Is it okay for me to restart my comic?

[Slummypond]

Here’s the story.

I’ve posted the first four chapters of my Comic on webtoon and tapas, and after getting it in front of some eyeballs other than my own and listening to some feedback, I’ve realized that this whole first arc has literally nothing to do with the plot. It doesn’t introduce the main conflict and we have no idea why the main character is doing the things she’s doing. All we have are questions And no one is going to waste their time waiting for the answers. There’s no reason for people to continue reading.

And here’s the kicker. None of this story essential information is conveyed in the first four chapters, right? Well, it’s not gonna be conveyed until the next three chapters come out!! That ain’t right!

So,

Is it totally amateur and unethical to essentially reboot my story even though it’s only been out a week? (i have four subs btw).

I think I already know the answer to that question... but the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that I should cut the crap and get right to the meat of the story.

Still, I’d love to know your thoughts or hear your story if you went through something similar.

Feeling pretty confused and bummed out.

Edit: after hearing all this sound advice and sitting with the decision to reboot for a bit, I think the play I’m going to make is just to keep going with what I have. I mean, I’m so new at this I’m bound to make 50 more mistakes by the time the credits roll - I think I’m going to just push through. This is a learning experience after all!

Thank you everyone for replying!

[phen]

Totally understand why you'd feel bummed out but yo, you not only started working, you exposed yourself to critical feedback and learned how to improve your approach. That's something real to celebrate, serious respect to you there! I feel that, if this isn't a deep passion project, you could skip right to the meat of the story and focus on organising your plot/arcs from there. This is a wonderful opportunity for experience so when you move to your next comic project, you'll have a lot to build from.

[Slummypond]

Thank you, truly.

I guess it’s just the mindset that I have that everything needs to be perfect. Whatever I end up doing, you’re absolutely right in that this is a tremendously valuable learning experience!

This has given me a lot of confidence. Thank you!

[rmdooley]

Yes, it's okay. It is your comic and there is not orthodox creed you need to follow to make it the story you want it to be. It sounds like you've got grounds for new growth and improvement and if restarting is how to best take advantage of that, go for it!

[nixxusnibelheim]

Nothing will be perfect, we constantly grow so you have to stick with what you have...BUT...that's coming from someone who's currently rebooting a comic for the second time, and here's why

Nobody is paying you to go through the pain of sticking with something you don't believe in anymore. Think of how mentally it can drain you, yup, it already started. Being a comic artist is already hard, we don't have to make it harder with something we have control over.

If we take this as a job, you have to know when to pull the trigger and reset. Sometimes a project is not worth salvaging because there will be too much to do, it'll be more efficient and actually better to restart, with the newly found knowledge.
The other side of this tho', you can be trap forever into thinking you need to reboot your work every single time you face a challenge so you have to be aware of that. Making sure that the mistake that was made, is critical. The earlier, the better.

[rajillustration]

I mean, I REALLY like what you have so far, so if you want to reboot it in a different part of the story that's fine, but I wouldn't call what you've done so far a waste. It has a really fun style and I think it is pretty straightforward from where I'm standing.

But like I've rebooted comics too, it's fine. Do what feels best for you, but I just want to say from over here that I adore what you've done so far and you have such a fun wit and styling that I'm sure where and how you decide to reboot it will be a great time.

[SleepingPoppy]

There's really no right or wrong way to do things. If you feel strongly about a reboot, that might be the right way to go. Just keep in mind as you move forward, you'll always look back and see ways you can improve. Sometimes it's worth stepping back to fix, but usually it's better to move forward and apply what you learn to future projects or chapters.

I'd definitely like to redo my first chapter. I think there's much that could be improved, but I don't want to totally stop progress to redo the beginning. It's good enough for now!

Sometimes you learn something important, though, and you won't be satisfied unless you fix it. Always remember this is your personal project, and your satisfaction with it comes first.

[JRHoch]

Reboot your ass off.

[Slummypond]

Thanks so much for this comment

It made my day!

[Slummypond]

I hear this. I think my case is one of those instances where it would be better to just burn on through and not worry so much about all the mistakes I make along the way. I’ll learn from them sure, but there’s no sense in getting derailed and sidetracked so early in my comic-ing journey.

[gurugeorge1111]

Sounds like a good idea to me. When I first started I've made about 20 pages of random stuff just for learning to do comic plots.

Having a sketch book for feedback is better then doing everything on your computer.