I was just wondering if anyone thinks that their are too many webcomics that never end?

Sometimes I feel like I'm rushing my story along too quickly, but on the other hand not quickly enough. My story has an end, and I'm trying to get there in a reasonable amount of pages.

However, some webcomics I read just seem to go on forever, I just tend to lose interest if the story drags.

I often wonder if some creators don't have an ending in mind.

Or maybe the webcomic has become so popular that they're afraid to end it.

Just wondering if anyone else shares my feelings on this.

Well, sooner or later I think that no matter how many ideas you have, or how interesting your story arcs or characters are- eventually the well's bound to run dry. Some of the best comics (and TV shows, and books, etc.) are made even greater because they know when to end it.

I know of a lot of creators who've abandoned comics, or started lagging on updates, or have "lost that lovin' feeling" and let the quality take a nose dive, because they've exhausted their energy and interest in a certain project. And I've lost interest in certain (story) comics that just went on and on. I guess I think it's important to have momentum that builds to a climax, eventually; it's kinda like the fuel that keeps the whole mess runnin'.

Personally I've got an ending for my comic; because it's more episodic than epic, I can drag it on until I run out of ideas and passion for it. Hopefully that ain't happenin' for a long while, but if it does- hey, I got an exit! ;)

Yep. That feeling that I have to read like 200+ pages of a story to see SOMETHING happen is basically what keeps me away from reading manga, and I see many webcomics fall into that, too. I also see that many creators just get bored or run out of ideas or life simply gets in their way, and they never finish their comic. Which is why I kinda prefer the type of self- contained episodic goodness that "adventures" style comics have. Not much of that on the web, though.

I like webcomics that go on for a little while, but not too long. You get these stories which end up going on for years and years, until they basically become the comic's plot. Two guys playing videos games becomes two guys fighting zombies in an apocalyptic wasteland while trying to rescue the fiesty, bitchy princess from the evil lord Bad Guy.

And yes, that has happened.

I think to make an interesting story, don't let it exceed 60 pages. That's about 3 comicbook issues, which would be fine. The story has a beginning, middle and ending that doesn't drag on forever.

DMH
I think to make an interesting story, don't let it exceed 60 pages. That's about 3 comicbook issues, which would be fine. The story has a beginning, middle and ending that doesn't drag on forever.

Yeah, way back when I collected print comics, I always like the miniseries- you know, where it said "1/3" or whatever on the cover. You knew exactly what you were getting into, if that makes any sense. There were a few long-running comics I read, but usually I had to be totally rabid about them.

DMH
I think to make an interesting story, don't let it exceed 60 pages. That's about 3 comicbook issues, which would be fine. The story has a beginning, middle and ending that doesn't drag on forever.

I don't even think you need to limit yourself to page amounts.

But If I'm checking your updates every week and the characters have been in the same place they have been for the past six months, I'm kinda over it.

It's like reading Spider Man in the newspaper. He starts throwing a punch on the Monday of this week and it finally connects with Dr. Octopus two Mondays from now.

I dunno, I like my stories to have an ending. That's just me.

I'm sure there are some people who enjoy long winded neverending stories.
I'm just not one of them.

Well there's two things to remember;
1)comic time and real life aren't even remotely close.
What's been 3 months of real time could only have been a couple hours to the comic character. This can be blamed on either poor writing or slow updates but it's th reason why megatokyo has been going on 'forever' when only a couple days have passes in the comic.

2)they may be making a small income from it
The longer you comic goes on the more readers you get, the more reader the more $ your ads are worth. Some make their LIVING off the comic, and are afraid to advance the story or do something that doesn't draw it out as long as humanly possible.
Personally i think this is bullcrap, but i'm not making 30$ on ads per day.

well if you compare webcomics to real comics then the so called webcomics that never end are just tiny tiny puny little comics, I mean Bone is about 3070 pages, and I never felt that that dragged on. So basically if they feel like they drag on forever they've probably just lost their charm and the writing in general isn't that great and its not that good a story. So I think its a matter of Quality rather than Quantity

I think there's a difference between a comic draggin on too long in number of pages, vs how long a comic has been going on in real-life time.
Webcomics don't update with as high a pages-per-day ratio as print comics.

Well there are still Webcomics that have lasted really long that I still read and others that I felt dragged on forever at page 100 and quit reading. I still say its quality rather than quantity.

mlai
I think there's a difference between a comic draggin on too long in number of pages, vs how long a comic has been going on in real-life time.
Webcomics don't update with as high a pages-per-day ratio as print comics.

i agree.....when reading comics on the web, you only get to read a "new" page whenever it is posted, usually once every couple days. but with print comics, you can sit down and indulge in a page turner in an evening or two.

one of my all time favorite stories is the first AvP which is around 160 pages of story. but is totally satisfying, and the end only makes me want MORE. (which ultimately happens in 2 sequels of THAT particular story line)

personally, i don't like stories that just go on and on and on and never seem to have direction (which is why i don't like LOST). i get bored or i think the artist/writer is just milling his time.

and I still say thats because the story, the character writing, the settings all of these things that make up a good comic are poor (like Lost.Quite terrible indeed.)

as for my own comic.....which seems very random:

there is a DEFINITE ending....it is a ways off, but it is there. this comic started out years ago, and by the 61st page i knew where i wanted it to go in terms of overall story. the problem was...i got bored. and i stopped working on it. the eternal legacy of my apathy and procrastination!

so, i went back to the beginning and redrew the plot from where it all started. i'm already over 100 pages into the re-writes (3 chapters deep)...and i'm probably only a quarter of the way through.....(i update daily, in case you weren't aware).

i would feel so shitty if i found out that people felt like Powerjeff was just milling around the watercooler and not going anywhere like so many other webcomics (Megatokyo was mentioned earlier, and is my #1 example of a lazy artist/writer who updates 2...sometimes 3 days a week. and all of his work is only pencils, no finished inkings....or even color)......personally, i love endings. wrap shit up with a bow. if there is enough demand.....roll the dice again. there needs to be some form of accomplishment or conclusion, though, between stories.

i've tried to read few comics that are 500+ pages and it's like nothing ever happens......there are 15+ pages of people sitting around a table talking about bullshit.

A story doesn't need to end, but each complication needs a resoloution, the story can continue forever with multiple complications, just as long as it doesn't stick to one complication forever.

Comics written as a single story should progress at a good pace. It's hard to "pace" webcomics because of the one page at a time format, especially if the creator is planning to put it in print too. Those comics need to have a definite ending (and middle and beginning) planned to progress and tie things together properly. While the story progresses, the climaxes and conclusions of individual scenes can help a reader feel fulfilled and interested. (I like to read long comics in large chunks of 20 pages or so at a time. It doesn't matter how long the story is, as long as the pacing is good and there's interest and purpose to every page.)

Comics that are made of a succession of self-contained story-arcs don't need to have a definitive "series" ending in mind, but each episode should progress at a good pace and have a satisfying conclusion. It's fun if they also build on a greater plotline and advance the world, as long as they don't fall out of episode format. That's the way I write my story. I have a few ideas in mind of how to end the whole project when I feel like it, but I don't have to end as long as I come up with new adventures/stories/episodes. I have been writing longer arcs lately, but I'm doing my best to avoid falling into the "endless" trap by keeping scenes/conversations concise, and planning the outline and conclusion for each episode before I start writing it. I usually have some brainstorms jotted down for the following episodes so I know that my story will have a new place to go. When the time comes that I don't have good future episodes in mind, I'll write the series conclusion.

Gag-a-days are the most extreme form of episodic comics, since every strip is a self-contained story.

Eddie Jensen
I mean Bone is about 3070 pages, and I never felt that that dragged on.

It's only 1300-1400 pages.

mlai
I think there's a difference between a comic draggin on too long in number of pages, vs how long a comic has been going on in real-life time.
Webcomics don't update with as high a pages-per-day ratio as print comics.

Depends. If you look at a monthly page count, a webcomic that updates daily will end up with 30 pages a month, while a print comic will only hold around 22 pages (sometimes 20 or even 16, but it could also go up to 24 or 26).
There are also webcomics like Freakangels that update with a new six page chapter every Friday. That's between 24-30 pages a month (depending on the number of Fridays).

As for story lenght. Personally I enjoy stories (in print) that run into the 200-350 range. This, if used properly, allows the creators to tell a complete, detailed story. There's usually enough room to touch upon the character and motivation of every major (and some minor) characters, several plot twists etc. without the whole story dragging much. I could probably name 20 or so titles that are around 10-15 issues that nicely wrap up the entire story without any need for a sequel.

Miniseries quite often seem to be made with sequels in mind, but at least you get some sense of closure at the end of each one.

Of course there are exceptions. Akira for example is over 2000 pages but it's always on fast forward, meanwhile I had read 30 page comics that dragged on and bored me before I reached half of the story.

As for my (future) comics. I have finished a 300 page script last week and then a plot outline for something that's supposed to run into 300-500 pages. But, I also wrote several shorter plot outlines that are supposed to fit into 48-52 pages. The reason behind both? The 300+ pagers are supposed to tell either a saga spanning generations (10-20 years between each chapter) or focus on a larger, global plot (and have about 12 or so constantly recurring characters). the short ones on the other hand have a much smaller cast and focus on a limited amount of time (what happened during the last night in a particular imaginary city) or ofcus on key elements only (comparing the situation of characters before and after).

that of course does nothing for comics that follow the formula "two geeks in a room playing video games" or something like that.

(yeah, got carried away with the lenght again, sorry)

hm wikipedia said 3000 something but alright.

...I hail from the lands of manga, where stories go on and on. XDDDD
If it's a good story, it doesn't matter how long it is.
I remember reading RGVeda, by CLAMP, when I was a lot younger. It lasted ten volumes (about 100 pages each). That's a LOT of story, but I never felt it dragged itself or lost its pace. (I'm well aware that there are much longer stories out there, I just mentioned one that I particularly liked)

I personally find it harder to connect with shorter stories because it's like, I don't really know who the characters are. I mean, in a long story it's like you're invested in it, like you know them and care for them.

I'm used to epics XDDDD

Of course, there are short stories that are emotionally intense...and long stories where you couldn't care less of what's going on.

But I like epics XD

...I'm repeating myself, am I not? :D

BffSatan
A story doesn't need to end, but each complication needs a resoloution, the story can continue forever with multiple complications, just as long as it doesn't stick to one complication forever.

I do like comics that can be divided into shorter stories such as the webcomic Jack and mainstream comics like Sandman.

I do read manga, but I don't buy manga that has volumes and volumes of just fight scenes. I'll just read it online thank you.

Manga I buy has to have story arcs and endings.


My comics... yeah they do tend to drag on. When I print them I want to have each volume be a complete story arc if I can. So at least they can be partially seen as a complete story. That's what I did for TPCTH dead home arc(230 pages) one volume and Demon Eater beast arc (120+ pages).

Now for endings. Oh I don't know.. there's still some scenes and stories that I don't want to force myself to rush through.

You know Inverloch? I bought the 1st and 2nd volume in print a year ago. Oh man that comic and story was rushed. Here we have one of the best artists in the webcomic world and she didn't take full advantage of her art. She could have had many more panels, page spreads with no dialogue just showcasing the backgrounds, developing characters, and emotions. So In the webcomic medium readers are all over rushing things, but in print... things are so much better if people would put a few more pages into backgrounds and mood.

like Lud said, I don't belive its about length a good story is a good story, take Acrobat by literacysuks forexample its 400 and something pages and its still great, and thats a webcomic. Because its a good story with good foundation and good characters.

JillyFoo
She could have had many more panels, page spreads with no dialogue just showcasing the backgrounds,

But to the daily reader of inverloch(or any popular webcomic) a dialogue lacking background page is just disappointing, almost like a filler. It's rushed sure but it keeps the readers coming back for more :P

Skullbie

JillyFoo
She could have had many more panels, page spreads with no dialogue just showcasing the backgrounds,

But to the daily reader of inverloch(or any popular webcomic) a dialogue lacking background page is just disappointing, almost like a filler. It's rushed sure but it keeps the readers coming back for more :P

I agree. In a print comic, you read it all in one sitting. You're not going to flip through 3 or 4 slower pages in the middle of a dynamic story, and toss the thing in the trash because you're bored, you know? Whereas web comics rely on people coming back daily or weekly or whatever; if they get bored with a couple pages, you might lose 'em. It takes a lot of skill as a writer, in my opinion, to create something that can translate seamlessly from the web to print, or vice versa.

if a story goes on and and i dont care as long as it keeps me entertained. the only thing keepin me from getting into to many at once is my buget. that's my only concern.i can't follow more then a few ongoing stories month after month and be able to afford it. and getting so into a story then not being able to follow it just plain sucks!

as a matter of fact, due to not having ANY comics stores in walking distance, im way behind on even the ones i COULD follow so the whole point is mute for now anyways.

I can't really handle run-on-stories either. Like many manga and anime does. Oh and Heroes... ugh that show annoys me.

I love a big overall story that takes a long time to end, but as Used Books noted, it needs to be in self contained episodic format.

Each chunk of story should give me something and not just the need to see the next chunk hoping I'll get some sort of closure on... well.. anything.

I don't read many comics but I use TV as a guide. Star Trek DS9 and Voyager did an excellent job of having 1 continuous story. Each episode gives you something. A chunk of goodness.
Avatar the Last Airbender, Showtime's Dexter - also really great in that aspect!

So when I read a comic it needs to give me that within it's chapter or issue boundaries. My own issues can get up to 52 pages long, but you'll get some sort of closure and unless it's building up to something you won't get OMG tune in next time cliffhangers.

Not everything is resolved at times but blatant cliffhangers on every episode get really aggravating.

zaymac
I was just wondering if anyone thinks that their are too many webcomics that never end?

Sometimes I feel like I'm rushing my story along too quickly, but on the other hand not quickly enough. My story has an end, and I'm trying to get there in a reasonable amount of pages.

However, some webcomics I read just seem to go on forever, I just tend to lose interest if the story drags.

I often wonder if some creators don't have an ending in mind.

Or maybe the webcomic has become so popular that they're afraid to end it.

Just wondering if anyone else shares my feelings on this.

I don't know or really care if my work ever became popular, I would still end it when I felt it was right. Leave them wanting more. No matter how long a story, or how many subplots there are, there should be an emerging goal that is almost universal, whether it's character growth, a death, or a new beginning, give the reader some open ended closure and I believe you'll be well off.

Hyena H_ll

Skullbie

JillyFoo
She could have had many more panels, page spreads with no dialogue just showcasing the backgrounds,

But to the daily reader of inverloch(or any popular webcomic) a dialogue lacking background page is just disappointing, almost like a filler. It's rushed sure but it keeps the readers coming back for more :P

I agree. In a print comic, you read it all in one sitting. You're not going to flip through 3 or 4 slower pages in the middle of a dynamic story, and toss the thing in the trash because you're bored, you know? Whereas web comics rely on people coming back daily or weekly or whatever; if they get bored with a couple pages, you might lose 'em. It takes a lot of skill as a writer, in my opinion, to create something that can translate seamlessly from the web to print, or vice versa.

this is why i use the "12 hour double daily post" method for a possible "boring" page....it helps advance the story along a bit faster, and people don't have to sit and wait for more plot to come along. at least it makes sense in my head to not keep my readers waiting.

json

Hyena H_ll

Skullbie

JillyFoo
She could have had many more panels, page spreads with no dialogue just showcasing the backgrounds,

But to the daily reader of inverloch(or any popular webcomic) a dialogue lacking background page is just disappointing, almost like a filler. It's rushed sure but it keeps the readers coming back for more :P

I agree. In a print comic, you read it all in one sitting. You're not going to flip through 3 or 4 slower pages in the middle of a dynamic story, and toss the thing in the trash because you're bored, you know? Whereas web comics rely on people coming back daily or weekly or whatever; if they get bored with a couple pages, you might lose 'em. It takes a lot of skill as a writer, in my opinion, to create something that can translate seamlessly from the web to print, or vice versa.

this is why i use the "12 hour double daily post" method for a possible "boring" page....it helps advance the story along a bit faster, and people don't have to sit and wait for more plot to come along. at least it makes sense in my head to not keep my readers waiting.

I don't think a comic would lose readers with "slow pages" that don't have dialogue. Besides with comics I like I'll always come back if there is plenty of variety to look at. Now pages that are just dialogue, talking heads, or an extended conversation that goes on for pages... that really bores me as a reader.

Json's idea about updating more per day sounds really good if the pages are dialogue.

JillyFoo
Now pages that are just dialogue, talking heads, or an extended conversation that goes on for pages... that really bores me as a reader.

Uh-oh. I'm in trouble, then. ;)

Ludeshka
...I hail from the lands of manga, where stories go on and on. XDDDD
If it's a good story, it doesn't matter how long it is.
I remember reading RGVeda, by CLAMP, when I was a lot younger. It lasted ten volumes (about 100 pages each). That's a LOT of story, but I never felt it dragged itself or lost its pace. (I'm well aware that there are much longer stories out there, I just mentioned one that I particularly liked)

I personally find it harder to connect with shorter stories because it's like, I don't really know who the characters are. I mean, in a long story it's like you're invested in it, like you know them and care for them.

I'm used to epics XDDDD

Of course, there are short stories that are emotionally intense...and long stories where you couldn't care less of what's going on.

But I like epics XD

...I'm repeating myself, am I not? :D

I understand where you're coming from a lot, mostly because I read a lot more manga then comic books.

One of my favorite series, Maison Ikkoku, was around 215 pages a volume and went on for 15 volumes. That's around 3225 pages! But the story is very nice and doesn't drag. But imagine if that was a webcomic. It would take forever to present. Around 8 years if the person updated everyday without missing one update! @_@

I peronally don't mind webcomics that go one for years, but I do agree there has to be some sort of ending, and the pacing should be reasonable. As someone said before, it's kind of annoying when a set of characters is in the same place for like 30 pages.

As for my story, I had the ending in mind before I even drew the first page. I don't like to do things that drag on forever. I agree that some popular comic creaters don't want to end their stories because of readership, but hey, the way I look at it is that if someone likes your work, they're likely to latch on to the next thing you do anyway :D.

Bleh, I think it boils down to preference in the end...XD