It's like Skullbie's thread but with this one, I want to know, what makes you want to read a webcomic?

What draws you in?
The story?
The characters?
The art style?
Nice author?
Genre?

For me, I'm a big comedy and fantasy buff. If a comic can make me laugh on every page (or every other page), I'll instantly fall in love with it.

Of course with fantasy, if it just feels/seems 'epic' I'll read it. Personally, the comic would have to have a good sense of adventure.

I also love a comic in which it puts the fans in it. What I mean is a total immersive experience. Where as the author creates blogs for their characters, Q&A with the characters, things like that.

First the art and then the writing. I'll click on a link, and I'm sorry, but if the art looks incompetent or, worse, rushed, then I'm gone. Then I'll read, and if it's meant to be funny and doesn't make me laugh or if it's serious and I can't tell what's going on, I'm gone. That's basically the test. I can't be much more precise than that because I like a lot of different stuff, I just don't have time for comics whose authors don't seem to have time for them either.

For me, art work and story.
I grade these on varying levels.
If something looks to be promising and you see the potential in the artists work then I fav it and begin reading trying to encourage the artist with their craft. Something with amazing art is definitely a shoe in depending on subject matter. As to story the premise has to grab me. If its not interesting or some what fresh I will soon get tired and pass it. I am willing to follow a story for a while and if this story gets old I go.
I am a fan of Horror, Suspense, Noir, Action and Mystery story-lines.
I also read strips and there has to be a consistency to the art and funny jokes.

I'm a sucker for good art. Past that, I will stick to a comic for the 'heart'(for lack of a better word) of it.

I hardly ever do a browse thing or click on banners. Usually, I check out a comic because the author leaves me comments or seems interesting. It's weird, but that is honestly what I do. I'm not really a casual comic reader. I don't read a lot of them, but I like to see the types of things interesting minds can produce. (I'm not an art person. I can recognize good art, but I don't really care. It has no bearing on what I read.)

I'll stick with most comics that I can actually follow, have a story/jokes that interest me, hopefully update at least every week or two, and the author puts some pride and effort into regardless of skill level (again, as long as I can understand/follow it).

The genres I like are mostly adventure, but I'll look at other things. I like clever and original strips too. I'm a fan of single panel gag comics (example: The Far Side), but there are so few of those.

I don't like pure drama or pure humor but rather stories that use both. I like stories where the characters don't fall into constant morose melodrama and instead laugh and celebrate at their victories, fumbles, and even their bad luck -- but get sad/scared/grim when appropriate. Characters really make or break most stories for me. Realistic/fun dialogue, being able to identify them (which falls under art skill, I guess), and being able to follow their thoughts and feelings are very important. (Which is probably why I can't get into sprites. It's hard to see emotions on tiny pixel faces...)

For me it's a tough question. If the art is amazing and the story is weak, I'll stick with a comic for quite some time, hoping for a pick up in the story department. If the plot is great and the art is weak, I'll also probably stick with it for a while, hoping it'll get a little better in the art sense.

Overall I tend to stick to dramas or other real-life stories, but I love a good fantasy, a well-written humor strip, or really anything that catches me off-guard and sucks me into the story.

I like to just try a comic for a while before deciding if it's a keeper. And usually I find the best comics by accident.

Art. If it looks good, I'll check it out.

Later,
Chip

The art is the first thing that draws me in usually. Also, in the case of Drunk Duck comics when people read my comic, leave me comments, add me as a friend, I feel like I should atleast read some of their comic and leave them some comments as well. After that a good story, compelling characters, well thought-out or funny dialogue keeps me interested.

Almost everyones mentioned art, I'll hafta agree.
Also If the site design gives you some clue as to the tone of the comic, I don't like starting a comic then getting confused because I can't tell what it's about.

Also a catchy avatar or banner sig,

I can enjoy many genres but I'd rather the story be classified into two types; Serious or lighthearted. This means I can view my 'serious' comics without worrying about lame plot points or out of place jokes. And my 'lighthearted' comics wont kill off a character or worse.
Oh and good well-rounded characters can save a lousy story any day, or ruin it. :0

A certain level of competency.

What I mean by that is that if the author has a certain level of skill across the board--the writing, the art, the friggin' lettering--then I'm in. Comics are a complete package. You separate out any one element and then it stops being comics and starts being...something else. A storybook. Pretty pictures. Whatever.

What is that level of competency? I have no idea. I know it when I see it, but other than that I couldn't really tell you. I have my barometer for such things and I know it well. Just not well enough to share with you.

I suppose it's safe to say that the comics on my recommends list certainly achieve that competency.

Have to agree with most of the posters here. The art is definitely the hook that gets me to bite. If the artwork in a comic's thumbnail or banner looks competent, I'll give it a try.

After that, though, if the story/characters are not involving or the jokes aren't funny, I won't stay with it long, however good the art is.

The only type of art I dislike is when the proportions are painfully out or they're trying too hard or are putting loads of colouring and effects over poor drawing when they should be working on the basics. I love simple but good art, for instance in Emergency Exit or College Roomies from hell or Joyce and Walky.

Mostly though, the characters are what decide if I like/dislike a comic. If the characters are good and it updates often enough to immerse you in the comic, I like it.

The characters are one of the reasons I loved Charby, but I think she's trying too hard on the art now. It takes too long to do. I liked the crappy art and awesome characters ^^ Then again, a lot of people prefer the art to be as good as possible so I guess she's done the right thing.

Many different things draw me to a webcomic. Sometimes it's a catchy banner or a particular character, good art and excellent writing. It can be as simple as I like the joke on the page enough to want to see if there are any more like that.

It can be as complex as reading Hero by Night and seeing the journal-like notes there complete with the art. It made me read on.

Or Atland just because it made me laugh so hard.

Every comic on my favourite/recommended list has something that drew me to it.

The character's personality. A character that has an appealing in-depth personality is what drives me to read more.

Action, jokes, an interesting storyline. Anything of that sort.

There are 3 main reasons I'll read a comic.

1. The art is decent so I read a few pages and like the story.

2. Using the comic as a tutorial. This could fall into panel layouts, the coloring, the art in general, characterization, dialogue, etc.

3. Comics that remind me of myself starting. These comics usually have an art progression style similar to my own or an author with similar views as well. I like to encourage these authors and watch them improve. They teach me a lot as well.

Obviously any of those 3 can mix and generally do. When I 1st click a comic I look at the latest page's events. I generally click back around 5 or so pages and jump way back to the front as well. I'm looking for signs of the 3 things I mentioned above.
Most of the time I hit lots and lots of cliches and same ol same olds within a short span or on every page as I browse, I don't usually go back to those.

Big archives I'll fav, I haven't got around to reading all of most of them. I put them on the "to do" list for if I ever have free time and actually don't want to draw.

Usually, if I'm hearing a lot about it.
If I continually hear about a comic, or see it's in someone's recommended comics, I figure the author must be doing something right.
I don't mind art. Maybe manga style that I'm not too fond of, but mostly, I'd try anything...;)
If the author's nice I'll read it as well. If the author leaves a comment on my comic, I'd usually check out theirs.

:D

Art is what draws me in, but like a lot of others unless the jokes are interesting and funny to me or the plotline is even and well thought out I tend to lose interest. For me, most of all you have to hit me with that first page to get me to stay.

If I somehow click on your comic and your art isn't amazing, if I see a good joke or a good twist or turn in the plot I'll stick around. If I note that the art is good but the writing of the first page sucks I'll drop it and come back another time to see if it's gotten any better. I'm a firm believer in giving things a couple chances.

One of the biggest things that really gets me to stick around though, is if you're doing something different. As one of the small number of single panel comics creators on DD I have a serious tendency towards supporting others who do out of the way kinds of ideas. I like to see something fresh and different.

Looking through the archive, a good scene makes me want to stay with a webcomic. I like drama...characters engaged in the plot.
Lots of well drawn emotions.

I'm also more inclined to visit if I know the comic isn't for fan service only.

I also must know for sure if the author is not on hiatus. If they are on hiatus, I probably won't come back for a long time.

Good characters and interesting writing then good or interesting art. I'll be more forgiving of less developed art if it's good writing and well-developed characters with good dialogue. By the same token, I'm not as wowed by good art if it has bad story or characters/dialogue.

Interesting artwork. Funny dialogue. Expressive facial features.

...um ...pretty girls.

I'm pretty lenient when it comes to this subject.

I just view any type of comic and ask myself whether I'm liking this or not? If I don't like a certain comic, I won't it go "UR KOIMK ZUXKERZ 1". I just leave it alone and leave.

If a comic I like, you'll going to receive the "WOU UR KMOIC ROXXERZRZ 5"!

I'm ready to try and comic except for sprites without any credibility, effortless, and offensive comics.

Good art draws me in, good writing keeps me there. Nifty characters, interesting plot, good artwork - jokes, if it's appropriate - the works. Quirky and strange are big things for me, too; I'm okay with slightly cliched comics, but if it starts to feel stale, I'm out of there.

For me as well, a big pull would be the genre of: Steampunk.

I so love that genre to bits!

The art gets me there, the story is what keeps me. And by story, the mileu, the characters and what makes them tick.

Sure, competent art and competent storytelling makes a comic not Instantly Ignored. But in order to really stand out, the comic has to do something really fresh and catches my imagination. Just being competent isn't enough.

I was just talking about this... Back in 1998 a webcomicker named Susan Ching created a comic combining Beat Generation poetry, The Prohibition, John Woo bullet ballet, and some sort of CLAMP-Trigun art fusion.

Dunno about you, but that was fresh. There are books, novels, that change your life. In 1998 this was the comic that changed my life. It was avant garde, yet universal; you didn't have to be a beatnik or a manga reader to be totally into this. These are the kinds of innovative ventures that either fail hard or win hard.

Looking at the comics that make up my faves list, the closest I can come to is that I like to be "charmed" by a comic. I like interesting, likable characters and perhaps a bit of levity in even a serious comic. Art doesn't necessarily have to be professional quality, but I like it to be appealing and easy to make sense of. I tend to prefer solid outlines and clear colours to sketchier styles.

One of my favourite comics that I think really demonstrates the points that work for me is Purgatory Tower. The characters, while not always NICE, are generally likable and charming. The art is clear, colourful and well done, and the story is both engaging and, when appropriate, lighthearted.

<3

i have mostly funny comics on my favorites over here...so if a comic makes me laugh on the first page i come to...and subsequently 3-4 pages for every ten make me laugh...i'll favorite it...

the only time i look for art is if it's a serious comic.
and also with serious comics, the plot has to be rich, and easily followable...


(i know i have none of these, but i can enjoy my own humor)

Seventy2 has a point, the need for decent art in a comic goes up immensely as soon as the comic becomes 'serious'. If it's going for those sort of emotions (which is a lot harder to do) it needs really good art to replace the void left by the absence of a punchline.

If it's manga style.