Is there any kind of general rule for how many pages people will read before they get a dose of @$$ kicking exploding action? I mean, if you update once a week and you need to spend a few pages actualy telling story that doesn't involve spandex characters punching one another how many readers can you plan on loosing?

I think I have an idea on how I can insert plenty of action pages but I'm just wondering what any of you might think on the subject.

i think that there always has to have some kind of revelation in each page

I don't have a general rule regarding action-vs-story, although I do try to have my heroine appear in-costume for at least 2/3 of all page. Whether these pages are action-oriented or not is another story, as there's still a lot of talking, but most of them are pretty action-packed.

It's a tough balance, because story is very important, and yet there are times when story has to take a back seat to fisticuffs and faceslams. It's finding that balance that's most tricky.

I think this is one of those situations where th pacing of web-comics becomes a problem. If you are writing a story that is mainly action then whenever you spend time in drama a few pages can feel like an eternity depending on your update schedule. However, if your story is good then the action if the icing on the cake (even in a superhero story) not the main thing. Sometimes people want some time away from the action so they can truly absorb the story before going back into the fray.

Its best to test the waters with something like that. Ask the readers directly and improve as you go.

I just opened the first comic book I could reach on my desk. It's an issue of Ultimate Marvel Fantastic Four written by MARK MILLAR. I just counted the action to story pages. It opened with 2 pages of action, then had 2 pages of story, 2 pages of action, then about 15 pages of story/VERY mild action, then ended with 1 page of action. No real ball bustin' happened other than 3 of the first 5 pages... and that's it.

I don't know if that's helpful, but I wanted to give you a RANDOM sample... not just one I thought was good.

Don't forget that action SHOULD advance the story too. Senseless action is fun, but not necessarily the best reason for putting a fight scene in.

subcultured
i think that there always has to have some kind of revelation in each page

Sub, as always, is right on.

I remember some seasoned vet in the industry (I think it was Stan Lee) saying there should be a 'cliffhanger' on EVERY page. Something happening that demands the reader turn to the next page so that the reader has no choice but to read it all the way to the end. This doesn't need to be big action though. Dialogue can do this by breaking it up onto 2 pages: Star Wars Page 1 - Luke, I didn't kill your father. Page 2 - I'M your father.

The point isn't action to story ratio being the key; the key is EACH page has a reward for the reader and also promises a reward on the next page. With that being your guide, you can have 15 pages of story and no ball-bustin' if you want.

It is difficult to find the right pacing for that type of thing. I try not to worry about it, just let it flow the way it flows.

It really depends, for me.

If there's a lot of "story" pages in a row - is the story interesting or are the characters just droning on and on about something that's more likely to put me to sleep than keep me reading? Are the story pages pushing the plot forward or are the characters going off on an unnecessary tangent?

If there's a lot of "action" pages in a row - are they necessary? Action is good, but not (for me! your mileage may vary!) if it's a single fight that's being dragged on and on for an entire issue.

Sometimes it's necessary to have a lot of story in a row, and sometimes it's necessary to have a lot of action in a row. =/ It really depends on the situation and what works best for the comic.

So uh, I guess my entirely unhelpful answer can be summed up by saying - as long as it's pushing the comic forward in some way, just do whatever's necessary.

Coincidently, I just got done writing a script for an upcoming issue on a comic I'm working on. Here's the breakdown action and story for that issue.

* It's written for both print and web.
* Most 'action' pages have dialogue and story development too.
* Some 'story' pages have some action in it.
* Some pages were a hybrid so I had to guess which it did more: action or story.

This probably isn't useful, but whatever. It is what it is.

10 Action Pages
14 Story Pages

Action
Action
Story
Story
Story
Action
Story
Story
Story
Action
Action
Action
Action
Story
Story
Story
Action
Action
Action
Story
Story
Story
Story
Story

If you want me to go more in depth about what each block of story or action is accomplishing for me, feel free to ask.

Apprently my mind, when I'm writing, won't let me go more than about 3 pages of just story without putting in some suspense/action. So if that's what I do subconciously when I write, it's probably what I expect subconciously when I read.

reconjsh
The point isn't action to story ratio being the key; the key is EACH page has a reward for the reader and also promises a reward on the next page. With that being your guide, you can have 15 pages of story and no ball-bustin' if you want.

That's sooooooo true!

I'd say it's one of the main things which for me makes writing a webcomic so different from writing a comic to print. When I write pages, I write them with the knowledge that these pages will go up one at a time, and between pages there will be a gap. Therefore, each page must be good in it's own right, and I try to keep pages self-contained where possible, which is why despite my comic technically being an ongoing story, many pages have self-contained jokes and punchlines. So I have to write a comic which not only can be read as a continuous story if you start from the start and read all the pages, but which can also be enjoyed from a 'one page at a time' perspective too.
This makes action hard. I try to kee action scenes self-contained and with punchlines where appropriate. To me, though, what I'd call a 'perfect' page is one which has a bit of action, reveals something and then has a comic punchline in there too. I try not to get bogged down by thinking in terms of 'this will be an action page', since I may want exposition, dialogue and humour on the same page.

I figured out Stan's "page cliffhanger" rule on my own. Basically, I realized that due to physical reality, each page is a distinct modular unit in comics storytelling, like a mini scene or mini act or a paragraph. The reader takes the time out and the extra effort to turn a page or click a button - their attention is disrupted and storytime ceases for a second. Therefore it is important to set a visible point to punctuate the end of each mini scene.

However, it doesn't have to be a bat-channel cliffhanger every time. Merely the completion of an idea or an interaction, and the expectation of a follow-up result or interaction on the next page.

This constraint doesn't exist as much with action pages, however. Action pages has higher-priority demands on page layout, and you may not have the luxury of punctuating an idea or action at the end of every page.

I personally don't think it's possible to have

Someone
Action
Action
Story
Story
Story
Action
Story
Story
Story
Action
Action
Action
Action
Story
Story
Story
Action
Action

with a good story. How can you flip from 1 to the other so frequently and tell a deep sensible story? Unless, by action you don't mean fisticuffs. Maybe an snippy exchange between 2 vixens, or a car splashing puddle water on the character is enough to constitute action.

Also, simple story development can be dynamic. Comics has progressed far beyond the newspaper strip format of static talking heads panel after panel. Even with a simple conversation, the camera pans and zooms on different things or angles to convey the best mood or subtleties. This makes just talking a dynamic exercise.

Someone
with a good story. How can you flip from 1 to the other so frequently and tell a deep sensible story? Unless, by action you don't mean fisticuffs.

'RECONJSH'
* It's written for both print and web.
* Most 'action' pages have dialogue and story development too.
* Some 'story' pages have some action in it.
* Some pages were a hybrid so I had to guess which it did more: action or story.

Yeah, this is an intense issue. And like I said, MOST of the action pages have story development. I had a hard time saying whether it was "action" or "story". So I kinda thought that any page that had some sort of violence or intensity was an action page. The truth is, however, that there's only like 5 of 24 pages that are JUST "fisticuffs".

Two pages I labeled "action", for example, is where one the the protagonists betrays the others in a confined space... and just before he can do so, one of the others figures it out and knocks the gun out of his hands and so they exchange words and also fight at the same time since proximity doesn't allow for a simple "hey that's messed up" withouth also trying to keep the gun from being picked back up. This is a MAJOR revelation for the rest of the group (which remain our protagonists) as one of their friends starts their journey as an antagonist at this point.

But since there was fighting, I labeled it a "action page". Anyways, yeah, there's more than just 14 pages that continue the story. Action, in my writing, is almost always there to serve the story.