Okay, see, I've been reading web comics for about 9 years now, and I believe I've got the hang of what makes a good one. BUT, and this is the fault of many people, my judgment is clouded by what I think makes a good comic.

So here, I want everyone to rant out what they want (or DON'T want) in a comic. This is going to a good cause. Like Goodwill. Or Cancer...

Wait...

Cheers!
-Kane

What really ruins webcomics for me... is the people who like to rant endlessly about what they like and why... we're all different... who gives a fuck. It's just like Marmite and Vegemite baby!!!

1. Prob'ly oughta have posted this in comics discussion.

2. Been about a million threads t' this effect; but not like I don't love to complain. ;)

Ryan_Scott
It's just like Marmite and Vegemite baby!!!

Except that Vegemite is better.

See here on the Vegemite forums [howdoyoulikeyourvegemite.com.au]. :)
Proof.

Anyway, KandyKane is new here, new forums take a while to get used to for people. I know it's hard, but best to go soft one em'. :)

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OK, art that fits perfectly with the story/gag makes a great comic. a comic is a pure gestalt entity of the two. The art can be colour, be done any way what so ever that you can imagine, and the story or gag can be about anything and go on any direction you can think about, but unless they compliment each other, the comic won't work to best effect.

It's a gestalt. A mix of both art and script that I can't put my finger on. If I could I'd turn out a comic just like it that would attract readers who would idolize the very ground I walk on and I'd bask in their praise.

But I can't put my finger on it. It's just this blend that works. Like great coffee or a great sandwich.

Characters you care about and a plot that comes together in the end. Everything else is just extra. :)

it has to not suck.

Here's one for me: I want a comic writer to know how much text to put into a page. There are so many webcomics I just never bothered with because the text drones on and on. That's not to say that a comic can't have a lot of text. Subnormality is one of my favorite webcomics, and there are updates that are essentially walls of text with pictures scattered here and there. The thing is, though, that the comic is written with that as the intent: the author knows that there's a LOT of text, but writes the text so that it's interesting and fun to read.

I guess the big thing is that a lot of cartoonists use text as basically a chance to make something happen without actually showing it. A good example I can think of is an independant comic I saw not too long ago where two characters are talking, and one of them complains at length about how the other character starts the day by singing loudly, which the complainer finds annoying. However, we're not given any evidence that the complainee has ever done anything like that, so it comes off as just trying to add a character trait without actually having to do anything to convey that fact.

Word balloon placement is also a pet peeve of mine. Basically all I can say is that if you feel the need to use arrows to guide the eye, numbers to order the balloons, or different colors to differentiate which character is talking, then you're not doing a very good job. And after using them myself, I really don't like the look of "fancy" word balloons (such as the type that are partially transparent, or have a cast shadow). The exception, of course, is if you're trying to convey that a character has a substantially different voice than normal, such as giving demons or monsters black or scratchy text.

I second everything Inkmonkey says as I've suffered through so much of that. But there are still those comics that have their problems but transcend them for one reason or another or show great promise. That gestalt.

Still can't put my finger on it. The bits and pieces all suck when viewed seperately but when put together they become magical?

"Show, not tell" is the rule. I think you shouldn't write ANYTHING out that can be conveyed as well through pictures. It's possible to tell a story or parts of a story without any word balloons at all. I love that about comics.