This is in regards to all forms of comic
Monthly, Graphic Novel or Web Comic

When all is said and done there are 3 basic aspects to a comic....am I correct????...

And in no particular order they are.

1. Art... From the most intricately detailed to the simple laws of simplicity ...It comes down to one thing....A matter of one's tastes...

2. Lettering...Subliminally a huge factor whether one notices it or not?

3. The Story...The thing that keeps us turning the page or buying issues etc...

What say you Drunk Duck???
In what order do you find your pleasures???
In comics that is???

Byron
The Devilfish Project
Sengoku

The art brings me in, the story keeps me reading, the lettering is almost un-important as long as I can read it.

Story, art, lettering.

The art can be pretty bad (same with the lettering, except if it's completely illegible), but so long as the story--or, if it's a gag-a-day kind of strip/comic, the continuity of the jokes--is interesting and thought out, I'm theirs.

If the story, i.e. the "meat", is bad, I'll most likely never come back =/

the art and story come into a tie for me. The lettering I don't really pay attention to. If the art or story, one or the other, has flaws in it I can still read something, but not if it is terrible.
I also sometimes keep reading if the artist is really nice or cracks me up. Maybe I'm not supposed to, but I DO think the creator is a big part of a comic.

As much as I hate to admit it, arts normally a critical factor on whether I read a comic or not, though the story is what determines whether I keep reading

Writing is what I'm all about. If a book says Garth Ennis, Alan Moore, Robert Kirkman, Brian K. Vaughn, or Warren Ellis, I'd go for it over something by someone whose name I don't recognize. Even the more mainstream guys like Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Miller can write a decent story every one in a while. Anytime they throw Clairmont on the x-men or Peter David on the hulk, I like that.

I'm not as big on the art, but if I know see Frank Miller, Mike Mignolia, Todd Mcfarlene, Jack Kirby, or Mike Allerds name on something, I'm more inclined to check it out.

But really, I'm into story or if its a character (marvel stuff) that I like, or its been mentioned that its a big story in the characters history or a "graphic novel" getting a lot of praise in reviews, I'll see whats going on.

The story is definitely the most important factor for me. That and the characters which I consider to be intertwined.

Art is second. The art may be the thing that persuades me to buy (or not buy) in the first place, but it's pretty irrelevant to how much I enjoy the comic (and, therefore, to whether I would buy again).

Lettering is third. Since I started lettering my own comics, I've become much more aware of how much bad lettering can spoil the enjoyment of a comic, but I've yet to find one where good lettering actually increases it.

If I see a comic at its early stages (less than 20 pages) and the art is good, it draws me in. However, more points go to COLORING. If art is maybe 5/10 for me... but its colored, yeah that gets my attention. If its black and white, art must be at least 8/10 to draw me in.

If a comic is more than 20 pages... story can compensate for poor or mediocre art. Cuz I've seen a few comics in here that are 50 pages at least but with mediocre art. Then when I read through, first 10-20 pages bore me... but plot picks up maybe somewhere in the 50th to 100th page.

It turns me off sometimes to see a comic full of too many speech baloons in one page. Ideally, it should be 1 paragraph of script in a page (at least thats what I do)... unless there's a dramatic scene or two characters beating the shit out of each other.

Well... thats my take on it.

Art, writing, lettering. I love certain writers, but a crappy artist on one of their books will often keep me from picking it up.

Later,
Chip

Art -> Writing ----> Lettering

Art and writing are nearly tied. The art doesn't have to be perfect, but if I open up a comic and I see a page full of art that I just can't stand, or I can't tell what's going on from panel to panel, I probably won't read the comic. A good script cannot save really bad art, since comics are a medium that combines both writing and visuals. They need to work together to create a cohesive whole. If one is dragging, then the comic suffers, to me. (The same works in reverse. Good art can't carry a bad script, and a good script can't carry bad art.)

Lettering has to be really bad for it to have a negative impact on me, though, I'll be honest. I don't like it when words are dangling out of speech bubbles, or speech bubbles are, like.. floating on top of character's faces or whatever, but I don't think I've ever stopped reading a comic based on bad lettering.

Okay, just to mix this up I will say that I have been known to buy comics just because they're lettered by Todd Klein, even if everything else about the book is sub-par. But I'm a font nerd, and he always impresses with all the crazy dialogue fonts he comes up with.

Otherwise yeah, I buy books for the art. Of course anything by Alan Moore is the exception -- but he usually has good artists anyway. I'll READ most anything by a writer I like, but I won't necessarily feel the need to buy it.

And of course if it has Batman on the cover, all the other elements will have to be pretty bad for me not to buy it.

Um, if I buy books it is usually for the story/characters.
The comics I have bought in my life are few but you will see what I mean
These are the story/character comics
TMNTurtles
Ren & Stimpy
Street Fighter
Darkstalkers
MegaMan
Azumanga Daioh

Comics I have bought for just the art are Gen 13 #s 1-7
And an issue of Dark Age Spawn

I recently bought a copy of "Unchained" because I like the art/story & to support the webcomic artist.

So, in terms of webcomics...
Actual story comics
ART will get me to thumb through their comic, WRITING will keep me there.
Regards to comedy comics the writing is really all that is needed.

Lettering? As long as I can read the comic =P

Writing >>>>>>> Art >> Lettering

Whether a story or a funny strip, the writing is the only thing that really affects my choices. I can appreciate a good piece of art, but I read comics for the stories/jokes. If I see a really pretty comic in the store, I'll flip through it, admire the art, and put it back.

The other factors can turn me off to a comic by being bad, but they won't get me to read/buy through a difference of good/great/excellent. In the artwork, if I can't tell what's going on (or it takes time to interpret), I can't distinguish characters, or I don't see/feel the emotions of the characters, then I can't get into it. As long as the lettering is legible and doesn't cause me eye strain, it's fine.

Story definitely keeps me reading, and art is nice - but if the story is compelling enough, then art is not so important for me.

Letting is important to a story, but not so important to me that if you use "comic sans" or something, I'll just stop reading it. Fonts aren't that important to me.

Although, I'll occasionally read a comic with a crappy story if the artwork is jaw-dropping enough....

Lettering>Art>Writing

Nothing attracts me more than a good font.

Art first and foremost for me!
-It doesn't have to be "amazing" it just has to catch my eye enough for some reason.

Then theme.
-I'm going to be less interested in a love story than I am in adventure story, and two guys playing video games and making jokes isn't as interesting to me as some other comedy setups...

Then story.
-In a story comic it has to keep me interested... But not always just "story". Maybe the character interactions are just interesting by themselves...?

And lettering isn't something I bother about unless I can't read it, but even then I'll persevere.

Art is like the first impression and story is the character/personality in a comic. I may be attracted by the art but it has to have story or good jokes to keep me. Lettering I do not mind unless I cannot read it. However I'm a professor so there are few letterings/handwritings I cannot read. ;)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's frustrating me how some of you put off lettering as just FONT. Lettering isn't just typing words on a screen or picking the font, it's actual ART. WORD ART. Lettering defines the story just as much as the actual pictures but even moreso because a good letterer can emulate a character's personality more efficiently not just through his body language or what he says, but the WAY he says it. Let's look at Cerebus for an example:



Notice the subtle change in word balloons which clearly indicates the character who's speaking even if that character isn't shown on the panel. Notice the bold on the word "first" and the squiggily underline which not only puts emphasis on the word, but also denotes a hint of malice or a sneer.

Now imagine if that was just written in "lol comic sans" with no bold, italicizing, or underlines. It would be boring. There'd be no fun in actually reading it. Another great lettering master is Wil Eisner:



While this image doesn't show any fancy word art techniques, the placement of the word balloons themselves is perfect. Your eyes are instantly drawn to sharply contrast (against the white background) text on the top of the page. From there, you read the first word balloon with the woman speaking, follow the details of the picture to Mr. Hersh, a slumped over figure who's down on his luck, and lastly you read his reply which is an empty denial against the woman and himself. If this order was reversed, this shot would instantly lose it's appeal and meaning.

Uh... well, I went on a bit of a rant there but please don't put off good lettering as just TEXT because any real comic book artist worth his salt knows that the key to telling a story is direction and unless you have a completely wordless comic, your direction will be instantly screwed if you're a terrible letterer. Think of these as arrows and flavor enhancers; while the pictures may be pretty, the letterer guides your eyes from panel to panel and enhances the art and characters through clever symbols and emphasis on certain words.

True, angry_black_guy, it's an important technique to master, but as far as personal impressions go it's not always going to make or break a comic for people. I mean, I don't think any of us are saying that letting isn't a important part of comic art, but I thought the spirit of this thread was about what we like most in the comics we read:

In what order do you find your pleasures???

If I'm wrong in that idea, please correct me :)

You're right, I just got in my little "preachy" mood after quickly skimming each reply so I just had to put my 2 cents in. Honestly, the art is always what attracts me in... usually anything that's black and white with lots of hatching and feathering will get me reading instantly. I just find lettering to be the backbone of a good story rather than what actually happens in the plot.

uh...

art > lettering > story

there we go.

I didn't know you meant, like, word balloon placement and such. By lettering I merely think about the fonts written or typed.

Maybe that is something that some comics seem to lack, inadvertently turning me away without me realizing it.

A comic that does not place balloons in an order that promotes the reader's eyes to move across the images as intended can lose umph in the story. Same with having all words written out the same and etc.

I try to place balloons in places that aid in the flow and add personality to the balloons that I feel need that extra zing to display the emotion or situation correctly.

I've seen some really crappy word bubble placement and some text thats been unreadable because of shitty font selections before...

Darkmax
This is in regards to all forms of comic
Monthly, Graphic Novel or Web Comic

When all is said and done there are 3 basic aspects to a comic....am I correct????...

And in no particular order they are.

1. Art... From the most intricately detailed to the simple laws of simplicity ...It comes down to one thing....A matter of one's tastes...

2. Lettering...Subliminally a huge factor whether one notices it or not?

3. The Story...The thing that keeps us turning the page or buying issues etc...

What say you Drunk Duck???
In what order do you find your pleasures???
In comics that is???

Byron
The Devilfish Project
Sengoku

It's hard for me to separate lettering from the art, since really great lettering is definitely a huge part of the book's art.

For example, in my comic, you can tell that I still need a lot of work as an all-around artist, BECAUSE I'm still very basic with my lettering.

I'm more likely to notice a comic if it has good art, but if the writing isn't up-to-scratch I'm more than likely to stop reading after a handful of pages. I'll read comics with good writing if the art isn't great, so long as there's some kind of effort put in (The writing would have to be AMAZING to get me to read stick figures or badly edited ripped sprites).
Good lettering is a bonus, but generally I'm happy if it's legible. If it's causing me eyestrain though, I'm unlikely to put up with it, even if it's good in other respects.

One extra factor that brings me pleasure with comics is having a creator who really tries hard and learns, improves and grows as a comicker as they go along. I read a few comics that aren't popular that I feel are saplings still sprouting up. I started out with barely any readers myself, so I know how it feels, and I try to encourage these people if I can.

2nd. Art

Lately I've been really into linework. Not trace like some people think. If the inking's done really smoothly with cool black and white contrast, I just love it. And I'm talking about professional manga and some American comics like Sin City. I like expressions and unique styles too.

3rd. Lettering
Clear to the point and (unless to the character's personality) have it sound like a person speaking. Also it's nice to read dialogue individualized to each character's personality.

1st. The Story
You know...to quote USA cable channel: "Characters make us #1". I really like interesting characters, combined with good expressions and you can tell em apart(art) and dialogue that in individualized to each character's personality(Lettering).

WHOA!!!!

We got some great feed back people and it looks like we just about have a tie between Art & Story

Lettering
Now I've always gone 1. Story 2. Art 3. Lettering Now Letterers (people who do it for a living) don't get mad. It's just that you never hear
"Hey man you have to check out this comic the Art sux and the Story sux but the Lettering is just out of this world"
Sorry just doesn't happen. Now I have just acquired a great appreciation of lettering because I've just started lettering or shall I say trying to letter and WOW Trying make look like a pro book with no real guidance is extremely hard. And now I truly look at lettering in a different way when I read my comics. And this was main reason I posted this thread.

I understand what the majority of people are saying As long as it's legible it's fine And the truth is if my favorite book in the world Walking Dead by Kirkman began using MS paint and Comic sans font to letter it... I'm not dropping it. There are some fantastic books at DDuck that use just that format. The great thing about DD is a comic that has hand drawn lettering (with like a #2 pencil I mean) can have more fans than a comic with pro style lettering.

Story
I'm a just wanna be comic writer(when someone actually pays me I'll be a comic book writer...I don't pretend:) So I like other writers, tend to lean more toward the story. Plain and simple I'm more apt to read a comic with what I feel is...OK art but has a great story/writing...So in my best Forest Gump voice "That's all I have to say about that."

Art
Since my artistic skills are at there best when there is glue construction paper and sparkles involved. Just about all art is amazing to me. To all you artists I just don't know how you do it? But I'm sorry I can't understand reading a horrible story or a story that is just not for you because you love the art why even read it just stare at the art???? That'ts like me paying 12.95 for Sleepless in Seattle the Graphic Novel because Alex Ross did the art??? To me that's just insane!!!

Ok enough of my pointless ranting thanks for all the feed back people
Byron
The Devilfish Project
http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Devilfish_Project/index.php?p=114867

Darkmax
That'ts like me paying 12.95 for Sleepless in Seattle the Graphic Novel because Alex Ross did the art???

A lotta people would... Personally I can't see the attraction, he seems to be the king of the moob. Good with contrast though. I must admit!

marine
I've seen some really crappy word bubble placement and some text thats been unreadable because of shitty font selections before...

I have been told earlier on the same on my comic...its a real struggle and can deter someone from reading your comic, even if the art and story is good.

IMO, all of it, the art, story, and lettering have equal bearing for me.

I can appreciate each aspaect individually but the comic which attracts me has to have all of it.

The most important aspect for me is the Story and Characters then, you need the scenery where this story and characters will represented... the lettering comes later.

- Plot, Characers
- Art, scenert
- lettering.

If art comes first, it's like a stage. You've got a pretty scenert but this is a comic or a play, you just can't depend on the scene to make it interesting... that's why we get the characters to tell the story.

I don't really care about the art. It's really about the joke, or story.
But there are SOME comics where the art is just taking the P. I mean, I've seen stickman and cube. It's constant copy and paste...