In the last few weeks I've gone through the archives of two comics I've been wanting to start reading and put off until I had time to do so. As I was getting through the last pages, I started wondering about how other people approach archives. I'm curious to find out.

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Does a comic with a large archive turn you away or capture your interest?

Does archive length make a difference in your approach?

Do you read a comic's archives before you start following the recent pages? Or do you read the current updates for a while before tackling the archives?

Do you skim archive pages or read them fully? Do you read the author/reader commentary?

Do you leave comments in the archives? Do you leave them frequently (almost every page), at intervals (every chapter or so), or infrequently when a particular page captures your interest?

And authors, do you check your archives for comments? Do you make provisions in your current updates for people who haven't read the archives yet?

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As for me, I like a moderately-sized archive. I'm more apt to pick up a comic that has an established story than I am to pick up a "young" one (unless I know the author will stick with it, not restart, etc.). However, with a long archive I often have to delay reading until I have time to devote to the archives.

Most of the time, I like to read the archives before I start following a comic. I feel I get the best experience that way, and it's the only way to do a story justice. There are some exceptions (giving support, gag-a-days with no continuing storyline, etc.) -- Likewise, I try to never "skim." I love reading, so that would really defeat the purpose. If I can't give an archive my attention, I wait until I can. However, I almost never read author notes or comments in the archive. I'm usually too interested in getting to the next page (and don't want the fictional universe interrupted ;) ).

I usually leave comments when I read -- unless I have not decided whether I want to be a regular reader (then I prefer to stay invisible). I don't leave them frequently, especially in long archives because I want to keep the reading flow, but usually either on interesting pages or at intervals, where I'll leave a comment regarding a whole chapter. I'm more apt to leave comments on comics that don't have many comments than those with lots.

As for my own comic, when I notice someone commenting in the archives, I will look back for the comments. I do the same for a regular reader who has been away and has a tendency to comment on previous pages. I have a fair-sized archive, so I do make provisions for new readers, usually with links in my author's notes to relevant plot points.

I prefer reading large chunks at a time, so stories with big archives are the best. I check the comic, if it seems interesting then I take a dive back to the first page and read from the start. Clicking on something daily (or once a week) to get one page is... well... not exactly my thing. I read Sinfest (my fav webcomic ever) 2-3 times a year, each time doing 100+ strips.

For me this is the only flaw of webcomics, the need to check constantly on updates. I've never been good on following series on tv or buying periodics (comics/magazines/whatever) and the only reason I am able to update on time is because I pre-upload 10-20 pages beforehand :D

So yeah, I read from the beginning.

(The flaw could also be a feature, but that's for another conversation.)

I like bigger archives, because reading through and finding I have to wait weeks for the rest of the story is really unpleasant. I tried reading them in chunks like Aurora mentioned, but I'm just just too impatient. I always read from the start if it's for the first time, but if I'm catching up I'll just check through backwards, instead of trying to remember where I was.

As for commenting on archive pages, no, never. I don't even like going back to comment if I miss an update. I always try to read through the authors notes and other comments, but sometimes I just get lazy. Same for skimming, I'll go back and read the page again if I do that though.

I didn't usually check through my archives (when I actually had a comic going), because of laziness again.

Large archives don't scare me! If I'm interested in a comic, I check back the last five pages or so (being careful not to read the contents) to see what the author's notes say. If all of the most recent pages are a month apart with an author comment like, "Oh my god, I'm actually updating!" then I won't waste my time reading a large archive. I don't intend to commit to a story that the author can't commit to!

Once I get past this, I will read the entire archive before reading the current pages. I want to know all the fun stuff that's lead to the current plot point. O pore over the pages, and on particularly interesting pages or at the end/beginning of parts and chapters, I'll read the notes and commentary. I very rarely comment on archived pages these days - if one really captures me, I'll comment.

I have checked back twice for archive comments in the past (almost) year just for curiosity's sake and also to go through my own comic as a reader, looking for huge glaring mistakes (uhhh, NOT artistically - I know where all those are *cough cough all of chapter one cough cough*).

Also, for small archives or brand new comics, if I'm intrigued, I'll favorite the comic, but if there's a huge gap between pages, I'll stop following. It's a new comic, creator-person - you're supposed to start off strong!

/blahblahblah

When reading a webcomic, most any webcomic, the first page you see is usually the most recent. If the current page appears interesting I'll go back and read the archives. Basically there needs to be some sort of hook on the current page to make me want to read what lead up to that point. Single page strips have a little easier time with this because the setup plot and resolution is all on one page. If I like it of course I'll want to read more. Keeping a long form story consistantly interesting page to page is much more challenging in my opinion, but if stories can pull it off it can make me want to go back and read the archive without additional prompting. Not to say that additional prompting has never played a role. Generally if people that do comics that I like say a certain comic is good I'll usually go read it.

Does a comic with a large archive turn you away or capture your interest?

- It depends. If I'm drawn in by the art style or the current page, I'd dig through it. I don't care if its a thousand pages.


Does archive length make a difference in your approach?

Anything above 20 pages - i flip back the last 5 pages and see if there's anything to capture my interest. If there is, I'd start from the beginning.


Do you read a comic's archives before you start following the recent pages? Or do you read the current updates for a while before tackling the archives?

- I mostly check first the most recent 5 pages and the first 20 pages.


Do you skim archive pages or read them fully? Do you read the author/reader commentary?
- It all depends. If I see 5 consistent pages of constant boring dialog I'd tend to skim them. But if there's good tension or anything that gets my brain cells moving, I'd read them slowly. There are times that I get so immersed into it that I get to "hear" them speak.

As for author commentary it depends. If the author is known to write interesting rants, theres 90% chance I'd read it. But if its most of the time about day to day bullshit like its some kind of blog or something, I'd read it only sometimes.

Paragraph structure also affects my decision. Ifitsjustonebigparagraphwithamillionwordsidontwannareadit.



Do you leave comments in the archives? Do you leave them frequently (almost every page), at intervals (every chapter or so), or infrequently when a particular page captures your interest?

- I don't. If I liked a comic, I'd comment on the most current page with something like: "Hey... I liked your comic. (*insert 1 or 2 paragraph critique*)"


And authors, do you check your archives for comments? Do you make provisions in your current updates for people who haven't read the archives yet?

- I sometimes do.

Does a comic with a large archive turn you away or capture your interest?

It turns me away, but only because I don't read much comics/manga anymore (gasp!). I still haven't gone thru my hard drive collection of Tenjo Tenge, Dogs, C.A.T., Rouroni Kenshin, and Berserk...
So when I see a huge archive, I'm all "I can't..."

Do you read a comic's archives before you start following the recent pages? Or do you read the current updates for a while before tackling the archives?

I usually like to start from page 1. Unless the artist is really horrible in the beginning; then I'll just start from the later, improved pages.

Do you read the author/reader commentary?

On the latest page, yes. In massive archives, rarely if ever. Unless it's a great page and I'm wondering if the author commented on how it came about.

Do you leave comments in the archives? Do you leave them frequently (almost every page), at intervals (every chapter or so), or infrequently when a particular page captures your interest?

I stopped leaving archive comments because of DD's system of hiding comments other than the latest one. I'm writing and I get the feeling the author may never see them.

And authors, do you check your archives for comments?

When I see an archive comment, I go back a bit to see if there are more. Then I end up reading my own manga and admiring my own art... -___-

Do you make provisions in your current updates for people who haven't read the archives yet?

If you mean footnotes, then only in the Author's Comments box.

Oddly enough i only avoid large archives on drunkduck 0_o
I think it the fact that the page number and amount of them are displayed so prominently and it puts me off. On off sites i don't avoid them.
Edepth angel and crowfeathers were the exception because the beginning art was good, most of the time the large archive art is bad.

I only skim the archive pages if i think the beginning art is vomit inducing, if it doesn't improve soon i won't read it.
If the story loses my interests during it's middle or something then that's all i'll read. Flipside was a huge offender of this, i wanted to read for the lesbians bad but it was soooo damn boring. Never finished.

I don't leave comments often so no i don't leave archive comments.

I would KILL to have the last 10 comments displayed in the 'account' screen so i wouldn't have to. But when i see that a new fan has left a comment on every page i trudge back tot look at them or madly refresh the account screen so i don't have to. :D

Large archives don't bother me, but I won't start them right away. Since I mainly read story comics, I feel it would be foolish and improper of me to skip the beginning. So, since I don't have as much time as I'd like, I normally put the comic with said large archive into a list I have, and as I find myself with free time, I work my way down that list.

Comics with smaller archives I just eat all at once. :)

And I do read those archive pages in-depth, and not just skim. No point in only getting part of the experience, eh?

Will I read through the artist's comments? Some times, if I like the artist and they have interesting things to say, but if they only have a line or two of dull news (which is outdated by the time I read it), then I skip it.

And if I note comments on my own archives? Eh, it's nice, but I wouldn't bother to answer them. lol!

Really, I don't see the point in leaving comments that the author may or may not notice in a year's time. I'll save commenting for the new pages.

Does a comic with a large archive turn you away or capture your interest?

--It doesn't determine whether I read it or not, just what time I get around to reading it.

Does archive length make a difference in your approach?

--If the archive is really big, then I'll set aside time to read through it in chunks. If it's relatively small (50 pages or less), then I'll try to read through it in one go.

Do you read a comic's archives before you start following the recent pages? Or do you read the current updates for a while before tackling the archives?

--I'll backtrack around 3-5 pages to get a general feel for the comic first, then I'll head to the beginning to catch up. If it's a comic with a large archive, I won't go through the latest pages until I finish the archive.

Do you skim archive pages or read them fully? Do you read the author/reader commentary?

--I read them fully. If the commentary is relevant to the comic (notes on details, process on making the page, etc), then I'll read the comments. If it turns into a summary of the day in general or something totally not comic related, I stop reading them.

Do you leave comments in the archives? Do you leave them frequently (almost every page), at intervals (every chapter or so), or infrequently when a particular page captures your interest?

--Nope. Unless the archive is really small, I think the possibility of the author going back to read comments on the older pages is pretty miniscule.

And authors, do you check your archives for comments? Do you make provisions in your current updates for people who haven't read the archives yet?

--Aside from e-mail, I don't really have a mechanism for leaving comments for my comic. I don't have a chatbox and my comic isn't on DD (I've been reading these forums for a while though, and just recently signed up).

The better the comic, the more pages I'd like the archive to have. If it has a few pages, even if it is crappy, I might read through the archives.

I've started reading some comics backwards. From the most recent, then hitting back and reading, for a few pages. If I like it I'll probably bookmark and read the rest right away if I have time. Closest I come to skimming, is getting the feel of the comic's art by looking through four or five (at most) pages without reading them.

I occasionally leave comments on archive pages. Mainly when there aren't any comments already. Only when something catches my interest.

Does a comic with a large archive turn you away or capture your interest?
Both! Anything between, say, 100 and 200 pages, I'll try to find time to attack the archives. Anything over that and I'm more likely to try to pick up the threads from the last 20 pages or so.

Do you read a comic's archives before you start following the recent pages? Or do you read the current updates for a while before tackling the archives?
As a rule, the latter. If the current pages hold my interest, then I'm more likely to go back and see what I've missed and how the story got to where it is now.

Do you skim archive pages or read them fully? Do you read the author/reader commentary?
I read the pages fully (hey! I'm there to enjoy it!) I always read the Author's Comments on current pages but only sporadically on the archive pages.

Do you leave comments in the archives? Do you leave them frequently (almost every page), at intervals (every chapter or so), or infrequently when a particular page captures your interest?
Not any more. I used to but when I realised that DD's system doesn't tell the Creator where they are, I stopped. (What's the point if the Creator doesn't even know what you've written?) Instead, I'm more likely to leave an overview comment on the most recent page where the Creator can actually see it.

And authors, do you check your archives for comments? Do you make provisions in your current updates for people who haven't read the archives yet?
I do check my archives for comments (I caught some of yours, Vickie, thanks!) but - sadly - it isn't always possible to find them. If my stats say I have a new comment and I can see it's not on the most recent page, I'll check the two or three previous pages but, if it's not there, it just isn't practical to check every page. If I'm aware there are comments that I haven't managed to track down, I'll leave a note on the next update page, encouraging people to ask any unanswered questions again.

Of course, that's all been a bit screwy this last week because of the server change. I have no idea what comments and answers may or may not have been lost last weekend!

Does a comic with a large archive turn you away or capture your interest?
Usually captures my interest, I like having lots to read. It's good. Only time it turns me away is if the story doesn't interest me.

Does archive length make a difference in your approach?
I'd say so, because if you don't have a decent archive length, then the readers won't be able to get the gist of the story. And they won't really know if they want to stay or not.

Do you read a comic's archives before you start following the recent pages? Or do you read the current updates for a while before tackling the archives?
Always, I don't like risking spoiling the story. Unless it's something like VGCats or Penny Arcade. Then I don't really care.

Do you skim archive pages or read them fully? Do you read the author/reader commentary?
I usually read/skim. I want to be able to understand it, but go at a comfortable pace. Only sometimes do I read the commentary, like, if it's a page that interests me. Sometimes after I finish reading through the archive, I like to go back and see what they said.

Do you leave comments in the archives? Do you leave them frequently (almost every page), at intervals (every chapter or so), or infrequently when a particular page captures your interest?
I don't usually comment in the archives, I leave them in the most current page at that time.

And authors, do you check your archives for comments? Do you make provisions in your current updates for people who haven't read the archives yet?
Well, when I DID have Ryu's Krew up and running, I did definitely search my archives for comments. I think along with checking my stats, checking for new comments was a daily thing as well.

I love big archives, with other 1000 pages. I just feel like I'm getting a better deal than one with only 20 pages. I haven't gone near Geist Panik yet because it's only new, but instead I went through the PVP archives because that's been going for over 10 years, updating a lot.

On DD, however, I know barely any places have that many pages, so I tend to go for the ones with at least 200 pages. But over 500 pages? I'm all over it, unless I can't get into it after 20 pages. Then I'm out. But I will read each page fully.

As for starting at the beginning, I tried that with Charby the Vampirate before the crash of 05 and didn't always have a good idea of what was going on. Then, I went through the archive and everything was clear to me.

And no, I barely ever leave comments in the archives. I'm usually too busy reading the pages to do that. Also, I only look at comments when the alerter tells me I've got some.

Man I hope people like huge archives cause my comics are getting to that point.

I've seen comics where I liked the archives and not liked them. Some of the immensely popular comics like the Phoenix Requiem and Roza I didn't start reading until there was a large archive.

I think it helps to have more as long as the content is good. Nothing ticks me off more than an archive filled with filler art.

I've also read through short archives, but you know I rarely come back to those sites. The thing is with stories, it has to build to a point...the hook that takes in the reader. Usually the first chapters don't do that for me.

I'm not really much of a gag comic reader...I jump around the archive, get a few laughs, and move on not coming back.

usedbooks
Does a comic with a large archive turn you away or capture your interest?

Well ... it's kinda complicated. I'm on dial-up (no other options here, unless you're rich enough for satellite) and even a 30-50 page archive can take me two days to work through. So, much as I like the idea of large archives, in practice, I avoid them unless the comic is really outstanding.

Someone
Does archive length make a difference in your approach?

No. It's "click next, go draw a page, come back and hope it's loaded" no matter the length. The bookmark thing is really useful.

Someone
Do you read a comic's archives before you start following the recent pages? Or do you read the current updates for a while before tackling the archives?

Even with my lousy connection I go back to the beginning. If it doesn't have a good story, I'm not going to want to read it, and a good story deserves to be read from the start.

Someone
Do you skim archive pages or read them fully? Do you read the author/reader commentary?

Read. And read the commentary. (Actually, interesting comments from the author are one thing I look for in a comic.) I'll skim the reader comments once in a while, but unless the author is posting down there too or there's at least one consistent commenter with interesting things to say, I don't bother with most of them. (This may be one area dial-up is actually a benefit, makes me slow down and read what the author is saying.)

Someone
Do you leave comments in the archives? Do you leave them frequently (almost every page), at intervals (every chapter or so), or infrequently when a particular page captures your interest?

Occasionally, when there's something particularly interesting I'll leave a comment. I'm less likely to leave a comment on a current page, in part because I think the artist is more likely to see it there. (I'm a bit of a coward like that sometimes.)

I have mixed feelings on big archives. 100-200 pages is usually fine and even desirable. Having more than 300 pages, it better be riveting (and I have found some like that)! Otherwise, I may just jump through various parts of the archive, looking to see what catches my attention. Usually I have to be really into a webcomic to do the hours at a time reading gig...but I do on occasion. I'll read `em like I read my Star Trek paperbacks, 100 pages at a time.

I do leave comments on archives, all the time.

And yes, I do go back through the archives of both Due East and Off Hours, usually for review of where we've been and where we're going, and I read the new comments.

If something on a new page relates to something in the past that happened on a page, then I'll post a link to that page in the author blurb of the new page. So I guess that is a provision. :)

Does a comic with a large archive turn you away or capture your interest?
Depends on the impression it gives me in the first few pages, I don't pay attention to archive size honestly. I don't have much time to dedicate to reading a large archive in one sitting anymore (I used to do this at college during a horrible 4 hour break between classes)but if it gets me in a procrastinating mood, I will do it! I'll usually just fave it and read in small chunks.


Does archive length make a difference in your approach?
Hmm, not really, I tend to read them both the same way. If it catches my interest either way I'll put it in the faves. as a rule of thumb however, I tend to fave things that have gone over 10 pages because they may be more dedicated at this point. I have too many faves in the 2 pages range that never updated again, and it makes me sad. So very sad.

Do you read a comic's archives before you start following the recent pages? Or do you read the current updates for a while before tackling the archives?
I read backwards a bit, then go to the archives. I don't feel it gives a fair scope of the writing and pacing to disregard the archives. I also really love to watch characters evolve. And I love it when the art is different at the start! Watching someone grow as an artist is very inspiring for me.

Do you skim archive pages or read them fully? Do you read the author/reader commentary?
Fully, there's no way around it for me. I'll only skim if it's not catching my attention and riveting me, I'll try and find a page that "jumps" for me. If a page pops up that impresses me, I'll give it another chance and start over at the beginning. I may skim also if the author was being a jerk tool-bag on the forum or something, just to get an idea of what's going on in their head. I don't want to reward that sort of behavior though so it's extreeeemely rare that I do.
I love reading author commentary, I feel gypped when the author is totally silent!
I like to hear what the author has to say about their work and getting to know the minds behind the masterpieces is part of the fun for me. Those who stay mute just seem so...faceless to me.

Do you leave comments in the archives? Do you leave them frequently (almost every page), at intervals (every chapter or so), or infrequently when a particular page captures your interest?
Yes, if I have decided to come out of lurk-mode (I have social anxiety that is why this response is already too long!) I will comment on pages, frequently or at intervals especially if they have done something that tickled me brains nicely. If I am super impressed by something and want to see it do well (like Purgatory Tower) I comment on every page that I read, even if it has a massive archive. I'm slowly working on Culture Shock's archives, when I get the time to get back to that! Sometimes though I'll read an entire archive, then go back a second round to actually comment on the pages. I have so many comics I need to get caught up on again, I've got 19 favorites with archives in the upper hundred to 500 range of pages.

And authors, do you check your archives for comments? Do you make provisions in your current updates for people who haven't read the archives yet?
Yes, and quite often! I tend to check by story-arc every other day when I can. Their input and reactions to old arcs bring a wealth of information to me on what to do with the story and where to take things. I've got this stuff planned out mind you, but if someone gets close to things I feel the need to play with their minds a bit. Plus people have some really good questions in the archives, and I am always compelled to answer them, if I can. Believe it or not, my relationship with the people reading my comic is EXTREMELY important to me, and I feel that they need to know that what they say means a lot to me. If people took the time to comment on my archives, darn right I'll make the effort to see what they had to say!
As for provisions on current archives, I tend to leave them to read the archives if they want to know stuff, no freebies! Okay, every once in a while I'll let them in on something that happened that they won't understand unless they go through 300 or so badly drawn comic pages, or I'll drop a reminder for people who have forgotten things that far back in the archive. It's surprising how some of my readers can remember the smallest event in the past, and at the same time can forget something that happened like 2 pages ago! But like Aussie Kid said, reading the archives even if they are painful at times gives you a better idea of what's going on. If I'm reading something that is gonna have a complex, clue-ridden story (like Manifestations for example) I'll feel like a total moron when I don't understand what's going on, because I'm only reading the current pages. Reading only current pages in a big archive is kinda like going into a movie halfway through and then asking the people next to you what happened in the first half. Unless they're gag comics done in the Gary Larson tradition, I don't need to know the back story of a buzzard character to know why it's funny that he's boarding a plane with his "carrion bag". At any rate, I think it does a great disservice to an author to read only the "new" stuff and constantly ask questions that are covered more than once in the archives.