Do you avoid finished webcomics?

[gateofselidor]

If it's plot-driven then I'm not put off at all - I enjoy reading a completed story. I probably wouldn't bother with a completed gag comic, but then I don't really read the ongoing ones either.

The way I interact with completed comics is different. I probably wouldn't subscribe to it, and I'm less likely to comment. At most I'll probably go and see if the artist is working on anything new.

[AnnaLandin]

I read finished webcomics, yeah. My go-to example is Evan Dahm's Rice Boy and Order of Tales - I started reading Rice Boy when it was about halfway done, but have gone back to re-read it from the start since then. With Order of Tales, I waited until it was finished and then read the whole thing.

One of the great benefits with reading a complete, finished story is that I get to read it at my own pace, rather than at the pace dictated by the creator's updating speed (which is obviously dictated by the spare time they have to create it), AND it's easier to get an overview of what's going on, especially if it's a complex story. It's easier to keep track of stuff like foreshadowing or subtly hinted subplots and stuff like that.

It also means that I won't have to deal with unexpected hiatuses or changes in updating schedules. While such things never make me upset with other webcomics (I'm getting the comic for free; I'm not gonna complain about when or how it gets to me), they do mean a break in the reading flow - and with finished comics, I never have to care about that.

A finished webcomic is a bit like a graphic novel - finished, self-contained formats that you can read at any pace that pleases you. I was reading graphic novels and finished comics in print LONG before I started reading webcomics, so I'm used to the idea of reading something all in one go, and not having a comment field to interact with; it doesn't reduce my enjoyment of the comic. I'm there for the story, not the comments. While fandom can be great, it's never been the point for me - and sometimes, particularly virulent fandoms have actually scared me away from the source material (shipping wars are seriously unsettling at times).

I generally avoid those unless I've been strongly recommended to read them by people with good tastes.

.... but what have you got to lose? Couldn't you read the first chapter or whatever, and decide for yourself if it's interesting enough to continue - you know, the same way you'd do for an ongoing comic?

[keii4ii]

Couldn't you read the first chapter or whatever, and decide for yourself if it's interesting enough to continue - you know, the same way you'd do for an ongoing comic?

As I pointed out in a later post, that quoted sentence was problematic. XD I don't actively avoid them because I don't need to; chances of me coming across a finished webcomic without anyone recommending them to me are very low. I just don't go looking for new finished webcomics to read, even though with ongoing ones, I sometimes do.

When a comic is finished, that becomes a product to me. There's no longer any sense of community attached to it (unless it still has an active fandom going on?). That doesn't make it any less of a story, but it does make me a little pickier as a consumer.

There's also this thought: "It's already finished, so it's not like the author needs my support to continue THIS story." That doesn't mean they don't deserve to be paid for it; using print comics as an example, I won't be satisfied with pirated scanlation. I'll buy the books unless they're unavailable. But there is more incentive for me to pay if there's a chance the next book in the series might not even happen because of the lack of funds. In that regard, it's kind of like the difference between buying a book that's already out VS funding a kickstarter campaign.

[justjezz]

While fandom can be great, it's never been the point for me - and sometimes, particularly virulent fandoms have actually scared me away from the source material

So true. There were a few instances where fans would spoil the story, vehemently hate certain characters, or have weird ships that it ruins the experience for me. I mean, I don't mind any of that because it's their opinion and they can say whatever they want. However, it still influences me to think negatively of a story that I originally thought to be great.

That happens a lot for animes/mangas/TV shows, but the webcomic community has been nice so far, so I haven't had that kind of experience there. :3

[zelkats]

keii4ii:
I generally avoid those unless I've been strongly recommended to read them by people with good tastes.

.... but what have you got to lose? Couldn't you read the first chapter or whatever, and decide for yourself if it's interesting enough to continue - you know, the same way you'd do for an ongoing comic?

If it is premium comics or whatever webcomic that requires payment, then I understand being hesitant about investing in it unless you're certain it's gonna be good (the preview episode(s) and reviews can help with the decision). Free comics? I honestly see no harm in it either

[Jelw]

That's an interesting point! I always assosciate immersion with the in-the-moment single-focus mental space that reading gives you. Which is forward-propeling indeed.

In the case of outward and inward too, I'm still an after-completion person more so.
After the comics have already given all the content to establish the characters, setting, etc, I find it more fun to do "what ifs" or analyze parts and so on.
I guess maybe it's worth mentioning that I'm also a person who tends to spoil themself before playing a game or what not because knowing what the story ends up as but seeing how it gets there can be just as fun as being oblivious.

[AnnaLandin]

There's also this thought: "It's already finished, so it's not like the author needs my support to continue THIS story." That doesn't mean they don't deserve to be paid for it; using print comics as an example, I won't be satisfied with pirated scanlation. I'll buy the books unless they're unavailable. But there is more incentive for me to pay if there's a chance the next book in the series might not even happen because of the lack of funds. In that regard, it's kind of like the difference between buying a book that's already out VS funding a kickstarter campaign.

Well, I can sort of see your point there - but keep in mind that even if the story doesn't need your support any more, any income the creator earns from that story - even after it's finished - will go towards supporting their creation of new stories. Your support of old, finished stories might contribute to the creation and continuation of other stories the author is making, as all monetary support ends up in the same wallet in the end.

As for your already published vs. kickstarter - published books still need to be bought for the author to have a reliable income; no publisher wants to publish books that don't sell.

[keii4ii]

Your support of old, finished stories might contribute to the creation and continuation of other stories the author is making, as all monetary support ends up in the same wallet in the end.

I realize that. It's just that as a consumer, my money is limited. If I have two series that I like equally*, and I can only support one of them, I'll prioritize the ongoing one over the finished one. The "continuation of other stories the author is making" part isn't highly relevant to me unless I'm also a fan of those other stories, which isn't necessarily guaranteed to happen.

(*Of course, in practice the "equally" part is a little nebulous. It's hard to quantify how much I like a story overall... But you get the idea)

[abbastudios]

I grew reading American printed comics that were completed.

I have nothing against complete web comics.

[Zanreo]

Got nothing against them, if I'm interested then I'm interested. Plus, if it's already finished it means I won't feel the pressure to quickly get to the newest update so I can see the part everyone else is talking about... It's finished, so I can just read it from start to finish at my own pace. Fandoms are cool but not the reason I read (play, watch, ect.) something.

[keii4ii]

It's finished, so I can just read it from start to finish at my own pace. Fandoms are cool but not the reason I read (play, watch, ect.) something.

I should clarify that I don't actually interact much with others (aside from doing the occasional fanart). That's not what I look for. But there's this party in MY head. The waiting party. I like being all excited about the next update. The fandom is just something I turn to (mostly as an observer) while I wait. If I'm following an ongoing series that doesn't really have an established fanbase, that party would still happen in my head.

I've recently read an excellent series called Digger, which has been finished for years. It was a great story, but I know I would've been excited about it for FAR longer had I found it while it was still ongoing.

[Jrej]

That's an interesting subject.
As a creator I thrive to write complete stories.
I do hope to catch people's attention on the way. But what I really want is to see my baby plant all grown up.
Once finished I'll jump to a new project and would hope readers go back to my old stuff.

It would be such a shame if you completed only one story but no-one reads it cause it's complete!

[Zanreo]

Well, if there's one "issue" I might have... that would be if it's already super long (700/800+ pages) and will take forever to finish... unless I'm very interested, I might be less likely to actually read it at all(for a story comic) but that would go for both ongoing comics (though I'd still have that feeling of not being able to catch up) and finished comics. If I get into a long comic at an earlier point, it's easier to "keep up" as it updates as I don't have to slog though hundreds of pages right away.

[Strontium]

Specific to Tapastic, I don't subscribe to series that are "finished". Most of them are one-shots that won't update again, so there's no reason for me to subscribe, although I try to leave a comment and give a like anyways.

As for non-Tapastic comics that are finished, I've never come across that situation before. I know of some of these finished comics, especially from TVTropes, but many of them are so hyped, that I suffer more from Intense Hype Adversion more than from the reasons @keii4ii posted.

Most of the webcomics I read are ongoing.

[purrlpankras]

Heh joking, I AVOID ONGOING ones. Like damn I have so many ongoing webcomics I have to catch up to now. and wont ever be finished
by the time I'm dead. I prefer finished ones wayyyy over ongoing ones.

If I read ongoing ones they have to really take my interest or already have alot of chapters.

[allenthomas]

I would go as far as to say I avoid finished webcomics, but I don't go out of my way to read them. While I would love to them, I simply never have the time to read them or I choose to read the comic that update weekly before those because I just feel like "Oh, it's already finished I can come back and read later" and I sadly never do. It would be nice to try and read some as I'm sure there are some really good stories that I'm missing out on.

[CalebDL]

I'd like to get with a building project and grow along with the artist. But if I hear a comic is just too awesome, I'm fine with reading one all the way through

[mayhugs]

I actually actively seek them out because I like binge-reading and finishing comics hahaha.. I'm mostly too impatient for updates!!

[Cielle]

I actually really like reading completed webcomics. While I agree that part of the fun is waiting for an update and the inward-propelling immersion like @keii4ii explained, there's also something really satisfying about reading a story from start to finish. I do tend to binge-read when I come across a completed comic, though, so if I had to pick a preference, I would probably choose an ongoing series. Binge-reading is fun, but only in moderation ^.^

[nobody]

Very interesting topic! With longer comics, I have a tendency to leave them for a while and then come back after some weeks (or even months) to continue reading. It's like a lot of people have mentioned; I lose track of what's going on in a longer story when the updates are a week apart (or sometimes more). If I can read a chapter in one sitting I feel like I have a better overview of what's going on, and it's easier to experience the emotional impact or the mood.

On the other hand...I don't have a lot of time to sit down and read anymore, and then page by page updates are easier to follow in the sense that I actually have the time to read them when they're posted. Reading one page instead of 40 takes way less time, especially if there's a lot of text in the comic. I also like to really look at the drawings and study details, so reading comics is sometimes more time-consuming for me than books, because I don't just read the words, I "read" the images too.