Need help: Should a comic creator redo their comic or move forward?

[Starfestival]

I just kept going. It was still the same story, and the art gets better progressively.

[Emberguard]

If the art quality at the start is bothering you that much that you want to redo earlier pages, then continue making new pages as your priority and in-between that re-make earlier pages and update those pages with the newer art.

The important thing is not to get bogged down with re-making everything over and over to the point where nothing gets done. Your artstyle is going to change. It's only natural to improve. If you keep redoing what you've already done without moving foward then you'll never get anywhere other then where you already are. Nice looking art is a great bonus, but a incomplete story that never gets finished with awesome art is worse then a completed story with alright art.

If you've made everything and want to print it into a comic book but then find you can't due to the format, then sure, redo the entire thing so it can be printed. But otherwise it'd be better to move on with something else or the next chapter even if you redo some pages inbetween working on newer things.

[PorcheJ]

Thank you all so much for your feedback. It's really appreciated.

When I started making Cryptic Yume, I was deeply passionate about this. But things like college, finding a job, and criticism got to me. So I was on hiatus.

Now, after learning the art of writing and practicing on my drawings, I'm back and ready to continue my story. I'm not worried about the format either (I think it's alright), rather than the pages themselves. But after reading everyone's response, I've come to a decision:

I'm keeping my old pages and moving forward on my comic.

When I look back at my older pages, I can see that I've improved with each page. And that right there is an inspiration. I don't really want to redo everything, because it'll feel like a chore instead of a fun hobby.

Thank you all again. I think I'm gonna stick with moving forward with my comic. I have so much to share with my story. Plus, I already have everything planned: From beginning to end of Cryptic Yume.

[trivialtales]

Either is fine. I'm redoing a lot of mine so I can publish it and have it not look like garbage, but it is a huge strain on time to be making something that is not new.

So it really depends how badly you want to redraw it.

[UrMom]

It depends on why you want to redo your comic, if it's for superficial reasons than I'd say to move forward, if it's something related to story that you truly have a problem with (such as if you feel your story now doesn't fit with how it was then) than I don't see any problem with going back and fixing it. I myself have a project on hold to get the first chapter redrawn, not because I thought it was ugly or anything, but my main characters now are completely different from when I first created them; and it genuinely bothers me enough that if I weren't to do anything I would completely lose interest in finishing the comic.
Sure, I'll get people who will be all butthurt about it, but you're never going to please anyone. Also it's my comic and I can do whatever I want with it, and I'd rather do something that allows me to continue enjoying the creation process, than choose to be miserable with it only to cater to my reader-base.

Do what you feel is best for your comic.

[allansardoma]

Just do whatever you want. Just consider the question: "If I redo my comics, will it improve or it will get worse?" review it a lot and think about what you want to redo with your comic and consider your reader.

[demthorshie]

It really depends on whether you have enough patience or interest to reboot an entire comic. I know for me, if I work on a story concept for too long, I eventually get bored and move on after a while. It takes a lot of time to redo a comic on the fly and unless you have plans on getting it published in the future, I wouldn't bother to redo it to be honest.

[Robosaur]

It really depends. If it's a story related issue, its probably best to fix some things here and there. But it really depends on how big of a problem it is. If you find yourself running into too many plot walls, then i think you should consider a re-do.

If what your worried about is art quality, it's best to just continue moving forward. Unlike writing, you can easily modify/improve as you go along! C: The writing is what matters the most in a story, not the art. It's like worrying about how a cake looks before learning how to MAKE the actual cake ahaha~ Of course good visuals are always great but, it all comes down to practice! Good luck!~

[ms94maychan]

Good question! I wished to hear from other too because I have my older unfinished comic that is in hiatus. I alsobyhink remake the comic to improve the quality including grammar mistakes, the art and etc. It have been 2 years and now my art improved a bit and changed in style too~ huhuuuu

[Kyosu]

always move on. never stop, if you don't like something, change it and make it better

[PorcheJ]

@Kyosu Love that answer. But yeah, thank you! Just gotta keep moving on. As you keep going, you improve more. And if you need to change something, it's okay to do so. Just don't stress out! ^_^

@ms94maychan Hey, if you want to remake it due to art and writing (maybe mostly with
the plot), then that's cool! If you want to move on to new things or finish your comic, that's okay too. There's no right or wrong. It's your comic.

[Emberguard]

Biggest problem I see with artists redoing their comics is most of them delete the previous pages but never get back to the stage in the comic they were the first time round.

Re-doing something you've already done from the very beginning can be tedious and cause people to stop working on the project.

Some people can do it, but those would be in the minority. If it's for printing purposes because the format needs fixing then sure, go for it. Otherwise you're better off just continuing with what you have so you don't get stuck in the one spot.

[PorcheJ]

@Emberguard Totally understandable. That's why I chose to continue with my comic, instead of going back and changing a lot. As I said before, I want this to be a fun experience, not a chore to clean up the mistakes I made in old pages.

[nathankschulz]

I'd say move forward. Because even if you re-did the pages to your standards now... who's to say in a year or two that your style won't change all over again? Focus on the new pages, but find time every now and then to update the first pages, to at least catch up with basic stuff you'd like to improve.

[contreraschz]

It depends. In my case my art has always been a huge turnoff for readers so I'm redrawing the comic and tha is atracting more people.

As for having a story planned, I would focus more on the quality of you storytelling than in an specific story. In time you learn to use the ideas in new stories instead of trying to finish unsuccessful ones.

[cribeilletguillaume]

You should keep going forward, starting to redo stuff is the best way to get stuck !

As you keep drawing, you will keep getting better and will keep wanting doing the best and wish you had done it better before, see the loop ?

I have a friend who is never satisfied with the look of his main character, for a time he kept redrawing it and so , in the same amount f time ,while I had 60 pages of a story, he had 4 (granted he is a bit extreme of an exemple but my point still stands I think).

[Fox_Den7]

I for one say do both! Two accomplishments!

[serenitysquirrel]

I did the first chapter of my comic with the solid intent of someday redoing it and it alone. I knew I was SUPER brand new to doing webcomics and had an idea for things I just couldn't then draw. HOWEVER, no matter how bad any of the rest it, that's just how it's always going to be. It's one thing to plan ahead to redo 10 or so pages, another to reboot an entire comic.

[lunaartemisasama]

Maybe you can redo just the first chapter with a note that says about your progress, I have seen some artists do that.

As a reader I would always prefer if an author continue his story. I think unless you plan on printing your comic, going foward is the best.

[antimekii]

depends on your working pace and how long your comic is. i rebooted a comic of mine years ago and did like 10+ chapters in a month. it was so deadly. and i definitely regret that. i guess if you have like 1-5 chapters to redo, do it. it feels refreshing as long as you dont hit ur quota work and be in constant despair