Questions for Comic Makers

EncryptedWriting 2021-05-25 23:18:48 UTC #1

Hi! You have probably heard of my annoying self beforehand. Well, I am collaborating with an amazing artist, and my ultimate goal is to make this as easy as possible for her. We are both new, but I think we are approaching this from a very open point of view. I.e. we are not jumping straight into things. We are planning out all the character references, doing the backgrounds ahead of time, writing the panels, figuring out repeat backgrounds and non-repetivite, doing all social media stuff, overall just a lot of things before diving headfirst. I have a few questions, however.

How big is your buffer? We want to do anywhere from 5-10 episode buffer.

How many characters did you plan for ahead? Did you add any as you went along?

What did your storyboard look like? Is it organized and planned out? Messy with a bunch of ideas?

How many panels did you have a chapter (if you want longer episodes)? We are thinking about doing 30 to 40 per episode. But might half it.

Did you share your comic on any other sites besides tapas and webtoon (for those who did it there too)? We plan on doing webtoon and tapas but are looking to expand to more places.

Thank you so much!

diamondactor 2021-05-25 23:43:17 UTC #2

How big is your buffer? We want to do anywhere from 5-10 episode buffer.
I currently have 8 weeks of buffer, but life can happen, so it may go down a bit.

How many characters did you plan for ahead? Did you add any as you went along?
My story is actually complete writing wise, so there is a very big cast. Some only mentioned for myth purposes while others are super important. I have 6 or 7 super important. 5-10 medium important. 10-20 minor and a ton mention only. (I play with gods and myths hence the large cast). Yes I did add as needed.

What did your storyboard look like? Is it organized and planned out? Messy with a bunch of ideas?
So I wrote script format in a way. I would do the following (1 page with 3-7 panels talking under panel description):
Chapter 1: Title: chapter cover description
Page 1:
-see bob
Bob: Hello

-see matt
Matt: Hi

-see both nod and walk off

Then my artist would sketch out a panel layout for that page. If it looks good they would draw it fully and hand off to colorist. I would do any final edits or translations and publish/schedule the episode.

How many panels did you have a chapter (if you want longer episodes)? We are thinking about doing 30 to 40 per episode. But might half it.
I have long chapters as it was set up for traditional publishing. I decided to try web to gain followers before hitting up a traditional house. I have 30-60 pages a chapter which has 3-7 panels a page. I have about 3-4 chapters a book. Series is complete writing wise so I am a few years ahead. Lots of books. I however only release one page a week right now (plan on ramping that up later on or traditionally publishing. Depends on funds TBH.).

Did you share your comic on any other sites besides tapas and webtoon (for those who did it there too)? We plan on doing webtoon and tapas but are looking to expand to more places.
Not at the moment. I had tried to look into some others like webnovel, but I don't like how you might lose your rights to them.

Tips:
I would suggest an editor. You can do one for just overall flow or you can do 3 aka 1.for story and flow. 2. One for dialogue/line edits 3. One for sensitivity if dealing with harsh or unfamiliar topics. You can even do a translator or do one for history if needed. Beta readers are also advised if you can get them. I got a colorist to help my artist out and I act as the type setter/special effect art sometimes to even out the load.

Synopsis: Silver Heart is a teen with a checkered past. His whole life he’s had to fight to survive, but it’s only in death that his whole world is turned upside down. He learns he is something known as the Full Moon King. A being that could lead everyone to their salvation, all to their damnation, or down a new path. The question is: what path is he walking down? Updates once a week on Saturdays.

Webtoon: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/full-moon-king-fmk/list?title_no=438318

Tapas: https://tapas.io/series/Full-Moon-King/info

IndigoShirtProd 2021-05-25 23:46:01 UTC #3

Me looking around for my nonexistent buffer. But seriously, I generally don't work on a constant buffer. When I do plan ahead for my episodes it's only about four to five episodes ahead and then I'll go on a 2-3 month hiatus to make more pages. At some point I did have a bigger buffer, but due to rewrites in a later chapter slowing page production, I work the way I do now. I would recommend building a buffer of at least a chapter to a chapter and a half before starting.

I wrote an outline for my present comic so I know who all is going to be introduced. However I do plan on making chapter extras so there I can have more spontaneity in terns of character creation.

I think because I have an outline that gets adapted into a script my thumbnails aren't as messy. I mean, my scripts are more messy. I do occasionally leave notes for myself like for dialogue and action, but for the most part I like to keep my work organized.

Per chapter? Well each page has about 4 panels and the chapters so far are about 30 pages so around 120 panels, more or less. Per episode is 6-8 panels. But I work in page format so the amount of panels per update isn't reflective of the webtoon standard.

When I first started I mirrored on DeviantArt, Tumblr, and Tapas. I stopped doing so on the former two because it became such a hassle and didn't seem worth it. Plus, I don't really use tumblr and prefer to post illustrations on my DA.

snowy 2021-05-26 00:08:40 UTC #4

10 pages, baby.

I actually scrapped some. Made for a more streamlined plot and less crowded panels.

Storyboard ? That sounds like work.

Yeeeeah...so I'm not doing the vertical scroll thing. Sticking to traditional full pages, cause I'd like to print one day, and maybe enter some manga contests. So that's max 8 panels an episode. Sounds like not much, but really forces you to keep your story going.

I'm on webtoon, but I'm drowning over there. Might try a few of the newer platforms. Not decided yet if it's worth the effort.

rajillustration 2021-05-26 00:38:31 UTC #5

How big is your buffer? We want to do anywhere from 5-10 episode buffer.

My buffer is 11 episodes. Would like to get it to 24, but life stuff came up.

How many characters did you plan for ahead? Did you add any as you went along?

All--all of them. I can't imagine going in cold. I know a lot of people do, but I need to have my script completely polished before I jump into drawing it (and even then, I'm bound to change the ending along the way.)

What did your storyboard look like? Is it organized and planned out? Messy with a bunch of ideas?

My thumbnails are organized and planned out, but wow is it hella messy. It's just for me, so I know what those stick figures mean.

How many panels did you have a chapter (if you want longer episodes)? We are thinking about doing 30 to 40 per episode. But might half it.

So I do 15-25 per episode, and if I go bigger than that I don't think I can even upload it. I have a tendency to make my file sizes way too big for MB limits. On Webtoon I can kinda fit in a 30-50 panel update...but I have to shrink the whole page down so it's only really fun to read on phones.

Did you share your comic on any other sites besides tapas and webtoon (for those who did it there too)? We plan on doing webtoon and tapas but are looking to expand to more places.

It's verticle scroll so nah. Not many places to put a vertical scroll comic, although one day I'd like to stick it on my own website.

wekanian 2021-05-26 00:40:13 UTC #6

5 - 10 buffer is good. It's also good to have 3 episodes ready to upload besides those buffer. If you upload in Webtoon, by the third episode the app will prompt readers whether they want to subscribe or not to the comic. So, if you have 3 episodes ready when you publish, readers will be reminded to sub to your comic.

I designed at least the key characters, like the MC and his closest companions, and the antagonist. The rest is designed along the way. But, I do plan the whole set before hand. Their importance and numbers can change tho.

I don't really know about storyboard but I do make plot outline in a doc. Really helps with seeing the big picture of the story, knowing where I am in the story, spotting plot-holes, and putting in details/foreshadowing if needed.

I have about 10 - 12. I update for every 10 days. If it's weekly I can only update with 7 panels ;w;
If you want longer episodes, 30 - 40 is nice.

Atm I only publish it on Webtoon and Tapas, but promote them like hell on social media. There is also a website that listed webcomics but I forgot what it is.

DarkChibiShadow 2021-05-26 00:43:38 UTC #7

How big is your buffer? We want to do anywhere from 5-10 episode buffer.

I'm unsure if you're doing a vertical scrolling format or traditional page format comic, but I'm 60+ pages ahead of my public updates simply because my comic is my full time job. If this is not a full time job, please don't worry too much about a buffer as much as just, updating in general is good. A buffer is most valuable if either of you know you won't have time in the future, or if you plan to offer it as a perk to your Patreon or something of the like. 2-3 updates ahead should be plenty.

How many characters did you plan for ahead? Did you add any as you went along?

If this is your first comic project, try to keep the cast small. Sometimes characters will need to be added, yes, but it's best to get an idea of your full cast ahead of time so you know what to expect and how to more easily plan.

What did your storyboard look like? Is it organized and planned out? Messy with a bunch of ideas?

I have a rough outline for my story (just text) then a more refined script (still just text) and then thumbnails with notes. Ideally, thumbnails (aka storyboards) should be messy and quick, they are there to get the placement of the characters and generally planning of the panels and should not take up a bunch of your time. If you're cleaning them up, you're wasting time because nobody will see them! Save the nice art for the finished update.

How many panels did you have a chapter (if you want longer episodes)? We are thinking about doing 30 to 40 per episode. But might half it.

Since I do traditional comic pages, I'm just going off what I've seen others do, but I believe most episodes are not even close to 40 panels? I would say start with 20 and go from there, if this is your first project. Weekly updates work best, and please, PLEASE don't ask your artist to do 30-40 panels per week! 10-20 should work just fine.

Did you share your comic on any other sites besides tapas and webtoon (for those who did it there too)? We plan on doing webtoon and tapas but are looking to expand to more places.

Tapas and Webtoons are the most friendly for mobile viewing, but I also think Comicfury is worth using, and I think Tappytoon is another one folks use? You can also chop up your comic to make it fit Instagram/Tumblr/Twitter if you're really wanting as big of a reach as possible.

Good luck!

Iris-Grimoire 2021-05-26 00:47:37 UTC #8

How big is your buffer? We want to do anywhere from 5-10 episode buffer.
I'm on break and trying to make 4 pages, but I wish it was much much bigger. Anywhere above 10 removes most of the stress, usually.

How many characters did you plan for ahead? Did you add any as you went along?
90% of the cast was either fully planned or left as WIP (say, Veriesin's best friend, who wasn't going to appear in Chapter 2 since her design wasn't finished, but I worked around it). I've added very few characters after the second draft, usually to bridge new scenes or fix an inherent problem with an existing one.

What did your storyboard look like? Is it organized and planned out? Messy with a bunch of ideas?
I don't use a storyboard specifically, but I have a messy worldbuilding/character guide, a slightly clean plot outline, a VERY clean script, and finally thumbnails that are a huge mess but their purpose is more camera angles and pacing. I find it better to separate the stages rather than have one big messy file.

How many panels did you have a chapter (if you want longer episodes)? We are thinking about doing 30 to 40 per episode. But might half it.

I'm a page format artist so I have a very humble 4-7 panels, but generally, around 20 scroll panels is good enough that a reader won't stop in the middle of things and get lost.

Did you share your comic on any other sites besides tapas and webtoon (for those who did it there too)? We plan on doing webtoon and tapas but are looking to expand to more places.

So far, only on ComicFury, and I don't post on Webtoons because of the lack of comment moderation. It's a pretty comfy place there, if you go knowing it won't have anywhere near as much engagement in trade for MUCH better site customization.

In general, don't forget it's your first project. You don't want to blast through a magnum opus and burn out, and in fact, you don't have a single shot at this. Wait to fill buffer before posting, measure how you both are doing during production, and if you need to take a break for buffer or anything else - just do it, even better if it falls on a slow month, readers will understand if you warn them about it.

Kaydreamer 2021-05-26 01:29:56 UTC #9

How big is your buffer? We want to do anywhere from 5-10 episode buffer.
It's four weeks, so about two episodes. Not nearly big enough, but that was due to a change from page to scrolling format, which ate into what once was a two-month buffer.

How many characters did you plan for ahead? Did you add any as you went along?
I've definitely added some as I've gone along! When I started, two of my cast didn't even have names yet. They were 'Pirate A' and 'Pirate B'. (They became Glitch and Blues Scale.)

What did your storyboard look like? Is it organized and planned out? Messy with a bunch of ideas?
My storyboards can be anything from completed sketches, to a box with words scribbled in it. Very much depends on what's flowing for me at the time, speed or refinement.

How many panels did you have a chapter (if you want longer episodes)? We are thinking about doing 30 to 40 per episode. But might half it.
I do between 20 to 30. I'd love for them to be longer, but this is a good medium ground for someone who's releasing bi-weekly and not working on her comic full-time.

Did you share your comic on any other sites besides tapas and webtoon (for those who did it there too)? We plan on doing webtoon and tapas but are looking to expand to more places.
No, though I use Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and Twitter for promo.

Eiranyx 2021-05-26 03:04:14 UTC #10

How big is your buffer? we want to do anywhere from 5-10 episode buffer
- When I started here on tapas, and tapas doesn't really require high numbers of panel counts, I have a 5 episodes ahead for a buffer.
- however if you're planning to put it on pay to read sites and it operated on a weekly basis, and requires 40-60 panels each, having 15 episodes ahead is good enough.

How many characters did you plan for ahead? did you add any as you went along?
-When I started my comic, I was entering a contest therefore I was only able to do the character sheets for the main character and main lead --- I am pretty fast when it comes to on designing characters so I added each along the way along the way. The designs for the extras have more generic features, but the features of characters with the 'key components' for a specific event of the story or arc are well thought off.

What did your storyboard look like? is it organized and planned out? messy with a bunch of ideas
- Since I'm working alone, my storyboard are simplified like it's a bunch of fleshy 'dough people' with the character name's initials written on it but it is drawn in way of the camera angle dictated on the written script. (my script has camera angles already since it's easier to visualize the scene for me) then below the picture, is a the location, camera angle, and the summarized short description of the scene,
For the panels, I made it so it can be collapsible to make it into page format -- I thought of it that way to make flexible so it can still be arranged in vertical format at the same time it can be ready for print ^^

How many panels did you have a chapter? (if you want longer episodes) ?
- for tapas' 'bite-sized' episode it's around 15-20 panels -- so that's a short episode but for longer episodes, the panel count is around 20-30 panels. Right now since I'll be working on paid chapters, it's the standard of 40-60 panels.--- that's why long buffers helps a lot ^^

Did you share your comic on any other sites besides tapas and webtoons?
Yes, I mirrored it on Webcomics app and soon will be signing up with Toomics --- both my contracts are non exclusive there.--- also both apps favours vertical scroll format comics.
I also share snippets of my comic on my social medias such as instagram, twitter and my art page on facebook. --- I'm planning to put some of it on TikTok for additional promotions too ^^
The mature scenes/NSFW scenes cannot be published on any sites I've posted to (and it's not really a good idea to post the full NSFW version on twitter either... so most likely mature scenes are just snippets) so I post it only on patreon..

Scarlet_Cryptid 2021-05-26 03:32:56 UTC #11

How big is your buffer? We want to do anywhere from 5-10 episode buffer.
Iiiiiiii.... didn't even start posting until I had a 30-page buffer. There were a handful of reasons for this, ranging from 'What if I get super-sick with Covid?' to 'what if I break my drawing hand' to 'what if we have to move suddenly?', but also because... I have what I call the 20-page barrier. What that means is that, previously, I had never stuck with a comic for longer than 20 pages. I wanted to make sure I could before I started posting stuff. (None of my previous comics had been thoroughly plotted out/prepped for, which I did for this one, so that, uh, that makes a difference.) But yeah, I have enough pages to stop drawing now and still have updates until sometime in December.

How many characters did you plan for ahead? Did you add any as you went along?
I designed every character with a name in the chapter I'm working on. Random background characters you see for two panels? No fore-planning, except for paying vague attention to the cultural trends implied by my named characters. The more important the character, the more work I did to design them.

What did your storyboard look like? Is it organized and planned out? Messy with a bunch of ideas?
The way I storyboard is that I thumbnail out each page before I draw it, drawing rough character lumps, with important expressions, gestures, and other details as necessary, and then I add in ovals where the word balloons go, with a number in each one. Alongside the page thumbnail, I write out the dialogue that goes in each word balloon, corresponding with each number. It's messy as hell, because no one but me is going to see it anyway. I just need it for placement, mostly.

How many panels did you have a chapter (if you want longer episodes)? We are thinking about doing 30 to 40 per episode. But might half it.
As some in here have stated, I work in traditional comic page format, instead of vertical scrolling format, so I average 5-7 panels per page, and a page a week. (My current page has nine panels because apparently my muse hates me.)

Did you share your comic on any other sites besides tapas and webtoon (for those who did it there too)?
I have my comic on Tapas, Webtoon, an offshoot of my Tumblr blog, and my DeviantArt page. I wouldn't have bothered with those last two, but they are FAR AND AWAY my oldest social media sites with my largest followings (which, humbly, still isn't much..), and I do have people following my comic on both of them. I'm open to trying other sites, but I'm not on Twitter (eek), Facebook (you can't MAKE me go back), or reddit, and Instagram... doesn't really work very well for comics. Plus I have like 13 followers there so whatever. Sounds like it might be worth giving ComicFury a try though.