Why are so many comics just 1 or 2 pages per episode

[R.n.P]

I don't get why but a lot of comics i come across tend to have 1 or 2 pages per episode, seems like a waste to have episodes spaced out from one another by such few pages and it usually doesn't satisfy me when i read. By my view maybe cuz i read a lot of action comics, the spacing tends to remove the anticipation and build up for me when something interesting is happening since it cuts the episode so short I don't get enough from it.
what do you think? which do you prefer?

• extra short length episodes(1-2 pages)
• short length episodes(3-5 pages)
• medium length episodes(6-13 pages)
• long episodes(14 pages or more)

Show results

[TedGravesArt]

I used to post entire issues into single posts, but recently reorganized all of the comic into individual posts. It has to do with the way tapas handles things. Here's a thread that goes into more detail:

I've got a dilemma that hopefully you guys can help me with. My comic is structured more like a print comic than a scroll comic, so the story is divided into 20-25 page "issues". Tapas uses "episodes", which are essentially posts. So I figured the best way to organize it would be to upload one issue per episode, meaning I crammed 47 pages into two posts, and I just edit new pages into posts when I'm adding to issues. I realize now, after reading comics here for a while, that basically nobody do…

[Rhonder]

The main reason boils down to indie creators wanting to match the "industry standard" weekly uploads, but time only allowing them to create 1-2 pages per week. Even if a creator has a buffer built up, you can't really upload many more pages than you can make in the same period of time or you'll just run through your buffer.

So that leaves two options:

• Maintain those weekly uploads and compromise by having short episodes, or

• do fewer/more spaced out episodes but use that time to make them longer.

I agree though, I'm not a fan of super short uploads- now that I'm a bit more versed in webcomics, from both a creator and reader standpoint, I've come to favor medium-length episodes in the 5ish page range, with little regard to how far apart they're spaced out. I'd rather just read through a whole scene in one go than be fed the scene piecemeal over several weeks. I'm taking this approach with my current comic, opting to do monthly releases instead of weekly in order to get that length up a bit. My first comic had those weekly single page uploads and I wasn't a fan

[noenoh]

It depends on the author and because well it takes time to produce something and most of the readers are not patient enough and authors are forced to keep the audience interested.

Other authors planned it beforehand because they want to keep a relation on what they're showing you digitally and what you will got if printed in the future.

Others, are not that experienced on the pace thing and you feel that abrupt end in a page. That happens because they don't use wisely the area we're they are telling the story. It's a thing of composition as well.

Short episodes are not bad per se. An 1 page episode is good as well as longer episodes with 14+ pages if the pace is well done and they visually make you feel satisfied with the amount of story they are able to give you.

[mcarrowolga]

Visibility. That's why.
Every time we update, our comic appears in "Fresh". Every time we get a like, our rating goes up.

10 one-page updates mean 10 appearances in "Fresh" and 10+ likes
1 ten-page update means 1 appearance in "Fresh" and 1+ like

[Kaydreamer]

Many readers have come to expect a new episode each week, as that's the pace the paid creators of WEBTOON and Tapas release at. But most indie creators, creating their comic for free, with limited time and other jobs/responsibilities to keep up with, only have time to create around 1 page each week.

Making a comic is a massive, time-consuming undertaking. I take, on average, about 6 hours to draw each page. Add to that the time spent promoting Blue Star Rebellion, so I'm actually building a readership, and I'm sinking an enormous amount of time into my comic. I'm hyper-aware of how short my 'episodes' are, trust me. But the trade-off to making them longer is to release them bi-weekly.

Now, there's a strategic advantage to releasing new pages weekly; it increases visibility. When you release an episode, your series goes to the top of the 'fresh' section, where it may be found by new potential readers. It's usually only means one or two new subs a week, but when you're first getting started it's really important.

Finally, even if a creator has the time to put out longer episodes, they still have to be attentive to their long-term wrist health, stress levels and all that other fun stuff.

I am subbed to a few more established creators with big audiences who release episodes bi-weekly or monthly. They have an audience size such that they don't have to worry about getting to the top of the 'fresh' section. As such, they made the decision to post less often, but have longer, more immersive episodes.

Myself, I'm considering moving to a bi-weekly schedule. As a reader, I've come to appreciate medium-length episodes which allow you to sink into the tone of the story for a brief moment. But I'm aware that doing so means I decrease my own visibility and the growth of my comic, and that's a bitter pill to swallow.

I'll probably do it anyway, as a few of my readers have suggested they'd prefer it, and I do have some dedicated readers now. But I'll miss getting super excited every Wednesday morning to read people's reactions to the newest episode. I always look forward to it.

[summermcallen]

I also don't like only 1-2 panel per episode, but I can understand it. It's pretty hard to get more readers and to draw a comic in your free time (bc of work/school..). And every time they update, the series go up in the list, so it's really helpful bc. so many people can see it now.

for me, because I also don't like it, I create really long episodes. But it's really hard for me too
My episode length depends on what I want to tell. When the topic for this episode is more complex, I also draw more to not rush it, if it is easy to tell, then I also don't want to blow it up with too much panel.
Like my first episode with 46 panels (long episode) or my 6th episode with 26 panels (short episode)

[Kura]

• I moved the comic here from a website where they paid me to releases my comic by pages, not chapters, and did not want to change reading or update format for my readers that followed me here. (I made a longform version as well cause I was told it would perform better here since that's the format this site is made for, but it performs like shit on this site unlike the page by page release)

• it's by page I get a lot more reader engagement when the episodes are shorter. If there's only 3 - 5 panels to talk about I'm more likely to get a comment. When there is 50+ panels readers will hardly ever say a word, likely because there is too much happening that it's harder to focus on what to leave a comment on, and even when I do get comments on the long form version it's rarely relevant to anything that's happening in the actual episode and something like "Who else here ships boy#1 and boy#2????"

• It works better with how the website handles algorithm and how visible your comic is on the site. I am not a big, nor very social artist. My updates are basically my main form of advertising.

• Personally it keeps me more motivated when my updates and schedules are by pages instead of chapters. I have ADHD my attention span is horrible and I actually really struggle to keep my focus on my comics even though I really want to make them and I really like them. The more often I see engagement, the more motivated I am to keep working and not get distracted by something else.

[Llyrel]

I don't get why

A few reasons:

• Time. Making a single full-color page takes me 8-10 hours of work. Which would be perfectly doable... if it wasn't for the fact that I also have a full time job which often includes 12 hours shifts which leave me zero energy to do anything else.
• Money. Let's face it, unless you're very lucky and you manage to get a thousand of very generous followers who are willing to pay hundreds of $$$ for each page you produce, you're not going to make a lot of money out of webcomics. But artists still need to pay their bills and put food on the table... so it's not like they can give up on their day job to focus all of their time on webcomics, unless they already know the time they're going to sink into webcomic making is going to make it possible for them to put food on the table.
• Working alone. As mentioned many times already, most webcomic artists work alone on their projects. Which means that they're doing the work of a full team... on their own. Planning, scripting, sketching, inking, coloring, lettering, designing, promoting... in the printed comic industry, there would be one person to take care of each of these steps. At best, you can find a professional artist who takes care of both drawing and coloring, but not storytelling. Keeping up with the speed of an entire studio is... impossible to say the least.

In short: you can't expect fast + long + quality updates from a single person doing the work of an entire team alone and for free. If you want more, might be a good idea to consider supporting artists with actual money (so they could maybe hire more people to help them with the job), instead of asking for more free labor, don't you think?

[thedude3445]

I get exactly why, though I do prefer longer episodes when we are talking about webtoon style series. 20-40 panels is a good spot, or even the ultra long 70+ panel episodes as well. But, those are very difficult to do for one person working by themself and not making a living wage off their work! So single page updates are just fine, then.

[Kaydreamer]

Personally it keeps me more motivated when my updates and schedules are by pages instead of chapters. I have ADHD my attention span is horrible and I actually really struggle to keep my focus on my comics even though I really want to make them and I really like them. The more often I see engagement, the more motivated I am to keep working and not get distracted by something else.

Hah, yeah, same! My ADHD was a big reason I chose weekly releases. I think I'm at the point now where I could manage bi-weekly updates because a) I've settled into a steady routine with creating my comic, and b) I have a readership to hold me to account, so I can't just get bored and stop making it. But I get so excited for Wednesday every week, because I can read the comments and see the engagement and receive that sweet, sweet dopamine... It'll suck only having that once every two weeks.

[darthmongoose]

I'm an action comics creator and I upload pages originally made for print and spread out a bit for long scroll stacked in pairs. I respectfully disagree about there being a problem with pacing caused by not being long scroll. I actually find long scroll action comics to often lack rhythm and punch, they can often either become floaty and timeless or just an overly long, increasingly tiring slog of constant fighting.
I personally prefer the punchy feel I get with natural lulls and high points and "punchlines" or "beats" by working page by page. The non-stop action in Michael Bay Transformers movies may feel exciting when you're in it, but it leaves no lasting emotional impression because it lacks a clear rhythm, or break points so that the audience can comprehend what just happened, or parts with lower intensity that make the high intensity moments stand out. Like the gavel bashes followed by a music break in the Phoenix Wright games, or a return to the tonic note at the end of a musical phrase, I feel like a page break can be useful to punctuate a scene, giving structure.

But more than that, my comic is in full colour with moderately detailed art and I'm working solo. It takes like... I dunno 6-12 hours per page. I can either update a couple of pages a week, or I can update like... once a month with stacks of 8 pages. More updates means more visibility means better growth. I can't afford to employ a person to speed up production, I don't want to compromise on the quality of the pages because I'd like to print my pages as a book, so I want them to look at least decently good and finished, and I know from years in webcomics that colour is better at building an audience. So... yeah, this 2 page stack is currently the best format I've found for pleasing fans, being mostly feasible for me and staying fairly visible.

[sushy00]

My attention span is really short so I prefer short episodes. My main comic is a short slice-of-life comic and there it makes more sense to just have one page per episode.

[SarahMarie]

I am going with two types. My first comic "Milord and the Tailor" takes a lot of extra work. Its more of a labor of love with traditional nib pen inking and a lot of colorful characters. I do a once a week update on that one. I did the same for "Red Kettle Spell Shoppe."

For my soon to be released webcomic "Insectis, it is the first time I am doing a scroll comic style. I believe I am doing 12 panels per update so I can get into a weekly update on it without being overwhelmed. I want to be able to get into a habit of weekly updates. I'm a one woman show so I need to get things done when I can.

[Jenny-Toons]

Everyone else really hit the nail on why: if you're not getting paid to upload (or getting paid enough to make it worthwhile), you post whatever you can. With that said, I'm going to throw you all a different answer:

I prefer updates that have good pacing.

This can mean a couple of things: something new has happened in the story, we've closed a scene, we're starting a new scene that carries to the next update, we learn something new, etc.

All in all, I want the story to feel like it's moving.

You can argue 1-2 pages can't do that, but I will also argue an update with 14 pages can't do this as well. A lot of webcomics (especially featured webcomics) will have 60-70 panels an update...and the story is moving at a snail's pace. Meanwhile, someone else who knows how to pace can keep the plot moving with just 10-15 panels.

The amount of pages can't fix bad pacing.

So whenever someone is able to have good pacing and move through scenes, I don't care about the amount of pages. It could be 1 page -- has good pacing? Then I don't care.

Side note: Also remember genres can affect the amount of pages/panels. A comedy doesn't need 14 pages/70 panels. A horror might need more than 1 page/10 panels. Again -- another thing about pacing.

[ArhyaM]

I agree with you on that.
There are some stories with single page updates that keep me more interested than other with longer updates.

It's more comfortable having a rather long update in terms of page-loading and so, but if there's nothing happening (or absolutely everything) I get bored and start scrolling down as fast as I can to see where it ends.

To me, a good update is that one that has things happening in the right amount: you can relate to the previous updates, you learn/discover something new about the story and you want to know a little more next time. No more, no less.
That's pacing, and it can make a simple story great!

[potatogirl]

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[Ender_Books]

It depends on what kind of book they are doing and what there story line is. If they are telling mini storys, a short section of a hole, small story is okay in my opinion. If you have a comic where you do plain art, without any storyline, its also understandable, because you are just doing art and do not have a specific story going with several pictures needed and such. If your doing a full on story though, I would say it is good to have AT LEAST 6-7 pages, if not more.

[Kevbrinx]

I agree with @Rhonder here.

Time management and artstyle complexity are definetly two things to take in consideration.

Personally, I want to try to upload "bits", small pieces of the story similar to single scenes in storyboards or movies.

It's not necessarily about money or engagement the reason why artists use this upload schedule.
Sometimes it's just not realistic to upload entire episodes/chapters when you have a job or school. And even without them, that's a huge amount of time spent in front of a screen.

[Iris-Grimoire]

I'm sure no one is satisfied with only a single A4 page a week since we can't flip them like a book, but it's free and it's thankless. I always try to merge episodes in interesting points like the start of chapters, but guess what - doing that cut my buffer by several weeks and it's not fun knowing that I'm less than a month away from running out of things to post, and my injury makes art really slow as is.

As a reader, my favorite is 2-3 at a time just because you can scroll a bit and be surprised nicely by the progression, but as an artist I wouldn't ever expect that out of anyone, I already think it's witchcraft when someone has enough months ahead to post twice a week.