I want to go back to doing Wakon Yosai but when I look at it... I'm happy with the over all product but I've grown alot as an artist and writer since I started almost 3 years ago. What do you guys think about starting over at the begining and redoing a comic?

I guess it depends.

I couldn't do it. I have grown a bit too, so much that my eyes bleed to look at old stuff, but I have way too much story to tell. I started so I could create new plotlines and stuff, and redrawing/rewriting holds no appeal for me. Granted, the old stuff prevents me from getting new readers and turns people off, but I consider it a testament to my progress. That eye-bleeding ugliness is a monument to self-improvement! And I can spend my time and energy continuing my story. Plus, I'm lazy, and the volume of work that needs fixed is practically unapproachable. (Heck, stuff I drew a month ago and thought was great now falls into the "it needs fixed" category. :P )

However, if you want to be published, or have a more appealing and consistent body of work, get new readers (people are more likely to jump on board near the beginning, and also not having "rough" archives will help reduce those you turn away), and/or correct or improve upon the plot already written, go for it!

Oh, also, make sure you are happy enough with your current level that you won't continue feeling a need to redraw everything over and over. You can fall into a cycle and never get anywhere.

Warpedwenger
I want to go back to doing Wakon Yosai but when I look at it... I'm happy with the over all product but I've grown alot as an artist and writer since I started almost 3 years ago. What do you guys think about starting over at the begining and redoing a comic?

I can tell you from experience that unless you've gotten something completely different in mind, it is a terrible idea. If you don't like the first few pages, you can go back and re-do them if you want. But I'd like to think that with webcomics, you should just re-draw them. Taking the time to completely re-do something that your most likely several pages into, is not only a hassle, but especially for me anyway, it drains you.

You keep on drawing the same thing, over and over, not sure of when your going to be able to advance and if you're going to just have to redo it.

That's why it took so long for me just to even get the momentum to draw the first few pages. It's ridiculous.

So don't re-do unless you absolutely have to.

Thanks Usedbooks your opinion is very relevent to me as I have alot of respect for you. It makes sense what your saying about bringing in the new readers and everything but would it make my long time fans angry to have to start over? I want new readers, everybody does, but I don't want to alienate the old ones.

Ryuthehedgewolf
I can tell you from experience that unless you've gotten something completely different in mind, it is a terrible idea. If you don't like the first few pages, you can go back and re-do them if you want. But I'd like to think that with webcomics, you should just re-draw them. Taking the time to completely re-do something that your most likely several pages into, is not only a hassle, but especially for me anyway, it drains you.

My comic is over 300 pages at the moment I've been doin it for 3 years. Redrawing would take just as long there are alot of problems in the writing I would like to fix not just the art.

Warpedwenger
Thanks Usedbooks your opinion is very relevent to me as I have alot of respect for you. It makes sense what your saying about bringing in the new readers and everything but would it make my long time fans angry to have to start over? I want new readers, everybody does, but I don't want to alienate the old ones.

Heh. I never toyed with the idea long enough to consider that angle. I imagine in my own experience that my readers would be as frustrated as I would about the plot not advancing. (I am my own biggest fan. In fact, I think I see my stories more like a reader than a writer/artist.)

However, if you are making significant changes, the readers might get a kick out of it. I think if you consider doing it, you should save the old pages somewhere. Then a "relaunch" can seem like an alternate canon if you are changing the writing or the direction of the story.

It's a tough call. Sometimes in my own comic, I will approach a new story arc or chapter as if it was a new season and almost reintroduce characters (not in an obvious way, of course, just highlight their key characters through the plot/dialogue), so new readers have a "jumping in" point. Each time I do that, it breathes new life into the comic, and it also quells any desires I might have to "start over." I don't like to turn back.

Warpedwenger
Thanks Usedbooks your opinion is very relevent to me as I have alot of respect for you. It makes sense what your saying about bringing in the new readers and everything but would it make my long time fans angry to have to start over? I want new readers, everybody does, but I don't want to alienate the old ones.

Ryuthehedgewolf
I can tell you from experience that unless you've gotten something completely different in mind, it is a terrible idea. If you don't like the first few pages, you can go back and re-do them if you want. But I'd like to think that with webcomics, you should just re-draw them. Taking the time to completely re-do something that your most likely several pages into, is not only a hassle, but especially for me anyway, it drains you.

My comic is over 300 pages at the moment I've been doin it for 3 years. Redrawing would take just as long there are alot of problems in the writing I would like to fix not just the art.

I bet your writing isn't as confused as Megatokyo was in the beginning. (Not bashing it, I actually read it/enjoy it) But it was meant to be something about gamers, then it transformed into the most chaotic comic I think I've ever read.

If you really do not like your comic that much, by all means, start over. Just know that it will take a lonnng time, and a lot of patience on your part.

The biggest problem for me is I'm really unhappy with the current chapter. I've beaten myself up about it so much I lost my inspiration completely. I thought maybe I can just erase it and make it go away but then again it's like I'm running away from my problems. I could just challenge myself to get things back on track. It's a tough decision for me to make.

Warpedwenger
The biggest problem for me is I'm really unhappy with the current chapter. I've beaten myself up about it so much I lost my inspiration completely. I thought maybe I can just erase it and make it go away but then again it's like I'm running away from my problems. I could just challenge myself to get things back on track. It's a tough decision for me to make.

I could definitely see where your coming from.

But out of curosity, what makes you hate it so much?

You could honestly either start the chapter over from something else, or you could, as you worded, get things back on track. Of course, getting things back on track would probably be a better option, but that's all up to you. I'm not sure how you think :P

I'll take a look at your comic and stuff and I'm gonna try seeing if there's anything wrong at all.

Warpedwenger
I want to go back to doing Wakon Yosai but when I look at it... I'm happy with the over all product but I've grown alot as an artist and writer since I started almost 3 years ago. What do you guys think about starting over at the begining and redoing a comic?

And what happens when you remake it, look back at it after several years, and are unhappy with the art again?

All artists progress over time. Even popular comics like Akira don't look as good at the beginning as they do near the end. Its something you have to live with and get past. The worst thing an artist can do is constantly return to the beginning, because you'll never have an end.

Now if its the story you're having issues with, thats another beast entirely. If the story has become incomprehensible, you may want to consider reorganizing things, and possibly rewriting chapters.

Warpedwenger
The biggest problem for me is I'm really unhappy with the current chapter. I've beaten myself up about it so much I lost my inspiration completely. I thought maybe I can just erase it and make it go away but then again it's like I'm running away from my problems. I could just challenge myself to get things back on track. It's a tough decision for me to make.

Is it an issue of having written yourself into a corner, or facing a writer's block? If so, restarting your comic won't help.

Did you get this notion by perhaps thinking that if you'd written something different way back, you wouldn't be in a writer's tight spot now?

I think primarily you must determine what it is that has challenged your inspiration in the particular chapter, and THEN, if nothing words, yes erase the chapter, not the comic.

But what has been derailed exactly? The plot, the characters or the general direction/ personality of the comic?

For me, I started creating my comic in a different medium. For consistency sake I am going back and redoing the beginnning, slowly one page at a time. This means that it will have better art than the point where I switched mediums, but it will all be a lot more coherant. (and I only redo like one page per month)

I am not abandoning the stuff I did then. I have a separate 'comic' where I store the old stuff. I still like it. I was the begining of my comic and holds an important place in my heart, but for me to make a book, it would be jarring.

Ryuthehedgewolf
But out of curosity, what makes you hate it so much?

I just made a really strange decision. I used an important plot point as a distraction for the current story. I really think that's bad writing. Thanks for the replys everybody I've decided not to start over. I went over the chapter again and besides that one thing I really do like it. I'm gon'na keep goin forward.

yea
DON'T LOOK BACK !!!

Never will I redo a comic of mine.

Even though I may want to.

ThinkI would die.

Warpedwenger
I just made a really strange decision. I used an important plot point as a distraction for the current story. I really think that's bad writing. Thanks for the replys everybody I've decided not to start over. I went over the chapter again and besides that one thing I really do like it. I'm gon'na keep goin forward.

Good move. Even if you did write yourself into a hard place, there are ways to get out of it (sometimes easier said than done, but still possible.)

Hey BlkKnight good to see you're still around.