"Why won't you read my comic?" A thread for getting honest reader first impressions

[Cavechan]

My first impressions... well I'm not sure if I like the story or not since it's only one page so far but I think a couple of quick ways to give it a bit more oomph is choosing a more "mysterious" type of font instead of a generic san serif, but something that is still very legible as that is important of course. Also at the very end, put a large version of your comic's logo/name and smaller underneath you can have the art and story credits if you want.

@Shadymeadows I found it a bit difficult to get into because the characters seem so different from the standard vampire. Usually I would expect to see a mysterious, powerful, or sexy character for the vampire, but the vampire seems to be... kind of a wuss. I'm sorry if that's a bit blunt! I don't think it's at all a bad trait though but I personally found it jarring for a vampire. I think if there were a bit of explanation or maybe other vampires acknowledging or making fun of him for it, it might help give more depth to the character.

[LCT_m_a_d]

Thanks, for the tips! I'll definitely try the credit idea.
Do you think the minimal branding is making readers just think, "not worth subbing to follow "? Or is it simply something about the art or story that's already there that hints, "this probably won't be good".

[Shadymeadows]

chuckle Well I can't help but agree that my character Daren does start as a wuss. He is living in denial so he has a way to go. Honestly his development into a stronger character and vampire is a huge part of my story. In the Mean time Lucas will be calling him out as soon as my next panel. I will take in mind to make that come across better, Thanks for the feedback.

[Cavechan]

Do you think the minimal branding is making readers just think, "not worth subbing to follow "? Or is it simply something about the art or story that's already there that hints, "this probably won't be good".

Sorry, I realize in my post I didn't explain why at all and just said "DO THIS." lol I was tired and in a bit of a rush. For the typeface, I think it would help with the mood of the story a bit. San serif typefaces are wonderful and very legible but they don't have a lot of emotion generally. Like something like this: https://www.dafont.com/philosopher.font or this https://www.dafont.com/itikaf.font might be fun.

As for the logo thing, I feel it's a bit underwhelming to have the title smaller than the dialogue at the end of the intro and it being the same size as the credit is also adding to the underwhelming-ness. I think it would benefit from some hierarchy where the title is larger than the rest of the text.

And if you have a cool logo, it's a great chance to show it off and get the reader excited.

[LCT_m_a_d]

Thanks, you've explained it well and have been very helpful! I was looking at this from the wrong perspective
I've been working so hard on improving the artwork and content that I didn't really realize how unappealing it looks from a presentation standpoint. After looking at it more and more I can see how the generic text just overshadows all of the content in a bigger picture.

Even though there's art, to a reader it's really about it being a good enough comic.

[Lil_Slime]

So, I’m revisiting this thread, and I suppose I’ll have another shot at criticism (though I’m not very good at it)

@tired_programmer Ok, so I’ve only read through the first chapter, but your premise is really interesting and it shows promise. I like how much thought you put into your world-building. However, the art seems kind of dead to me, the colors, especially, feel so washed out and all (though if that’s an artistic choice, I won’t complain). Anyways, your action scenes seem a li’l unenergetic and the poses aren’t dynamic when they need to be. Aside from that, there were some grammar and spelling errors and also some pretty wonky anatomy but they’re nothing too glaring, so... yeah.

@buttersphere Well, I gotta say, your comic charmed me! It may just be my taste, since I like comedies and all, but it was really adorable! Your artstyle was cute and cartoony and I really like that! Ehem. Anyways. Though it may not be as impactful since your comic is a comedy, but the fight scenes don’t have much energy. Other than that, some of the events and speech bubbles were hard to follow. Well, can’t say much else, since your comic WAS my cup of tea, so yeah.

@LCT_m_a_d I really like your art, and I think it complements your intro really well. Also, your first page makes for a really good hook that I’m excited to see where you’re gonna take this. Anyways, I suppose my only complaint is that it is difficult to differentiate the foreground from the background. There wasn’t much contrast in your color palettes so I couldn’t make out at what part the character ends and the background begins. So, yeah, that’s just about everything I can think of.

Welp, that’s about it for this visit, here’s my comic so you guys can rip it to shreds, too.

Maiden of Chaos | Tapas

[unknown_user]

Thank you for review!
I'm aware of problems you've noted and already have some plans for fixing them.
Like here

[Lil_Slime]

Oh ho, that looks really good! I know I haven’t mentioned this, but I’m a sucker for shading, so that may have affected my feedback, but nevertheless! I love it. Also, the deadish colors seem like an artistic choice in the new one (heck, They make the pic look even better) so it really heightens the appeal more. On a sidenote, your lineart improved a lot, too. Good job!

[unknown_user]

✿ڿڰۣ— (character limit)

[buttersphere]

@Lil_Slime thank you so much! I agree with the points you brought up. One of the issues I was aware of were how I handled my speech bubbles, but it's good to hear the action could be better! I'll pay extra attention into improving that, especially since I plan to have some action sequences in the next story. Thank you again

[CAOMouse]

Can you guys do me too?

Quantum flux adventure of the yellow twin | Tapas

[KidJake]

We've made some substantial changes since my last post, and plan quite a few more, but is this on the right track? Looking for feedback and critiques to help us fine-tune our overall look.

[JRHoch]

The color pops a lot more; your word balloons are really packed with text though. Try trimming.

[SoftRainfall]

Constructive criticsm is welcome https://tapas.io/series/Magic-dungeons-and-stuff-ENG

[DualDragons]

@CAOMouse there are a few things that come to mind when reading yours.
The colors are a bit intense, perhaps you could try lowering the saturation a bit? I think that would work especially for the backgrounds.

My biggest issue though is a lack of story or plot. It has comedy tagged under it so i wasn't expecting a major dramatic story but it doesn't feel like i really got to know the character's personalities except for the mc. Perhaps a small plot would make things more interesting?

@KidJake i think the colour version is an improvement from the earlier version. I do agree with @JRHoch though: try trimming your text so the text balloons are a bit more comfortable to read.
I also recommend maybe using a somewhat more rectangular text balloon instead of a ellipse one. They look better in my opinion and they'll also give you more space for your text. I think Darthmongoose did a tutorial for them here:

Okay here we go, welcome to: HOW TO MAKE SPEECH BUBBLES! This one is er... assuming we're using Photoshop, hopefully some of this is applicable to other programs, but you might need to do some googling. I think Clip Studio actually has a built in function, I've never tried it because in the past "Manga Studio" as us old timers used to call it, was really bad at making bubbles that weren't the really tall kind better suited to vertical languages like Japanese. So, you're i…

@SoftRainfall i think the art style is good. I did notice that the text does overlap your characters occasionally making the panel feel crammed.
Perhaps when filling in the panels try to leave some space for text bubbles, but not too much so that the characters themselves still have space in the panels.

Well here's mine:

Rise of the Heroes | Tapas

You don't have to hold back because i already know it isn't that good and the beginning especially is rough and bad.

Never mind nobody even replies to mine, i'm done with this topic. Good for nothing.

[Domonomin]

I'm still a little new to the comic thing. I know that the art might be a little inconsistent due to time gaps between pages and me redrawing a few. I'm curious what other things you guys might find.

GodBreaker :: Issue #1 Pg 6-11 | Tapas

[jappy0572]

When Souls Collide | Tapas

I decide to start a new webcomic series.
I know it only has one episode but I wanted your guys critique, so I can see what I need to improve on along the way.

[Tthoroughman]

Overall, do you think that if I just fixed the art in general (my plan is to go in, correct basic stuff (ie anatomy, as well as lighting, etcetera) and get it cleaned up, do you think that would help, in itself alone, or do I need to also add panels (possibly pages in some areas?) Would that support the writing as a whole? If nothing else, I'd like some more pointers.

[sc101]

why ? again

Rotten Apples | Tapas

[NinaHah]

This is the link to my first comic. I started working on it in 2018 and I treat it as an experiment to see what does and doesn't work with my creating process. I want to ask you, as I want to start next comic projects after this one ends.

Second Chance | Tapas