What are the core webcomic "Must Do" things, no matter what?

[AdrenalineShots]

Hey All

Am just watching a television programme in the UK that lists the basic things that people running a hotel need to do: make sure that there is always someone on reception, make sure that there is cutlery available at breakfast and that people know where to get it, make sure that everything is clean... just the basics.

What would people say are the absolute basics that a web comic creator must get right in order to have any chance of succeeding? I'll list one and others can hopefully give their view - quality content.

[joannekwan]

LEGIBILITY

Sorry if you think your hand-writing is good, but people are different and some can only process your writing so fast. Please consider typing out your text, unless you hand-writing is suuuuper neat.

[Kura]

Yeah, pretty much legibility both in text and artwork.

If I can't read the text because of the handwriting or font formatting, or if I can't tell what's going on in the drawn panels. I literally can't read the comic. It's that simple.

[fabian5613]

Well I think is a tricky question, because the web can be so random.

I'll argument having a nice History, nice Art, nice Fanbase can be useful. But there are succesfull comics that don't necesarily need to have all of these three. Like one punch man that has awesome history but the art in the comic wasn't great.

I think that the attribute to have (Like any business) (and I so badly need lol) is cleverness on how to promote your art/history on how to make people realize that you have a good product.

Or well we all agree that there a bunch of important things to do, these are mine. (There are more obviously)

Nava.

[mariusthered]

one of my big must do things is answer fans, if someone has taken the time to write a comment, it is only polite to respond and say thanks. (however if it's just a rude troll go to cyberman mode: delete! delete! delete! )

[Shanny8]

Make sure the story/page/panel to panel flow is readable. No one will stick with your comic for long if they cant follow the panel to panel flow on a page.

[Michelle]

Clear artwork, engaging story... and BE NICE!! Being a jerk to your readers, whining about other creators, exuding a sense of entitlement, stuff like that will drive people away from even the most pro-level comics. Remember that your words and actions online and in-person do leave an impression on people, and people talk.

[LordVincent]

Honestly everyone has different tastes in art and stories, so anything flies there imo. It's good if you can actually read the text tho lol.

Generally the most important thing is to not be a huge dick. I was eyeing a comic for a while and was gonna read it... but then I saw the creator acting very problematic and snapping at anyone that questioned their actions. I like to think that people evolve with time and sometimes just have bad days. I mean I was a huge piece of shit back in 2016 because I was being treated like trash IRL, I was in a tumultuous relationship and I almost killed myself at one point... and boy do I appreciate the people that didn't give up on me back then. So having been the dickwad creator myself once, I like to not judge others right off the bat.
So I let a few months pass and then checked on them again. Last time I checked, the person has made snarky descriptions on their profile and such saying they hate this site, they ignore the shit out of fans and they even go so far as to mocking their fans on twitter, and talking about how all tapas readers are so "sensitive and dumb".
So yeah they're still a dick and it still turns me off from reading their comic.

TL;DR: I would rather read a story about stick figures eating a bag of dicks written by a nice dude than a well written and decently drawn comic created by a bitch.

[edmourabarbosa]

In my opinion, the absolute basic that should NEVER be missing:

• update on a schedule; if they know you're serious about your comic, they'll stick around.
• always reply to comments; if the reader knows you'll pay attention to them, they'll stick around.

[tuesdayisms]

Have a plan! This can be applied to any aspect of the comic.
Are you going to be away for a week because you're going on vacation? Have a plan!
Is your comic story driven? Have a plan!
Your computer broke? Have a plan!
If you aren't always one step ahead, comic making can be a little more anxiety inducing.

[SleepingPoppy]

1. Sequential art should be sequential
2. Communicates a concept (joke/story/thought/etc)
3. Legible art + writing

Kept it as basic as I could. I wanted to include passion and patience for #4, but I figure technically you can do just fine without them, even if you'll probably have a way worse experience.

[modrawmanga]

I used to say art is very important, but as there are more and more available content on the internet, I noticed I wasn't as attracted to art alone when it comes to comic
I start noticing that I'm more attached to something that can invoke a strong emotion from me when I read it, and great humor usually helps alot

great art also helps for sure, but it should come hand in hand with nice flow in the story and writing, and clear readable texts

if all those checkboxes are all checked, I'd like to think with the right exposure, the comic shall do well

[jiany0u]

The only "must do" to succeed is to have good content. However, I'd echo LordVincent that a "should do" is to not be an asshole. I've had to stop reading good comics because of the creators' horrible attitudes. Getting into fights with fans/other creators and flying into rages over criticism is not a good look. You have to keep in mind that any public action you take will reflect on you, and that people are seeing your comments, even if it feels like only the person you're replying to will see it.

[colonel_ressentiment]

A plan for advertising. It can be anything from "I'm going to sign up for comic mailing lists" to "I've got a facebook group" to "I can tack on comic updates to my fanart tumblr" to "I'll rope in some twitter followers" - as long as you know how you're trying to reach more readers.

It doesn't matter how good your comic is if you don't make people aware of its existence. While some comics can hit viral popularity purely through word of mouth because of how absurdly good/lucky they are, that's not something you should bank on yours doing - it'd be like hoping your indie game becomes the next Minecraft.

[anitacomics]

I agree with you; yet it seems like most of the creators doesn't really plan ahead story-wise. I've read people discussing stuff like "I planned this scene to be 5 pages and drawing a page a week it turned out 10 pages long" and I'm like wtf, don't you make a storyboard or a script for your story?

[Mari]

For me a must is spending enough time with the characters. As a mainly slice-of-life & drama consumer I can't focus on any story that goes from event-to-event without focusing on the characters at all. For me I need to know why I should care.

Another thing is logical progression. Especially with mystery type comics, if your characters devoid any logic it quickly becomes nothing but annoying and I'll drop the story fast. Of course this means you require some research into your story, but spending time researching always pays off in the end.

[tuesdayisms]

Yeah! I get there are people who feel better when they let the story grow on its own without having a real plan, but I would probably get writer's block quickly if I did that. I need to know what I'm writing before I get to work.
I also wish I did this before I first started on Tumblr, but being ahead in making your comic is also a good idea- ESPECIALLY when first starting out. Being inactive while establishing your comic can really stunt your growth and being at least a week or two ahead can be a lifesaver. I bring this up quite a bit, but being two weeks ahead saved me when I went on vacation for a week and hardly touched my phone or tablet.

[Tes]

One of my biggest pet peeves is when speech bubbles aren't in the right order. Make sure that your dialogue is laid out in a way where it's clear who says what in which order! (And if your comic is read from right to left then write that somewhere clear like the description so that your readers know)

[anitacomics]

ahah, I've waited to have 20 pages ready before starting to upload ^^" I wanted to make sure I was really up for the commitment, and I wanted to have my back covered just in case

[Kabushi]

I'd say one of the most important 'must do' things is understanding the audience your comic is for.

Really, your comic is a product, and before you even get to storyboarding, writing, or even sketching, you'll need to know who this is aimed at. Once you figure that out, everything else will flow together much more cohesively; your comic, your engagement with the fans, your marketing, etc.

I see a lot of creators trying to appeal to mass audiences by introducing many elements and tropes to their stories but this can really spread the material thin. No one comic will please any large number of people, so it's much better to just focus on your target audience. They may be smaller in number but they will be more passionate about your product. In time, that small base will grow because the quality of your content remains.