What do you love to see in a comic?

[33rdCenturyCaveman]

Me have a rule of thumb: If comic not update in over a year, it probably safe to drop. Outsider am one of the few exceptions.

[IdiotWithPencil]

the characters, as long as the characters are interesting or enjoyable I sub immediately, also stoic badass characters are my favorite =D

Edit: Also Machiavellian characters, and no not the evil Machiavellian the actual Machiavellian the on where they do all they can for the state and the governments people and not just for powers sake.
Only found 1 story that actually do the Machiavellian character correctly and they are very interesting and fun character =)

[Chita]

@33rdCenturyCaveman I haven't heard of that comic, I'll check it out!
@Kann Slice of Life to Drama is one of my favorite tropes if done well, it's such a great way to subbert expectations! One of my favorite comics in this site actually did that. And I love last trope you mentioned, it really helps to round up the characters and set them aside from the archetypes.
@IdiotWithPencil Since the Machiavellian archetype appeared quite a long time ago it makes sense that it has evolved to a point that people base their character on a "parody" of the actual Machiavellian character. That it's an interesting point I haven't thought about

[Kelheor]

Everything you mentioned
I actually never gave this a thought
- Awesome art. Now this is kinda subjective, but I am spoiled by the top mangakas, so I am a huge sucker for the amazing artwork.
- Good action scenes. I do love my shounen, doesn't matter if mah boys&girls are fighting or dancing.
- Hot-blooded edgy bastards with a heart of gold. I mean, duh.
- Opposite MC dynamics
- When the author knows how to make me hold my breath. This can be anything (character struggling, fight scene, sex scene, angst, random emotions), but if I caught myself not breathing with an open mouth for a few seconds, I'm probably sold

[Mira_Astralis]

when you read these and realise that a heck of a lot of things that people like are gonna be in your comic Hek yes!!

[queenue]

I am such a sucker for character-driven stories with a lot of emphasis on relationships. This is probs why 90% of what I read is realistic fic lmao.

Witty dialogue. Honestly make me laugh/smile and I will keep reading no matter what.

FOOD/BAKING! Okay, I love to cook/bake myself and after reading Bloom and Check Please! (both by First Second publishing), I have fallen in love with baking-related comics. Give me the pretty illustrations of food please.

I'm drawn to really cute/fun art styles, think retro anime inspired. Sometimes I will stare at a character's facial expression in one panel forever just because of how darn cute or funny it is.

CREATORS THAT DROP LITTLE CHARACTER HINTS. You know when authors hint at something having to do with a character? I love that. I love speculating. I love character secrets that slowly get revealed.

[Chita]

@Kelheor I'm starting to realize that many people love edgy bastards that are softies, I'm happy to know that XD
@mira_astralis Yes! I got that feeling for some posts in the past, so I thought it would be nice to make this thread so that everyone could feel that!
@queenue Small character hints are really the best way to get to know a character and love them

[Jophiel]

-Nonstandard panelling/layout, they're very inspiring and I like how many come up with ways to make the most out of their medium and formats!

-When a character who's typically happy/stoic...just gets so emotional...my heart...

-Determined characters!

-Character foils!! I feel like I do not see them alot and would love to read more! They make for a great character analysis/comparison ><

-I'd die for characters who would protect their loved ones ;___;; I really like sibling and friend dynamics too. Particularly those with an older sibling instinct and even those promoted to parent.

-I like stories where they kinda force you to see the sides in different perspectives; I don't know how to explain it but there's no right or wrong being enforced (?) and it typically erases the typical not good = evil, pure = good types.

-Deconstruction/Reconstruction of archetypes

[puddle]

oooh some favs:

lineless in color
bickering MCs
varied body types!!!!
classic buffoonery between scenes of tension

I'm also admittedly a sucker for any healthy LGBT romances depicted. There's a lot of comics that have gay pairings, but the relationship is incredibly toxic

[azzy-m]

This is specifically towards writing in general but:

When characters who are in a relationship/are most likely going to be in a relationship talk through their problems and help each other through their character arcs

That one trope where character A has a shitty nickname for character B, A never calls B by their real name; then B is either on the verge on death or about to die and in a moment of pure utter desperation A yellS THEIR REAL NAME - WHAT IS THIS TROPE CALLED

wlw couples where one is emo goth and the other is femme pink girl. I don't know whybut it's probably bc someone said this is the two sides of wlw culture when it comes to clothes and I haven't ever forgotten about it.

I said this before in another topic but two characters who are smart and clever on their own but when left in the same room alone they are reduced to the very definiton of stupidity. Friends don't let friends do stupid shit on their own, ya know

When the edgy/angry bastard who can kill people with a look secretly has a totally chill and/or domestic hobby that the other characters get to see when they aren't in danger (basically all those headcanons that say Bakugo really likes to cook. I don't watch BNHA and idk if it's actually canon but still lol)

[Bree_Mana]

Things I love

• Well written LGBT characters / relationships (Theres more to the character than just being the token gay)
• FOUND FAMILY
• siblings that rean't always on good terms with each other but will come throughfor each other no matter what
• good people accidently hurting those they love while having good intentions (Always here for that juicy drama!)
• When the character design goes against tropes for certain types of characters, or when the design suits the character's powers, personality, lifestyle realistically and changes over time
• I actually love seeing artistic progression, it gets frustrating When an artist keeps redrawing the same 3 pages
• I also like when the author leaves little notes at the end of the episode talking about their art process or leaving a little extra suspense
• My favorite genres are Slice of life, modern fantasy, and scifi

(As expected I may be a bit biased cause a lot of these pop up in my own comic TLC lol)

[Darth_Biomech]

Imaginative worldbuilding with attention to detail. I don't care if the story's shit, I don't care if the characters are boring, if there's an interesting world behind those, and you can spend some time studying the backgrounds and dropped bits of information to put it all together. It's very satisfying to see that the author not just plopped an airship into the plot, but said airship clearly designed with the questions of how it works, how it lands, and how it was constructed in mind. It appears that I'm in the minority though, which is very sad.

Beautifully-drawn space opera comics with really interesting worldbuilding -- that only update a few pages a year.

Don't know about "beautifully drawn" bit, but Leaving the Cradle has lots of worldbuilding, is a space opera, and updates on an erratic schedule. =D

[dawgofdawgness]

• PLEASE realistic dialogue. It doesn’t even have to be too realistic, just.. anything but that robotic I’m-going-to-say-everything-that’s-on-my-mind speech. Throw in a couple of “umm”s and awkward stuttering. I don’t care.

• Redeemable bad guy. I’ve seen too many movies and comics where the antagonist is this pure evil monster from hell and the protagonist is the embodiment of all things good and selfless. It’s refreshing when the writer at least attempts to make the “bad guy” a believable person.

• Mysterious protagonists. It’s actually really fun unraveling the main character as the story progresses, or when we can’t hear every word they’re thinking or 100% understand their motives. I don’t mean mysterious as in an angsty hooded man with a dark secret(although that can be good too) but just any lead who doesn’t warm up to the reader right away.

• cheeky fourth wall breaks. As long as it isn’t too distracting or overdone, sometimes it can add some charm to a character when they have a little aside to the audience.

• WEIRD paneling. Like really crazy paneling that goes all over the place and really takes advantage of its medium. Something like Phen’s TNSTAJ or Gabriel DeVue’s TwistEd (and Jeff Lemire’s stuff lol).

• Rainy scenes!

[Chita]

@Jophiel Agreed! One of my favorite examples of interesting panneling is the Stand Still Stay Silent comic, they're so original and pleasing.
@azzy-m THAT SECOND TROPE. I swear it kills me every time :'D
@Bree_Mana I'm so relieved to know that there are people who actually like to see the art progress!
@dawgofdawgness I love to see villains with motivations and feelings aside from "hAr HAr I'm Evil". Reedemable villains are the best in my eyes.

[teasidesketches]

I'm a simple woman with simple preferences, I'd like to think. I'm going to leave out anything skill-related and just focus on specific types of content I adore.

Fantasy/fantastical elements. What's that? You have a modern story... but with magic?! Sign me up. Stereotypical Western medieval fantasy? I'm still here. Basically, if it's anything fantasy-related, I will give the comic a strong, fighting chance.

Innocent, sweet main characters. Bonus points if you plan to break the cutie in some way, or if the cutie is already broken and the sweetness is a facade.

Deceptively happy aesthetic. I like Madoka... and Higurashi. I'm also a big fan of any other stories that appear to be happy and cheerful, but either take a dramatic or slow and subtle turn towards the macabre.

Romantic subplots. @Chita mentioned this one, but I need to tack it on to my own list because I am a huge sucker for romantic subplots. I have no shame, and I'm not sorry.

Idiots in love. I love watching idiots fumble about in love. Please. Give it to me. I will eat that up.

[Bree_Mana]

As someone who as been working on their webcomic since summer of 2017 I kinda have to like artistic progress..... It'd be a bit hypocritical if I didn't right? Lol

speackin of not to toot my own horn but my comic has alot of the tropes you said you like so I'll just popa link: https://tapas.io/series/TLC

[DireKingLeon114]

What I like to see in a comic! I enjoy a good action comic, but without to much gore!

These are my interests:
Good plot: A plot that lures me in with good story telling and twists and turns

Well planned Action: Well planned action that is fluid and immersive! Action that really makes you excited!

Great World Building: World building that really puts you in that world while you read the comic!

Great Characters: Characters that you remember! Characters that go through hardships and don't give up when the going gets tough!

Great art and panel arrangement: The art is captivating and the panels are arranged in such a way they further help with the story immersing!

[rajillustration]

Oh man I love

Fun and witty dialogue/story. I love a story that makes me laugh and also makes me cry. Like, your art doesn't have to be that great for me. I do art all day long and I'm just not that impressed by beautiful pictures anymore. So you have to pull me in with that story. I've seen many an incredible comic where it was like "why didn't they just make concept art if that's all this is!" and I just walked away because the writing was just so stale.

This eye shape:

Fun graphic design and movement in the paneling, characters, and composition. Movement is so wonderful.

Something very mysterious slowly being unveiled.

fight scenes that have characters flying around all unrealistically like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

Magenta as an offset pop color.

[Chita]

@teasidesketches Dorks in love are my jam. I love all kind of romantic subplots, but none can top that trope
@Bree_Mana Oh cool! I'll check it out!
@rajillustration That's an specific eye type, I never expected to find something like that on a list XD

[nathanKmcwilliams]

I have simple tastes in what I like.

Fighting.

Oddball comedy.

Lasers.

Parallel Universes.

Robots.

Explosions.

Swords.

Giant monsters.

Epic beatdowns.

Over the top bad guys with total evil intentions, and zero F's given about the body count.

Gun fights.

High Fantasy.

Sacrifice.

Weird powers with exceedingly complex rules to how they work.

Bonus points if there's obscure heavy metal references. I've yet to see that though.