Thousands of bad comics on the main site, why are there so many of them?!

[pTerra9]

@Legendofgenii honestly the monkey thing made my day XD

[aqua03]

[writercynknapp]

You sound like someone with good opinions. Would give this a quick look and tell me where it is on the scale.

The Larks | Tapas

[Cavechan]

@mcarrowolga All I see here are the cries of a very jealous person. It's pretty sad really... having to try and bring down others because they have too many subs. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Tapas has an audience it appeals to. That is their audience. You can make a comic that plays to their audience and have a better chance at popularity, or make what you want and do your own promotion, find your own audience and gain those subs yourself. They don't owe you anything in this regard and, again, this thread is just... really, really sad.

[surenlicious]

And then there is the real kicker of everybody wanting to make a comic, yet often they might not have the skill suited for it. I've seen plenty of comics that make my eyebrows fly off my head too, but as many have said, folks are learning. One's skill level in art sometimes needs to catch up to what is being envisioned in the head.

And then there is the matter of insisting on calling the art of these creators terrible and their titles uncreative...and even going as far as calling them unimaginative and basic. Art is extremely subjective, and considering your yourself have a comic we could also compare and talk words on that.

Lastly, this platform. Good lord the time I could spent talking about it, but as lots of folks have said Tapas gotta make money. There is a huge audience for them too, so we cannot really put a stop to it. Creators such as ourselves on this forum might not necessarily be amongst those that constantly hit numbers to get seen. Multiple updates a week, being dependant on likes and comments just to get your comic or novel out there (because I care for both)-- yeah no.

Spending time pointing out the faults- I get it. I sympathize, but you could also turn it around and uplift works that do deserve the attention they deserve.

[Jenny-Toons]

So far, the conversation has been civil, but I do like to throw out that reminder to keep it that way. Just to cover basis

I will also add to the conversation:

I've been on the forums since late 2017. And I've seen this trend:

Before the front page was "crowded" with Isakei and Villainess comics, it was "crowded" with BL.

Before it was "crowded" with BL, it was "crowded" with Slice of Life.

I just...at this point, I move on and do my own things. All I see here is a clear shift in trends (however long they last), and that's pretty common in media. Everyone remember that time every other show was about vampires (or did a saga about vampires) because of Twilight?

Remember that time when every other show and movie wanted to do something with zombies?

Yeah -- this is that on a smaller scale. Right now, it feels like everything is crowded. But if you've been here long enough, you'd know it doesn't really last that long. Maybe 1-3 years, tops. And then something else takes ahold.

I know some of you haven't been around long enough to see that, but for the ones who have been, I feel this should be common sense at this point.

It is easier to point out how repetitive things are for these stories. But I would argue that's just a matter of the tropes aligned with these types of stories. And when you see several of the same stories, it's kinda easier to see those tropes (hence, repetition).

From there, I find it better to focus on the elements you might like from those stories and try to apply them to your own work. I actually read a couple of the Villainess stories on other sites, and the thing that always pulls me in is "just what exactly constitutes being the protagonist?". I especially like it more when the villainess keeps her usual personality, but still gets shit done because it kinda gives the message of "you don't need to be virtuous and kind to do great things". So I kinda take those elements and spin them on their head.

Again, just a suggestion, but for me, whenever a trend comes out -- even if it doesn't appeal to me and I don't jump on -- I do try to analysis why it's popular and want elements I can at least respect.

[Llyrel]

Like others here, I wouldn't necessarily call the premium comics on here "bad": yes, at a first glance the art styles look all very similar and there are some premium stories where you can tell that the same CSP 3D assets are being recycled over and over again to make backgrounds... but, given the speed at which artists are making episodes, I can't really blame them for cutting corners. I won't lie, though, seeing all those recycled assets in premium series does make me wonder what the Studio Tapas page actually means with "we're looking for exceptional art" in their submission page, given that most premium artists don't even seem to bother actually drawing backgrounds? ._.

Anyway: even though the art style is not exactly my all time favorite, I still think it looks pretty neat. As far as stories go... well, yeah... can't say that I'm a fan of the current isekai trend either XD

Don't get me wrong, I understand it: Tapas is a company, it needs funds to survive, isekai stories are currently where the money is and yada yada. However, it's also true that, as someone who's been following trends in fantasy literature for quite a long time... I don't recall ever seeing THAT MANY stories that were ALL based on the same exact premise. Nope, not even when Twilight was all the rage. Yes, you had a bunch of recurring elements (17-something years old girl in a small town, mysterious/broody vampire... and of course the dreaded love triangle), but as far as I can remember, plots would usually start and develop differently from one story to another.

With the current isekai trend, however... it's like the same exact story being told over and over again: protagonist dies, wakes up in another world and... SURPRISE, she's the villainess! Protagonist knows that the villainess is going to die soon, so she tries to do everything she can to survive and then there's some hot dude who... seriously, a simple quick glance at the summaries of these comics all reveal a different wording of the same exact plot. And although the premise of the story itself IS indeed interesting (I have to admit I'd never heard of it before I joined Tapas and I found it pretty interesting the first time)... it does get tiring once you stumble upon the 9758904067th story with the same premise. Point is... it's not just the premise: judging from the free chapters available, all of these comics seem to follow the same exact formula too: little to no introduction of the main character in her former life, BOOM SHE'S DEAD NOW, oh-no-I'm-the-villainess! D:

Which brings us to the complaint I feel like sharing with other users: to me, it's not much that the stories themselves are bad. They're not something that interests me, I'm clearly not the right target for them... and, even though to me the premise sounds always the same, I'm sure they do bring joy to the people who read them.

The actual issue, to me, is that Tapas as a website still presents itself as one of the main platforms for indie comic artists and writers to post their work. It allows multiple genres and gives pretty much everyone a chance to publish stuff, no matter what their style and skill is.

Too bad that... on the front page, it keeps promoting a very specific kind of genre for a very specific demographic. Doing so of course is going to attract THAT kind of demographic (nowadays it's millennial girls, judging from the stats), who is interested in that very specific kind of genre, leaving less chances for people who don't fit in to be seen. Yes, users might check what other free stories are available, but... let's face it, as long as Tapas keeps marketing only a single specific niche at a time, only a tiny minority is going to check stuff that does NOT fit under that niche.
Simply put, if your work doesn't fit into what Tapas keeps promoting as its main genre, you can pretty much forget about your visibility, UNLESS you already have an empire built elsewhere on social media.

Now, here's the thing: it's perfectly fine for Tapas to have a specific demographic to appeal to and it's perfectly fine for it, as a company, to chase what's popular and brings the money in. However, it's also true that, as a company that accepts a multitude of genres and markets itself as one of THE platforms for indie artists, there WILL be people who are going to be upset when they see that some genres are more favored than others. If Tapas were to act like a publisher or a webcomic collective, in which they made it clear that they only accept a very specific sub-genre of fantasy, then it'd be clear for everyone else to look elsewhere. But Tapas doesn't do that: it will take just about any genre in, lure you with the whole "gain money with us! You can be a premium creator! Just make sure you make ~high quality~ comics!"... and then it'll drown you under a ton of completely unrelated stuff that only suits a very specific kind of demographic.

Now... I'm not expecting anything from Tapas. I've accepted that my genre definitely doesn't fit the main demographic here, and to be honest, I don't even care that much: making big numbers has never been my main goal, and I'm more than happy with just a bunch of involved readers. As far as promoting my work goes, I found other ways to get my stuff seen, whether or not Tapas decides to show my series on the front page.

But I definitely understand the concerns of people who would like to see more diversity on this platform, both when it comes to genres and art styles: there are lots of hidden gems on this site (some of which could even work well for Tapas' main demographic) and seeing them not being given any attention at all IS frustrating and heartbreaking, both as a reader and as a creator.

EDIT: SORRY ABOUT THE ESSAY, OMG I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS THIS LONG D:

tl;dr: no, I don't think all Tapas premium comics are bad, yes, I understand that Tapas as a company needs the money to survive, but also YES, I do find the whole "trend chasing" thing kind of annoying and I wish we could have more diversity.

[surenlicious]

I love your explanation, it has everything.

[Freemints30]

My issue is let's face most people arnt aware tapas has free comics. People look at me like I'm crazy when I say they do. Many people see tapas app as something of ONLY sleazy comics. (Simping for a child... what is wrong with the advertising team) Cus that's the only thing being on the front page.

I wouldnt have a problem if that was getting popular on the front page. But when you see staff pick and novels we current filled with premium content only. That are the samey.

That's what is attracted
Not reader reading community comics
Not reader interested in anything else.

That and that alone.

That's a fact. If the there was a small fresh section on the front page so free stuff has a chance it wouldnt be problem. Just like other sites.

But its not.

At this point I have big complaints how they handle women's month but I'll hold my tongue for now.

replace the big advert in one week with bl premium ad
Womens months gents

[purrlpankras]

I agree, the paid ones are over saturated with Isekai now, it needs some variety. Take notes Tapas, there is plenty of hidden gems in canvas section

Edit: I think the OP is referring to the backgrounds being 3D models, they do it mostly for time issues. Personally I don't mind them using 3D backgrounds.

[mcarrowolga]

You see what you want to see. Okay.

[CJYoung]

Honestly, it's not the artists who determine a trend it's the readers.

To me, I see Tapas putting out very unique comics when they can, but if they don't show enough potential for that genre of style, then it doesn't make sense from a personal or business standpoint to continue with it.

For instance, if you had 2 stories you wrote and only one became popular, you'd likely focus on that one.

It takes time for trends to die out or to change. You either flow with them, or like others have said, you set a new one.

As a consumer, you don't owe anyone your business, so as an artist you can't expect that from others. It takes hard work and time but you have to earn reader support.

It's all part of the job and the passion, right?

[Iris-Grimoire]

Heart doesn't put food on the table. It's great that you can make something personal and timeless and I hope you can keep going for it, but I wouldn't mourn someone trying to make a living out of this, that they probably like just as much. I'd probably ask them to get paid really well so they can still do original content for themselves on the side.

[anderkory27]

But if Tapas would promote more original comics, the artists could make what they really want, and not what they need to. The problem is the website itself and not the artists!

[VibrantFox]

just politely chiming in to say that this:

The problem is the website itself

is something that everyone for the most part agrees on. We're aware that there's flaws in the ways in which Tapas formats it's front page and who and what it promotes. it's been a topic of concern and discussion and a lot more in recent years where bl, premium and other translated titles have become the main focus.

The thing is that Tapas is still growing so there's a lot of little kinks and problems that have to be ironed out over time. and i'm saying this as someone who's been on the site for like...seven years or so. many people have given input over the years on things they'd like to see and tapas has delivered many a different front facing image. change takes time and while we can continue to voice our concerns it's just a matter of patience, perseverance and just individual actions.

that's why creators are encouraged to promo themselves more not just on the forums but social media platforms and person to person irl. by promoting works you have here it shows potential audience that "hey this site doen't just host premium titles but a bunch of free content and vastly different from the front page. it sucks that such a burden is put on the creator but that's just the way things are

[anderkory27]

Wise words my friend

[migxmeg]

the artists could make what they really want

The assumption that the artists are holding their nose and making content they don't like is patronizing and kind of rude. Why are you assuming that they don't like their work or enjoy creating it?

It's fine that it's not your cup of tea and there are constructive ways to talk about the front page but let's support each other and be considerate of our fellow creators .

[Shanny8]

The trick is to get your comic's reads to increase despite whatever Tapas themselves are doing...

[VibrantFox]

which is why i feel it would be a better use of time to have discussions on ways to market your work than what tapas is or isn't doing as we're mostly pretty well aware of how they tend to go about things anyway

[irresponsiblepics]

Welcome to the joys of Tapas!
Ignore the popular generic ones!
Seek those unique comics and support the ones who get hardly any views!

Y'know...like mine! XD