oof ngl its threads like this that make it clear to me why more premium folks don’t hang out in the forums
Why the hate? Don't like it, then don't read it. And many people obviously do enjoy them so... I guess jealousy is a beach.
If you're pumping out 30-60-90 panels a week (a WEEK) then yes, something has to give. the cracks will show. TBH, that is a fault that should be on Tapas for setting that sort of standard--it makes it so front page stuff that represents this site can't spend as much time on backgrounds, and other quality things. The ire with comics is it is so backbreaking to do over and over that you do see our greatest faults on display.
And thousands? If you're saying thousands then you're not talking about the front page stuff, because there's not that many of those. Our front page is extremely small (it should be waaay bigger, IMO) TBH I thought you were referring to the free-to-read everyman comics until I read farther down in the thread.
One thing that also hasn't been pointed out yet - a lot of those comics are translated. They're not getting all thrown in because staff mandated Isekai With Weird Power needs a dozen comics by a deadline, some are made from Tapas and a lot of them are from other sites/apps that aren't in English. And well, they were picked up for being sucessful elsewhere - they didn't have to be artistic masterpieces to get read and bought by people who really just wanted that one type of plot.
(and thank god, because as Rajillustration pointed out, their production time is crazy)
Those 'trendy' villainess and isekai comics are currently extremely popular with the main demographic of Tapas, which is why the front page is so over saturated with them. Tapas is following what currently makes them money. I don't think it's a brilliant long-term strategy - following trends rarely is, you want to have enough diversity to set them - but Tapas is still small, and it's a safe strategy for the time being. So long as they have their finger on the pulse and know when to switch gears, it'll help them grow.
I don't much care for Tapas premuim offerings either - I don't follow any at all - but those artists work at a backbreaking pace to achieve the quality and quantity they have to meet each week. While I'm happy to criticise the lack of variety, and the same-y, shallow quality of many premium stories, I'm less willing to rag on the art.
If you want variety, look to the community comics. There's incredible work being made, some of which is extremely high-quality. Also, look to WEBTOON. Their Originals have more variety than the Premuim comics on Tapas, as they're a larger company with more money to pour into experimenting with what could potentially be trendy in the future, rather than just what's trendy now. And their CANVAS side, similar to the community comics on Tapas, is enormously diverse, with some absolute gold star work.
Oh god, here we go again with this. The old "these/this comic(s) doesn't deserve to be popular" chant.
It's been going on since the beginning of the internet.
Welcome to the webcomic community.
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It's totally like they find something people like and milk it to death. How many stories have I seen in the last 2 weeks about a guy trapped in a virtual reality game who needs to level up or beat the game to escape it again? Way too many. And all of them get popular, which means more clones of that one story that people liked originally, and it just ruins the whole thing. But they're not bad, just repetitive.
They're what's popular, so they're what's going on the front page. It's just the way sites that create this type of content work. Besides, what's bad and what's good is dependent on who's judging as far as art goes. There's plenty of people who like those comics anyway.
Personally, I'd rather focus on what I'm doing than how Tapas is running their business. Besides, those "bad" comics still require time and hard work. You're judging on a surface level--covers and summaries--because I know you're not paying to read the story and properly judge. The artists and writers are just like the rest of us, their hard work just paid off and they had a bit of luck (wrote the right story at the right time, or got read by the right people who spread the word about it).
Do I plan to read the premium stories? Probably not. At least, not most of them, but I'm happy for their success. And here's the thing: success isn't a finite resource so really, what is there to get mad about? How is it affecting you? Your chance at success isn't jeopardized by those comics.
It's not worth being salty over. Whatever you think of those comics, people worked hard making them. Good for those artists and writers for getting to a place where they can be paid. Their existence isn't keeping these "actually good" comics from getting views.
We'd all like to live in a world where Tapas found every deserving hidden gem and rose them to the top, but reality is harder then that. But you do yourself no favors if you blame one comics failure on the success of another.
The hate comes from the fact that those repetitive stories get so much support from the admins that good stories, good both art-wise and story-wise, have no chance on this platform.
Also, Tapas boosting only this kind of stories attract only a certain type of readers and turn other types of readers, those who would enjoy serious, well-made stories, away. That approach is harmful and degrading all around.
If you're talking about regular, non-Tapas Originals webcomics, then yes. Many of the people there are still learning.
If you're talking about Tapas Originals however, then that's what gets popular nowadays. Tapas IS a business, and their priority is profit, so they WILL greenlight webcomics that pay well. Even I'm kind of burnt out by them. Artistically they all look different but it looks like they all have the same plotlines (sometimes theyre even kind of problematic?). But honestly that's just me.
Well, I guess if people are into that stuff, whatever, you know? As long as the comic itself isn't inherently gross and problematic, then we have no right to shame people reading those comics. Read the isekai that captures your heart. I always get kind of iffy whenever someone complains about "bad comics" with very little to no constructive criticism on a comic-hosting site, especially if they're a reader-only type of person, comes across as very entitled to me.
This implies that those comics are good in their own right.
Again implying that those comics don't have their own merits. And if reader truly want to read comics outside of what commonly shown on the front page they can go and look for them. And I realize there is a struggle front page space for community creators, but that does all of a sudden negate the other avenue to find non premium comics on the site that are of different genres.
Degrading to who? Community comic creators? I doubt it if you're putting you energy into things that matter.
We can go on and on about how Tapas chooses to advertise comics on this site. There's a lot to criticize. I'm not surprised that people are bothered or frustrated or irritated with the state of affairs on Tapas. But who are you helping by making statements like these or even condoning them? Why condemn these comics and subsequently the effort of the people behind them. If you want to call them repetitive, trite, overrated, or boring, those are all fair criticisms. But to outright call them bad with nothing to justify or explain as to why you think that, while it's an opinion you can have, I don't think it's a mindset you should carry.
Is it so hard to talk about the inequities of the front page and advertising on Tapas without trying to bring down other comics (and possibly creators)? If someone made a thread insinuating community comics were "bad", "all looked the same", "had terrible background art", "were unimaginative and basic" while actual "good comics" (which would be premium comics in this example) don't need to share website space with the rest of them, would that be fair?
Call it what you want, punching up or picking on the big guy, it's just kind of telling, a bit juvenile, and pretty mean. 
but that's just my opinion
quality > quantity
This is how it should be. Good artists and storytellers can tell longer stories in few pictures, than a shorter in more illustrations
They look very similiar and the style is not my taste but there must be a large audience who digs them otherwise they wouldn´t put them there.
I wouldn´t call them bad though, just not my taste, they look technically very well done
No one is denying this one, unfortunately, no one is asking them to tell longer stories in fewer picture, 60 panels a week is an absolute requirement they must follow. They either do it or their comic is not chosen to be premium one, it's that simple. It's a standard that the companies are obliging them to follow.
It's a sad thing. Art should be about the soul, to draw what makes you happy to express what's inside you. Now that webtoons, that were originally about creativity and the creators' expressiveness became this factory made thing. That's why I want to create something personal and timeless. Kudos to all of artists who still create from their hearts.
It's okay to be angry, and very human. When we get angry, we tend to sum things that make us feel this way as bad and only then explain them. Which is done extensively in this thread: people don't just say bad, then explain why. I agree that their explanations are very well grounded indeed.
Many people are angry at Tapas's policy of promoting a certain type of stories and at the stories themselves because the most promoted stories are indeed repetitive and poorly written. The situation is truly bad and truly unfair.
To whom is it degrading? Anyone, basically.
Making poorly written, repetitive stories the only way to earn money as an artist/writer harms everyone.
- Authors. Who knows, maybe the authors behind those stories on the front page are capable of so much more but can't earn anything from creating to their full potential.
- Readers. Many readers have no idea there is anything but those promoted stories on Tapas. Because of how the front page organized. They will never see anything else but that.
- Tapas itself. Blindly following a popular trend is a short-term solution. Trends end and then everything built upon them crumbles. Tapas has power to create trends and many people think it would be cool if they used that power to promote well-made stories. I think so as well.
I agree that to me, personally, the front page comics don't look or sound that appealing, and I would find it cool if there was a bit more diversity in how stylized they are and what stories they tell.... But they do get traffic and generate money that the rest of the site also profits from!
Having a website like tapas also costs money. There's staff etc too.
If you want community comics to be more popular, then be the change you want to see and support the ones, you personally, find worthy.
Leave comments, like, share it and recommend it to other people on other platforms, maybe give ink.
If tapas can make more money off its community content, it'll also boost it more
