Reader Opinions

[yoboketto]

Hi Hi! So I've been thinking about webcomics and how readers think about certain things in them so I am here to ask for your opinions!

1.) Do short chapters turn you away from the reading experience?

2.) Would you not read a webtoon because of its art style?

3.) Can good art fix a bad plot/story?

4.) Can a good story make you stay reading even if the art is not your taste?

5.) Is there anything that is a complete turn-off when reading the first few chapters of a webtoon?

That's all I have right now! Me and my friends were talking about this and hearing others opinions is very interesting. Do not hold back!

[kaylynx]

My honest answers as a comic-reader with a writing background

1. I won't NOT read something based on the length of the chapter/episode, however, I do PREFER longer comics. To try to clarify: I'm bummed when I barely have to scroll before the episode is finished. Like, if it's only one or two panels (excuse any ignorance here, I'm not a comic creator so I don't really know how things are formatted in that sense.) When creators post once a week, this is especially frustrating because it feels unfulfilling. It's like we have to wait another week for another sentence or something. It REALLY slows down the pacing. I know it takes A LOT of work to draw/create all those panels, but it is something that may make me lose interest.

2. I read comics with all kinds of different art style. I do have my preferences, but I try not to let that sway me from a story, especially if the story is good! But, that being said... I also appreciate the art, and when it comes to comics, the art is half of it for me. So, if the art isn't 'good' per se, I might lose interest in it. I guess generally, since I'm not an artist in anyway, I want to see art that's better than something I could do. I know that probably sounds selfish, but it's just an honest answer. It goes the same for novels, too. I can't read a story if it has really bad spelling and grammar issues. As a writer, that's one of my biggest pet peeves!! I just can't get through it. And I think with writing, I have less patience for that. Like I said, I try to give all art a chance. But bad writing is just bad writing. If I cringe, that's it for me.

3. NO. Absolutely not. Sorry. Kind of along the ideas of #2. A bad story is a bad story. The art can be fantastic, and I definitely appreciate that. But if the story is bad, I'll drop it. Now, what defines a bad story may be different for everyone. One example (no names or titles mentioned because I'm not about bad mouthing artists and creators) is a webtoon I followed loyally. I was so invested in the story, it was so good. The art was beautiful and actually went along really well with the story - kind of dark and edgy and mysterious. But then the creator decided it wasn't her best work, it wasn't what she wanted to do with that (respect, it happens) and she decided to reboot the series. I was so excited, thinking how could this be any better? I anxiously awaited the reboot. When it came, it was VERY different. I was like, alright, let's see what she does with this. I continued to follow it for the next 3 months or so... and was left more and more disappointed after each week. It got to the point where like, 5-10 episodes (remember, that's 5-10 WEEKS) were all INFO DUMP. Nothing turns me off more than that. Literally in that time, the plot DID NOT progress. There were no cliff hangers, nothing interesting going on, literally the characters were just sitting together in their living room talking to one another and DUMPING info on the reader. Like, stuff that I thought should have been slowly revealed over time. Things that she WAS doing with her first go through of the comic. I don't know if maybe she got bad feedback from readers - people asking a bunch of questions without waiting for that all to be revealed - and maybe that's why she did it that way? But I was SO disappointed. I want to continue to follow and support her, but it's been so hard for me to read it the way it's been going and I just so wish she had more confidence in her first version, I truly believe it was better than what she's doing now.

4. I guess I kind of answered this in #2, but yes! Most definitely!

5. Hahahahha.... INFO DUMPS I guess But also on the other side of that - not enough information! It's a delicate balance. You've gotta hook me, but also leave me wanting to know more. A little curiosity to keep me invested. And then, like I said, if the spelling/grammar is really bad. If I'm too confused with what's going on. (This is why I tend to stay away from comics with a lot of action. I appreciate the heck outta them, but it's just really hard for me to get through the visuals of what's going on. Animated is one thing, but I just have a hard time with the action-type panels). Maybe more of a vague answer, but I feel like my rant in #3 might answer some of this, too lol.

I also realize some of my answers may be unpopular opinions. No hate, please. I certainly respect all creators and admire all the work that goes into what they do. But these are just my opinions strictly from the point of view as myself as a reader who only reads what the things that they enjoy, so obviously not every creator/content is for me Just hoping to give you another perspective and maybe that will help with whatever you're working on!

[DasIstWunderblyat]

1. I prefer a longer chapter in one sitting, but I simply overcome this by waiting the chapters to pile up and binge it.
2. Maybe, if the story or character design seems intriguing
3. Absolutely no. Go make an artbook instead or team up with a writer. Comic is a storytelling medium, it should tell a story first.
4. Yes. I can get used to awful art style or simply bad art.
5. It would be something so clichéd/overdone, blatant pandering, and obvious soapbox for any political view. Another thing is it would be some questionable premise and elements like glorification/normalisation of abuse, rape, or pedophilia, even it is not explicitly gross. (Such as an adult woman simping over literal child, or child character grow into adult in a night and fall in love with his caretaker)

[kaylynx]

Go make an artbook instead or team up with a writer. Comic is a storytelling medium, it should tell a story first.

^^^ thiiiissssss!! ^^^
And I'm sure there are tons of great writers who would love to team up with an artist. I was one, and that's how I ended up discovering Tapas, because I found an artist to work with. Plus, it's just fun to make a new friend and have a fun project to work on together

[migxmeg]

1. I'm patient for an entertaining story - of course everyone wants more of a good thing, but short chapters are fine! I'd rather have that than the creator get burn-out :).

2. Hmmmm. Art style influences my decision when selecting a webtoon from a page of thumbnails, so... sort of? But if someone told me about a great story and the art wasn't to my taste, I'd still give it a shot.

3. No. I can go look at gorgeous art on Instagram. It does I think help in cases where a story isn't great but isn't bad either.

4. Yes. 100%.

5. A lack of something interesting - can be a character, some aspect of the world or situation. I prefer a character if possible! Info-dumps have been overdone to the point where I find them pretty boring and I will only slog through if the art and summary were very compelling and to my taste.

[ar-ninetysix]

1. Would kinda prefer shorter chapters as a reader tbh longer ones just.. Ugh, they feel like such a chore in comparison. I can't be bothered to keep reading for more than a minute of a single comic unless the story's good enough to make me binge read. Even then, I still prefer shorter chapters, bc it gives off that feeling of turning pages somehow lol

2. Yeah. Tbh, visuals are pretty integral for me picking something up and reading it. That's usually how I get drawn in aside from a synopsis. If the art doesn't fit my tastes, I'd probably ignore it

3. Nope. The story holds more weight than the art. I think it'd be kinda sad to have to hear the opinion of "your story sucks, but hey at least it's pretty"

4. Depends. The story can only take me so far, and if I'm not liking the art.. Maybe I can put up with it? But there's the off-chance I'd have to drop it altogether. Can't say I ran into this problem much since art is somewhat important for the initial appeal in my case

5. Info-dumps are the obvious one to avoid, so I'll get into something else. The objective goal. Can you clearly define what it is in the first few chapters? This is a common thing I find in stories I've dropped. They didn't seem to have a clear direction of where they wanted to go, and as a result, the story felt aimless. As if the new content we were getting was for the sake of filling time while they figure out where to go next. There's exceptions for slice-of-life stuff, sure, but for the most part, it can apply to anything

[ApplesOverIndia]

I'm a novelist who reads more comics here than I do novels, and here are my thoughts:

1. Not necessarily. A few of my favorite series have 1-2 page traditional page style updates once a week. However, that only really works for the ones I'm really invested in. I follow some others with similar length updates, but when I'm not invested in the story as much, it's harder to keep up with what's happening.

2. Absolutely. If it isn't nice to look at, I'm out no matter what the story is, and I'm somewhat picky on art styles I like. I also dislike pretty much any kind of 2D animation (read: cartoons, anime), so I'm also probably not the normal audience here.

3. Not fix, but help. I usually won't read a terrible story just for the art, but I have been known to follow comics outside of the normal genres I like just because the art is so great.

4. The problem here is that I won't give a story much of a chance if the art isn't my thing. It may not be fair, but we're being honest here, right? I'll open a comic if the premise sounds interesting, but if that first page isn't a style that's at least okay in my opinion, I'm out. I will check to see if the more recent pages have improved if it's longer, and if they have, I'll stick around if the story's good.

5. For context, I am generally not a fan of fantasy/sci-fi/anything not set in the real world, and any kind of info-dump worldbuilding just immediately makes me tired. I want to be able to jump into a story and know how the world works so I can focus on the characters. That said, on the rare occasions I do read something that breaks that, those info dumps are really the worst. Slow or seemingly irrelevant prologues also turn me away. I like the mystery of uncovering how something got to a certain point as you go, not having the backstory handed to you on a silver platter at the start. I get why people do it, but it's not my thing. Also terrible spelling/grammar. I can excuse a few typos, but if it's a recurring problem I'm going to spend more time correcting the words in my head than actually taking in the story.

[Aleksei]

1 - Yes
2 - No*
3 - No*
4 - Yes*
5 - Too many cliches and not a cliffhanger of any type that makes you come back to it.

*It depens really. Bad art is really a let down and take your focus out of the piece, but everyone capacity to focus differs. I think that there is no problem in a bad art, as long as it has a significance for the whole work. South Park its not a masterpiece in animation, but there you have it, a succes because of the absurdity of it -it plays in favor, not against the script. They made it that way not because they could not animate better, but because the message trying to convey was better with bad drawed animated characters.
In the orher hand. good art can help people stays a bit longer, and even to read the whole thing, but for me at least, I prefer content than continent.

[rajillustration]

1.) Do short chapters turn you away from the reading experience?

No, and the fact that this is a thing makes me actually pretty annoyed. Like if it's a free webcomic, you get what you get.

2.) Would you not read a webtoon because of its art style?

Different art styles have different visual languages to them. So, if you aren't used to manga, then you're going to have a hard time reading it, because they have different unspoken visual tells to them. Same with Western comics, same with indie, and I think even the Webtoon anime style is a little different from page format manga style enough that if you aren't used to it--you're just not going to have as good of an experience.

It doesn't mean you can't learn, but it does mean that there's a period of time going into any comic (especially comics that have a very unique styles) where you have to learn that unique visual language, and that can be a turn off for certain people who just aren't here to learn a language. Me, I like diverse styles, but I understand if it's not everyone's cup of tea.

So I don't want to say it has to be "good" because I'll totally read MS paint stick figure comics if that is the style that works best for that visual language of gag humor--but it has to be a style that works with the story being told.

3.) Can good art fix a bad plot/story?

Never! I have learned from experience that you can't put make-up on a pig!

4.) Can a good story make you stay reading even if the art is not your taste?

Yeah? Kind of? So comics are a medium where art and story are intertwined. The storytelling is half done through art, so if your art is lacking, there goes half your story. I can't think of any instance where I was like "so glad the story is good because this art succcks" Like, I just can't.

But again, I think "good art" is subjective. Some people think good art has to look like a movie frame or a photoreal situation, but I think that's sort of not the point of a comic. When I think of comic art, I think of like...TinTin, which was simplified so that they could meet the demand of how much they needed to write and how quickly they had to write it. So for me art is a stylistic choice, and style is something that comes out of restriction of time and money, so I don't judge if they don't have time for shadows or making perfectly on model characters. Lets just say I live in a glass house in that regard.

5.) Is there anything that is a complete turn-off when reading the first few chapters of a webtoon?

For me the biggest sin is if it's freakin boring. Make something happen. Blow something up. Something needs to be happening and interesting in the very first episode.

[joannekwan]

1.) Do short chapters turn you away from the reading experience? No. I understand people are limited by other responsibilities, so I'll read one page uploads. BUT I'm not a fan of single panel uploads if the whole comic is that and it's a long-form story and not a gag-a-day.

2.) Would you not read a webtoon because of its art style? Some art styles will turn me off, so it has to be vetted by a really good story before I check it out for more than a few pages.

3.) Can good art fix a bad plot/story? No. At that point, I would just be glancing at the updates for the art and not care what the story is about at all. Or better yet, just follow the artist's socials for their illustrations and not follow the comic at all.

4.) Can a good story make you stay reading even if the art is not your taste? Yes. So long as the art is decent enough that I can tell what is happening.

5.) Is there anything that is a complete turn-off when reading the first few chapters of a webtoon? Bad grammar and bad bubbles, including bad bubble placement. Reading should not feel like trying to solve a puzzle.

[Iris-Grimoire]

1) Not at all, unless it's extremely short. A normal comic page, not scroll format, is small but I never have any problem with them, but some comics post single panels and it's a lot of work to go to the next one after comments/author notes/loading have taken you out of the reading experience. It's free entertainment so I don't mind small servings, but also don't forget that the best engagement is continuous and you don't want readers forgetting what's even happening (so if you can't finish a healthy amount of panels weekly, go bi-weekly, you'll still engage readers).

2) Everyone has their preferences, so yes. But not quite "won't read because it's anime" or "won't read because it's BW". It's mostly when the style doesn't have good clarity, or lacks a lot of necessary polish to keep looking at it for the next hundred episodes.

3) To a tiny point. A story that just lacks punch can get it through its art, but if it's badly written or the characters just feel random, then you've got a pretty cover and not much else to appeal to readers.

4) That one is a little more lenient but still has its limits. Unprofessional art doesn't hide when someone has an absolute grasp of their characters and makes you relate to them well, but again, the art can't be so busy or incomprehensible that I'm ignoring it for the dialogue bubbles.

5) Gross stuff mostly - stuff that condones prejudice, incest, slavery, the fun new trend of "cool" protagonists that want to be the capitalist oppressors, that kind of stuff. But also as a personal preferece, just stories that meander for too long and never "start". I don't mind if the plot isn't strong or a slow burn, but you have to estabilish motivations and a goal, even in a slice of life (like, "I want to make friends at school so I'm not lonely after my transfer"). If the scenes feel disjointed and going nowhere, I'll find better stuff to read.

[shfra13]

1. I prefer longer chapters, but it isn't really an issue. To be honest, scrolling a longer chapter that already has the pages loaded is so much easier than clicking "Next chapter" and wait for the page to load. It's just a preferrence, though. I won't stop reading simply for short chapters; there are other reasons.

2. I might not check a comic right away if the artstyle doesn't catch my eyes. I might, however, check it if I see people saying the story is good. I might even find the artstyle unique and eventually fall in love with it.

3. Ehhhh, not sure. Tbh, it feels more like "what a waste of a good/unique/lovely artstyle on bad plot." I might continue reading it out of boredom, but I won't enjoy the experience. So, maybe no. A good art can't make up for bad plot.

4. Definitely! I might even fall in love with the artstyle, despite initially finding it strange or just not my taste.

5. Like many have said, infodumps. Also, when there is nothing really happening throughout the first few chapters. Cliche, stereotypes, and some other aspects of the story that just make me uncomfortable.

[Kaydreamer]

1.) Do short chapters turn you away from the reading experience?
It depends... I personally prefer episodes with around 15+ panels in them. Mine tends to have between 15 to 17 panels, which is on the short side, but that's all I can do in a two-week window. With some webcomics I follow which update with single pages, I'll wait for them to pile up before reading four in a month.

2.) Would you not read a webtoon because of its art style?
Yeah, I'm picky. If I really dislike the art, I'm unlikely to read the comic. For instance, 3D comics made in blender are something I'm really not able to enjoy.

3.) Can good art fix a bad plot/story?
Nope. I'm sure it'll help some readers hand around a little longer, but ultimately, a bad story is a bad story.

4.) Can a good story make you stay reading even if the art is not your taste?
Sometimes... There are definitely some comics I follow where the art is still somewhat weak, but I still like the art. Sometimes a developing artist will cultivate a style which is charming because it's developing.

5.) Is there anything that is a complete turn-off when reading the first few chapters of a webtoon?
Bad grammar, spelling, and really trope-heavy stories.

[Llyrel]

1.) Do short chapters turn you away from the reading experience?
It... depends on the chapter, really. Thing is, the point isn't just how long or short a single chapter is, but pacing. You can have an uber-long, 70+ panels chapter with gorgeous full color illustrations and lots of details... but if the only thing the whole episode is about is "character brushes their teeth", it'll hardly make for an interesting episode.
Vice-versa, you can have a very fast-paced scene in which just 3-6 panels are more than enough to tell your readers what's going on. So the question to me would be: am I getting something out of these updates or is the story just progressing at a snail's pace with little to nothing ever happening? If it feels like every new update I read is doing nothing to move the story forward, then I'll start losing my interest. Chapter length has very little to do with this, though.

2.) Would you not read a webtoon because of its art style?
It'd probably take me a little longer to check a comic if the art style is not something I'm into, but if enough people recommended it to me and/or if I find the story to be intriguing, I might still take a look.

3.) Can good art fix a bad plot/story?
Nope. A bad story is a bad story, no matter how good the art is. I might stick around to stare at the pretty pictures from time to time, but I surely won't keep reading XD

4.) Can a good story make you stay reading even if the art is not your taste?
Yup!

5.) Is there anything that is a complete turn-off when reading the first few chapters of a webtoon?
Info-dump prologues, bad grammar/spelling, hard to read fonts, slow pace with non-existent plot, cardboard characters.

[BarBarKetrab]

Do short chapters turn you away from the reading experience?
Usually, I won't mind short updates. However, if they are REALLY short, say, under 4 panels in length with little dialogue, then I will probably begin to lose interest (assuming that the series updates weekly) because little will have happened in the story after a year of reading.

Would you not read a webtoon because of its art style?
Yes. Personally, I need to feel good while looking at the art, otherwise reading it will simply be a chore.

Can good art fix a bad plot/story?
Nope. The only way I can see this working is if the story is already weak from the beginning. Then good art may boost your readership, if only a little because of visual appeal and the 'awesome' factor.

Can a good story make you stay reading even if the art is not to your taste?
In some cases, yes. Even if the art is technically poor, if I like the style and can tell what's going on, I will continue to read it, especially if the story is good. However, if I don't like the art style, then I probably won't read it. I'm just talking about artistic proficiency here.

Is there anything that is a complete turn-off when reading the first few chapters of a webtoon?
Info dumps, no clear premise, and generally if the story has been going for 20 pages and the main character still hasn't been introduced (or one of the main characters), then I will probably stop reading.

[lynestjules]

1.) Do short chapters turn you away from the reading experience?

Absolutely not. In fact, longer ones will annoy me. If I wanted a longer read, I rather have the book in my hands. Because it's online and you're dealing with the creator itself, I like leaving comments on pages. However, if I'm reading through 10 pages, I forget what I wanted to say. I'm also a pretty busy person, if I'm going to be forced to read full chapters, I want the physical book in hand, then i can put a bookmark where I'm at and put it aside for another day. That's not something I can do if I'm reading on a screen.

2.) Would you not read a webtoon because of its art style?

It's not so much the art style, but more the art quality. I can't help it, I'm an artist. If the story has art that seems slapped together as quickly as possible or the artwork can't tell the story. It's a huge turn-off for me. I can't focus on the plot, the artwork is too much of a distraction.

3.) Can good art fix a bad plot/story?

No NO NOOOO! You can put expired milk into a nice container, but the milk is still expired.

4.) Can a good story make you stay reading even if the art is not your taste?

Absolutely. I'm subscribed to quite a few series that the art bugs me, but the story is good, so I want to see is develop.

5.) Is there anything that is a complete turn-off when reading the first few chapters of a webtoon?

Ugh, you know what really turns me off? When they fill pages with text, like I'm reading a novel. Just draw it out! It's a comic! Yeah I know, it's more work. Trust me, I REALLY know. my current comic, is me drawing that part that I see people writing as text. Comics are a visual storytelling format.. I don't want to sit there a read full pages of text. If it's done too much, I might unsubscribe, just because it feels lazy. And if the series starts like that, I don't usually subscribe.

Also plots that go nowhere. I like a slow burn, but if I read 20 pages and nothing happened and learned nothing about the characters. You lost me.

[NickRowler]

1.) Do short chapters turn you away from the reading experience?
It depends. Sometimes people can fit a lot in 8 pages. Sometimes people write 15 pages where nothing happens.

2.) Would you not read a webtoon because of its art style?
The only times I would do it is if it is too distracting to what is going on. I don't mind crudely drawn art, sometimes I find it charming. However, there is this one common art style I don't like because it is too simplistic and doesn't add much to the reading experience, and I tend to avoid comics with it.

3.) Can good art fix a bad plot/story?
For me, no.

4.) Can a good story make you stay reading even if the art is not your taste?
Maybe, if I think the art works well with the story. Like I said if it is too distracting, I don't know if I would continue.

5.) Is there anything that is a complete turn-off when reading the first few chapters of a webtoon?
Bad font choices. Weird dialog. Inside jokes or memes. Can't tell the characters apart. Body horror. Infodumps and frontloaded fantasy world building.