Start a web / online comic

[Programmed_For_Damage]

I've been flirting with the idea of creating web / digital comic of late (let me tell you it's been a one way kind of flirting) but I'm not sure:

a) how to approach it
b) whether it would be worth it

Let me give you a bit of background. I often come up with ideas for stories, so I tend to do a fair bit of creative writing. Anyway, for a while I've had this idea for a story bouncing around my head and it won't go away, which is normally a sign for me that it is a "keeper". Usually I just write it down and see if it progresses, however this idea, while being solid plot-wise, would really work best on a visual medium.
Recently, I've been reading this online comic on my mobile called American Terror. It has a good story and an artwork style that I think would really suite what I'm going for, so to me this seems like a viable road to get my story out. I can draw pretty good, I'm very competent with Photoshop and I've got what I think is a compelling story. My only stumbling blocks are the two issues I listed above.

So, I was wondering if any Escapists have tried creating their own web / online comic? If so, did it require you to know much in the way of programming? Also, did you charge for it? Now I'm not really interested in doing it to make much money (I've got a full-time job for that), I'd really just like to tell a good story, however I'd probably start the first few installments off as free and charge a small subscription fee afterward.

I guess at this stage I'm more interested in how much work it would take to transfer still images to a viewer of some sort. If anyone has any advice or could point me in the right direction that would be great.

 

[Asclepion]

I've been flirting with the idea of creating web / digital comic of late (let me tell you it's been a one way kind of flirting) but I'm not sure:

a) how to approach it
b) whether it would be worth it

Let me give you a bit of background. I often come up with ideas for stories, so I tend to do a fair bit of creative writing. Anyway, for a while I've had this idea for a story bouncing around my head and it won't go away, which is normally a sign for me that it is a "keeper". Usually I just write it down and see if it progresses, however this idea, while being solid plot-wise, would really work best on a visual medium.
Recently, I've been reading this online comic on my mobile called American Terror. It has a good story and an artwork style that I think would really suite what I'm going for, so to me this seems like a viable road to get my story out. I can draw pretty good, I'm very competent with Photoshop and I've got what I think is a compelling story. My only stumbling blocks are the two issues I listed above.

As for whether it would be worth it, that's easy. Absolutely. There is no negative outcome to this.
- If people like it, great!
- If people think it's shit, or it doesn't catch on, you still get the experience of doing it. You improve your skills as an artist, refine your writing, and get a feel for what it's like to provide media to an audience. Even failure is valuable if you learn from it and apply new understanding. In the digital age, publishing creative works is easier than it's ever been in the history of man. So take advantage of it, if that's what you want.

Truth is, everyone has an idea for a movie, or books in their minds. Everyone. But only a few of them actually make an effort to bring those to reality.

So, I was wondering if any Escapists have tried creating their own web / online comic? If so, did it require you to know much in the way of programming? Also, did you charge for it? Now I'm not really interested in doing it to make much money (I've got a full-time job for that), I'd really just like to tell a good story, however I'd probably start the first few installments off as free and charge a small subscription fee afterward.

You don't really need programming for something like this. As of 2011, wordpress as a program is essentially perfect. It's so easy to use and has so many possible variations that it can no longer be improved. In fact, think of programming like photography- professional photographers have less and less work now that every phone has a camera. What was a specialized field has simply advanced to the point where the position is unneeded. That said, you may want a programmer if you expand to forums or interactive elements on the site. Other sources go into more detail than I have.

I don't think charging for it is a good idea, not until you get established. You should not expect the site to be profitable for a long time. In all likelihood, it won't be. Even the biggest webcomics make their revenue from merchandise and advertising.

I guess at this stage I'm more interested in how much work it would take to transfer still images to a viewer of some sort. If anyone has any advice or could point me in the right direction that would be great.

I don't fully understand what you mean. There are commercially available scanners, drawing tablets, or illustration programs for digital comics.

 

[Esotera]

I've been flirting with the idea of creating web / digital comic of late (let me tell you it's been a one way kind of flirting) but I'm not sure:

a) how to approach it
b) whether it would be worth it

Let me give you a bit of background. I often come up with ideas for stories, so I tend to do a fair bit of creative writing. Anyway, for a while I've had this idea for a story bouncing around my head and it won't go away, which is normally a sign for me that it is a "keeper". Usually I just write it down and see if it progresses, however this idea, while being solid plot-wise, would really work best on a visual medium.
Recently, I've been reading this online comic on my mobile called American Terror. It has a good story and an artwork style that I think would really suite what I'm going for, so to me this seems like a viable road to get my story out. I can draw pretty good, I'm very competent with Photoshop and I've got what I think is a compelling story. My only stumbling blocks are the two issues I listed above.

So, I was wondering if any Escapists have tried creating their own web / online comic? If so, did it require you to know much in the way of programming? Also, did you charge for it? Now I'm not really interested in doing it to make much money (I've got a full-time job for that), I'd really just like to tell a good story, however I'd probably start the first few installments off as free and charge a small subscription fee afterward.

I guess at this stage I'm more interested in how much work it would take to transfer still images to a viewer of some sort. If anyone has any advice or could point me in the right direction that would be great.

There's actually specific software for this based on Wordpress called Comicpress. Haven't used it myself but apparently it's the easiest way. Coding it all yourself is pretty much just reinventing the wheel. It's probably not even worth setting up your own server, it can probably be hosted as a wordpress site unless you start getting hundreds of thousands of viewers & want to change things round a bit.

Also I wouldn't make it subscription-based. The major web-comics seem to be free-to-view but based on merchandise & physical prints of their work. Just look at the XKCD & SMBC stores.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

Thanks guys, you've already been a big help! It gives me more encouragement to pursue this.