What Makes You Subscribe and Unsubscribe?

[ArtistHan]

The title says it all~ Are there particular things in a comic that makes you subscribe? Unsubscribe?

I tend to gravitate towards action/drama/humor comics because I draw action/drama and humor. Also, even if the themes or even the art are not really what I'm conventionally into, I will subscribe if the comic makes me feel something, as I view the power of evocation to be at the center of art in many ways. It can even give me a negative feeling or express something I'm against. If it's purposefully and well expressed to the point it makes an impact on me, I'll follow it.

I tend to unsubscribe when the artist becomes noticeably inactive. Also, if the artist does the same trope over and over again to get laughs or simply post an update repeatedly, I tend to unsub. The art can be technically horrible for all I care as long as I see effort and creativity. Lastly, this doesn't happen often but if I see a creator being, for lack of a better word, a d*ck, I will unsub. By d*ck, I mean arrogant or belittling other artists, especially less experienced artists.

[eagle1]

I will give any comic a 20 page tryout, but generally, I only subscribe to those who grab my interest enough that I want to see what happens next. I do my subscriptions on Comic Rocket, and only have 30 over there right now, but a good portion of them have a Tapastic presence. The thing that makes or breaks a comic for me is usually the writing, however, I just suffered through 320 pages of bad writing (decompressed to an extreme degree, minimal character development, and overly simplistic plot) because it kept me laughing. Humour comics don't have to be poorly written, as I can name a dozen mainstream newspaper comics that have continuing narratives and keep me laughing. But yeah, the writing is what keeps me coming back to see what happens next. I appreciate good art, but on the web, I have found that everytime I subscribe for the art, I wind up leaving because of the story.

Eagle
(Or lack thereof)

[joannekwan]

I subscribe when I read at least 10 pages and it piques my interest. For brand new series, I'll go by the first few posts and subscribe just to keep it on my radar.

I unsubscribe if I'm personally no longer invested in the story. No offense to the creator, I still appreciate what they do, it's just my interests have shifted. Sometimes I'll unsubscribe if I just started reading a series and it's super long. I don't want to see notifications of its updates because I'm very far from the latest post. I might bookmark it and come back to it in the future for a binge session though.

Coming from Tumblr I understand people have varying attention spans so I don't take any unsubs or unfollows personally. Do what's good for you, unsub if you want, just be respectful.

[studiomik]

I subscribe when:
the comic is creative, or simply funny, or has character that are alive, or good acting, potential, good writing, even if the artwork isn't that good (will subscribe), active member on the forum, interesting topic, enthusiastic, special in the broadest way.)

I unsubscribe when:
I see bad lettering and i just can't read it, offensive, same old tricks... bad writing AND bad art....but i rarely unsubscribe i must say...

It may seem a bit like i subscribe to a lot, but i'm actualy quite critical. Thing is, i want to be inspired here and that works in all kinda ways. Even bad comics can inspire me in the end.

[L4213]

i subscribe if the comic gets me hooked up art or story wise, and since i rarely subscribe to comics so i usually don't unsubscribe to anything i follow.

though i start to unsubscribe if they start just posting too much things unrelated to the reason i sub to them in the first place. so yeah

[Wolven_Sister]

Honestly, I don't know why some artist's can even conceive of being rude/belittle to others, especially other artists. I mean we're all here to help each other become better and we all share a passion to create, if anything that should strengthen us instead of causing arrogance :/ But I do agree, if I see an artist come off conceited or harsh to others, then I'll unsubscribe. Other than that, it takes a lot for me to remove something from my reading list, unless it's one of the exception aforementioned or if they become inactive without an explanation.

For general stories with a heavy story, what gets me to subscribe are the characters, depsite genre (though I am in favor of Fantasy/Horror/Romance/ and some action). If each character has a voice/personality of their own that's somehow relate-able and a breath of fresh air, then it doesn't matter to me if the plot has been a rehashed one done a dozen times, and I won't care about how the art looks. All about characters since they make the story, in my opinion :') But for those gag-a-day comics, if the humor covers all spectrums I'll most likely subscribe. I love offensive, crude, clever, humor--much akin to South Park if a comparison is needed to be made :')

[bmacbride]

I tend to subscribe to peoples' comics who subscribe to me, unless they're just really not my bag. I like story-based comics with strong characters. I also have a bit of a guilty pleasure for... how to say it... comics by younger artists? There's just something very pleasantly nostalgic about comics that are made by middle/high school aged people. I like to witness artistic growth, and I'm proud of young artists. <3

I unsubscribe from a comic if it ceases to be interesting or progressive (and I'm not acquainted with the author), or if it hasn't updated in some time (a year or more) and I can't remember why it's on my list. Sometimes I impulsively subscribe to a comedy series after reading a couple episodes, only to unsubscribe later after realizing I don't care for the brand of humor.

This surprises people who know me lol, but I'm very very picky about NSFW comics. I don't really rack them up. In fact, it's very rare that I find a NSFW comic that interests me. Who'da thunk.

[Dranif]

Usually, if they subscribe to me, I'd subscribe back if it interests me enough.
I also subscribe if it has something that I either relate to, find funny, or if it has a really good story.

I'd unsubscribe if the comic has an episode that offends me, or if the creator puts too many perverted jokes/gags (I'm sick and tired of seeing butt jokes all over the place. Its disgusting, disgraceful, and disturbing.)
On that note, I never subscribe to any NSFW comics. I may be an adult, sure, but in my mind, I am still incapable of handling that stuff.

[michaelson]

Hm, my reading list is sort of unruly at this point, close to 1,500 series. I think I'll have to eventually go in and start unsubscribing to series ... I'm just really reluctant to unsubscribe in general. It doesn't really hurt to be on the reading list I guess, but I suppose it does do a disservice to the creator.

[Jelw]

Not going to lie, I'm definitely one to subscribe for art. More specifically, style. Style has a lot to do with the tone that a series presents. Even if the art isn't exactly polished, if there is a clear personality to the art, I'll take a look.
If the art is drawn so pretty that I find myself stopping and wowing periodically it's a clear sign I'll subscribe. (In some cases it'll turn out the story isn't exactly my forte and I'll unsubscribe later.)

I'll unsubcribe if a story gets too depressing. This one is tough to gague cuz just a few sad episodes won't do it. However if every time I leave the comic I feel depressed, I'll probably stop reading. I use comics as a way to help get me out of frequent bouts of sadness, not to sink me further in them. Despite that, comics which have a sort of "light in the darkness" feel tend to be my favorites. I don't want all sunshine and flowers, but I don't want tragedy after tragedy.
Aside from that, there is also pacing. If the episode pacing is done in a way that doesn't compell me to come back, I'll unsubscribe after a while. Especially if in a week time there is just a single page of a fight scene that leaves me going "huh where did that come from again?" I find page by page comics to do this more often which is why I favor the long scrolling episodes.

[winglesscomic]

if I see blood and it isn't flat red MS paint splatter I insta-subscribe as long as the story isn't filled with anime tropes

edit: I forgot to mention unsubscribing
If I spot a descent into anime territory I abandon ship. Also creator wall spam. I wish there was a way to be subscribed to someone but just opt out of their wall notifications

[UzukiCheverie]

I mostly subscribe to gag type comics because they're easier on my attention span to read. Any story comics I read though, tend to be more of the darker variety. Some friendship ones here and there (I quite like "Live, Laugh, Love" as one of those slice of life comics; it's nice and simple, and very easy on the head to read).

There are only a couple comics I've either deliberately chosen not to subscribe to, or have unsubscribed to. Both comics had the same trait - most of it was just the creator using it as a vent for their "deep dark and unique emotions that no one can understand" and frankly, although harsh, I couldn't care less. These types of comics just bother me; they just read like those kinds of facebook posts your friends put up all the time where they just want the attention with the likes and "we love you, you'll get through this!" comments.

I get that some people don't mind this, and I get that some people like to use comics as their personal diary. I just don't have care for it. I don't resonate with people's personal problems, and if I wanted to, I'd be on Facebook where that stuff has just, unfortunately, become the norm u o u

[ArtistHan]

Thanks for your replies everyone~ I'm noticing that each person has their own specific tastes. I know that may seem like an obvious thing to say, but it's interesting to me because it reaffirms my belief that you need to find your own niche of similar people to get a true fanbase. I find that getting more followers and perhaps more importantly, true followers, depends on meeting people who draw or read similar things~ Makes sense considering everyone has such different tastes. Your comic can't hook in everyone!

[bmacbride]

I wish there was a way to be subscribed to someone but just opt out of their wall notifications

Feeling this really hard... once in a while is ok, but in what universe does anyone need to notify their subscribers 4-5 times a day. Link your facebook if you wanna do that...

[ArtistHan]

Woah 4-5 times a day? Dunno who you guys are subscribed to but kinda glad I'm not haha

[Cielle]

I usually try to read an entire comic before I decide whether or not I will subscribe. I really don't like unsubscribing because I don't want to bum anyone out. TBH the only time I unsub is if it seems the creator has dropped the series, and even then I'm pretty reluctant to unsub. I subscribed for a reason, so I don't want to abandon ship!

There are a few things that convince me to sub. A) great art. If the art is beautiful, I will subscribe. I don't have any genres I really dislike, so good art always sways me. B) It's funny. I'm a sucker for humor, so if it makes me laugh, I'll sub. C) Intriguing plot. Even if the art isn't aMAYzing, if I'm drawn into finding out what happens next, I'll sub. D) strong characters. they don't have to be likable or nice, but if there's something about them that makes me care, I'll sub.

Also, cats, coffee, and things that involve feathers tend to sway me. I just really like feathers >.< If there are feathers in the banner or thumbnail, hello new subscription. ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ)

[AnnaLandin]

Well, the art has to appeal to me - but what precisely is appealing varies. I've got pretty broad tastes there. Cartoony, realistic, cell-shaded, painted, whatever - as long as it's appealing to me, I'm there.

Also, writing is very, very important. I don't read a lot of gag-strips, simply because gag-strips are really, really hard to get right. That is, to be consistently funny is incredibly hard. Those of us who do longer format stories don't really always understand that, I think. But yeah. For me to subscribe to a gag-strip, it has to be consistently funny.

Writing is equally important for longer-format comics. I like scifi/fantasy/adventure stories more than drama, but will try anything as long as the writing is good. I'm a bit hesitant about romance comics, not because I hate romantic stories, but because they can so easily stymble into tropes I really don't like (Hi, my name is Anna and I hate love triangles), but like I said, I'll give anything a shot if the writing is good.

I have yet to unsubscribe to anything, but that might be because my reading-list is tiny and I am super-picky - and too busy with my won comic to subscribe to many others.

[zerobloodyrose]

I subscribe to things that interest me. It could be, for example artwork, story, and/or concept. I can subscribe to artist who has potential, love what they're doing and try their best to be better. I love that passion and want to be part of their journey.

I unsubscribed to comics that haven't been updated in 5 months, to comics that's completed and to comics I've stopped reading.

[ErithEl]

Thanks for starting this thread @ArtistHan! I've actually been wanting to start something like this for a while. As a creator (I know I'm not the only one), every time someone unsubscribes from my comic I want to track down who it was and ask them why? I know you aren't supposed to create things to please others, but if you plan on making a living out of doing something artistic or creative, the truth is you have to pay attention to your audience and not just shut them out and say "I'm creating this for me; it doesn't matter what they want."

For me, I get invested in characters and the relationships between characters. I love reading stories and comics where the characters are put into situations that test the limits of their capacities and how that changes them in the end. Basically, stories with character development Also artwork. There are some comics here that are just so amazing to look at, I couldn't help but subscribe!

I have only unsubscribed from one comic off my reading list and that was because I felt the creator didn't care about their readers unless they were supporters. I follow many creators here that have the support program set up, but this one creator in particular, seemed to only upload locked content – so much that it reached the point where I felt like the only way to actually read the comic was the give them money, and that wasn't cool.
The only other comic I have been considering unsubscribing from is one that will only ever update their current pages instead of uploading a new page. It gets really old after a while, and, to be honest, I haven't read these updates recently because I don't want to scroll through what I've already read several times just to get to a couple new panels...

Also:

(Hi, my name is Anna and I hate love triangles)

This. Oh my god...yes!!!! Thank you Haha!

[Kura]

Subscribing

1) Usually longer ongoing series are easier to catch my attention, as I absolutely hated episodic or short joke comics/TV series when I was a kid (everything happens and resolves in 1 comic or episode where nothing is ever connected and pretty much if you watched 1 episode you watched them all) or short little comic strips that end with a joke. This has continued with me (though not as bad as when I was a kid) I'll still read a few joke or gag comics here an there, but they overall are not very appealing to me.

2) Characters and story that I find appealing. If the stories is boring (or illegible... because I'm pretty sure some people use google translate for the English versions of their comics and call it a day) or the characters I just don't give a shit about, then a subscribe is not going to happen.

3) Art I'm actually not too picky with because I actually like seeing artists improve overtime, but I at the least want to be able to tell who is who and what is going on. Story is more important to me than art.

Unsubscribing
I don't often unsubscribe, but there are a few instances when I do.

1) I mentioned before that I'm not too picky about art, HOWEVER there is an exception to this, if artists show no improvement in their art or the drawings progressively get worse then yeah... it's kind of a turn off and you better have a ****ing good story at that point or I've lost interest.

2) It's a gag a day that's gotten stale and just no longer humors me, I'm already hard to hook onto those things, they actually do not have to do much for me to lose my interest.

3) They haven't updated for over a year, the only exceptions being if I know the artist personally (or is Hunter x Hunter.)

4) Graphic sex or fight scene that just makes absolutely no god damn sense and literally has no point in being there and/or came out of nowhere. Like, the story and character would be/act exactly the same without it. So why...? WHY?

5) The artists does a 'leaving' or 'I have lost interest in this comic and have stopped working on it indefinitely' 'cause there's just no point in still keeping subscribed at that point.