Why Did You Choose Comics?

[SoftWonderBun]

I'm always curious what makes a creator choose comics as their medium of choice over any other form of story-telling. So what was it for you that made you decide on making a comic?

For me I've always been the type of person that sees pictures in my head when I'm thinking up an idea or reminiscing about a memory or anything really so it was the smartest choice. My discovery of smackjeeves (r.i.p) was a revelation that comics could come from people outside of 'the industry'. Took me a long time to work up the nerve to actually start making them but we got there eventually.

[IndigoShirtProd]

Animation had a steeper learning curve and not enough return on investment. Novels are cool, but I like to draw. This seemed like the most reasonable option.

[LostKelp]

if you already obsessively draw your OCs in random situations then you might as well make the situations less random and tell some stories.

[Scarlet_Cryptid]

I've been drawing since I was old enough to hold a crayon, so NOT drawing wasn't an option. I also write a lot, but writing without also having pictures just feels empty to me, especially as the scenes are so vivid in my head, like watching a movie. Never been interested in animation for some reason.

So, need to draw + Like to write + Find it easy to visualize scenes - any interest in making pictures move = comics, pretty much.

Edit: I'll admit, I've also given serious consideration to illustrated novels, and may do something like that someday.

[XiuLyn_12]

For me is that I have always enjoyed reading comics and mangas until I discover Webtoon.
I think reading in Webtoon format is very easy and enjoyable. Plus, I have always enjoyed drawing since I was a fetus, so there's no reason not to make a webcomic!

[MalonTheArtist]

Because I love comics! And drawing to me is so interesting and unexpected, plus it keeps your blood pumping for more. And if you're an artist like me and you really love to draw, then comics are the best for you period (lol)

[Lensing]

What @MalonTheArtist wrote, I love comics. I fell in love with them when I was a kid.
Then I grew up drawing comics with my brother, it was a way to entertain ourselves and tell each
other jokes and stories.
I stopped drawing and picked it up later in my life again but I always loved the medium and comics
are the reason why I wanted to create something

[MalonTheArtist]

Yes @Lensing you sound like me (lol) I love everything about them, the plot and especially the characters! For me it ALL started with drawing, then came cartoons and as the years passed I found comic books. But I found drawing at like the moment I was born and I have been drawing every since. Glad you got back into drawing, its limitless and good for the soul, that's why we gotta keep doing it

[faisalhussein394]

I choose comics because I want to visualize my story exactly how I wanted it to be. Plus I suck at giving people the thoughts I want them to visualize in my writing skill, I doubt I could be a good writer to make a novel but enough to make a comic.

I might learn one day on how to be good at making a novel.

[TheLemmaLlama]

Yeah I'm in the 'I'm stuck with comics because animation is too labor intensive' camp rather than the 'I genuinely love comics as a medium' camp XD

Honestly, layout and borders and stuff confuse the heck out of me and even when I first started wanting to make comics, it was with a reluctant 'ughhh i don't wanna have to think about layout' :'D It was probably only when scroll format became a thing that it actually occurred to me 'ohey you're making a webcomic, the layout can be anything you want :D'

You could probably tell by the fact that all my panels are the same rectangular shape that I'd really rather be making anime or video games XD I was considering doing visual novels for a while, but I didn't like how stiff it had to be since you either stick with a limited number of sprites or you draw so many of them you might as well just draw a comic in the first place (Though I did start making a visual-novel-esque-feeling kinda thing, and I still feel like it's a cool format that I might do something else with one day :D)

[Lensing]

I always kept on creating in different media, I´m really happy that I got back to comics though

[MalonTheArtist]

Yes good to hear! Always continue to create what you visualize

[darthmongoose]

Comics are a good medium for me because one of my strongest skills is being able to do a little bit of everything. I'm not a spectacular pinup artist, but I'm fairly reliably good at drawing a wide range of things, which has always been handy working in comics, illustration and games, I have a writing style that's insufferably verbose so actually improves when I'm limited to small speech bubbles, and I write pulpy, character-focused plots that suit comics, I have enough of a design background to have my presentation and branding look decent, and I enjoy mixing comedy into my stories, even when they're serious, which works well in comics.

Throughout my career, I've worked on all sorts of stuff like books, games, apps, even films, but in terms of my solo work, my comics have always stood out as the most acclaimed and popular stuff I make alone, and since my day job is using my art, writing and design skills on stuff for other people, being able to make something that's 100% mine becomes important.

[smokesalty]

As a kid I was always drawing and I wanted to be an author! I'd fill out sketch books and write short stories all the time but I never thought that being a comic creator was an option at first. I guess I kind of thought comics were only done by professionals.

When I started making ocs and stories I really wanted a way to show that story so I thought to myself that 'oh, I could make a comic someday.' I used to be under the impression that I could only start my comic when my art was absolutely amazing, so for years I didn't do any sort of comic work. (granted my art and writing at 13 was bad but PRACTICE IS GOOD.)

When I decided to make my current comic, I will never forget how excited I was to be working on a long term project. I made a bunch of practice pages and I loved making them- I knew comics were for me because they're such a good blend of visual and written storytelling that has it's own style of art and layouts.

I find myself really admiring other comics, and I think they're such an incredible medium for storytelling. (And I can also work on it myself with full creative control)

[arxianfall]

I'm good at storytelling but I dislike writing and am bad at it.
Other mediums like game production or 3D had an even steeper learning curve and cost.

Comics are easy to consume on the go, doesn't demand much of your time compared to reading and have the huge boon of initial visual appeal. So they are a lot easier to pick up than a book.

I thought hard what I want to do for storytelling and what type of audience I would like to have and comics came first. My reader is usually a person who is very busy in life and doesn't have a lot of time to sit down and focus for long times on one thing. They may have many hobbies, or at least gaming as a hobby so their time to do them all is limited. I don't want to take all their time or compete for more minutes than I should.

My interest to learn to draw better comes from my desire to execute the story better. And going at it from this angle instead of the passion for drawing or desire to be an artist gives me a sweet spot where I can treat it as a job.

[NickRowler]

I have dyslexia and was a bit illiterate as a child. However, I wanted to be an author because I would always daydream stories. So I guess instead of writing things down, I ended up drawing them instead.

I guess comics are my way of being able to be a writer. As a kid/teen I wanted to be a newspaper cartoonist. With the raise of the internet, I noticed that people would post their comics online. I used to read these weird Naruto fancomics and I guess that sort of inspired me to post my own stuff. Tho I did at one point want to make more story based webcomics sort of based off of stories ideas I had as a teenager.

[MartaTod]

Um. You guys had a choice?

Jokes aside, it doesn't feel like it was a choice to me. I tried to quit drawing comics countless times in the past. Yet every time I quit they haunt me.

I fell in love with the medium as a kid and just kept doing it. There wasn't a moment where I went "oh, I'm going to choose comics to tell my story becauseI it feels like the best choice or because I can't do XYZ". For me it was always comics first. (But I ended up in design because they told me I wouldn't be able to feed myself with comics.)

[wispysing]

I wanted to try something new. My love for stories is nothing new, neither is art and reading novels/comics–but the thought of actually making one is fairly recent. It was too intimidating for me before (studying anatomy, environments etc; time management; going against what my peers say. It's a lot to invest on. )

But I guess the love for stories and admiration of all the amazing artists out there inspired me to make my own. Joining the Tapas Community has only strengthened my love for comics and inspired me to work harder on it.

[SoftWonderBun]

Thanks everyone for the replies so far! It's so interesting to see the overlap between us all in that we can't help but do it(for the most part lol)! I didn't start drawing again 'til I was 18 or 19 after dropping off the drawing train in my late tween/early teen years. Those of you who have been keeping this up since you were a kid have my respect!

[powerplantanimations]

Because (and this is gonna sound weird), I don't like how novels make you picture characters inside your head? Sure, you can say that's the fun in books and it does lead to interesting interpretations in adaptions but like... for me it doesn't matter since the author had a certain vision for these worlds. What he sees is the ultimate interpretation.

Again, it sounds weird, I know, but that's why I need pictures. Granted you can say the same thing about how writers who rely on artists (me), and how both of us have different visions (with me not caring half the time and letting my artist do whatever he wants).... but I just think you're getting something more definitive out of comics.