out of a character over time. The expectation to fully understand and know everything about a character the moment a comic starts is weird. It feels more like instant gratification than storytelling.

You say that all of the criticism above is clear about one thing. Johnny Bullet is incomprehensible and badly written. The thing is some of the commentators above have criticized me for one thing, like being too wordy. While others like you, claim that I'm too sparse on narration. Much of the arguments doesn't support one interpretation or the other. The only thing consistent about the criticism has been the fervour and the passion to shut down the comic.

I actually sought a lot of comments from people outside of Tapastic, following the general pile on here. I've asked people with knowledge of comics to give me a frank assessment. All reviewers told me that Johnny Bullet is clear. It's straightforward. They do say it bucks what's in vogue about decompressed comics these days. They say it relies on silent visual narration more than most comics today. The story is not driven by the flow of conversations and the text. And that, the reviewers I asked, said is something many current comic book readers struggle with. They told me that it's not a comic that holds the reader by the hand. I move things and switch quickly, and this is a form of storytelling that in comics, movies and other art forms is becoming rare. Audiences are used to be given all the answers and not have to actually read through.

This is what many here consider bad writing or a misunderstanding of pacing and rhythm. It's as if there is one way to tell a story. It creates a pile on effect. It makes this community less than welcoming and closed towards differences.

[zelkats]

I think it all boils down to whether you're presenting your comic to the public as a form of entertainment or you're fleshing it out as a personal experiment. If it's the latter, then what you're doing is probably understandable. But if it is the first then, well, I'm sorry to say this but it's just not working for the majority of the readers right now. True, this art form is rare but it is not revolutionary. It is an old method, and comics, movies and other media evolve for a reason. Sure, old styles come back once in a while but they're usually reinvented to fit the taste of most people today.

Art isn't meant to be limited to one set of rules, you're right. You're free to express yourself however you want. But once you put it out for the public to see, there will always be people who question your art and your reasons behind it. In this case, you've taken the initiative to ask for feedback. As harsh as some comments may appear to be, these are honest opinions. I'm curious to know what kind of feedback you were expecting. Honesty does a faster and better job in helping people improve and I believe that's what the commenters above were aiming for. Completely ignoring your comic and your request for feedback would be more unwelcoming because apathy is usually the worst insult to an artist... Or people in general.

I can tell this can be quite discouraging. If you see little point in continuing this discussion then, best of luck to you. Don't let this stop your interest in comic-making or expressing yourself to others through art.

[ToonDoctor]

It really is a learning experience. I understand that many do not share my background and perspective on comics. I had heard that many Web comics creators did not come through the usual comic book/comic strip canon, in terms of tradition and understanding. I did not know or understand the extent of it. The three external reviewers are asked were all from the traditional comic world and they understood what was happening right away.

There is, I think, a generational gap and a different background with many of the people who create Web comics today. This discussion shows this very clearly. I'm presenting a comic which people with a similar understanding of comics have no problems with, while new creators or those influenced by other traditions just don't share. So I'm told that my work is incomprehensible and tacky.

I'm learning a lot beyond the criticisms on the comic.

[Exeivier]

I was gonna write another lenghty, quoted opinion, but so far i'm seeing the same "everyone is wrong except me" and " no one gets me" argument, so i'm just gonna ask what are you even complaining for? if you don't like a popular Korean platform on a co-Korean created website (spoiler alert) why don't you create your own website and host your comics? (again, this is not a suggestion to leave. is only rethorical discussion)

[SpavVy]

You asked for feedback and you received it, constructive criticism sucks but that's just how it is. You can ignore it and continue to do what you do, its your story your choice. Nobody is trying to attack you in any kind of way here.

[elixiadragmire]

There is, I think, a generational gap and a different background with many of the people who create Web comics today. This discussion shows this very clearly.

It total agreement! This is a generational gap thing. I'm 30 and never really read strip comics. I read the beano as a kid and then the 90's marvel/DC gritty universe of re-imaging of the super hero genre, THAT was my first intro to comics! I do remember seeing strip comics in newspaper as a child but I was more interested in Garfield and his 'I don't like monday's' gags.

The story is not driven by the flow of conversations and the text. And that, the reviewers I asked, said is something many current comic book readers struggle with.

And yes I agree here too thats why I advocate education on pacing and flow in comics. Its a hard breast to master but done right with your speech balloons, panel compositions, well pruned dialogue avoiding tangents can bring wonderful results and amazing engagement with our audience.

Comics as an art form has evolved GREATLY since the 90's with the numerous shake-ups at DC/Marvel to pull in more readers with BIGGER story arcs, more and more people reading manga and imports, different culture turning into a melt pot and new medias being born from that. Comics in its current form it nothing like what it was, there several variants, gag a day, strips, long form narrative, Slice of life, horizontal, vertical, condensed, decompressed etc.

Each types appeal to a certain demographic more so than any other, some are universal some are very niche, I would hazard a guess that your's is a niche market thus the reason other readers are confused by its styling.

Audiences are used to be given all the answers and not have to actually read through.

Again true, thats why its good to write on two levels. ONE point at the important stuff with neon arrows "THIS A PLOT POINT VERY IMPORTANT!" and then there dialogue options where the antagonist calls the hero by her first name OR pet name, .. thats rather formal? Also intimate, hold on did they know each other? were they friends? and there you seed the ideas for the reader to HUNT down the information littered in your comic of their true connection. pieces of puzzle put together over pages

But why have the first level? why make the plot or core info so apparent? Movies. Movies do this, people now expect this, and if your plot isn't as easy to follow as bread crumbs you're screwed. Reader will simply get confused about what's going on and read or watch something else. It sucks that you have to point out the obvious but generally it has to be easy to read and THATS why I put in numerous levels of information, dialogue choices, body language, objects in the background, outfits etc etc
Balancing quick and easy media consumption with in depth storytelling is an art of it own (and one hardly anyone has mastered) but the best place to get a head start on this is Scott Mccloud understanding comics, the mans a god at that.

[noxfox]

I find your comment rather hurtful and disingenuous. This is not really constructive criticism but personal attack at this point.

I'm sorry that you take it as so. I was just being honest, sorry if it was blunt to you. I do my best to make criticism as painless as possible, but past a certain point it can get very tedious, especially with persons who make use of sarcasm (and are therefore usually defensive and possibly passive aggressive).
If you want to experiment, then experiment. If you ask for feedback, listen to it and analyze it instead of complaining that it's invalid and that you are right. You might be right, but so are we, because there's not one solution to a same problem, but many. You have yours, we have ours, we share, you can pick or not as you wish, but there's no need to diss us for not liking your picks. I'm not sure what's even the point of what I identify as complaints about decompressed comics. If it's not complaints, I don't know what it is and I apologize for failing to identify the purpose of those lines.

Characterization is not a toy you stick on a character. It's something that is drawn out of a character over time. The expectation to fully understand and know everything about a character the moment a comic starts is weird. It feels more like instant gratification than storytelling.

I personally didn't know this Characterization word (thank you for sharing), but I have to disagree a little. While character development is something that occurs along the story, the first time we see a character, we should already get a certain bunch of info about them. If you look at Jack and Sarah as they first appear in the first pages of Alone, that's a perfect illustration of what I mean. Even without text we can already tell a lot about them, it's like we might have seen them around the neighborhood, we don't know them well, but there's the "yeah, it's that guy" factor. They feel real. And this has nothing to do yet with narration, no matter it's compressed, decompressed or archived (sorry, it's a pun).

All reviewers told me that Johnny Bullet is clear. It's straightforward. They do say it bucks what's in vogue about decompressed comics these days.

If I may, it sounds like those readers were very angry at "decompressed" comics. Maybe they were kinda biased, or maybe they're a niche for you. I kinda want to say they need to relax, but that's just for the sake of making another pun.

I hope that this time it didn't came as hurtful =) If ever, it wasn't my intention.

[Doubtcent]

My thoughts exactly.

@ToonDoctor
Nobody wants to be told that their work is bad or anything not good. It often feels as if there's a direct attack on the creator because whatever content has been made is the creator's child, something that they have taken precious time and effort to create.

But here's the thing. Everyone, even the greats, started at a point where they thought their creations were a work of genius. And if anyone thought otherwise, we would think that they're wrong, that they just don't understand the genius.

However, when it comes to constructive criticism, creators that do not take it to heart will never improve. Even normal criticism has its benefits if dealt with correctly. But if you take any negativity towards your work as an attack and seal yourself in a hole, then you'll never use it to improve, and you'll never get better. Anyone that says that they don't need to improve is wrong to say so, no matter how famous or experienced they are. There is always room for improvement, and the fact that you opened a topic discussion means you should be ready for it.

Tapastic is full of creators, and it's a 99.999% positive community, without trolls, haters, and the like ready to pounce like anywhere else on the internet. We are all here to help when help is asked, but if you're not willing to receive it, then close the topic and do your thing despite our say.

[ToonDoctor]

@noxfox @elixiadragmire @vincentprendick it's all good!

Cheers