Is it bad to not have a cover banner?

bjornar 2016-01-24 18:27:28 UTC #1

I am considering adding a banner to my series, as I noticed that most comics seem to have one. Once I tried uploading my own banner, but the page seemed to load more slowly so I removed it.

What are the benefits/drawbacks of having a cover banner?
Also background music, is it good/bad/situational?

AnnaLandin 2016-01-24 18:29:37 UTC #2

The banner will make your comic look more... complete, I guess? Think of it as a cover-page for your comic! It showcases your artstyle and your comic in general, and gives the reader a kind of welcome and invitation to read!

I personally don't use background music, and I rarely - if ever - click on it on other people's comics. I don't feel the need, I guess?

mg78 2016-01-24 18:33:31 UTC #3

i like banners.
they set the end from a chapter to a chapter...

shazzbaa 2016-01-24 19:18:46 UTC #4

The banner is basically a first impression of your comic! Rather than the first impression being whatever page happens to be the most recent, you can make sure the cover banner introduces your comic the way you want it to be.
It's also one of the very few ways you have to customise your page, which makes it look more like Your Comic's Page rather than just a collection of comic strips.

I don't use music on my comic, and I almost never click on it when other people have it. I personally don't feel like music integrates well with comics in that way, so I don't bother with it!

skads7 2016-01-24 19:27:07 UTC #5

I think the banner it´s really important for the site desing. It´s somekind of "Hey, I´m X and this is what are you gonna get!" It´s the first contact the viewer´s gonna see on the site.

bjornar 2016-01-24 19:36:00 UTC #6

Thank you for your replies. I guess I will head off to make a comic banner then. And music, as I understand, is disabled by default, so that it will not interrupt or slow down the loading of the page.

bjornar 2016-01-24 22:02:08 UTC #7

Umm.. I made a Series Cover Banner now, but it looks like it gets cut off at the top and bottom? I used the 1280x460px format that was listed under the dashboard. Is it just my browser, or should I make more space around the text?

No Socks Attached

skads7 2016-01-24 22:06:34 UTC #8

It actually displays good

keii4ii 2016-01-24 22:08:53 UTC #9

@bjornar The banner gets cropped depending on the device and the settings on the viewer's end. The top, bottom, left and right can all get cropped off; only the center is safe. This was posted by dev @daronakira a while ago:

It doesn't show the top/bottom crop zones, but still the best reference I can find.

bjornar 2016-01-24 22:10:46 UTC #10

Thanks! That's really helpful. I'll see if I can adjust it a bit tomorrow using that template.

demthorshie 2016-01-24 22:45:45 UTC #11

When I first started out here on Tapastic, I didn't have a cover banner at all. Let's just say that it's a lot better to fill the void with something than to keep it blank, my comic page looked blank and uninteresting!

BTW. Nice cover banner you got there. :]

nickysoh 2016-01-25 03:41:53 UTC #12

i see the banner as just another space for you to get the first time readers "hooked". Its like a bigger ad space/campaign to make someone stop and perhaps start reading. So to answer the question "is it bad to not have a cover banner?" i say NO.

its bad to not have a cover banner only when you realize what it can do for you.