What you y'all think of "Slice of Life" comics?

[Chocolate]

Ey yoo!! :> So, what do you guy think of the Slice of Life genre? Love them, hate them, or don't care?! I'm really indecisive right now on whether or not if I should start one. Everybody seems to have at least one... And IDK, I'm not sure if I should put my energy into them. See here, they are much easier to update and stay connect with readers. However, most of my comics are plot-driven and target toward a more mature audience... I don't know, please drop an opinion! I would love to read y'all intake on this matter!

[Marvin]

I think you're talking about gag-a-day comics =)

Slice of life comics can totally have a long plot and chapters as long as their main focus is the daily life of the characters more than romance or action, aventure etc.

[Tanisha]

Can I just ask? What exactly does "slice of life" mean?.... on here? Because usually I see stories based around school life or work life of characters while other comics on here are gag a dayish but are about the creator's life so they put it in that category even though I feel like it should be put into comedy maybe?

@Marvin You see that's exactly what I thought slice of life stories were until I joined here :\ so confused...am I weird for thinking like this?

[Chocolate]

Lol I wanted to say gag-a-day, but there's no category for that on Tap!! :]

[Marvin]

As for my opinion on Gag-a-days, I personally don't have any in my reading list because I don't care if I miss an episode. Also I don't read much of them.... But I'm really admirative of those who can pull it and make great gags on a regular basis ! On the other hand I really hate self-centered gag a days with jokes seen a thousand times ("I'm gonna be productive today ^^ !!!!") or gags about the author's life that look like facebook status illustrated. I'm sorry but that's the way I feel about some of these...

So if you feel like you have a lot of great funny things to tell, knock yourself out !
But if you just want to make a gag-a-day because "everybody has one" (which isn't true) and it seems to reach more readers, then I'm not sure it's a good idea...

@Tanisha : no, it's just that there aren't a lot of categories on Tapastic so when a gag-a-day author tries to find one for their comic, it's either that or "comedy" most of the time...

[Robosaur]

I really enjoy gag comics because you can read it at anytime and get a good laugh out of it Unlike plot driven stories , you don't have to read pages before JUST INCASE you forget where the story left off from the last update ahaha~

[zerofruits]

I think that's confusing on tapastic. A lot of gag-a-day comics are categorized under slice of life, but for me, slice of life isn't necessarily comedy?

To me, the way I understand slice of life is similar to Josei/Seinen genre? (though another question - what defines the "drama" genre?)

[Tanisha]

@Marvin Okay thanks for the clarification!

So I don't mind some gag a days but I'm not really following that many. Slice of life comics on the other I do follow because I find them relatable, plus I would put my comic under that category since it's school/ career life ^^b~

[shazzbaa]

Without derailing much into category talk -- I tend not to be into long-form slice-of-life with a few exceptions (koffPostcardsinBraillekoff) since I'm more attracted to fantastical stories, and real life struggles with no fantasy filter over top of them are less interesting to me a lot of times -- but I have a real soft spot for cute, charming, or funny autobio-type short-form stuff.

I think if you have one that you want to make, go for it! If you feel somehow like you "should" make one, don't worry about it? Maybe make a couple episodes for fun without posting 'em online and see if it's a kind of story you'd enjoy telling, if you want to try it out. But if you're trying to make cute jokes because other people are making cute jokes, and not because you have cute jokes you wanna share, then they're going to feel forced and fall flat.

[TristanJensen]

Considering I make one and upload three times a week I'd say they're "ok" XD

[joannekwan]

I'm subbed to a few gag-a-days (except they don't update daily), only because they make me genuinely laugh or smile.

Do what you want! Don't start one if you don't want to. Especially if you're not passionate about creating it, it will show in your work and I think most readers can pick up on that.

[aspiderjonny]

Honestly "Slice of Life" comics are my least favorite genre on Tapastic. Every comic I'm subscribed to is a story-driven adventure comic, either fantasy or sci-fi. I am impressed by some of the art for gag comics, and the fact that they can be funny every week, but the core idea bores me.

You don't have to make a gag-a-day just because it's the most popular. People are more likely to attach to a comic you put passion/effot into then one you're doing to be popular.

[KreativeConfusion]

I think they seem like fun and I do like reading them (gag a days) sadly I don't have the drive nor the patience to work on something that needs to be updated that frequently. I'm such a rambler that I have a hard time condensing my day.

[winglesscomic]

I usually skip over anything 'slice of life' because of how much overlap they have with gags here and I hate gags. There are obviously some great SoLs here that aren't gags but I'm an angry old man and I just want to read about fantasy lands and suffering.

[WednesdayAsh]

yea Slice-of-Life just means normal people living normal lives playing out relatable problems, gag-a-day are a scourge that needs to be destroyed (kidding)

Gag-a-day is actually wonderful for artists to keep pure chops up, writing is usually horrendous, but it teaches the artist how to draw sustainable and consistently, so there's that.

[PocketFloral]

I'm not a huge fan of gag-a-days though they can be p cute/funny at times. That said I'm generally for slice of life in the sense of well done journal comics and long form stories that are character driven (ie my comic though it's spliced heavily w fantasy and horror elements so it's not truly SoL I guess).
In the end you have to consider if it's something that'll be fun for you and also something you can stick w and have enough material to do consistently. Also maybe find a certain angle w it to stand out a bit more?

[Stellamari]

I like gag-a-day because ..................it's a good way to procrastinate during my daily activity.

[Vikiro_Hop]

Gag a day I feel like follows the traditional strips that show up in newspapers.

I myself make a "gag a day" but I mostly do it to improve my drawing and dip my toes into the world of comic making. I actually follow mostly gag a days and slice of life comics because I need something quick I can read during my down time at work. I think a lot of the time I don't laugh out loud at them, but I do find them entertaining. If you are in tune with the authors sense of humor you can really get a lot from them.

There are some really popular comics that bridge the gap between long form and gag a day. (Dumbing of age and Questionalble Content are a couple of big ones) Creating enjoyable and entertaining characters I feel is what can give these comics life.

Here on tapastic you have a lot of them that follow the same formula and can come off as lazy so if you are able to bring something new to the table then go for it! At the very least you will have started working on something.

[joannekwan]

Slice-of-life (for me anyway), is just following the life of a single or set of characters. What happens to them doesn't necessarily have to be dramatic/funny/tragic/romantic/or anything, but it shows you a little more about the character(s) and who they are as a person.

For example, I categorize my comic Demon House as SoL because it follows the main character's final year of college. Sure she has to deal with supernatural forces, but the series is mostly about her relationship with the demons and her friends. Usually I write funny scenarios or jokes in (because that's how I write) but a lot of times, it's just her hanging out with another character and seeing how their relationship (non-romantic) unfolds.

Anyway, I think a lot of comedic SoL comics are listed as such because many are autobiographical, and these funny things just happen to the author. You see how they deal with said situations and you learn more about them personally, like a friend.

As for what defines a drama, well, it has to have drama I guess? lol. Drama as in the characters are very emotionally invested in something and its high stakes all around. It's an emotional roller-coaster.

[SpavVy]

I hate most slice of life, when I read a comic or watch a movie or whatever I just want to get lost in a different universe and see a new world entirely.
I don't want to read a comic and be saying "Been there, done that."