What comics made you want to make comics?

[jpnakashima]

Hey!
So, I'd love to know: Were there a comic that left you with such a huge impression that made you decide you really wanted to do this?

To me, well, I always wanted to do comics, but I feel my turning point happened when I read Preacher, by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon; and The Invisibles, by Grant Morrison. I was just blown away by both, by how complex and well executed they are. I never stopped following those artists, plus some special ones that came a little after for me.

What about you?
Share the love!

[TheFalseVyper]

I read manga when I was younger, but I didn't really know web comics were a thing for the longest time. It wasn't until I ran into Whispwill's art on DiviantArt that I began to read her comic, King's Folly.

Kings Folly | Tapas

I instantly fell in love with her work.

From there, the next work I would have to say I started to follow was Pandemonium by MaggieW.

Pandemonium | Tapas

I started creating my comic shortly after!

[joannekwan]

A bunch of various ones from the Flight Anthology.

Their styles were so diverse and different from other comics I've seen in print, it made me think there might be a place in this world for my own comics. And then there were some in there that I didn't much care for, but it fueled me to produce works that I would like to read myself.

I had mostly read manga up until that point, and didn't think my non-manga style would cut it. So Flight really helped with that too.

[AVXP]

One of them was The Mercenary by Segrelles.
That made me not want to draw anymore and paint instead.
Painting takes too long, but I wanted something different.

[jpnakashima]

This seems really awesome. I'll try and read some.

Since it's an anthology, do you recommend some specific volumes?

[dawgofdawgness]

Ooh definitely Raina Telgemier's stuff. I loved reading her books when I was younger and they inspired me to start making comics.

@joannekwan Flight is so good! And underappreciated :C

[joannekwan]

Aw gee, there are some great ones scattered through all 8 volumes. I say if you can, collect all 8, it's really worth it. And they stopped at 8 so at least it's a completable collection.

[Swamp]

My brother got me a copy of Petshop of Horrors for my 11th birthday. (Before then I'd just read whatever scattered comics were at the library) I'd read comics before, but it was the first time I really fell in love with comics. That said, it was Understanding Comics that got me particularly excited about the idea of writing them for myself.

[YangKoete]

Geez, that's quite a few...

Three key ones for me are; Sandra and Woo, Gamercat and The Gamer.

Mostly because they're all DIFFERENT, but I just really got inspired by 'em. I'm thankful I did.

[ericsalinas149]

Even though my comic is about a 20-something year old woman, my comic is very much inspired by Calvin & Hobbes. When I read my first C&H book when I was eleven years old, I knew I wanted to be a cartoonist.

[Kura]

I've wanted to since I can pretty much remember... so... Sonic the Hedgehog comics maybe?

Though HxH is a big reason I started being more serious about it. More so because of Togashi than the series (though I do love the series) the fact that he was working through health problems and sometimes (sometimes a lot of times) pages could be drawn so poorly, and the series would have horribly long hiatus due to health, yet the publisher still carried his work and wouldn't drop him, while people still loved his stories and wanted to read them. It made me really feel like I could still do it with my health problems and arthritis at a point in my life where I thought I should not even try or just give up drawing all together because of them.

Not meaning to romanticize the harsh conditions mangaka have to go through of course. There is so much shit going on in that industry that is very horrible. It was more I duno... kinda relatable for me I guess.

[punkarsenic]

i first got into comics via manga - which i think has a subtle influence on my storytelling technique less than my art style - and then marvel picked up the slack when i started to think anime and manga was too 'cringey.' things like runaways and ultimate spiderman (morales' arcs) got me really excited abt comics, but it was ms marvel that made it all possible, because of the art. i have, always had and prolly always will, a really sketchy style that needs a bit of wonkiness to thrive, so i was intimidated by marvels house style. i tried to imitate it, and got some alright shading down, but couldnt handle the inking style. in adrian alphona's work for ms marvel i saw potential for deviation from the norm, and something a little sketchier and fuller in character. i have an old sketchbook that i packed full of drawings from my copy of ms marvel v1, and i still feel his influence when i make ink-first sketches.

[mrtoontastic]

Ooh, there were a lot of good inspirations that made me wanna get into comics and be a sort-of cartoonist/sort-of writer. There were some classic Superman comics, Peanuts, Calvin & Hobbes, Garfield, and even some Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry comics too! But, I think one that is a current, and ongoing inspiration to me both storytelling wise, and art-wise, has to go to comics featuring this quack:

From this old cartoonist:

[StopWatchers]

Honestly, I grew up reading the daily comics in the newspaper. So Zits, Foxtrot, Calvin and Hobbes, Grand Avenue and Garfield really pushed me to want to draw my own daily comics. I did that for 9 years (the summer before high school through graduating college) but decided to retire that.

But then I saw Iron Man (the movie) and that got my interest peaked in reading graphic novels, and then learning about Jeff Smith and Bone, that really pushed me to want to do my own graphic novel instead of a daily comic.

[A-weird-girler]

It's not on here but that red lantern cat

[jpnakashima]

That's awesome. It's been a joy for me seeing Adrian Alphona's evolution from Runaways until Ms. Marvel, I love his style. Wish he would do more... His Runaways with BKV is one of my favorite Marvel runs (I'm still heartbroken, btw).
I tried to keep it brief, but Ultimate Spiderman was a huge boost for me too. When I started reading comics they were publishing here in Brazil the Hobgoblin arc (issue 75 or something of the Peter Parker run was my first) and they soon released (only) the first two TPBs. Between this, Daredevil and New Avengers, I got obsessed with Bendis. Ultimate Spiderman, from start to finish, from Peter to Miles, is one of my favorite things ever and I can't believe we're two issues away from the end of Bendis' crazy 18 year Spidey run.

[jpnakashima]

@Kura I don't like using this word lightly, but I really believe Togashi is a genius. He just seems to think in a different way from the rest of us.
Chapter 337, which I guess must be famous because it's pure sketch even inside the tanko, is so well written it's crazy. Even when he draws sloppy, his narrative is super poignant. Togashi is crazy talented to me, I love his work so so much.
Also, yes, sucks about the health problems. The mangaka profession is a cruel one, in which being healthy is the exception, it's crazy. From what I know, Jump has a special contract with Togashi and he will always have a slot in the magazine. I'm happy that, if one person can have this advantage, would be him.

@mrtoontastic Carl Barks is such a master, right? Carl Barks and Don Rosa are so amazing, Jack Kirby levels of awesome.

@A-weird-girler Poor angry Dex-Starr....

[DiegoPalacios]

I don't like using this word lightly, but I really believe Togashi is a genius. He just seems to think in a different way from the rest of us.Chapter 337, which I guess must be famous because it's pure sketch even inside the tanko, is so well written it's crazy. Even when he draws sloppy, his narrative is super poignant. Togashi is crazy talented to me, I love his work so so much.

While i have only watched the anime, i agree Togashi is a genius. What amazes me about him is how he writes intelligent characters and how strategic thinking affects everything. Also, the depth of the power system is surprising.

[jpnakashima]

The manga is super expressive. He is one of those artists who do the most with the minimum.
HxH is so smart it makes me angry sometimes!! haha I absolutely agree, Nen is the most consistent and flexible power system I've ever seen in a Shonen manga, possibilities are endless and always within the rules.
I love how the whole Yorknew City arc is a revenge arc about the pointlessness of revenge. Togashi is full of smart detail like this, full of clever deconstructions. And don't get me started on how layered and amazing is the whole Chimera Ants arc, holy shit!

[punkarsenic]

we're two issues away from the end of Bendis' crazy 18 year Spidey run.

ive been outta the loop for like an entire year, i got really fed up with marvel while overworked studying theatre and never really went back. whats going on?

also, same, spiderman kickstarted like everything for me