should i start a new comic?

[BelkarsDagger]

Well uh yeah. I had an idea of like 5 Commandos being in a Special forces squad, and the comic would be about what happens to them during their missions... of course it wouldnt be too violent. anyones help would be greatly appreciated ;D

[Sneak]

As long as it's funny and has proper punctuation/spelling/grammar.

[BelkarsDagger]

Yeah comody's gonna be the main part of it. As for grammer, dear god i hope so too. :)

[Miles Invictus]

Yes, comedy and grammar are essential. Especially grammar. Grammar is one of the cornerstones of good writing. Even in a largely visual medium like a comic strip, proper grammar can add a lot to things. (Yeah, I'm making a point. :P ) Seriously, though, proofread your work. Unless you rely a lot on action sequences, you're going to be doing a fair bit of writing. If it's done poorly, it will turn away readers.

Don't worry about artwork too much, but always try to improve it. Your homework: Look at Schlock Mercenary (http://www.schlockmercenary.com/), College Roomies From Hell!!! (http://www.crfh.net/), and Adventurers! (http://adventurers-comic.com/). Compare their early artwork to the artwork they have now. For extra credit, write a paper on your findings. (Note: There is no extra credit.)

Comedy isn't really essential, either, but each "issue" should be interesting for one reason or another. Comedy is simply the most common way to do this. The best stories, in my opinion, contain both funny and serious aspects to them.

Finally: if you plug your comic and ask for constructive criticism, be polite and respond to it. A few months ago, some guy posted a link to his new comic strip. He got a fair amount of feedback from it, but never responded to any of it. Pissed me off, because we were making an honest effort to help him. >:(

Anyway, I hope it turns out well. Let us know when you've got something up.

[Mike]

Well uh yeah. I had an idea of like 5 Commandos being in a Special forces squad, and the comic would be about what happens to them during their missions... of course it wouldnt be too violent. anyones help would be greatly appreciated ;D

Uh. I believe you're a bit underprepared.

What will the comic be like? Will it be humor-based or story-based? Who are the five commandos? What are their personalities, backstories, specialties and fears? Who are they working for? What kind of missions do they do? Where are they located, what is the time period, and what are they doing? Will they succeed in all their missions? If so, are they competent or incompetent and lucky?

If you want help, I'm going to need a lot more info than what you've given.

If you're going for general comic help, listen to Miles.

[Samiam303]

As long as it's funny and has proper punctuation/spelling/grammar.
See, I dissagree. It doesn't have to be FUNNY, as long as it's well written.

[PhoeKun]

Actually, I hear irony is big in post-modern art these days. Try one without good writing or proper grammar. Correct spelling is right out.

You'll be hailed as a genius.

[bluish_wolf]

See, I dissagree. It doesn't have to be FUNNY, as long as it's well written.

It really depends on wether you want to go the comedic or dramatic route. You can get by without making any jokes at all if you want to.

[BURNhollywoodBURN]

You may need a TINY bit of help fron the master. That is tiny x10000000000000000000000. If the almighty Rich were willing to help you, it would be :o :o :o :o Try using some of his techniques, whitch you can find on the FAQ. If, however, you need a totally different style get some other amazing cartoonist, like say, Matt Groeneg.

[5tephen]

Have you ever tried putting up a webcomic?

I have- it's hard.
That's why you'll never EVER hear me complaining about the Giant being late for a strip, or missing out on a day ENTIRELY.

Now, the fact that you're asking for help is a good sign. Recently a guy who goes by the moniker of The Ferret has put up a webcomic- but he only does the writing. He has a graphic artist friend who does the art. Also, they work about a month ahead, in order to give themselves some updateing slack. Not bad ideas, both of those. If you want to check it out: Home on the Strange. (http://homeonthestrange.com) (Yes, they do link to OOTS as one of the few quality comics they reccomend to their readers.)

But first and foremost (which is why I mention it last) you have to ask yourself one question:
"Why?"
No, seriously: Why do you want to put up a webcomic? Think about all the work involved- apart from setup, most webcomic artists reckon their workload at around 3 hours per day of updating. If youare updating at a rate of any faster than once per week, that becomes more than a hobby pretty quickly.

So ultimately, you need a pretty compelling answer to that question: Why would I want to do such a thing?

[metalphil]

Have you ever tried putting up a webcomic?

I have- it's hard.
That's why you'll never EVER hear me complaining about the Giant being late for a strip, or missing out on a day ENTIRELY.

Now, the fact that you're asking for help is a good sign. Recently a guy who goes by the moniker of The Ferret has put up a webcomic- but he only does the writing. He has a graphic artist friend who does the art. Also, they work about a month ahead, in order to give themselves some updateing slack. Not bad ideas, both of those. If you want to check it out: Home on the Strange. (http://homeonthestrange.com) (Yes, they do link to OOTS as one of the few quality comics they reccomend to their readers.)

But first and foremost (which is why I mention it last) you have to ask yourself one question:
"Why?"
No, seriously: Why do you want to put up a webcomic? Think about all the work involved- apart from setup, most webcomic artists reckon their workload at around 3 hours per day of updating. If youare updating at a rate of any faster than once per week, that becomes more than a hobby pretty quickly.

So ultimately, you need a pretty compelling answer to that question: Why would I want to do such a thing?
Holy crap! Home on the Strange is totally hilarious! Very, very funny stuff. Cool, thanks for posting that link.

[Waf]

The number one piece of advice anyone can give you on making a web comic is get started. The simple fact of the matter is very few web comics take off in stride (Yes I am posting this piece of advice on the forum of a comic that did take off in full stride. The point still stands.) The best thing you can do is get started, make your mistakes, learn from them and keep going. If you spend too much time in the planning phase you'll never get out get out of the planning phase. I've made somewhere over 300+ comics strip online. Looking back, the first several months were absolute crap, and I would be ashamed of them if I didn't know without them, the good stuff wouldn't exist.

Get Started!

[Brianish]

If you're looking to an internet message board to make your decision... no.

[Haggis_McCrablice]

I'll tell you what I told the other guy: be honest, don't compromise, stay true to your vision and to hell with the critics. I'm doing what I love, even if I don't see a lot of money from it, and I'm my own boss. Seems all the money's in merchandising anyway. So maybe I should branch out into T-shirts somewhere down the line....