What's your opinion on cliffhangers and subversive cliffhangers? Do you do them?

[Darth_Biomech]

I don't think that I've read this one somewhere specifically, but I have this idea that it's important to try to insert cliffhangers into your comic, especially if you're updating on "a page at a time" schedule. Make the reader craving the next page, or chapter, to know what happens next!

But then I was toying with the idea of fakeout cliffhangers. Make the reader expect something to happen on the next page, and then reveal that it isn't what the reader was expecting. Do you think it's a good idea to do that from time to time?

[Bokyongyo]

Well I can only speak for my comic, I tend to want each chapter of my one shot to feel like it’s own little story. So if someone just wants to read one chapter and not anything else they can but despite that reading it all in context will make for a better experience. But the way I structure them is if a chapter has to be split in 2 parts I would usually have a cliffhanger of some sort at the end of part 1 of said chapter.

I do however think cliffhangers are great but overuse of them can also become redundant to a reader so as a writer it’s someone’s job to decide how much is too much.

[SagaHolmgaard]

I always try to end a page with a panel that makes you want to continue reading. If we update once a week we should think about it like those magazine comics that have a one page update for every new issue - leave the reader wanting to continue reading! (granted, I'm not in a magazine, so if I feel like I need two pages in one update to reach that moment, I can afford to do that). It doesn't always need to be a huge cliffhanger, sometimes I feel like a satisfying conclusion to a scene can be just as good, and let the reader feel ready for a new scene in the next update.

For subversive cliffhangers, it sounds like a fun idea honestly! I don't think I have any examples in my own work, but I'll probably be thinking more about this now hmmm... I'd love to see other artist examples of thistbh

[kaetana]

It's definitely useful when updating just a page or two at a time to make sure there's something in there that will leave an impression on the reader. Cliffhangers are a good option sometimes, but I'd mix them in with other things like jokes and reveals of information. Answering questions can give the audience just as much to wonder about as posing them with cliffhangers imo.

Subversive cliffhangers can definitely be good, it's fun to play with audience expectations. As with all things I'd use them in moderation, and I always stick to the rule that if a twist is entirely impossible for the audience to predict, it's not a good twist. Good twists should hopefully be surprising but still make the reader go "oh damn that makes sense, I should have guessed that!"

[AmysGames]

A friend told me once that I had a way of ending each comic page on a mini cliffhanger, which they said made it feel more fast-paced and engaging. I also definitely end a lot of my backstory comics on cliffhangers, in order to segue into the next story... so yeah, I guess I'd say cliffhangers are pretty common practice in my writing, haha.

That said, I definitely think they can be overdone. You want the story to flow naturally, and you don't want to force cliffhangers where they don't belong. Sometimes it's better to release the tension a bit and end on a satisfying resolution. (Or not so satisfying, as the case may be. )

Subverting expectations can be fun, too. After all, what good's a cliffhanger if you know what's going to happen every time? But, again, you only want to do it when appropriate, and don't force it into a story where it's not needed.