I don't trust serialized stories, and I feel I'm missing out

[djmulcahy]

I've kind of stopped reading serialized stories, even if they're really, really good, mostly because I've been burned so many times by content creators giving up, moving on to new projects, having real life get in the way, and then abandoning a good story I was invested in for a long time.

As a matter of fact, I'd say that the vast majority of serialized stories I've read have never reached an ending. And when I say this, I'm mostly referring to concluding a long story-line, not necessarily the entire comic or project.

So, even though I see a lot of things that definitely get my interest, I never end up reading them because odds are they will never reach a successful conclusion or resolve in any sort of satisfying way.

Am I missing out?

How do you deal with knowing most of what you read is done for fun/for free and even the good stuff you will probably never see wrapped up successfully?

[joannekwan]

I totally get where you're coming from, but I figure I'll just appreciate what's available while I can.

It's the same as getting invested in a TV show that can get canceled at any time. It sure can be devastating to hear it's been canceled, but it doesn't make me love what aired any less.

Also you can find completed works to read. This thread's got good ones!

So, finishing a series is sorta a bittersweet thing, on the upside YOU DID IT! You told a whole complete story and that's really rad! On the downside though, people are going to have a much harder time finding it now that it's not updating. So it's sorta in limbo unless you're doing another series, in which case someone might find it while visiting your page, maybe? occasionally? Point is, Finished series deserve more attention so I wanna help by starting this thread! Here are some of my f…

and here's an older list too.

I've come to realized that there isn't really an easy way to find completed comics on tapastic... So I've decided to start a list! Comment with a comic and I will add it to the list below! Please include a link Action Requiem Adventure Comedy Dorayaki the Lazy UFO (one-shot) The Dual (one-shot) I don't want to become a manga protagonist! (one shot) Shocked! (one-shot) Peace is Boring! Drama I'm Sorry Simon Rabbit Boy (one shot) Fantasy Wishlight The Art of Monsters Fr…

[djmulcahy]

Oh. This looks very promising.

Thank you!

[tayo_rafferty]

I understand how you feel but there are some truly amazing and comitted creators on here. If you want to read something that is both realibly engaging and created by a 'professionally minded' creator who is comitted I would reccommed:

• Grassblades

• Kamikaze

• Rotten Rose

• Stonewalker (it's still early days for this one but they seem committed)

• Betwixt seems promising.

[NanettesClouds]

Oh man I didn't realize there was an older list. Tap should really make it so marking a series as complete does something >_>

---

@djmulcahy A lot of the comics on the list of finished series that I started are Minicomics, and most of those people who make minicomics usually have a larger ongoing serialized series. I know personally, I'm a lot more likely to "trust" a creator if I know they've finished something before, so that's something to keep in mind!

Also, a lot of the creators here in the forums are very serious about their work and are "professionally minded" like @Mythos said. So def poke around the forums and check out some of the series that the people here make. (@joannekwan's Sarota springs is a series I'd recommend, especially since she's already a very well-established creator in the community.)

But yeah, dropped series is kinda an inherent problem to the webcomic medium, because it's so accessable, a lot of younger creators try out making a series and then drop it when they realize the webcomic life-style isn't for them, which is fine, because ultimately most webcomics are a "hobby", even for those of us who are really successful and dedicated. There's not really anything that can be done about it, except better reward completed works somehow, but that's a different conversation.

[LoboSong_Hitaka5Ever]

I understand how you feel, but for me, I'm just glad it existed at all, even if it ends prematurely. There was this comic called Off White whose creators decided their main jobs were more important and had very little time to work on the comic (they also wanted to upgrade the first chapter) so they had to quit for as long as possible. It was good while it lasted though and I support the creators' decision

[sarrowsmith10]

I also hate when a good series gets dropped, but I find that if the comic has been updating for a while (more than 1 year) with a solid following, then its probably safe to know they will keep updating. Even if they take a hiatus or are slow to upload, I'm still happy to read. (Mostly because my series has gone through hiatus too from time to time)

But it does suck when artists just give up because they don't like the story any more or whatever. I guess its a gamble. It doesn't stop me from reading new series tho. shrug

[Zpreader]

This has definitely happened to me before. Though more often than that I see a new comic that I like and realize that it hasn't updated in a year

As for how I deal with it, I always think of reading comics as a chance to learn as well as be entertained. Sometimes even if a comic crashes it's worth it to keep following just so you can go back and dissect all the cool stuff you liked about it every once in a while.

[joe_galindez]

Doesn't even need a strong following. If an artist has been at it for more than a year and has produced a substantial amount of work, then they're probably good bet. And even if they aren't, what do you lose?

Take the leap, @djmulcahy. You never know, they could be at a tipping point. Your views, likes, and bookmarks could make all the difference.

[Testaccount]

I feel bad reading this because I'm one of those creators. On Wattpad, I abandoned my stories because I got so sick of the website. I know I let some of my readers down, but like other people said, there are some dedicated artists and writers out there. If you are worried about a story not finishing, you can search for works that are completed or near completion.

[LordVincent]

I think i've heard something about most webcomics being cancelled within the first year or the first 30 pages or something? Because a lot of new webcomics are noobs (comic noobs, that is, not art or writing noobs) testing it out and then realizing it's an artform that takes a lot of effort and offers very little payback at first compared to many other options.

So if you want safer game, try to only read webcomics that have been going on either more than 1 year or 30 pages.

Another alternative is to try to stick to creators that do what they do for a living since they have a reputation to protect, and screwing that up might end up in them cooking cheeseburgers at McDonalds. If I were to cancel any of my 5 ongoing comics tomorrow, I would betray everyone's trust and a lot of people wouldn't believe I would finish the other ones either.

Perhaps you should consider reading premium comics or Webtoons exclusives, since those are financially backed up. It means the creator actually gets paid for their hours put into it, and that they have a contract that requires them to continue providing new updates. Sure, they could find a way to get out of that contract, but why would they? It's earning them money for time spent doing a project that is entirely theirs.
Alternatively you could check the creator's patreon page. If their main source of income is their webcomic, they're more likely to finish it.

If their patreon page barely has a mention of comics and is just full of illustration rewards, and the person is offering commissions, then their likeliness to finish the comic depends. Is it a longrunning premise? Then there's a risk they might drop it if financial crisis strikes, since commissions pay more and creators have bills to pay. It doesn't matter how much Sam loves his shark romance webcomic, because Mr Electrical Bill is a very mean man and Sam's tablet won't even turn on unless he pays him. So shark webcomic's gotta go.
If it's a short premise, it's likely the creator will finish it regardless of workload, and also even as a hobbyist. It will run slow depending on said other workload, but it's easier to wrap up and finish a short comic both in terms of story and drawing it to the last page.

[indagold]

Every single comic i've ever read never updates much or rarely or stopped halfway or given up.

I think Gunnerkrigg Court is the only comic i've actually read where the author actually keeps an actual schedule and stuck to it for more than 10 years.

Maybe you should switch to tv or movies because webcomics are utter shit in keeping up with deadlines lol

[LordVincent]

webcomics are utter shit in keeping up with deadlines lol

Please do not say these things, many of us have professional intentions and do work hard to maintain a schedule. I update on a daily basis, I have a friend who updates on a daily basis, and many of my fellow webcomic artists update weekly despite other jobs and/or school.

As I have stated, many webcomicers are people new to the field who realize after a while that it's not a "get famous quick and make a quick buck" business or that it takes a lot more time and effort than they expected and that they cannot sacrifice that time, but that doesn't mean webcomics as a whole cannot maintain a schedule. Saying that would be the case is an insult to the hard work done by those of us who do have a professional approach.

[ryoko]

Reading long comics is like being in love; sometimes you feel hurt or betrayed when it goes away, but in the end it's worth it ^_~

I think LordVincent has excellent advice and insight into how to find serialized comics that have a better chance of not disappointing you in the long run.

[indagold]

Dude chill, i'm joking. Jesus christ. I'm well aware there are comics that update frequently, I even listed one! Just many, many webcomics never keep a regular schedule, it's an observation I made since i've worked in webcomics for 10 years. It's something you have to get used to when reading them.

You're taking this way too seriously.

[AlkseeyaKC]

I'm one of those financially struggling comic artist. It's annoying because I can only do one page a month due to money restrictions. But this slowness makes people not want to support me or people give up on me for your reasons. It's annoying for me because if I could update the comic like I want to. I would be making loads of pages per month and keep the comic updating weekly for a long time, then work on a new comic the next month. I could maybe do thee or four comics and I could be doing WAY better then I am now. I would be stupid happy! But all that is a giant fat probably. Not being able to up date my comic as much as I want to frustrates me so much. T^T

[joe_galindez]

Could be worse. We could be working in animation.

[KingsClubComics]

I agree with you. It isn't fair to invest a large amount of time reading a comic and the creator just give up in a midway story arc. That's why I planned ahead and made an entire Graphic Novel, with a beginning and an end. I wrote all the scenes and finished everything. Now, it's just to draw. I started to upload the issue #1 when I was drawing the middle of the GN. When I upload issue #5, I'll have finished to draw the last chapter.

I really HATE to waste anyone' else time, including mine. So, I came up with a finished volume first. Only after that, I'll move forward to the next GN volume. Respecting the audience is one of my main priorities. If they spend their precious, and non-refundable, time with me, why would I do something as disrespect them giving up on projects? (taking your time is totally different from a perma hiatus)

Guys, I know the majority of the creators does comics as their hobby. But, please, don't do that to your audience. Plan ahead and check out the project scope. If you think it's too big, maybe it's a good idea to make a smaller version.
Taking your time? It's okay! Giving up and go on hiatus? Then it's better to write an ending. No hard feelings, but respect your audience, because I'm one of them too ^__^

[KingsClubComics]

You didn't give up on your comic. You deserve respect I don't think being slow is a problem. Giving up is the problem. (nice colors, btw)

[AlkseeyaKC]

I've been trying to get some animation freelance jobs actually. It's kind of fun. XD