Does it look bad to have several active comics?

zigmenthotep 2017-10-01 23:12:21 UTC #1

I've got one comic and am currently developing another, and these two projects are things that I'm seriously devoting myself to, but then I also had an idea for just a silly fun comic and have been thinking of setting up a series for my random one-off comics. However, I'm concerned that having four active projects would give the impression that I'm unfocused and not really giving serious attention to any one project.
So is this a legitimate concern, or am I just being overly paranoid from reading too many articles about representing oneself professionally?

Tes 2017-10-01 23:17:45 UTC #2

I personally think it's fine to do that, it's better than having a bunch of inactive ones. Just make sure not to spread yourself too thin.

joannekwan 2017-10-01 23:31:42 UTC #3

I mean I have 3 on-going series right now. As long as each one is updated on a regular basis I don't think anyone would think negatively.
Bonus points if you have a finished series, even if it's short! Because then people know you can actually finish something.

jammythebirb 2017-10-01 23:34:45 UTC #4

I wouldn't judge the comics by that. I've known a lot of people on another site with multiple comics, and they've often been really good. I think the thing is to just be aware of what you're capable of doing. 0w0

LoboSong_Hitaka5Ever 2017-10-02 01:04:09 UTC #5

I don't think so at all! I'm actually impressed you have the time and patience to want to do multiple comics around the same time. That's some amazing dedication and I applaud you : D

That being said, if you can, try to pace yourself so that you don't get burned out too fast (I have this issue with my writing sometimes) and maybe set up a schedule for when you work on/upload a page. If you can't upload once a week, people will understand

Good luck with your endeavours!

Testaccount 2017-10-02 01:21:37 UTC #6

I don't think you're being paranoid at all. I have multiple stories going, and I've often thought that it will make me look bad. Like others have said, as long as you are updating all the comics, I don't see it being a problem.

Rhombik 2017-10-02 04:48:00 UTC #7

I think as your current one has already got a lot of episodes, it wouldn't look bad. To me, it only looks super bad when somebody has several comics with only a couple of episodes where nothing has really happened.

munazatoon 2017-10-02 04:59:34 UTC #8

i guess it's okay, as long as you don't make new titles every 2 or 3 episodes-- because it would be annoying for readers (or at least me, probably)

Mr_B 2017-10-02 09:19:48 UTC #9

Does it look bad? I sure hope not, because I have two at the moment. Keeping that aside, I agree with what has already been said in this thread: if all of them are updating regularly, I see no issue with having multiple series at once. Just be careful not to bite off more than you can chew and you'll be fine.

Kura 2017-10-02 09:21:22 UTC #10

I don't think it looks bad, I've been told it looks bad to have lots of dead comics on your account, because then it looks like you never finish the things you start, and a lot of readers are really tired of getting invested in webcomics that never finish.

But nothing against having more than one active comic.

zigmenthotep 2017-10-02 13:38:46 UTC #11

Thanks for all the replies, (oddly I didn't get a single notification) very helpful, I guess I might as well shoot for the moon.

eleoza 2017-10-02 14:05:28 UTC #12

personally I think it's impressive to manage more than 1 series.
I have another story in mind and I'm quite excited about starting it, but I don't think I can handle more than 1 comic. I tried once but dropped the lesser comic rather soon. Maybe someday I'll change my mind.
So yeah :3 awesome if you can manage it! Doesn't look bad at all imo,

indagold 2017-10-02 14:43:29 UTC #13

I don't mind until the author never updates ever for either. This is a problem with too many comic authors to count. Don't start a new comic until you have a buffer big enough to support it or else people get annoyed your comic updates once in blue moon.

Moxxi 2017-10-03 00:33:43 UTC #14

As someone who is working on four comics right now, I can tell you that it doesn't matter what others think, as long as you're making the stories that get you excited to draw the next page! I rotate my comics out between three of them, while one of them I can get done within a day, so I get two pages done a week.

Rai 2017-10-03 01:41:58 UTC #15

I don't think it's a bad thing, but I do get a little worried if the author ends up overworking themselves from putting out pages for a ton of different active comics.
Aside from that, I think it's a really good thing. I love reading multiple comics from the same author because I know what kind of quality to expect from them and I love seeing more of their work.

PaulDevers 2017-10-03 16:07:26 UTC #16

I don't want to sound like a Negative Nancy, but when I see somebody with like... 5 active comics, I get kind of nervous on actually getting attached to any of them. I worry about long wait times between updates/the author just giving up on a comic outright.
As long as you update the projects regularly and are open about your dedication to producing them, though, it should be fine. I mean, I've only got the one going, but I have two more planned and hopefully one ready to start in a few months. But even to my circle of friends I'm hesitant to bring it up because I'm worried about them thinking I'm unfocused.

sarrowsmith10 2017-10-03 16:31:39 UTC #17

I'm going to be honest, when I subscribe to a comic 99% of the time I do not check the creator's dash board to see if there are other comics or not. Never. I suspect most people will have no idea that you have multiple stories going on. ((shrug))

joannekwan 2017-10-03 18:01:54 UTC #18

That's true too! I've had more than one reader express their surprise when they figured out I did Demon House as well as Heavy Horns and they had been reading both concurrently. xD

eworks01 2017-10-07 19:49:29 UTC #19

If you're writing and drawing all your comics by yourself, you might want to work on the other projects and not start posting them until you're much further along. This way fans see you updating regularly on the stories you already have posted and get to know that you're dependable. This also lets you create enough content that you can have a nice buffer on the newer projects once you start posting them.

I always wrote and didn't do the art side of the comics, so I was usually ahead of my artists and I could be working with 2-3 at a time and bouncing between projects as well as searching for new artists for my latest story idea. I found the freedom to bounce between projects kept me writing without getting board of any particular story or set of characters. I felt bad because I did notice that when the artists needed a break, or wanted to work on something new readers would get nervous. So if you're doing it by yourself, and are fairly new, it could be a bit of a problem. So, maybe get more experience, figure out what kind of rotating schedule you can stick with, and only start posting new continent when you're confident.