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

[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.

[joca]

This is such an interesting topic. And I tend to question myself a lot now. haha;;
My comic is literally formatted for tapastic, and was mainly meant as practice? But now I wish I drew it larger FOR print, just because a lot of fans are asking me if I ever want to make a printed copy.

I love webcomics, I love that webcomics are so accessible to everyone, because it's free!
But on those moments that you don't have internet, and you're either camping or on a trip or something .. those are the moments where I think to myself "ahh, I wish I had a physical copy of that webcomic... " And I /love/ buying the physical copies of my favourite webcomics, because it's not just about having a physical copy, I'm supporting the artists by buying it, as a thanks for letting me read it for free.

I guess I'm half and half. I would love my works printed but like a lot of other people have said, it costs a lot. but thats what kickstarter is for! o3o

[keii4ii]

I have zero desire to read comics in print form, unless it's specifically designed to be read that way. Maybe it uses a lot of double page spreads (and there's just NO way of replicating that experience digitally. I hate sites formatted like an open book, BTW), or maybe the book uses a specialty paper type that enhances the feel of the art and the story. Otherwise, I prefer digital for the ease of storage as a reader. That carries over to my creator side, and I have no particular desire to "hold my comic in my hands." At least not for this comic.

I do wonder about longevity, though. 10-20 years from now, JPG/PNGs will probably go obsolete? If anyone remembers my comic then, and wants to re-read it, how will they do so without a physical copy?

[Shanny8]

I was in that era as well. I started out printing my books through your local Kinkos(now FedEx office), and slapping on color copied covers. Upon returning back to doing comics(after a decade hiatus) I quickly started gathering info about the smaller print companies that printed comics for indie creators...I'll deal with a lot on my book's production(even coloring- as much as I hated it in the beginning), but if I can afford to pay for printing, then I'm good.

[carloswebcomic]

started out printing my books through your local Kinkos(now FedEx office)

Kinkos?
Sound like a fetish porn shop.

[ShrewdManeuver]

Also would be nice if Tapas used page turn plug in, like issuu. I'm new do they have that?

Like this: https://issuu.com/marcosnogueira0/docs/_mang____fullmetal_alchemist_protot/1

[ahkwardkat]

There is nothing wrong with going with traditional format. I do this too! All of mine are traditional/standard proportions and done in CMYK (then to RGB to post only). I also DO print mine. In fact I've sold over 250 printed copies so far of mine in the last year. Not bad for my first book. I even have a publisher. I even go by the old format as far as NUMBER of pages. My chapters are 9 pages counting the cover, and each book is 32 pages total counting the exterior and interior pages.

I WANT my book printed and sold in comic shops. It gives me access to a whole group of people. I personally would rather have a printed book in my hand than a pdf. I can't hold a pdf unless I print it myself. I can't take it to conventions and see it and meet fans, and I have done that. I've sold numerous books there and many follow me to Tapastic and THEN buy the book online from me.

So for me, I WANT to do it old school. Maybe it's because I was taught the old school methods of making comics while at art school, but something about a REAL book and not just a screen works wonders for me in terms of enjoying and experiencing a comic.

I also find people who make webcomics or those who want to be a professional comic-maker, yet never step foot into a comic shop to be a bit... odd? Like, if you are a writer, you should read books. If you are an actor, you should watch movies and such. If you are a comic artist, why in the world are you NOT going into shops and looking at other works?! Be smart and knowledgeable about you industry!

IF you are just making comics as a hobby, that's very different and I don't think it's as critical. For example, I'm most a printed artist and I'm sold in three comic book shops right now. I'm making a good amount of money at this comic thing, and tapastic, webtoons, and smackjeeves are helping me build my audience. I'm not much of an internet person... I don't really like the internet that much. But it's super handy and I can see the value in it, so I invest my time into it.

But yes, printed comics ARE still a thing and FAR from dead.

[ahkwardkat]

In addition, my comic is made to flow page to page, and not endless scrolling. It might be one reason I struggle a little in gaining followers. It does work with scrolling, but I still post a single page as an episode. Maybe it annoys people, but my comic wasn't meant to be a webcomic. u_u I'm trying to share it online though, so I do the best I can.