Im thinking about quitting my comic

[punxelart]

This is no wine post, this is actual "I need your advice" post.
Here is my comic: http://thenoexp.com/

Why am I thinking of stopping it is simple. The pixel art style of the comic ( something that was supposed to be its main asset ) is very time-consuming.

At the time I started with the idea and first work. I think the times were different. It was around 2016, and MMORPGs were still a big deal, Indie game companies just started with "retro feel" games with pixel graphics. There was a strong feeling of zeitgeist there. And when I released comic than, it was a very successful launch.

But then, as it often is - life interfered. I got very sick to the point that I was even unable to work on the comic. And the sickness, from which I barely escaped alive. Lasted for almost 2 years.

All I can think was going back and working on the comic. But when I did. I think times have changed. MMORPGs are just faint memory, pixel art was done in gaming to the point of Ad nauseam. What was once supposed to be a great novelty, seems to interest nobody anymore.

Just to test this, I published the comic on Taptastic and Webtoons.
( https://tapas.io/series/NoEXP , https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/noexp/list?title_no=337117 )
And the reception... well there was none. Crickets...

Now don't get me wrong. I believe strongly in this comic. The script is very good, and all laid out in advance. I also believe that pixel art is what set the comic apart and that its right style for it. But...

When I started the idea. The comic was supposed to have its niche audience - the people that love retro gaming, geeks like me. The added effort to make this a first and only real pixel art comic was a conscious artistic decision, developed as a direct line of communication with these people... Well, I feel that these people moved on, and I am just doing a style of comic that has all this added work put in it - for no real reason. And it's perhaps time for me to move on as well. Go for another idea, perhaps something with less technically finicky.

I honestly need your experience and advice, friends.
Should I move on to another adventure? Or not give in to despair and continue working on a comic that is very unique, despite it lacking the following that I hoped for?

Any advice is welcome

[sadghost]

Should I move on to another adventure?

This is the opinion of someone that has made 5 comics, because never got the wanted results: i say yeah.

Like you say, if your comic focus on a niche trend or a style, it will have less audience when people stop caring about that trend. Don't think you owe anything to your comic, you are completely free to move on.

The positive thing i could say, is that every new comic i made, gave me better results than the previous one.

Something that is useful is to use your current comic to promote your new comic, like say "i'm working on a new series, you can check here"

[Iris-Grimoire]

If you're not feeling it, you're not feeling it; simple as that sometimes.

You're not giving up on it forever if you want it to end; you can ALWAYS come back in some years when you have more time and a more efficient process, because it's your work and your world. Maybe in some years you'll be neck deep into FFXIV and find something else that adds to your themes, maybe a new art style will become the hot new thing and it fits your comic like a glove. It's never 100% over until you say it is.

So yeah, pursue a new adventure! Art is always about learning, it doesn't matter where. You're not giving up, you're saying until next time.

[jdlareva]

I say keep at it if you love doing making it. If you are uninspired, don't do it.
Don't chase fads because while they might lead to momentary success, a project that has passion and creativity leads to something timeless.

As a retro gamer myself, I believe there will always be an audience for pixel art. I would give it some time to build up momentum on Webtoon and Tapas. I will be following because I genuinely like what I see!

[Kelheor]

First of all - this looks awesome!
Second - you literary put in on Tapas and Webtoons 2 days ago. People sometimes are working for a few years to make some readership there. The problem is, people there also prefer romance, comedy and slice of life, so it may be very hard to gain readers on those sites.
If you decide to make another comic, what will you do? Can you draw in other styles except pixel art?
Anyway, if you feel that it's too much for you and it's time to move on - go for it! Not that you cannot return to your pixel-y masterpiece later =)

[Jenny-Toons]

I have to ask how much of the comic do you have already completed? Like, are you transitioning your comic on your website onto Tapas and Webtoons?

i will firstly say that, in terms of your Tapas and Webtoons upload, you uploaded 4 episodes on the same day. Usually, it will help you get more views if you upload an update two days out of the week. If this is a comic that already had 10+ updates and you're just adding them to these sites now, it can help to have multiple updates so people can catch up to a story and then do the update two days a week.

I also have to point out that you just uploaded to Tapas and Webtoons two days ago. It's kinda fast to say "I'll quit this comic" after posting to these sites for just two days. Usually, for these specific sites, it takes like months, even a few years, before people get the readership they're looking for. Some might get that readership faster, but again -- that goes into networking and promoting.

So I do have to ask if you've done promotion for this comic since 2016. Did you mention to your current audience that you would be moving to these two platforms? I feel this is kinda a special case because you have been hosting your own website for the comic before moving to Tapas and Webtoons. However, because you moved there, it's a clean slate.

I would say to keep working on it if you want to continue on Webtoons and Tapas. However, you are feeling that it's been a long haul since 2016, and you're just not enjoying it as much, I can say that you can always return to it later and explore new ideas. There's no shame in that! Just gotta understand that sometimes, these things take time, and it might take a few story ideas before you get that readership. That's normal and generally what happens.

[punxelart]

Thanks. I will surely give it some more time. Must gather my inner strength, and not give up

[punxelart]

So, NoEXP - is kind of fusion of two comics that I really liked. Order of the Stick, and The Noob. I have been contemplating a style that would kind of make it stand out for a long time, and chose pixel art. If I do another comic it would be more D&D 5E based. And not pixel art. I am contemplating something in Simpsons style. Highly stylized.

But yes. Regarding what you said. I too feel that these sites somehow gravitate towards certain type of comic. And this is perhaps not really their cup of tea...so to say ? I must be patient i guess, and not let in to despair. This post helped a lot, and many people explained me that I need to find a way to reach my audience in some way... I guess that something I have to figure out.

[punxelart]

The comic is around 1/3 finished. And its only first chapter. Thing is there was really long hiatus since I started, and I lost my initial readership. I always planned to transition comic to Tapas and Webtoons, I just wanted to have enough backlog to be able to do it comfortably.

But yes initial response was ... well zero. I thought new comics get more visibility ( perhaps thats not the case ). So that was bit disheartening. I will take advice many people now gave me. And start thinking of marketing, and reaching people...

[nathanKmcwilliams]

My comic is also a pixel-art style and it is indeed very time consuming. I'm switching to a different style as we speak.
I had the same reasoning, that there really aren't many pixel-art comics out there. It's just frustrating both how long it takes and just how limited the style is in regards to certain angles and lines.

[punxelart]

Ah thats awesome comic! But yea. I feel we have to really go extra mile. Every panel is not only artistic, but also technical challenge.

Well, you surely have my sub

[nathanKmcwilliams]

Thanks! Yeah I always tell people it's like drawing with 1x1 Lego blocks XD

[beta1042]

I can't even fathom spending as much time as it takes to do a comic, publishing it, only giving it 2 days, and then saying "Screw it, maybe I should quit". Like I get there was some journey up to this point, but still, don't let the performance of two days on a new platform be the basis of your comic's worth.

[joannekwan]

Performance aside. Do you still like making it?

That should always be the main priority, your mental health!

If you still love doing the pixel style, even if it doesn't become an insta-hit, keep on going. If you'd rather go for a less time-consuming style, is there a way to transition this story some how? Like they unleash the magic of a some powerful object, and it transforms the entire world into your new drawing style. Since you seem proud of the story overall and don't want to abandon that aspect completely.

[rajillustration]

sometimes you gotta let go of a long term project for a while, especially if you don't have a money or contractual tie to it. I let comics sit back on the shelf all the freakin time. It's totally fine and normal to do. Just recently started uploading an older comic of mine, and I'm glad I gave it space for a few years before going back.

[SleepingPoppy]

. I thought new comics get more visibility ( perhaps thats not the case )

Actually most visibility comes from the fresh section- when a comic updates, they appear at the top of fresh, and are bumped down by other updated comics. You only appear once per day, so the best way to get eyes on your comic is regular updates on different days of the week. It's a small window for exposure, so it's effort over time that grows subs and engagement.

Some people do blow up fast, but usually they are promoted in some way by the site, or had an existing following to boost them. It's not the norm by any means.

(Everyone else has already offered good advice, I just wanted to make clear the mechanics a bit)

[punxelart]

Yea. Its really hit or miss situation....