What keeps you going when it comes to comics, what do you love about them and what do you hate about them?!

Personally, I love comics because of the medium altogether and how creative and limitless they are. There are millions of them and so many famous comic artist with all these different styles just amaze the heck outta' me. The worst part though is actually drawing the comic itself, I mean it isn't too bad but drawing certain pages and scenes can make one have a mental break down. But otherwise I just love having the power of being able to create them and my own characters and conflicts as well. I feel so awesome and it's just a passion. U?!

I think this is a lovely topic, but I also think it belongs in Comic Discussion, where I'm moving it. :]

I enjoy the characters and story most. Even when I know where a story is going, it's always fun to see how a character reacts--especially when they say or do something that catches you off-guard (as long as it's not out of character).

And on that note, I hate when characters act out of character to shoehorn them into a plot or situation. If a plot's progression necessitates this, it's not a very well conceived plot. As for hate regarding producing a comic, I'd have to say that doing the linework is my least favorite part (although I wouldn't say I hate it). It's just tedious. However, I generally draw all backgrounds at this stage (as well as clothing on characters), so there's a bit more than just going over my pencils.

To me, there is 2 reasons.

1.- What you mentioned is the big one. I love the creative process that a comic requires. From write a story, to think about he characters and design both their appearance and personality. Put them in different situations and see where that goes. The process itself is addictive to me.

2.- The feedback and response. This one is a HUGE plus to me. I love the making of my comic, but if I was intended to do it just to myself, I wouldn't post it.

The fact that people is reading it and enjoying it is something that I enjoy a lot. Even when people just rate a "5" is something that gives me pride, and when people post comments cheering for something good that it's happening or feeling when a character is having a hard time or saying that something looks great... I cannot do anything but feel great about it...

And when people writes me saying where should or could improve, it's also a great feeling... It says that people is caring.

i enjoy thinking about my comic when i am walking around the city , imagining all th cool stuff i will draw when i get home , only to do none of those things when i finally get to my drawing tabel , where i stare at the wall and wonder whats happening in the internet ..

Comedy. If a story doesn't have a bit of comedy in it then it's not that appealing to me. Or if I can't make a joke out of it.
Art. If it's great, I read it.
Noticing of Updates. If I see that it's updated I try to check it out. With...about 300 favorites that's hard.

What absolutely gets me hooked on a comic is cliffhangers. That will almost always get me to check back everyday until the next update shows up xD. I gotta know what happens next, always :p. Also, a comic with interesting characters and plot and some good romance (i'm a hopeless romantic!) grabs my attention pretty well too :3.

What keeps me going on my own comics is pure will and passion. I guess I was put on this planet to draw and make stories in my spare time xD. I always like to put a story behind every piece of art I make @.@ hehe.

Also, knowing that someone else is reading it and giving feedback gives me that extra fuel I need to keep going :3. I enjoy sharing my stories. Before I joined DD, I was lucky if I could get past 20 pages or so in my early comics xD.

I love comics for the same reasons I love art museums, movies, and books. I like to see what people create. And I love a good story of any kind. I like to get sucked into the lives of endearing characters. I love feeling excitement and intensity, just a sense of adventure. Occasionally, I enjoy going "aw" or having a good laugh. I can't handle pure melodrama or action unless there is some levity. (But I also find pure comedy without some adventure wears thin.) That's why I read story comics.

I read comic strips for my health. ;-) I find a quick laugh every day is helpful for my spirit. Most webcomics don't suit my personal sense of humor, so I'm very picky about the strips I read, but I still enjoy them as much as a good story -- just in an entirely different way.

For creation... I dunno. I love creating stories. I've written forever, but I've not shared much with anyone. I love making things come to life. Since joining this community, I've also started to appreciate sharing with others and actually improving myself. I wouldn't have improved at all if I was still writing/drawing for only myself.



What do I hate? I think the worst thing is finding a comic that seems so great or has great potential, but then it dies. Or, worse than simply ending, it goes into filler after filler. One comic page. Nothing for months. Then filler.

In terms of creation, I get frustrated when I draw a page that doesn't look as I envisioned it. Or when I know I could do something better. What I really hate is looking at my old pages. They are SO terrible, but I decide to press forward rather than fix them. It's better to consider them a testament to progress.

I love any piece of fiction that can both entertain me and give me something to think about. That goes for films, books, TV and comics. When a comic gets that mix right, it can be as powerful and as enjoyable as any other form of story-telling.

What I hate about comics (and films, books and TV!) is that so many don't even try to achieve that. The vast majority are happy just to be lightweight, instantly forgettable froth, while those that have something to say are often dull and lacking in any entertainment value.

As a writer, I suppose I also hate having to be dependant upon others for the artwork in my comics. Fortunately the guys working with me at the moment are great, but the control freak in me still wishes I could do it all myself!

Comics are just one of the best entertainments out there. I love reading good stories especially comicwise.

I love the sequential art part of it and the way it tells the story. Webcomics, to me, are a fantastic way to tell your personal stories to the world. When you have the ideas and a bit of visual talents, why not share it to the world.

I have tons of stories I'm writing for my recent comics and future ones and that what is keeping me going. I love to share it with you and love to see people reading and enjoying what I'm doing.

When I started late 2004, I found out what I really wanted to do so, I left Lebanon (my home country) and went to Vancouver to become better artwork-wise and I regret nothing. It's dedication and love for me.

Yes, I'm slow to update but at least, I give out a pulse almost once a week. I love to read other people's stories. In a better sense, it's an excellent to communicate and connect to people from all over the world through a medium that we cherish... how awesome is that.

So, I'm here to stay and enjoying it. :)

The things that frustrate me as mentioned by usedbooks... when you envision a shot and you can't get it what you want, it could be frustrating. There's another aspect the you have all these ideas but sometimes, you stare at a blank page thinking "How am I going to start this page?"

Anyway, it's all good and art needs practice to become to a level that you like like anything else.

What keeps me going is that this is the one thing that I have total unabashed control over. It's like being the director, editor, actor, grip, sound designer of the movie in my mind all at once.

I like the fact that to be good, to be noticed, it can be a hard and trying time.

On that same note, that is exactly what drives me nuts about this medium as well.

So all that can be good can be just as harrowing in any circumstance. ;)

What I love about creating comics is the plot and characters. It sounds... I dunno... power-hungry or something but I love controlling the characters. I mean, I am basically god for them. I can help them or doom them. It's just cool to think that. It sounds terrible of me, I know, but it's just cool.

But I'm not a fan of whole drawing process. I kinda wish I could just draw it all in one step but first I do a rough of the page, then I go over and make it better in pencil, then go over the pencil in pen, then colour it in. I would enjoy drawing the comic much more if I could just start out in pen.

The reaon I've stayed in comics is because I just love them. The first comic book I ever read was "The Savage Sword of Conan the Barbarian: Secret of the Great Stone". Ernie Chans art work just blew me away and the story just knocked my socks off. Ever since I read the comic I knew I wanted to write and draw comics like that. And If I ever feel down or bored with it I just take the worn and battered issue off me book shelf and read it to remind myself why I do it.

I love drawing my comics because they push me to better myself. To try some new dramatic pose or angle or experiment in some new shading technique. The only thing I hate about drawing comics is probably all the money I spend on ink pens.

I love all media because they are all unique. Comics can blend the visuals of film with the text of literature while still adding its own elements to the mix. A comic can allow you to really absorb a truly fantastic, powerful or beautiful moment in the middle of an action sequence without disrupting the flow (film has to slow down to allow this, and slowing down too often in the middle of a fast-paced sequence can become extremely annoying) and it can provide some insight into the characters' thoughts via thought bubbles and boxes. It's a common practise in comics to include dialogue in sequences that in real life would take only a few seconds, so it's possible to have some conversation or exposition in the middle of a fight. Taking that too far, naturally, can completely obliterate willing suspension of disbelief.

Two of the disadvantages of comics comes from the fact that it's a purely visual medium. It's impossible to convey music in a comic, so including lyrics and musical notes really just puts in some prose or poetry if the reader doesn't know the song; frankly, some lyrics really don't work as poetry... The other disadvantage is the fact that it can be extremely difficult (if not impossible) to show some actions when all you have are still images. There are some actions that all the motion lines in the word just can't do justice.

As for me, I started comics because I loved doing animation storyboards. I guess I kind of realized that with some of the short films I'd planned they didn't need to be animated to still work as a complete story. Besides, I love storytelling and drawing, and I've been doing both since I was just a little girl. Years of practise in both areas and I seem to have created something that some people really like. On top of that, my primary comic has started to evolve into something quite different from what I'd originally planned and it's better for it. Much better.

The reason I've stayed in comics is because I draw them all at work and it gives me something to do other than work. I also do mine to help me become a better artist. When I first started I sucked bad. I'm still not that great but in a year I have become ten times better than when I started.