Digital comics and the refusal to let go of the printed dream

[carloswebcomic]

Plus anyone can do a digital comic these days - they just need to know how to make JPG's and upload them to the Internet.

Well, to counter that point you can argue that anyone can have a comic printed, they just need to know the dimensions and have the money for it.

[PotooGryphon]

You also need funds with print comics. Usually it's a hefty price tag to have a comic printed from a print shop and it adds up fast. It's definitely easier to publish online where it's free to post on sites like Tapastic.

[PotooGryphon]

You also need funds with print comics. Usually it's a hefty price tag to have a comic printed from a print shop and it adds up fast. It's definitely easier to publish online where it's free to post on sites like Tapastic.

[carloswebcomic]

I guess that as an ongoing cost, printing is high. However, to be able to make a comic and upload to Tapastic, you do need a device such as a computer, a pen tablet, software and possibly a scanner.
At least initially, we're not talking about inconsiderable sums of money.

[demthorshie]

I can definitely see what you mean and I guess it's all about weighing the pros and cons of both digital and printed comic types. For me personally, the reason why I still enjoy printed comics about as much as webcomics is because it's nice to have a physical copy of your work! That and I frequent conventions a lot throughout the year with my group and we tend to sell things at our booth. I've managed to sell several copies of my older printed comic before, since some people still prefer physical comics to digital. I don't think that this alone is a reason to still print, but I get this strange sense of accomplish when I do print a comic, if that makes sense.

[carloswebcomic]

I can definitely see what you mean and I guess it's all about weighing the pros and cons of both digital and printed comic types. For me personally, the reason why I still enjoy printed comics about as much as webcomics is because it's nice to have a physical copy of your work! That and I frequent conventions a lot throughout the year with my group and we tend to sell things at our booth. I've managed to sell several copies of my older printed comic before, since some people still prefer physical comics to digital. I don't think that this alone is a reason to still print, but I get this strange sense of accomplish when I do print a comic, if that makes sense.

I think I see what you mean.
I think my approach to making comics is different to most people here (I assume).
I approach comic making as throw-away art. I have very little regard for the value of what I produce.
Don't get me wrong, I work stupidly hard at making the best comics I can, but what is important to me is not the actual work but the reaction to it.
I don't love my work and feel very little pride in the finished product, instead I take pride in its impact on the reader.

[AnnaLandin]

There are lots of reasons, in my case! Part of it is because I've spent my entire LIFE reading (and having been read to from) comics in print-format, and a lot of the webcomics I've read - and I've been reading webcomics for 16 years - have also been in print-format. It's simply something I'm used to.

Part of it is because I find it easier to plan my comic in page-format. A page is a unit that most of us are used to dealing with, and it's easier for me to plan and control the pacing.

And part of it is, yes, to have it printed at some point. I've already collected chapters 1-3 of Grassblades for print, and it turned out lovely. I've always loved printed books - both comics and prose - and I love having stuff in my bookshelf that I can pick up and flip through whenever I want. Maybe it's because I've always lived in a place where power-outages are frequent and the internet connection is poor, but I've always preferred books to digital mediums, because books don't require a functioning internet connection, and they never run out of batteries.

(honestly, it might also be because my grandma was a librarian, and books have been omnipresent in my life).

Then there's the fact that no matter how much work and effort I put into making a digital thing, and no matter how many people end up reading and commenting, it somehow doesn't feel as real as having a printed book in my hands. There's a heft to a printed book that is kind of lovely, and it's a tactile thing, too. Comic-pages sure are nice on a desktop monitor, but it just can't quite beat 130 gram silk paper, you know?

.
Also, when you get right down to it, if you want to sell your comic, physical versions are easier to sell. We're in that weird gap in a shifting economy where digital means of payment (via Patreon, Kickstarter, Gumroad, etc.) are available, but we've spent so long in the pirating waters and the free-stuff-for-free mentality that people are kind of reluctant to pay for digital stuff, I guess? But people have NO problem paying for a physical book. They understand that it cost you money to create, because it's physically there and they can touch it.

[carloswebcomic]

Part of it is because I find it easier to plan my comic in page-format. A page is a unit that most of us are used to dealing with, and it's easier for me to plan and control the pacing.

Mmmh... I seem to cherish the ability be chaotic and add in panels the last minute.
Mind you, when I used to do a story driven comic, consistency of dimensions did help a lot when planning ahead.

[UzukiCheverie]

Well, to counter that point you can argue that anyone can have a comic printed, they just need to know the dimensions and have the money for it.

Most of them don't. As we all know, this is not a direct money-making business and many creators just don't have the money to print their own books. It's not like they can just walk into a print store, hand the cashier $5 and walk out with a copy of their work.

[carloswebcomic]

As we all know, this is not a direct money-making business and many creators just don't have the money to print their own books.

Hence the good ol' photocopied comics books. Mine made me a whole $20 back in 96.

[Pandastrophic]

I guess for me even though it might be cool to see it printed...i value having no restrictions on canvus size more. I started working with the webtoon format for my current comic and honestly i just love it, having more space and placing panels wherever i want worked much better for me than the traditional comic/manga format. I knew going in that im not interested in ever getting it printed.

[carloswebcomic]

Yeah, I can see how you really take advantage of the space available with your work!Really nice!
I guess the main divider is wether people aspire to have their work printed or not and then work accordingly.

[DeadAccount]

Yeah, we definitely had to adapt to make our comic suitable for print. I started doing conventions a couple of years ago, and I got addicted to the whole process of printing my work and meeting fans in the real world and actually experiencing the comic culture outside of the screen - especially after spending many hours a day doing digital art both at work and at home. It just adds a whole extra dimension to the comic making experience. Having said that, page restrictions can be tough and when I'm not working on our main comic, I prefer to do strips in a vertical format : D
...Maybe we should start printing vertical comics as scrolls : D

[Simon_M]

It's not just to get them printed. There's a reason comics have evolved to get that form over decades. I work with regular format pages because the flow and composition of the panels is the best suited to my story... and I would say to most stories. There's something to breaking the story into two side-by-side vertical pages that makes the flow just right.

[carloswebcomic]

aybe we should start printing vertical comics as scrolls

And they should be delivered by a guy wearing a royal messenger costume. And when he arrives we should have a guy with a trumpet signalling his arrival.

COMIC INDUSTRY SAVED!

[zetina]

omfg i---
TRULY THE WAY

hm, in my case, it's 'cuz i want to make comics. and then you can ask "huh???" but basically that's what comics are to me - panels arranged in pages, with cover art etc. it's wanting to emulate what you find enjoyable.
i'm already considering trying out vertical format--not that i haven't but it's always just been comic pages that are really long vertically. i haven't tried utilizing scrolling to control pacing.
SO YEAH. i think me and many more people will gradually grow out of it and do something else, prompting the next generation to want to emulate them.

[okellymx]

I find it easier to read a book than it is to scroll through an infinite canvas of a story comic. For example, the big story comics on each episode could take up to several minutes to scroll through and there is no bookmark for reading in the middle of an episode, so if I had something to do I'd have to scroll through and find my place which can be obnoxious.

People like printed books and as long as people like printed books I'll go for it. It is much easier to give all your fans a print version if your work is already formatted for such. Also, I don't want to be tethered to technology. If my books take up too much room I sell the ones that I don't constantly go back to. So basically I like books more than webcomics.

[dglisson]

Personally it's because of the vision I have for myself. I haven't printed out my comic yet, but I see myself emulating a lot of the creators here and sitting at a convention booth, selling my stuff.

Not only that, but although I was never a big comic shop guy, when I was a teenager all the way to today some of my best memories have been going to the library, finding the graphic novel shelf, and finding something, anything--from Marvel/DC to the most obscure indie comics--hidden there, and sitting right down on the dingy carpet and reading them cover to cover. Grabbing a big stack and just bringing it over to a couch and poring through them.

If my printed graphic novel could be in a library, and a teenage me could go and find it and say "who the heck is this dude??"... well that would just be awesome.

[elixiadragmire]

all of this.

everything she just said. I do actually print my book for conventions and they sell well. Also I just kickstarter VOL 1 of Blindsprings, my book case like @UzukiCheverie said has LOTS of paperback/hardback comics and artbooks on them. I've filled 2 cases with them.

I read online for convenience, I buy print for the love of the work.

[jessicasurline]

It never occurred to me that someone may not want their art printed. It is refreshing to hear that opinion. I am one who doesn't necessarily buy lots of physical media, but when I do it is some of the most important things for me. I remember what I read much better with more sensory input from tactile and olfactory sensations. However, I have had loads of time creating and consuming digital media. I went to college for Game Art and Design so I spent 5 years with nothing but digital works. From that time period, I lost so much of my work that I barely have and records of my accomplishments anymore. Digital is such an ephemeral thing. You have a masterpiece one minute and poof! The hard drive is fried or the internet is out the next minute. Since college I have sort of gone back to my traditional roots of ink on paper. Then I scan it so the digital community can see it. I always keep in mind how it will look printed and in long format. They both have their ways of revealing a scene that I love! Flipping pages gives a sense of suspense whereas scrolling creates motion. I dunno, I'm kind of rambling at this point. Anyway, I do both digital and printed. I just get more connected and have more pride in my physical prints.