Fan Comic General Discussion

[Darklord Bright]

I think my various comics have all taken about a week and a bit to go through. Usually I use that time to make more comics to fill the buffer, so I have stuff to post over the weeks after it goes up

[Emperor Ing]

It's been a LOOOONG time since I had to make a thread, but IIRC it took 2 days for WTwU thread 2 to go up. Of course that was a while ago.

Yeah, make moar comics to give potential readers material to follow.

[Tiffanie Lirle]

Having just started Ooze a couple months ago, I can confirm that the waiting time for confirmation has gotten a bit longer than what it used to be.

*shrugs*

[CountD]

That's cool. I just want to make sure that it's going up eventually.

And I have been making more comics. I've been posting them on another website community I'm a part of as a sort of "hay guys check out this thing I'm doing" thing. I've finished up the five issue prologue and am now working on chapter one. I hope you guys enjoy it whenever it gets put up here.

[LTDave]

I have a similar issue - posted a comic about a week ago now - nothing happened.

Not complaining - just not refraining.

[Darklord Bright]

If you're particularly worried about it, pass a PM to one of the subsection mods, maybe. I'm not sure, I always just waited a week or two and then it was there.

[king_clumsy]

I've had an idea thats been going around my head for quite some time. I've tried to write a dark comedy as well as a serious mystery set in this universe. both failed.

I'd love to write a more casual comic to counter writing The Hereafter (see my sig) which has an ongoing plot and updates a page a week.

The idea I had was a either a modern fantasy world with offices and politicians and whatnot or at least a look nto the lives of the NPCs that keep the world running for adventuers. A cross between the two could be good (not unlike the OotS world) with a schizo tech/somethingPunk feel to it.

My current idea is showing people holding down boring NPC jobs in this world. Namely a halfling starting work at a big financial corporation thats run by a Lich (who's undead to avoid paying tax and to avoid giving his company up)

I dont know where it'd go from here. Nor do I know how I'd do the art, anyone interested?

[Zmeoaice]

Could we create a comic taking place in the OOtSverse in different style than stickdolls and have it be hosted on another site? I get that one wouldn't want free advertisements for non related strips, but the comics that are about OOtS should be able to be hosted on their own site since using a forum board to host comics is a pain, and I don't see why style has to be the key when just saying it takes place in OOtSVerse is enough.

The idea I had was a either a modern fantasy world with offices and politicians and whatnot or at least a look nto the lives of the NPCs that keep the world running for adventuers. A cross between the two could be good (not unlike the OotS world) with a schizo tech/somethingPunk feel to it.

My current idea is showing people holding down boring NPC jobs in this world. Namely a halfling starting work at a big financial corporation thats run by a Lich (who's undead to avoid paying tax and to avoid giving his company up)

I dont know where it'd go from here. Nor do I know how I'd do the art, anyone interested?

Perhaps a coal mine? And I might find the time to do the art, it seems simple enough. Although I'm just getting the hang of vector graphics.

[Teutonic Knight]

I don't think you can make any kind of fan project with specifically OotS related content. Here is the official post that says you can't:

Use of The Order of the Stick Characters, Places, and Other Trademarks
Generally speaking, you are not permitted to make fan comics that tell the stories of any of the characters of The Order of the Stick or feature any of the places that exist in the comic, such as Azure City. These names and likenesses are trademarked by Giant in the Playground and cannot be used without specific permission. There are a few situations where it may be deemed acceptable:

A cameo appearance, defined now as an appearance that is confined to a single strip of the comic series, done for humor or contrast. Essentially, this constitutes a parody of sorts, and as such is considered Fair Use. Note that the character should not have any meaningful influence on the plot, and the event should not be referenced repeatedly in future comics. For example, it’s OK for your characters to stop and ask Durkon for directions to the nearest tavern in one panel and then never mention it again. It is not OK for Durkon to give them their sacred quest to fulfill Thor’s prophecy--which will comprise several dozen strips of story--even if Durkon’s entire appearance is limited to one strip.
Similarly, place names can be mentioned briefly, in passing, but your characters may not go there and spend 100 strips exploring the surroundings. They can say that the dungeon is 15 miles north of Cliffport in one panel, but they cannot go on a 10-strip shopping spree in the city first.

We ask that in any strip where an existing OOTS character appears, you include the following notice in the image file (usually along the bottom):
Quote:
<Character name>™ created by Rich Burlew, used under OOTS Fan Comic Guidelines.

It doesn't say specifically about content hosted off-site but I still wouldn't. You could instead do a thinly-veiled parody of the OotSverse? As for stick format, you do not have to stick to stick format when drawing OotS-related stuff. That's just our choice to pay homage to the Giant. And because we can't draw in any other way.

[Darklord Bright]

So... this thread doesn't get used a whole lot, does it? I can see old posts from three years ago if I just go back a page, there.

Anyhow, that's not the point of this post. I just had a general question for this subsection, and there isn't really anywhere else more appropriate to do it than our official discussion thread.

The Question: When it comes to fancomics, if we ignore art-style considerations for a moment, is there anything people don't see often here that they wish they did? Things they think they see too much of?

You know, like genre and plot and things like that.

Just figured this thread is here, and we may as well use it for some good ol' discussions.

[Teutonic Knight]

Were you talking about fancomics on this particular forum or elsewhere on the Internet? Cause I personally have not seen many fancomics in their original form, most have evolved into fully-fledged webcomics of their own.

Anyway, simply put I would just like to see more fancomics here on the forum. Never mind if they are "typical Dnd stories", as long as you realize that and keep them fresh with interesting characters, or a non-generic setting or plot point, then I would like to read that. Especially if played seriously and not trying to make a joke every comic. Otherwise if you can come up with an even seemingly original concept, do it. Withing reason, of course.

Personally, I would like to see more original fantasy settings. The further away from classic Dnd would be nice, since there's already so much of that here, and it would help your comic stand out.

Actually doesn't this discussion turn into a "what story elements do you like?" kind of discussion? Discuss.

[Darklord Bright]

Actually doesn't this discussion turn into a "what story elements do you like?" kind of discussion? Discuss.

Well, I sort of figured that there were probably things people liked that they didn't see a lot here, even if they did get their fill of other things they like.

And I'd tend to agree with you, myself. While RPG comics are par for the course in a community of what is mostly RPG fans, I'd certainly like to see more things that didn't really deal with D&D mechanics and the like. The Giant's own comic does that very well, and that's some pretty stiff competition.

My biggest problem with my last comic project, Of Books and Barbarians, was sort of related to this. I'd penned myself in with a generic fantasy setting, and I just couldn't get into writing a setting like that.

For me, backdrop is very important to my enjoyment of a story. Background details shouldn't obscure the characters or the plot, but they're part of what changes a story from bland to a little more flavourful and interesting. They're the hooks used to catch the fish and pull them into your great big plot-boat. Or something. I'm bad with metaphors.

I'm no good at Sci-Fi, but it'd be nice to see more of that, too.

[Emperor Ing]

I've been doing these comics for four years and I still have no idea what i'm doing

[Teutonic Knight]

Anybody know why the list of threads is slowly getting smaller? And where do the ones that have fallen too low on the list gone? Are they gone forever?

[Emperor Ing]

If you remember their names you could search for the threads on google, I imagine they're archived.

But basically, there are comics that don't get updated so there's no reason for them to eat forum bandwidth.

[Darklord Bright]

By default, the forum has recently started showing only threads from the last 45 days. If you change that back, you'll see them again.

The reason for this is that 45 days is the necro cut-off date now, I think? Something like that.

[Fay Graydon]

I'm no good at Sci-Fi, but it'd be nice to see more of that, too.

I think I got that covered if my new thread ever gets posted

[garrysingh817]

heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.....................

[Emperor Ing]

Hey. What's going on?

[Omega]

I'm no good at Sci-Fi, but it'd be nice to see more of that, too.

I agree, it would be very interesting to see more Sci-Fi content.

[AtlanteanTroll]

In regards to the fan comics guidelines, if we use the forum as a test "market," and then move the comic later, is that okay? It seems as if it should be.

[Emperor Ing]

Perfectly fine, but i'd personally prefer you not leave. It's pretty lonely in this forum.

[TaiLiu]

Perfectly fine, but i'd personally prefer you not leave. It's pretty lonely in this forum.

Emperor Ing! Is there a possibility of a summary for your highly confusing webcomic?

[Emperor Ing]

Emperor Ing! Is there a possibility of a summary for your highly confusing webcomic?

Such a feat is simply not possible. The best I can do is offer to you that you shouldn't try and take it too seriously.

[Neoriceisgood]

Woah what happened to this place? I haven't looked at the fan comic subsection too much since getting my own site ... but it looks absolutely barren.

[Emperor Ing]

Apparently fan-comics were a fad that came and went.

[TaiLiu]

Such a feat is simply not possible. The best I can do is offer to you that you shouldn't try and take it too seriously.

Curses!

Woah what happened to this place? I haven't looked at the fan comic subsection too much since getting my own site ... but it looks absolutely barren.

Hi, Neoriceisgood!

Apparently fan-comics were a fad that came and went.

I think people just stopped updating. Unfortunate.

[Neoriceisgood]

Hahah, hi TaiLiu!

It's kinda sad this place seems to have mostly died out, I remember a huge number of active threads in here a few years ago. I kinda quit visiting
after moving my own comic away from the fan forums & the only fan comic I enjoyed reading stopped updating. (I don't quite remember the name,
it had a cloaked guy, a ghost & a thiefling on the main team; OOTS style comic.)

[Drakeburn]

Hahah, hi TaiLiu!

It's kinda sad this place seems to have mostly died out, I remember a huge number of active threads in here a few years ago. I kinda quit visiting
after moving my own comic away from the fan forums & the only fan comic I enjoyed reading stopped updating. (I don't quite remember the name,
it had a cloaked guy, a ghost & a thiefling on the main team; OOTS style comic.)

I think the comic you're talking about is anti-heroes.

And it is quite sad to see this thread falling apart.
But maybe this is an opportunity for new beginnings. I've been thinking about making my own fan-comic as well. But I haven't figured everything out yet.

[Emperor Ing]

Curses!

I might be able to build a time-machine from items I will find in my fridge, I might be able to run for President of Planet Earth, but there will be no greater exercise in futility than to summarize my comic.

Feel free to make your own comic. For old times' sake i'd be willing to offer my experience.