What you look for in a Webcomic

[SkeletalSpade]

I'm sure DMFA isn't the only webcomic people here read, so I was wondering;

What other types of webcomics do you read? Fantasy? Reality?
What do you look for in general, in said-webcomic to read?
Will simply having anthromorphic/furry characters make you take look, or do you peak after seeing what setting it is? (Futuristic, modern, past, etc)
Do you look purely baised on level of art skillage?

Any other reasons andquestion-answerings would be awesome 

[JaxiD]

I am going to give my opinion.

Personally I don't read many webcomics at the moment, I use to read more than just DMFA but recently the ones I did use to read have become a lot less interesting or have become dead. I do however read a lot of graphic novels and books, at the moment I'm going through Jack Higgins' collection because I've recently finished reading every Tom Clancy novel since finishing Rainbow Six.

So yes, obviously I love thrillers set in the modern day so it's pretty odd that I enjoy reading DMFA which is a... adventure slash comedy slash fantasy slash, anthropomorphic animal, romp. I think what attracts me to it is the writing, the entire world which has been created surrounding it.

What I look for in general is just something that grabs my attention. The skill behind the drawing only really needs to be at a level where I can tell what's going on and I need to know the person who's doing the drawing is making the effort, there is nothing more off putting for me than knowing the person doing the drawings is being lazy and not trying to improve. I'd also have to point out that people with inexperienced drawing skills can be lazy as well as people with experience.

The story always takes priority for me, without a solid story Eugene Delacroix could be doing the drawings and I wouldn't be interested in the slightest.

I would read a lot more webcomics than what I do but I have high standards unfortunately. For example one thing that puts me off is fan service. Once every now and again is all right I can put up with that or if it's important to the plot, but if a webcomic has too much fan service it seems to me that the story becomes secondary. Almost as if the person making it is only interested in the fan service and is using the facade of a story to pretend its more important than what it really is.

I am also incredibly put off when the main character is portrayed as, almost super human. When the main character is incredibly skilled at seemingly everything and their few flaws barely make up for this, especially if they know they are skilled and act cocksure of themselves because of this it's very annoying and I end up wanting the main character to fail. Or if everything seems to go the main character's way by sheer coincidence.

Too long did not read? What would sum my view up is that I look for a well written story with compelling characters.

[Inumo]

What other types of webcomics do you read? Fantasy? Reality?
What do you look for in general, in said-webcomic to read?
Will simply having anthromorphic/furry characters make you take look, or do you peak after seeing what setting it is? (Futuristic, modern, past, etc)
Do you look purely baised on level of art skillage?

Lessee... I've got autobiographies, gaming webcomics, science fiction, fantasy, comedy... I think that covers them all in broad terms.

Plot or decent humor.

Neither, really. Setting or character type isn't that important to me.

No, but as art skill goes up, I also notice I expect more plot, possibly a darker subject.

[AmberCross]

I have... so many webcomics that I read. And at least twice that number which I read infrequently. Range covers anywhere from adventure/drama, comedy, slice of life, videogames, fantasy/scifi, and probably a few others besides.

Existance is usually enough to warrant a look barring something like obvious nudity or some other sign that I'm not going to like it that I recognize off first glance.

To keep me reading, you just have to be not bad. Though things that I will look for are particularly good art/writing, interesting setting/characters/etc, and/or a good plot (which is usually a subset of one or both of the other two). It boils down to the same thing I look for in books, either I must really like how they make the product, or the product must contain something I find to be interesting. That last bit basically means if they have a magic system that I've never seen, or some intriguing culture, etc... I'll usually be hooked. Just don't spend all your time talking about the world without something else to hold it together.

I will admit that particularly crude art-style means I'm less likely to be interested in something, but it's not exclusive. A very famous example of this is XKCD which has writing content and fun ideas that more than make up for the fact that it's nothing but stick figures. Indeed it makes the fact that it's nothing but stick figures a kind of feature of the comic. Aside from that though, I don't actually follow any webcomics with terrible art, but I think that's more correlation with amateur abilities all around than causation for me to directly not want to read it.

Interestingly enough, I found DMFA like five times and was unable to actually be interested because it started off so badly. So I can say for certain that having good art REALLY helps. Unless it's oversimplified to the point where the lack of art is kind of the point, like in XKCD or that webcomic where the two main characters are a circle an a square respectively.

[rabid_fox]

Good gags. If a comic doesn't have good gags I rapidly lose interest. I find plot-oriented comics without gags in a real conflict of form and content.

Visual, word-play or 4th Wall Breaking gags keep a comic interesting for me.

[Turnsky]

*stuff*

to sum it up, if the comic has a narrative and an element that requires the use of visuals, then the ability to actually DRAW something your readers can tolerate is generally a good idea. A certain style for a comic can be pulled off it it adequately fits the source material. your XKCD example fits perfectly in how it's primarily the writing that sees the comic through. Whereas something like girl genius which has a very long narrative to it, requires the use of more stronger visual elements to carry itself.

However this can fall apart if the creator, while having a strong narrative for example, but fails to execute it correctly either via subpar art, bad pacing, misuse of onomatopea, the list goes on.
Poor writing and good art can be detrimental as well... as seen on half of keenspot which is pretty much all style compared to the surprising lack of substance. 

what i look for in a webcomic is pretty simple: entertainment.

however i do enjoy discussing things with other authors, see their points of view, and hear any advice they wish to impart, maybe giving some of my own in the process. That is if they're not obstinate and pretty much refuse to listen, then it brings out the worst in me. 

[TheDXM]

Lots of the artistic ability. I do not pay much mind to the stories. It could be silly cats singing on the moon, but if it is pretty and drawn well I would like it!

[Amber Williams]

TITS!

[SquirrelWizard]

For me its a balance between artistic ability, and the ability to tell a smooth flowing story through the medium.

Good art can cover for slightly less than stellar storywork
Good storywork can cover for less than stellar artistic ability.

[ShadesFox]

TITS!

Insufficient.  They need to be furry tits.

[AmberCross]

*moar stuff*

Yes. This. It is a good summary.

[joshofspam]

I find the story to be most important to me.

The actual skill to draw might catch my eye. But if the story doesn't catch my interest, I'll sooner or later forget about it and fail to keep track of it.

TITS!

Insufficient.  They need to be furry tits.

Boobs are nice.

But their not the important thing for a story....Except for Fa'lina, jokes about her bust will hunt Amber's story forever.

[Turnsky]

TITS!

you and Chalo need to join forces, then.

[Jigsaw Forte]

Regularity.

Something resembling a plot so I have a reason to keep reading.

Artwork that doesn't hinder the ability to read the damn story.

[Mao]

I've always appreciated two things in a webcomic:  Story and art.

This is because a webcomic is both a written and a visual medium.  Can it survive when one lacks?  Maybe, but not for me.  It needs to have both.  If one is really bad or non-existent, then I won't be interested.  The bad aspect will be enough to drive me off.

Another thing that can affect me is the author.  Bad attitude?  Don't care how amazing the art or story is, I don't want to support this person in any way.  Can't accept criticism?  I'll give up because I can't see any reason I should act merely to inflate their ego, even if only by increasing their page hits.

Hmm,I smell something bitter.

[Turnsky]

Another thing that can affect me is the author.  Bad attitude?  Don't care how amazing the art or story is, I don't want to support this person in any way.  Can't accept criticism?  I'll give up because I can't see any reason I should act merely to inflate their ego, even if only by increasing their page hits.

nothing worse than an arrogant artist, so caught up in their own 'style' they fail to see things from different perspectives and improve on the whole, i've seen it plenty of times when the comic genesis' forums were more active than they are now, and i've seen it happen here too.

[Alondro]

Not sure.  Sometimes, a comic just grabs me.  Something about the name interests me for some strange reason, and then I find that it's good.

And by some strange chance, I tend to pick ones that become quite popular.

It... it must be my mutant power:  Comic Awesomeness Radar!

[Turnsky]

to add to this discussion somewhat further (it just occurred to me).

It's always makes a webcomic easier to read when those behind it actually put some effort into it, and show some improvement. instead of quickly mass producing stuff en masse without any real regard for quality.

[Sunblink]

I think everyone's said what needs to be said: I like webcomics with a compelling story, a colorful and multi-dimensional cast of characters (to me, this is the most important), and decent artwork that doesn't impair the reader's ability to enjoy the comic. Panel layout, no blocks of text, etc - but that's me being picky. Character development everywhere.

Another thing that can affect me is the author.  Bad attitude?  Don't care how amazing the art or story is, I don't want to support this person in any way.  Can't accept criticism?  I'll give up because I can't see any reason I should act merely to inflate their ego, even if only by increasing their page hits.

nothing worse than an arrogant artist, so caught up in their own 'style' they fail to see things from different perspectives and improve on the whole, i've seen it plenty of times when the comic genesis' forums were more active than they are now, and i've seen it happen here too.

I'm gonna echo this sentiment. It's not like I'm perfect and I still struggle with listening to criticism sometimes, but as overwhelming as it can be, it is the most reliable way to learn how to improve. That goes for any field of art, not just comics - art, writing, anything that can possibly be benefited from good observational skills, whether it's from a professional or someone who's never even picked up a pencil. As Amber said, stagnating is for suckers and communists.

I like artists who listen, and who are nice to the members of their community. It says a lot about their character if they manage to remain humble in the face of e-fame.

[Turnsky]

It says a lot about their character if they manage to remain humble in the face of e-fame.

Whether actual or fabricated by their own delusions of grandeur. 

[Alondro]

It says a lot about their character if they manage to remain humble in the face of e-fame.

Whether actual or fabricated by their own delusions of grandeur. 

As Victor Borge once said while in character as Franz List:  "When I was young I was very conceited, but that has all changed now that I am perfect!"

I know how that is, being perfect myself.  Mine is a high and lonely destiny!   

[Sunblink]

It says a lot about their character if they manage to remain humble in the face of e-fame.

Whether actual or fabricated by their own delusions of grandeur. 

As Victor Borge once said while in character as Franz List:  "When I was young I was very conceited, but that has all changed now that I am perfect!"

I know how that is, being perfect myself.  Mine is a high and lonely destiny!   

Actually, that quote you provided reminds me of an old saying that goes like this: 'People who think they're perfect are really irritating to those of us who are.'

I actually can't remember who said it so maybe it's not an old saying after all. But being perfect, neither of us need to be corrected.

[Sofox]

What do I look for in a webcomic?
I could list things like story, characters, humour, plot etc. but those would just be words.
What I look for is a connection with the person who made it, where they really put part of themselves into what they make.
Everyone has their own unique and interesting characteristics, yet when they make something, they tend to copy others more or less and make something generic or worse, robotic.
So I love it when I find that rare webcomic that (largely) isn't like that, and you really get a sense of something from the person who made it, something you rarely get anywhere else.