I'm definitely in favor of sequential/graphic novel type comics. Although I do enjoy a good comic strip too, I tend to get more engaged with stories that have plots and characters that I can relate to and root for :3. Reading a story can be much more time consuming than reading a strip based comic, but everything has its trade offs as far as i'm concerned xD.
I think the webcomic format lends itself much more to strips, but let's face it - the majority of us publish this way because we can't have our stuff printed for some reason or other, so you find a lot of story comics. It still works, I guess, but it always feels a bit awkward to me that what I put out over the course of literally several months would normally take about 15 minutes to read if it came out in print.
I think the webcomic format lends itself much more to strips,
I agree, but I think stories can work well on the web if they borrow enough from the strip medium. With a regular graphic novel you can have a few pages with not much interesting happening, in web format that changes. Because of this I think if a story wants to succeed online it needs to have some kind of climax every page, just something small really, but enough to keep the readers hooked.
For that reason i generally prefer strip comics, but if a story comic succeeds in the web medium then I can read it.
Outside of the internet I generally prefer print stories. Newspaper styled comics are rarely funny.
On DD, I mostly read stories. It's not necessarily that I like stories more, but I'm much more picky about humor. With a story, I can enjoy a wide variety from dramatic to tongue-in-cheek, as long as there's some kind of plot line and I enjoy the characters. But with comic strips, I find most of them don't hit home with me. People's senses of humor are varied, and that is the key factor in comic strips. I don't care about characters or plot (in fact, I HATE it when a strip decides to do a plot line or have sequential strips), I just need my laugh. Frankly, most strips I've run across (internet or in print) can't deliver. It's not that they aren't funny at all; they just don't speak to my brand of humor -- or they fall back on "in jokes" that are only funny if you read the archives.
Also, since I decided to try my hand at one, I can say that it is much harder drawing a strip. The actual *drawing* isn't difficult but coming up with new ideas that deliver a laugh in time to make personal deadlines is difficult. Even though I understand it is difficult, I cannot tolerate any sub-quality strips or any not appealing to my personal sense of humor (and most don't).
My comics are about knives, rats, and rats with knives.
Sequential story-based comics. You just only have to look at my favourites and recommends to see the kinds of things I like. I like to be entertained, I like twists and turns and I like to definitely see a story. Not that I don't find strip comics good/fun, but my preference is always a story based comic first.
A Ronin writer, a masterless samurai of the written word... Updating: Main comic: Mondays & Thursdays. Now in glorious Ink Wash and Water Soluble Pencil! Reva's note: This is not created digitally, it's all hand drawn and inked.
Sequential. I don't read many strip comics. I think there's a definite art to doing them well, and in some cases it might be harder than doing a story. But they just don't float my boat.
I don't think either is necessarily harder to make than the other, there is a skill to both of them. Some people can do strips, some can do stories. I had a go at a story once, I finished inking the first page and then asked myself, "what the fuck am I doing?" I think constructing an interesting plot is insanely difficult. For me with strips I just need two good ideas per week and everything's fine.
I have a lot of respect for anyone who can manage telling a long story over many pages.
I have a tendancy to go naturally toward sequential comics. However, I try to balance y checking some new strip comics. I know I miss a lot of good because I'm always pushed in the direction of long/dark/philosophical/action/etc story.
There are one or two humour comics I follow but I find that - if I miss one for a while - I tend to lose track of it completely. With a story-driven comic, however, I'm more likely to come back to it because I want to know what happens!
I think the webcomic format lends itself much more to strips,
I agree, but I think stories can work well on the web if they borrow enough from the strip medium. With a regular graphic novel you can have a few pages with not much interesting happening, in web format that changes. Because of this I think if a story wants to succeed online it needs to have some kind of climax every page, just something small really, but enough to keep the readers hooked.
Definitely. And really, that's not the worst guideline to follow for comic writing even if you're not publishing a page at a time.
It's easier for me to get into strips, but they have less payoff in the end. I don't have lots of free time, which makes sequential harder to get into, but in the long run I prefer them.
I grew up with comic strips, so strips are easier for me to get into. However, sequentials give more of an opportunity to expand on characters. Personally, I like strips that are sequential. I can't think of any on DD at the moment without dropping another shameless plug, but a good example from newspapers is the always classic Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, or Pogo.
The few strip webcomics I do read I usually catch up with oe a month so I can read a sizable chunk at once. I can't do that for story comics, I've just gotta know what happens next.
nah actually i read alot moresequential stories then strips. alot of times people just get to silly and dumb when it comes to strips. there are a few i really like though like Faults and Superb Villain. a few others too. but sequential peopple seem to keep themselves from becoming TOO retarded.....more often anyways.
I definitely think this site as a whole prefers story comics, but I like strips more. It really depends on what genre the comic is. Strips are more suitable for comedy, while full story pages are better for drama and action.
drunkduck.com/splash_damage
Not on hiatus, just not updating every other day right now.
I'm a story reader and creator kinda person. For most part, I can't stand random gag strips... there are exceptional few ones that I like but that's pretty much it.
So, I like sequential more because I like to read interesting stories and even though, sequential stories could have sense of humor to lighten things up. That's why I love One Piece, a lot.
They're always in an adventure but that doesn't mean there won't be any comedic moments.
I think I prefer story comics, but then in the webcomic format, it's harder to get into. It's tough to read one page at a time, when the pages don't really come to anything conclusive, meaning it's just plot-moving dialogue, or action. I'd really have to be into the story to go through that. It's like waiting once a week for a television show that's a few seconds long. If each page can incorporate some kind of humor, then I'm hooked all the more.
But yeah, I do like investing in stories and characters. Many strip (gag, at least) comics lack that, as there's rarely any development in plot or character. But if it's exceptionally funny, then that's fine.