Ways to end a comic ( brainstorming )

[Tanako]

I am excited because i have finished the storyboard and sketches of my BL comic ( to be specific it’s 250 pages with 3-4 panels on each page). This means the story is complete, waiting to be illustrated and colored with some needed text change and that’s an achievement for me and I am so so excited .
With that being said, I want to know what some of you think about “Comic Ending”.

Even though my comic has ended, I Can’t help but feel uneasy about the way i wrapped things up. I’m even slightly worried that my audience may not like it. I have checked several scenarios and routes in my head that i could take to give it a pleasant end but I keep coming back to what I already have so I stuck it with.

So my question is, what is the best possible way a BL comic can end without being cliché or cringy? I know you have nothing to go off of, but if you can just make one up that would be great. So in this thread, let’s share ideas on how a comic could end that’s not cliche or the generic BL trope. any ideas?

[elyss]

For me, the best way to end a comic is to avoid the get together being the ending. No character A and B kissing and then The End. I prefer to see stories that give maybe the next 5-10 minutes of the after if that makes sense. Not many stories do it though. It can be something as simple as an epilogue but its more fun if it's the coming down from the 'end' around them. Maybe they're reeling from reaching their goal are just so adorably into one another.

[Jenny-Toons]

It can sometimes depends on the genre and what feelings you want to go for.

If it's a horror BL, the genre kinda calls for a downer ending sometimes, if not at least bittersweet. If it's romance comedy, I feel ending it on a lighter note definitely sells it. But again -- if you want feelings opposite of what the genre is, that's also an option. Some people want a happy ending to their horror, and others may want a bittersweet ending to that romance comedy.

For myself, I'm really drawn to endings that are "open book". The character's journey will still continue on after the book is closed, but we've closed it on one chapter in their life. That's always satisfying because as a fan, I can always think of the ways they continued their journey from there on my own.

So, for example -- couple may be moving in together, and that's a big step for their journey. Maybe the story has come a long way from them being friends (or even strangers) and showcase that romance buildup. Or maybe they've just finished an arc that was life-risking, and the important thing now is each other and their own paths. So now they're just settling down with each other, understanding what each of them want from their own lives, and the story ends there.

It's an uplifting note, and leaves room for fan interpretation. It also gives you an option to either continue from that point to just leave it as is. But more so, it's...reassuring. After all the drama they've gone through, and after everything they've gone through together, they're still there for each other. It's comforting in a way, and thus gives the audience that feeling of "whatever else comes next, they can get through it together"

Course, if the BL isn't that soft, there's always those bittersweet endings that still give room for some hope? Maybe the two split apart) -- maybe it wasn't even romantic at all. With that, I wouldn't mind a BL where one (if not both) realize that they shouldn't be together and they go their separate ways (however easily that happens).

[Tanako]

yes I thinks that a better way to end things. never even thought about that. it sounds fluid.

[Tanako]

For myself, I'm really drawn to endings that are "open book". The character's journey will still continue on after the book is closed, but we've closed it on one chapter in their life. That's always satisfying because as a fan, I can always think of the ways they continued their journey from there on my own.

I'll defiantly take this part into consideration. I never even thought about it. and what's best about this is that, if you decided to do a sequel, you can always pick back up or do little snippets or short story.