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November 26, 2003

Fun with Webcomics.

So Dylan wrote this thing on webcomics burnout for Comixpedia, one of those sites I really ought to visit more regularly, but keep managing to forget about. It's pretty good. Read it, if you can get a chance. It's over here.

I've see this happen a few times, on the Modern Tales websites and on the 'net in general. Creator burnout, that is. It's never pretty. Print comics suffer from the same phenomenon, but people always seem to be far more forgiving if a deadwood issue of a comic never comes out than if a webpage stops updating. Maybe it has something to do with the instant gratification so many Internet types are used to. Or maybe it's because the cost of a print comic is in the thousands, and webhosting for an online comic ranges from free to a pittance monthly, unless you're unreasonably successful. You can be forgiven for being poor, it seems, but not for being uninspired. I'm sure both online and deadwood readers complain when their favorite funnybook fails to materialize, but the instant accessibility of an online artist to his or her fans means they're a lot more likely to hear that bitching firsthand. Which, really, isn't doing the artist any favors.

Comics are hard enough. Your own fans shouldn't work against you.

Posted by Spike at November 26, 2003 07:44 PM

Comments

I keep feeling bad for taking a short break from Jeepers [this week, and December], but I'm feeling a tad burnt out, and have TONS of schoolwork to catch up on.
What I'm gonna do next semester is do it twice a week as usual, but only one page per update [I've done about 14 double updates]. Though no one's seemed my short absence to notice much besides me :)

December is devoted to Jeepers Presents: My Pop Art Romance, a comic I did around the same time as the first 10 or so Jeepers pages as part of a class project. And I want to upload at least 3 new pages of Jeepers for over X-mas once MPAR is done.

I always feel guilty when I stop a comic. I still feel guilty for all the various not-finished/submitted comics I've done, and for not finishing my college strip, Mouffette Machine [though i really do have no time for it, and it needed to be reworked a lot...]

I have sooo may comics that are just 4 or so pages long, and no more. And tons that are 50+ pages long, but all layouts. I've gotta get to these thigns, even though no one else knows anythign of them, I feel guilty about it...

Posted by Andre' at November 26, 2003 08:45 PM
138.73.70.162

This is my current infection! It'll be cured in April!!!

"College/Baby syndrome (offshoot, Terminal Life syndrome). Typified by a long bout of artistic coma, reflexive obsession with a dominant real-life stressor, or extended epileptic fits of angst interspersed with brief periods of productivity.
what you can do: gentle teasing, congratulations, entertaining anecdotes, and time-released capsules of patience are all advisable. Aggression often results in the artist's complete disgust with art online.
"

Plus I still have an actual cold. 3 weeks going strong :(

Posted by Andre' at November 26, 2003 08:46 PM
138.73.70.162

I feel for you, Andre. My colds last two weeks a piece, a week of which I spend in bed. My immune system wasn't always this crummy, but hey, there you have it.

And I'm looking forward to "My Pop Art Romance," actually. I love Jeepers. But it needs more Fred!

Posted by spike at November 27, 2003 07:50 AM
68.20.30.3

Be careful what you wish for :)

Posted by Andre' at November 27, 2003 10:48 AM
138.73.70.162

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