Heroscribe, why don't you do both? Post your webcomic, and then when you have say, 24 pages make it into a print book via Ka-Blam and/or Comixpress. Do this after every 24 pages, and label them volumes. Or 30 or 40 pages, whatever floats your boat. You could also do pre-orders to gauge the interest in the 'souvineer' edition of your web comic.

Can you dig it? :D

Yeah thats an option i was also thinking about... but usually you wouldn't be able to do that till later when you become more popular...

It all began back in 2004, which I was getting started with the webcomics thing.

I started Billy Learns To Rock as an appetizer and for fun-side project from my university work and for my later works to come, but as I progressed working on it, people started to give me really nice feedbacks that started to motivate me more and the more I'm drawing the more I started to enjoy what I'm doing.

I loved webcomicing and still do and that's why I'm conitnuing and hoping that one day, it can help me become more professional. The feedbacks had helped me improve my art skills and when I get enough money from my stupid job, I'm going to an art school which teaches comicing for 10 weeks. I got inspired more!

Webcomicing has become a passion and I want to find a way in the future to help it increase its audience more!

Webcomicing for life!!!!

There are multiple reasons for why we started Voodoo Walrus really. To vent out the crazy ideas we tend to come up with but they don't fit our other projects. A love for comics be they standard comic books or webcomics. A chance to share our ideas with any willing to look. A chance to practice consistent scripting and page work. And as we're quickly discovering, its also a great way to better the writing and drawing processes considering that since we started Voodoo Walrus my own (Grymm's) artwork and layout ideas have improved drastically while CreepKnight's writing and dialouge just get better and better.

Plus there's just something all too satisfying about making something and having it go up online. Whether just a few people are reading it or many, its still up there, its still a finished product, its an accomplishment.

Well, mainly because I waited too long to have faith & confidence in myself & my work.

Now I have 3 kids (1 in college), a wife, a dog, 2 lizards, 3 fish, & 1 mortgage I can barely afford. The career train has left the station, & I got on the wrong one, & it's too late to change. So I produce my books because I don't want to be 90 years old going: "I bet ya I could have done a comic book if I'd tried".

Shitty reason, but there ya are.

Later,
Chip

Well, I would eventually love to be published in print. I'm working up several proposals at the moment. I'm not holding my breath, but it would be wonderful.

But in the meantime, webcomics are an exellent alternative, and a really fufilling way to experiment, dabble, and hone my craft as a storyteller. I primarily intend for PC to remain just a webcomic. It's just a story I've really wanted to tell for a while, and the web seemed like the best way to reach the biggest audience.

And isn't that what every cartoonist wants? How can one be a storyteller if they don't have an audience?

There is a freedom on the web to tell exactly the story that you want to tell (for better or worse..and oftentimes it is worse. But that can be said about anything.) and not be constrained by page proportions, mode of storytelling, or whether or not there is a big enough audience for your work to make it profitable. It's the internet, and god knows there's at least one other person with the same interests and quirks as you out there.

Dani's right, a story of one (yourself) isn't much fun. All great reasons creating webcomics too. :)

I love comics and I do webcomics because its fun. Until -I think- I'm good enough to even submit something to a publisher I'm just fine online. I've improved so much since I started posting here and I've met so many awesome people.

However, right now I'm working on redoing the first 120 pages on Anarchy because they're absolutely horrid and I'm going to print some copies through lulu or another publisher online for the next con season. ^_^ I know some people who would buy them and even if its just a few thats fine by me. My real reason for printing them is I want to have a copy of my finished stuff on hand so I can show it to people. :3

I have no clue.

Honestly? Uh.. I guess I started WeirdStar to show it to people other than my friends, and maybe get some advice or critique to help me improve.

Why I continue doing it? For one, I feel obligated to - I don't want to disappoint my readers, as few as they may seem. Second, because I want to hold a printed, finalized and completed print, published privately or commercially - I don't really care, of one of my creations in my hands one day, and that isn't possible without, well... completing something first - and I'm still far from that atm. Third, because my mind keeps coming up with ideas, and the only way to get them out of there is by drawing them, and I really want them out of there. And fourth, because I need something semi-productive to do in my lazy slacker-esque life.

Two reasons:

1) I'm not good enough for print yet. The reason I started doing Bulletproof in the first place was to practice doing sequentials. It just got out of control somehow and then I wanted it to be out there somehow so people could read it.

2) My job/education situation at the moment is kind of complicated and wouldn't allow me to do comics on the side with the kind of regularity that a print comic would require.

2 will change over the next few years, and by then maybe I'll have gotten to the point skill-wise where I'll put myself out there to see if I can find professional work. We'll see.

I generally prefer making mini's or zines to Webcomics, although it's true I'll reach a broader audience than I could with mini comic. So webcomics are great if you want a lot of people read your work and it's easier to get feedback, which drives me nuts trying to figure out what people respond to or don't respond to when I make a minicomic. In webcomics people offer their opinions a little more freely.

Originally to impress my in real life friends, but ended up just making them because some people here like em.

mlai
So you aspire to be a writer for comic books? Then why do you need artists? Submit your scripts directly to whatever comics house you want. Problems with trying to get artists:

1. Hard to find good ones who are willing to submit to your script completely, work on time, and with good quality.

2. Your story now becomes dependent on the quality of the artist rather than on your writing, which is what you are truly about.

While I completely respect Mlai's opinion, I have to disagree with the statement. If you want to break into comics as a writer you 100% absolutely NEED an artist(s). I've pitched a good many things to Image, Dark Horse and Platinum and I can almost guarantee you that no one is going to consider your work unless they can "see" it. At first this really frustrated me but once I started looking at it from a submissions editor's standpoint it made perfect sense. Comic books are a visual medium and what makes writing for them different then writinf for other things is that you're not only writing a story for readers, you're writing a blueprint for an artist. What better way for a would-be publisher to gauge your ability to do both then to see actual pages?

As a writer, you need an artist and you need finished pages. Can't stress that enough.

Ready for another uncomfortable reality? You're gonna need to pay them.

Free work is just that. Free work. Something the artist fits in during their spare time for fun maybe. But, when real life situations come up (rent, school, jobs, hell a new PS3 game), your project is gonna be put on the backburner and, be honest with yourself, if you were working for nothing on a project that wasn't really your own, wouldn't you do the same thing?

Now, I'm not saying that you need to come up with thousands of dollars but I'm hearing you say this is your dream. So if this is your dream, work towards that dream Save money, build a budget and keep writing while you save-- get your story tight! Once you've got your financial ducks in a row, post around at artist forums and advertise for your project. Be sure to state that this is a paying job and post your rates. You'll be amazed at how different the experience is. Keep your submission window open for two weeks at least, that way you have lots to choose from, make your choice and if they accept put forward a contract. If you want to be treated like a professional in any business you have to walk into it like a professional, ya know?

I'm not trying to lecture you, man. :)

I just know what it's like to want to get a publisher to notice your work and I know what's worked for me. This was my blue print for meeting and securing Dominic Vivona, the artist on Gunplay , and it's paid off in spades.

Pretty much? Because I want to. Ever since I was a kid, I was doodling weird little comics on notebooks, and the only audience I had was my sister. I get a kick out of creating my own worlds, and I love it when other people enjoy it. And of course, I like to hear other people's opinions, and their own perspective on the mythologies I've created.

Jorge Vega
While I completely respect Mlai's opinion, I have to disagree with the statement. If you want to break into comics as a writer you 100% absolutely NEED an artist(s). I've pitched a good many things to Image, Dark Horse and Platinum and I can almost guarantee you that no one is going to consider your work unless they can "see" it. At first this really frustrated me but once I started looking at it from a submissions editor's standpoint it made perfect sense. Comic books are a visual medium and what makes writing for them different then writinf for other things is that you're not only writing a story for readers, you're writing a blueprint for an artist. What better way for a would-be publisher to gauge your ability to do both then to see actual pages?

The submission guidelines at Image specifically say you have to present five finished pages. They're looking for complete teams that are ready to hit the ground running.

I think in addition what you said, which I would definitely agree with, the simple reality of the matter is that there are so many people wanting to "break in" at this point in time that it simply doesn't make any sense for a publisher to take on anything or anyone that still needs work - they get enough proposals that are of professional quality and ready to go.

I do my comic, because I like the story, and I want to see how it ends.

ba-dum-tsh!

I also like drawing a girl who fights evil wearing a skimpy, skin-tight bodysuit.

With web comics, it’s all for fun. I don’t feel required to draw them on a schedule, though I try too. It’s more flexible, and it’s also a nice way to get feedback from other artists and readers. I’m the first person to admit that I am horrible at drawing, but in making a web comic for just over a year now, I feel that I’ve gotten much better.

I also don’t want to draw or write comics for a living, it’s just a nice past-time when I’m bored.

And I also know for a fact that nobody would publish my comic or comic ideas anyway. They’re not that great or funny. And probably never will be.

Actually I change my answer. I do my webcomic because I'm a masochistic moron.

Yep.

~B

cs3ink
Well, mainly because I waited too long to have faith & confidence in myself & my work.

Now I have 3 kids (1 in college), a wife, a dog, 2 lizards, 3 fish, & 1 mortgage I can barely afford. The career train has left the station, & I got on the wrong one, & it's too late to change. So I produce my books because I don't want to be 90 years old going: "I bet ya I could have done a comic book if I'd tried".

Shitty reason, but there ya are.

Later,
Chip

You know something, what Chip said here echoes with me...Not as many kids or pets but what I do for a living isn't what I enjoy doing most. I have to say Chip, those aren't shitty reasons for doing a comic. It really is exciting to be doing this. When you have a wife and kids and bills and mortgage finding a little place to express yourself artistically is very hard. So to all you younger folk with amazing talent...why aren't you hitting a bong and chasing girls or boys...I kid...if this is your dream or a place to hone your talent to reach that dream, awesome...you are blessed...I wish I had this when I was younger.

i've noticed a trend lately of professionals creating webcomics.

I myself am a nurse, alejkhan is a lawyer, skoolmonkey is a teacher, and phantom penguin is a soldier

it's kind of amazing how diverse the creators are.

I write comics to express myself.

I have no occupation currently.

Although I will begin studying game art this october.

For me, it's because I wanted to try myself, and because I'm confident that I've a story that deserves a panel edition =D it had been evolving for years, and I thought that if I didn't start now, it would be lost forever.
It's something I love, a passion.

I am an author by hobby. I am writing fantasy novels. I love fantasy. But I had never done a comic until George came around.

I actually started "George the Dragon" on my little sister's dry erase board which hangs on her bedroom door. One day I came to visit my parents and Sis wasn't there so I left her a silly picture to make her smile when she came back.

I liked the picture so much that I decided to make a copy of it on my bigger dry-erase board at work. I just did it for my own enjoyment and because I wanted to be different. (Everyone else's dry erase boards say boring things like "In" or "Meeting" or "On leave until 2010") What I didn't realise (or even think about) was that people actually read dry-erase boards at work. Pretty soon I got a lot of comments back on how funny it was. So I scanned it in (so as not to lose it) and drew another one.
This got more good feedback. And so I started doing a monthly comic strip on my dry erase board. People always were bugging me for the next update. :D

I had dreams of one day getting George published in book format for my kids, myself, and anyone else who might like it. But I didn't know how to get to that point. I certainly didn't have enough comics yet to fill a book, but I still wanted it published. Not for the money. Money is just secondary to actually having a book published.

Then I discovered Drunk Duck because a coworker whom you all know as D0m wandered past my cube and noticed my comic. We struck up a conversation and he told me about this site and how he too did comics. I got pretty excited. An actual outlet for my creative weirdness! :D And so I joined and George the Dragon has slowly grown. (I've only been a member for a month or so) Basically I wanted to make it a webcomic so that I could share it with other people. I don't want it to be famous, I just want people to get a laugh, a chuckle, a giggle, or even a guffaw out of it. If they have, I've done my job and I can rest easy. George is close to my heart now. I have great plans for him. I still would like t see him in book form someday, but I like this community of webcomic artists. It is great to see other people doing the same thing, get encouragement, critiques, and friendship.

I realized just the other day that I do webcomics not only because I've written a whole script around my series that I'm just getting around to drawing...

I like to draw because it gives me a sense of spiritual peace and center. I do webcomics because hopefully, through this spiritual and creative center, I can inspire others, make people laugh...and more importantly, make them think.

It's cool stuff, man.

It's a good hobby. It allows me to get stress out, without losing it.

I originally needed an outlet for all the anger I once had. (look at my old brood knight geocities website. Aside from comics, it got rants rants anr more rants)

Hey. It takes stress out. I need an outlet to express myself. Since I cannot really express myself to most people I know in real life.

lol... In 'real life', less than 3 people actually give a shit about the comics I do online. haha.

I'm in it for the booze, money and bitches.

Well... if I ever actually make my comic that I've been saying I'm going to for years now... It's because I just love webcomics. I've been reading them for years now, and would like to take a stab at it. I think if I could just build up some momentum, I would probably do rather well as a webcomic author. I just can't get started. :cry:

Also, I have a lot of creativity juices flowing through my twisted little vains, and would like to put them to good use. Instead of thinking up new and creative way to kill people.

My webcomic is a substitute for the feature film it would take me $100 million to make. As much a story board as a comic- it is a shot by shot representation of the shooting script.

Really I have everything I would need for a movie. Script, actors, lights, costumes, props, computer models, etc. The only difference is that I'm doing single frames.

The script for the first film is 144 pages. That's roughly 2.5 Hours. I have a theatrical cut that I whittled down to 120 pages, but fortunately, there are no length restrictions for comic books. I also have 800+ pages of notes- enough material for two sequels and two HBO specials.

I don't have a full caste yet, but I have all my leads. I shoot them against blue screen with a halogen light rig. Most of the costumes are relatively simple, but some are quite elaborate. The costume for the elves for instance was made from tree bark, porcupine quills, modeling clay, sharks teeth, taxidermy eyes, and half a gallon (literally) of liquid latex. I bought a gallon jug so I still have enough left for the dwarf costume, but that's something for next summer...

The CG side of things is where most of the time goes. I've finished more than two hundred models ranging from hand weapons to sailing ships to cities, really anything I can't photograph. In addition I've made digital doubles of all my caste- a necessity for creating battle scenes with large armies and for characters in a cockpit for instance.

Because I'm only rendering single frames, I can dramatically cut down on production time. Once I've finished a set of models I can render different angles in minutes rather than weeks.

Composition, color correction filtering and the addition of text is accomplished with photoshop. My locations range from New Mexico to Alaska (and all the states and provinces along the way) I shot over three thousand photos as I drove up, (though only one in ten is likely to be used) in addition to many CG locations.

So far I've only finished forty some pages, but I show no sign of slowing down. I have enough material to keep me going for the rest of my life.

So to answer your question- Why do I do this? Many reasons.

Escapism that's a big one.

Validation. I like feeling that I'm good at something. It's a big ego boost to be able to tell people about the comic and get their feedback. It makes me feel like the local Scorsese.

Time consumption. I don't watch television, and I don't play games much anymore, so quite simply it's something to do when I get off work.

But the biggest reason? I love telling the story. I love coming up with this sh*t and taking what I see in my head and developing it so other people can see it the way I can. I love communicating an idea through art. It's better than drugs, better than sex, it's creation. The ability to imagine and create is what separates us from animals.

I love art, and if we aren't doing what we love, aren't we basically dead already?

Now the other side of it...

I will never take a job doing this stuff professionally again. I don't like collaborative art. If I'm working for someone else, I simply don't enjoy the work. So no, I'm not doing this for the exposure. Unless someone wants to pay me to work on my own stuff of course, but that's unlikely in the extreme.

My director once told me if you want to be a successful artist, you have to create for your audience, not for yourself, and I believe he was right. My hope is that there are enough people just like me to form a fan base. That would be cool as hell, but even if no one ever reads it, don't think for a moment I would stop. It's a major part of who I am. It would be like loosing a limb at this point.

And that's all I have to say about that...

I do web comics to express myself, get a story off my chest, make a point or statement, or for stress relief (which is usually when things start to get violent).