Hey everyone, I'm curious as to what you all think the biggest factor for readers dropping comics in its early chapters is. Whether it be the art, the dialogue, or the story itself, please let me know your thoughts :D

For context, I run Toon Pilot Research, and handle early reader retention, and insights for webcomics. I love data, so I'm curious as to what everyone thinks!

im wondering if there’s an app or website that can be used to organize original comic pages into a kind of web comic. i dont want to publish anything(at least not yet) but i do want to format the pages together so that they can be easily read. i have no idea if something like this even exists but it would be really helpful. i lowkey downloaded reddit just for this so i hope there’s an answer somewhere

I'm looking for something to write stories, take notes, store them, organize them into folders (worldbuilding, characters, etc.), portable. I carry around a lot of paper notebooks and my notes are starting to get too messy.

I was thinking about the ReMarkable 2 (maybe used/refurbished), but a few negative aspects mentioned in the reviews are holding me back.

Alternatively, I was considering the Onyx Boox Note, but I'm not convinced about that either, especially regarding spending that much money.

Any other recommendations? Maybe a regular tablet with an added keyboard would be better? The only thing is, it feels like a waste to use it just for writing (for every other digital task, I prefer using my smartphone and PC).

Thanks.

How receptive are artists to strict panel and page layouts dictated by the writer? I have script pages, to page layout and panels are VERY important to the way I want to completed book to read and feel and I find I’m getting a trend plus amount of pushback on this from potential artists….

What do the comic writers here do when it comes to scripting a story?

Do you have the entire story or arc of a story written before you start drawing or do you write more episodically?

I’ve been trying to script a story and I’ve been struggling to pace the plot and get from point a to point b without it feeling clunky or potentially risking any established character traits I have (writing two smart characters on opposite sides of a conflict with 1 not fully knowing as they both get closer is hard). I assume some of this can be helped if you get advice or see the characters growth as you go along?

Pls help I feel lost 😭

I'm working on a webcomic and I'm having trouble coming up with a way to introduce the characters and world, since each comic is 3-6 panels. It's a lighthearted comedy with some emphasis on the character's relationships, so I'm not sure I even need an introduction since readers will get to know the characters and world over time anyway. Now I feel like if I can't think of an intro that fits the series, I might as well not write one. I realize it's a matter of preference, but what do you guys think?

New to comics, though I have a degree in illustration so I have the art skill (need practice with panel layout and whatnot but I shall do that) I took an intro to sequential art class a couple years ago, but scripting wasn’t really a part of that class, when writing a volume of a comic, would this maybe be a good method to follow? I’m a solid writing for more novel/essay formats, but new to comic scripts. I understand the general template to follow for the final script, it’s just the ideation and planning leading up to that that I’m trying to nail down.

I used google doc but that's not an option anymore, they deleted my google account for false reason and with that all my work (5+ documents with different things on them, none of which violate any TOS).

I'm open to websites similar to google docs, programs for download... anything that is not a google service.

Edit: If I sound mad I promise it's not directed towards you, I appreciate all the suggestions and help.
I am very frustrated however , 5 docs may not sound like much but each document has over 800k word-count on it, months of work is gone because google's ai decided to flag my account for no reason.

Edit 2: I use a windows (lenovo) laptop and an Android phone! :D

I work in the film industry and I’m somewhat of a decent artist. I’ve been writing my story for years now as an animation but now I want to make it a graphic novel since it seems like less money and time up front than animating and voice acting and all that. What’s the best way to translate seasons and episodes into books?

I was posting because I'm curious if there are any comic writers here that have successfully learnt how to draw to an impressive degree, since there's only two options for writers, get money to pay an artist or learn how to draw. I've seen writers offer to pay artists on here, I'd love to see the writer's that actually learnt how to draw and ask how you were able to grow your writing skills whilst growing your drawing skills alongside working your day job. How were you able to balance and improve?

Thank you all for your continued support, it means the world to us. We have just published Welcome to Bluewater #4 on GlobalComix, and as always, the digital versions are free to read. Please stop by and check it out!

Now I will start lettering Issue 4 of our other series "The Wavelite Saga", so be on the lookout for that release in the coming weeks!

You can read Welcome to Bluewater #4 here!

I'm writing my first comic book and I'm struggling a bit on how much I feel the main characters need to talk. Like they communicate fairly often but when they do they tend to go on for a while.

If it's information that needs to get across, do I just write the dialogue and figure out the panel passing later?

Or is that something I should be thinking about while I write panels?

When there's a lot of back and forth, do I just allow that panel to be bigger so make the text easy/easier to read?

Been working on this book of mine for about 7 years. I scrap it once after 3 years of works after realizing that it was trash. It's okay. Nothing is perfect. Everything just needed a second draft, refine everything, take the bad and turn it good, yadayada. I kept going and, last year, i finished the 1st part out of 6 of my book, but overtime I lost the will to continue after starting the 2nd part. Probably because works is killing me and can't find the peace to do it. But mainly, in this digital age, I have this growing feeling that nobody gonna ever see my works, no matter how good or bad it may be. Nobody gonna cares cause there is too much content available on their screen, and I guess barely anyone has the patience to read anyway, and gonna wait for the movie adaptation to come out or smt. Thing is, i'm just an average joe trying to live buy and that hope his book gonna blow up one day, but with things like GTA 6 coming out, it's seemingly more hard to think about that. So that's my rant, tell what you think about it or keep scrolling i guess.

Edit : upon listening to the suggestions in the comments, i'm gonna start a crowdfunding on kickstarter at some point in the next week. Hopefully, this will help bring attention to my project. Thanks everyone for your encouragements !

One thing that has helped me catch pacing problems earlier is writing a three-to-five word note under every rough thumbnail. Not dialogue, just what that panel is doing: "she notices the lie," "the door will not open," or "he decides to leave."

When I cannot write a useful note, the panel is often there because I liked the shot, not because the scene needs it. That is usually my cue to cut it, combine it with the next beat, or redraw it around a clearer change.

It also makes the first thumbnail pass less precious. I am not trying to solve finished composition yet; I am checking whether the sequence actually moves.

Quiet panels still count, obviously. A pause can carry tension or let a reaction land. But I want to know what the pause is buying me before I spend an hour rendering it.

AI Disclaimer!
PTPA. i do my pages using midjourney and photoshop, so if you feel this method isnt for you, you may just keep scrolling.

service includes:
*full colors
*details
*letters (although letterer is still highly recommended)
*I can also do covers.

feel free to dm me to arrange a sample page.

So I'm looking for someone to oversee and help with the comic I'm currently producing. I'm curious to what price-range something like this would be and how to find one. I would prefer someone to stay in close contact and be actively part of the development - instead of a payed gig and then vanish after the first read-through. I guess more a collaborative partner in a sense. Any ideas?

I have been wanting to write a comic/graphic novel for years now. I am an adult, I feel like i have some unique and authentic ideas, but there is a but... I am not very educated, nor do I read a lot. I am creative tho and want to draw and write the story by myself, studied in art.

I love movies, comics and video games. Those media are what inspires me the most, not the literature itself. I want to read, but I always had trouble to do so. The story I have in mind takes place in a post apocalyptic world, main aspects of the characters are: immortality complex and addiction.

Which literature would you recommend to inspire a setting like this? I have watched 'The road' and been wanting to read the book aswell. Comic wise I enjoyed The walking dead and been looking into Sin City and The Crossed.

Thank you!

working on an original superhero series (think Invincible / Ultimate Spider-Man tone — grounded, character-first).
Issues #1-3 fully scripted, series bible done, and I’ve got the full story mapped out for at least 10 issues beyond that. been writing/revising for a while now and starting to think seriously about crowdfunding once I’ve got enough art to show.

plan is to pay out of pocket for 5-6 interior pages plus a cover, so I’ve got a real preview to launch with instead of just concept art or a pitch. beyond that though, I honestly don’t know enough about the whole process to make good decisions yet.

haven’t decided between Kickstarter and Indiegogo — from what little I’ve read Kickstarter seems to be the default for comics specifically (more built-in audience for that kind of project?) but Indiegogo keeps coming up too, especially for the flexible funding option. but platform is honestly the smallest of my questions right now.

for people who’ve actually run a comic crowdfunding campaign, curious about the bigger picture stuff:

**•** what did you have ready BEFORE you even started building the campaign page — how much art, how much of the story shown vs held back, any audience built up beforehand?

**•** which platform did you use and would you pick the same one again?

**•** how much of a following/audience did you already have before launching, if any

**•** anything you wish someone had told you before you hit publish, process-wise, not just platform-wise

not trying to launch tomorrow, just want to actually understand the landscape — the prep work, not just the platform pick — before I get closer to being ready. appreciate any real experience over general “just do research” advice lol

I'm looking to study writing more and this book has my interest. But I've never seen a single critical review that talks about the learning potential or the contents. The reviews are all from people who expect another chapter of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. When I ask online I'm flooded with DMs to sketchy downloads of a pirated version.