This applies more to mainstream comics that I read (Yup, they still exist).

But if I'm reading a regular series that happens to switch to an artist with an art style that I don't particularly care for, I"ll stop reading.

As for webcomics I can be a bit more forgiving cuz most of us aren't at a professional level. But that being said, writing is more about good dialogue and ideas.

The artist has to be just as good at telling a story. If I haven't got a freaking clue as to what you're trying to convey, sorry but I won't continue reading.

They're both important, but comics are mainly a visual medium. The greatest story in the world won't carry the same weight if you don't have the visuals to back it up.

You'd be better off writing a novel. Just my opinion. :)

I think the art is the point in comics, its a visual medium.
That said though, A good, well written story is what draws
to a comic (wether mainstream or webcomic).

A comic that stales in the story can't be saved by great art,
so its a 50/50

Crimsonskystudio
I think the art is the point in comics, its a visual medium.
That said though, A good, well written story is what draws
to a comic (wether mainstream or webcomic).

A comic that stales in the story can't be saved by great art,
so its a 50/50

I pretty much agree with this...
The whole point of a comic is to present a story visually. If the visuals are lacking, then I don't see the point of the comic. If the writing isn't so great, then the comic just seems like a bunch of pretty pictures to me.

Both are equally important. The art and story will progress as the author progresses.

I most certainly agree with just about everyone else who says both. Sure the story can be absolutely brilliant, but it would be difficult to read if the art is ugly.

Same with art. Gorgeous art but a bad story really looses people (unless they're shallow like that) with no character development or really any good plot. :\

Art gets them to come and look. Story gets them to come back.

So I'd have to say story is ultimately more important.

repoman
Art gets them to come and look. Story gets them to come back.

So I'd have to say story is ultimately more important.

i agree totally. Story is an inalienable part of a comic.

Art gets them to come and look. Story gets them to come back.

Which ultimately means that the art is more important. The internet reader has 1000's of webcomics to choose from. If he doesn't want webcomics, he can download scanned comics and manga.

Comics is a fusion of art and story. Unlike novels, however, you can "judge" a comic in literally 30 seconds, by skimming through some of the art first.

There are plenty of comics out there with both great art and great story. Why should someone take an additional 20 minutes judging if your story's good, when he already knows that the art half doesn't rock his boat? With good art you can instantly secure half of a reader's liking. Therefore art is more important.

This dependes on how you find comics, I usually never click on comics with great art because they are rarely up my ally.

While I agree that both plot and art are equally important (comic is a graphic media, after all), I also think that not only depends on the reader, but also on the comic's genre.

An epic, complex long story (for example) needs a great art to support such plot and both need the same tone...a complex story gains a lot with an equally complex art, IMO.

Comic strips don't need to rely that much in the art, and a smart writing is more necesary.

Overall, a good comic is the one with a good writing, but a superb comic is the one with both good writing and good art...

the best writing in the world won't get me to read an eyesore of a comic... (eyesore meaning one of those comics where the art is so bad you have no clue what's going on)

But a comic with amazing art and shitty writing? I'll still look at the pretty pictures. So I guess art wins.

Although I read the manga Skip*Beat despite hating the art style (aesthetically... it's not like the drawing gets in the way of understanding.) so it depends ;)

The story is king in comics. The artist could be brilliant, but if they know nothing about storytelling, panel transition, timing, or effect then it won't work. The product won't be a comic book. It'll just be a series of great looking pictures that refuse to work together.

I've seen way too many comics where the artist just uses the story as a flimsy pretext to show off how well they can draw. This may work for some people, but it definitely doesn't work for me. I just end up wanting the guy to put away the fireworks and just tell the damn story already.

But yeah, there are some boundaries here. EC artists such as Jack Davis and Wally Wood are such great artists that it almost doesn't matter what the story is. Charles Schultz, on the other hand, was a very simple and minimal artist. His mastery of comic dialogue and characterization, however, made that a moot point.

Phenominal art can undermine a story, and an overburden of dialogue and narrative can negate the art. The comics medium, although mostly visual, is ultimately a marriage of images and words. A balance between the two of them is vital.

ditto what everyone says, the art must represent the quality of the writing and vis versa. too little of 1 thing will give miss assumptions of the other.

granted though, I start to find the more 'god mode' the art, the less likely i'll end up liking the story.