Let's Talk About Webcomics

Essays, reviews, and resources for all things webcomics.

[comicops]

The Submission Guidelines for Every Comic Publisher in 2019

A Freshly Updated List of Submission Guidelines for Every Comic, Graphic Novel & Manga Publisher Out There. Now you're ready for 2019.

[rapidpunches]

[aishishii]

rapidpunches:

SHORT STORY/ONE-SHOT/ONE CHAPTER/COMICS 101 CRASH COURSE RAPIDPUNCHES’ STYLE

I’m NOT an expert but I have some working experience I can share. You need experience to become great. Here is my set of instructions, tips, and notes towards making a 12-page comic.

My method is to work backwards. Personally I work “backwards” because the end is the only wholly necessary page or set of panels in the story. Everything in between is open to editing and hacking as the most important moments are emphasized and chosen.

I even plan/draw the end page first. The end is the last page a reader sees- so spend your freshest energies on making it as epic, memorable, poignant, and beautiful as #$%^&.

If you draw the pages from 1 to 12 sequentially you run the risk of fresh to burnt out- an uneven distribution of drawing skill. (treat the first page and the 2-page splash as you would the last).

Roughly… the steps to making your comic is

WRITE

PLAN THUMBNAILS

DRAW

…BEGIN THE WRITING (DO NOT SKIP NO MATTER WHAT) like this, in this order:

How does it end?

Does the protag succeed or fail?

What is the turning point of their story?

What the protag do that led them there?

Where does it start?

Who is this protag?

EXAMPLE:

Guy gets mauled by a bear.

This is a fail on the guy’s half.

The bear must eat something or he’ll starve to death.

It’s the guy’s fault the bear can’t find other food. He caused the avalanche that buried all the cabins.

The guy is yodeling in an avalanche zone.

The guy is some guy.

CREATING “THE BEAT SHEET” Take the above stuff and reorder it to make sense.

This guy yodels.

Echoes roll.

Snow slides down.

Avalanche buries the mountain.

Cabins are engulfed.

This bear has no access to cabin food and garbage.

Bear eats this guy.

Expand. Blow up important beats for emphasis. Keep less important beats brief.

This guy is hiking in the snowy mountains.

He comes across an avalanche warning sign.

There is nobody around but him.

A dumb expression forms over his face and he yodels.

Echoes roll but nothing nearby is moved.

At the top of the mountain the snow drifts twitch.

Guy, satisfied, hikes away from there still yodeling.

Frozen snow cracks.

Snow puffs billow and great slabs of ice crash down the mountain side.

Guy sees this and hightails it to safer ground.

Animals, people, are all panicking and getting pushed over by the rushing snow.

Cabins are destroyed.

The guy takes cover by an outcropping of rocks, fastens himself securely to the rock face, and waits for the avalanche to die down.

Avalanche dies down.

A lone bear shambles over from the other side of the mountain.

The bear goes to where a cabin used to be (only roof tiles are left). Bear sniffs a dish satellite.

Bear forlornly eats a food wrapper.

Bear tries to dig.

Guy comes down from the rocks he as climbing and sees bear.

Bear stops digging and sees him.

Guy runs.

Bear chases him down.

Bear eats the guy.

BEAT SHEET COMPLETED!!!

After the beat sheet, write up all the sound effects and speech bubbles and conversation/dialogue you want to be in your comic.

Since comics are a visual medium, highest priority is given to the beats. If a story can’t be told with the art without the dialogue– you messed up and it’s time to rethink your life choices.

Try to keep all your text chunks as short as a tweet. Professionally you don’t want more than 25 words per speech bubble and no more than 250 words per page.

Next is translating the beats to pages…

STRUCTURE OVERVIEW:

[1] point of entry, in media res, hero intro

[2][3] conflict. establish conflict, setting, and mood by the third page. [4][5] rising action/false resolution to conflict/investigation

[6][7] turning point/plot twist/epiphany (this one epic image, to page spread is pivotal, spend a lot of effort into creating this)

[8][9] aftermath/“darkness before dawn”/struggle [10][11] recovery/“rise and conquer”/“fall”

[12] resolution/final end/cliffhanger

[front cover][interior] [interior][back cover]

——————–

My maximum per page is nine panels but I’ve seen pages that have way more. I like to have about 3 to 4 panels per row or less but I’ve seen the “rules” broken before. Advanced comic book artists manipulate time with the number of panels and the size of each panel.

remember, DIAGONALS!!! open up an issue of batman, superman, spider man, deadpool or whatever youre reading theyre everywhere.

———-

…DRAW IN THIS ORDER:

Page 12,

Page 6 and 7 (this is typically one large image that takes up the space of two pages),

Page 1,

and then the rest.

ONLY “DEVIATION” ALLOWED:

Page 12 and 1*

Page 6 and 7,

and then the rest.

*Draw the first and last page as a spread in situations where the beginning of the story mirrors the end of the story.

Cover is dead last.

———-

(If at the very end you find out you need more pages and it’s absolutely unavoidable and totally necessary you have to add them in fours. Try to stick to 12 pages for this crash course.)

——————–

FURTHER NOTES:

Plan and draw the pages in spreads (the twos) since this is how it will appear in print and when you submit them to an editor for review guess what, the pages with an exception to the first and last will be reviewed as spreads.

You at most only need one establishing panel of the setting and environment (scene) per page.

Forget “true to life” perspective outside of the establishing panel). Practice diagonal composition of objects and subjects within panels. For dynamism.

You don’t have to present the text all in one go (one paragraph or bubble). You can and should break up paragraphs, sentences, and if you need to single out words– to make smaller, more easily managed bubbles to scatter through the panel.

Less important moments have smaller panels and or lesser detail. More details (or more word bubbles) slow down time. More drawn detail also creates a concentration of values (it’s darker and sometimes combines together as one shape or mass)

Know your light sources. Control the blacks. Control the values.

TIPS | COFFEE? :3 | dA | IG |  ♡ |  ❤ |  ⋆

(more coming soon 11/22/2016)

[weirdlandtv]

Some sample pages from Andrew Loomis’s series on how to draw comics, 1939-1961, concerning perspective and composition. (The changes in font and layout stem from the fact the pages come from different prints.)

I tried to collect the most useful pages, but of course I’m limited to only 10 images per post.

This is a follow-up of sorts of the Disney “how to draw comics” handouts I posted earlier, and which can be found HERE.

[letstalkaboutwebcomics]

Update PSA!

Hi everyone! First off, thank you so much to everyone who has followed this blog. I apologize for the radio silence.

I didn’t announce a hiatus because week after week I kept thinking I’d be able to get back in the saddle. And I really wanted to. But the issue is, it’s actually extremely time consuming to write reviews! I like to put a lot of thought into them. I reread the chosen webcomic a couple of times and take extensive notes. What with my graduating uni, moving, dealing with multiple family emergencies, and desperately trying to keep up with my own webcomic amidst my own chronic health issues, well... you need to pick and choose your battles.

I would really love to get back on with reviews very soon, especially because a few comics I was holding out on have now updated enough for me to have enough content to review.

Thanks for being patient!

[letstalkaboutwebcomics]

Let’s Talk About Witchy!

Please be sure you’ve read Ye Olde Disclaimer so you know what this is.

Beware… SPOILERS AHEAD!

Witchy ( @witchycomic ) is a visually stunning comic by Ariel Ries that I’ve been keeping up with for a long time. It tells the heartwrenching tale of Nyneve, a young girl living in the kingdom of Hyalin, where a person’s magic is determined by the length of their hair. And if one’s hair is too long, they are considered a threat and killed. The lore in this is rich and interesting, so I promise my brief recounting of it doesn’t at all do it justice. So when Nyneve cuts off her incredibly long hair out of fear for her future, she ends up on a dangerous adventure of survival and coming to terms with the truth about the kingdom she lives in.

I love literally everything about this comic, but I’ll try not to ramble until the end times. First off, Witchy achieves very effective, simple establishing of the basic setting principles without being overwhelming right off the bat. Through the rest of the comic as well, everything is set up so perfectly with just the right amount of intensity at every moment. With a world as fantastically complex and full of life and culture as this one, as a reader I really appreciate the gentle, incremental presentation of lore, background info, and stakes. Considering Hyalin’s clear history fraught with violence and secrets, it’s good that there wasn’t a drawn out backstory prologue, which would have been overwhelming for readers. Instead, we get to learn about these things with Nyneve. As the danger of knowledge makes her journey more scary, it does so as well for us.

In addition to that, Hyalin is a beautiful and complex world. Everything from the eating utensils (or even lack thereof!) to the patterns incorporated into the daily items is taken into cultural consideration and helps to enhance the story in so many ways. It’s a tangible setting that pulls you into the story and makes it all the more exciting when new locations pop up. After seeing Nyneve’s map, I got so pumped to see what other locations and characters this story has to offer as Nyneve develops as a character. She’s still fairly early on in her character development, but every time she meets a new character, we can see her shift in little ways.

The art style is also one of my favorite parts of this comic. Ariel has a stunning use of color, and the linework style really comes into its own in a gorgeous way as the pages progress. It’s fearless and makes every facial expression so emotive. Doing a couple rereads, I found it so satisfying to see the linework shift and see each character’s unique traits become more confident aspects of their design. Most noticeable is Nyneve’s nose- it makes me so happy! Not only that, but Witchy has absolutely no fear when it comes to completely diverse character line up. Every single member of the main cast has a different facial structure, body type, and skin tone. God, thank you, Ariel.

Witchy has such unique magic system. I’ve never seen hair-based magic systems before in a fantasy story and I have to say, it’s amazing. There are multiple reasons why this type of magic system complements the story perfectly. One being that it’s a visible danger for our protagonist and others. Even if Nyneve could hide her long hair for some time, hiding it doesn’t guarantee her safety. And when she cuts it off, it’s now a completely unavoidable visible trait to put her in even worse danger for reason number two: that hair is connected to the spirituality of Hyalin. De-secularizing the magic interlocks it with the story’s culture, and brings forth a lot of big questions in regards to the governmental structures ruling Hyalin. When someone can so easily use the Spirits as an excuse to harm others, what does that mean, and what don’t we know yet about Viceroy Jung? I’m so eager to find out.

There’s some foreshadowing I caught upon a reread- Io is sick? Maybe it’ll appear as a plot point in the future and maybe it won’t, but considering Io is part of a sort of resistance, I worry for her health. Also, Io is gorgeous. Like ridiculously so. Thank god.

Prill’s character development happened fairly quickly, but I just love how it was carried out. Solid, precise, and not complete. That’s good. The fact that Prill has such personal (and, yes, understandable) investment in being part of the guard despite its history in regards to Nyneve’s father is a great set up for what is surely going to be the source of major conflict for her later! Prill is honest with iron intensity and incredibly powerful, and that made it all the more heartwarming to see her make amends with Nyneve. And considering Prill’s close friendship with Batu, who is siblings with Io, that should make it even more complicated later on. On that note, Batu is also wonderful and every panel with him present is a gift.

The importance of family as a driving force in this story is so powerful (also a driving factor for Prill that circles back to a lot of overarching themes in the comic). After seeing Nyneve’s past trauma after losing her father and being so close with her mother, it makes it all the more emotional and scary when Nyneve is forced to go on her own. Also, Nyneve’s mom is badass beyond comprehension and I can’t wait to learn more about her past. Basically what I keep repeating over and over is, holy crap, Witchy has done an incredible job on set up. That’s something ridiculously hard to do well with a complex story, especially in webcomics. I have so many questions because the framework is there for me to have them and be interested in the answers. Nyneve’s mom is by far one of the most interesting characters in this comic, given how clearly powerful she is despite her hair not being that long, and how many secrets she is still holding onto but has promised to reveal.

Another character I’m completely in love with is Eyang. Eyang is amazing. I love, love, love seeing awesome old people in comics and Witchy has a good number of them. Eyang is quirky wisdom right when Nyneve needs it most, as well as proof that there is so much more to the world and the limits of magic that Nyneve had never known before. They also act as a great inlet into further understanding of the Spirits in Witchy, untouched by the ideology of Viceroy Jung.

To wrap things up, I’ll mention that Banana is suspicious as hell. Not just because he acts pretty suspicious, but also because, well… he doesn’t either? Banana is in an intriguing middle ground, so I’m stoked to see what chaos he and Nyneve end up in! There’s a whole world out there that we haven’t seen yet, and with Chapter Four having just ended, now is the perfect time to catch up or start reading Witchy!

You can support Ariel by reading, sharing, and commenting on Witchy, AND:

Becoming a patron on Patreon

Following Ariel on Twitter

Following Ariel on Tumblr

And, of course, TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

[letstalkaboutwebcomics]

Let’s Talk About The Weave!

Please be sure you’ve read Ye Olde Disclaimer so you know what exactly is going on here.

Beware… SPOILERS AHEAD!

This week I’m looking at Rennie Kingsley’s The Weave ( @weavecomic ), a gorgeous urban fantasy filled with fairy tale and European folklore themes. Everything about this comic is like a dreamy step up from a particular brand of feminine childhood adventure stories that never cease to be a joy. The Weave takes the classic tale of a seemingly average protagonist who discovers a magical-yet-dangerous truth about their identity and thrusts it into a rich New York landscape heavily influenced in particular by Irish and some English lore. It does so many things fantastically, pun intended, so let’s get right into it!

The fashion in The Weave is so well considered that I had to give it an entire re-read just to focus on it. Every single character has their own unique style that compliments them, even the extras. And not only that, but so many of the outfits are just beautiful and do such a good job of rounding out the world and enriching it. This is a fantasy story about fairies and courts, so beautiful garments are to be expected and The Weave absolutely delivers. Not only that, but the art style is so clean and smooth in the linework in a way that enhances the fashion, in the folds and intricacies of fabric and hair.

I have to say that the art is incredibly impactful on this comic, not just in the linework. The colors and visual effects are so vibrant and well done, especially in high impact magic scenes where objects or specular effects are flying around. Every single time it happens, they are utilized in a way that assists the flow of the page nicely and really manages to bring the reader into the action and emotion of the scene.

Before I talk about Tally, I just want to say THANK YOU to Rennie for the bountiful cornucopia of hot ladies in this comic. I tried counting them all but honestly lost count because I kept getting distracted by how gorgeous and varied the women of The Weave are- and how many of them there are. A majority-women cast is always a great find.

Tally’s range of emotion and clear motivations make her a successfully sympathetic protagonist. The core facets of her character and personality are solidified quickly from the get go, so when the first Big Thing happens to her it’s easy to get excited about how she’ll evolve and worried for her wellbeing. Being a highly open and emotional character as well, the readers aren’t the only ones feeling close to her within a short time frame, as other characters (namely Ruby and Emil) believably care for her in a short time frame too. It’s also nice to watch Tally’s personality evolve as her motivations evolve. New responsibilities and levels of awareness about the world she embodies in turn imbues her with new levels of confidence which is really nice to see. Her fears and driving factors make her relatable and grounded in reality, and stay that way even as the story grows more fantastical.

Side note: How prophecies are portrayed in this comic is so cool! I love the way the lettering escapes from speech bubbles, like it’s an otherwordly voice, and the deliverer of the prophecy becomes part of it. It’s just such a visually engaging way to deliver foreshadowing!

SIDE NOTE NUMBER TWO (IT’S IMPORTANT): This pepper spray scene is seriously in my top ten favorite moments in webcomics. God, thank you. It’s so funny.

The richness of the world The Weave presents makes me so eager to learn more. Thus, when exposition is presented in chunks, it’s actually an interesting read. A lot of it comes later in the story, so we’ve been given a chance to get curious about the world. As readers, we have a reason to care about this exposition because now it’s tied in with characters we have an established emotional connection to. Not only that, but large exposition heaps in The Weave are paired with beautiful, relevant imagery that removes them from the context of just being a single conversation, which is great. Paired with more of that amazing fashion, I’m finding myself completely enjoying the exposition and I can’t wait to fully understand the intricacies of this fairy world.

For the future- could there be a poly relationship? Maybe! Visually it looks like the comic might be setting one up between Tally, Emil, and Ruby. That would be super interesting! You don’t see a ton of main-poly stories out there but we’ll see. And I can’t wait to find out what is behind all of the overlapping mysteries. With every update this story just gets more and more fun to read.

Go support Rennie by reading The Weave, dropping a lot of comments, and:

Becoming a patron on Patreon

Following Rennie on Twitter

Buying something on Gumroad

Following the comic on Tumblr

And, of course, TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

[letstalkaboutwebcomics]

Let’s Talk About Heartstopper!

Please be sure you’ve read Ye Olde Disclaimer so you know what exactly is going on here. Beware… SPOILERS AHEAD!

Oh, Heartstopper, the feel-good comic of my heart. Dramatics aside, Heartstopper is a precious romance comic following the technical footsteps of slice-of-life. It’s written and drawn by Alice Oseman, who is the author of a number of novels. The Heartstopper storyline takes place in the greater universe of Alice’s novel Solitaire, so if you read it you’ll find the same characters on different adventures. Heartstopper is more of an episodic look into the backstory of Nick and Charlie’s relationship- two boys at an all-boys grammar school who find each other and work their way through what life throws at them. In Alice’s own words: “It doesn’t work as a novel because there’s no overarching drama - because it’s just real life. Just one normal, loving relationship between two people.”

So, onto the things about Heartstopper that I love! The first thing I look at when reading a comic is how exposition is handled right off the bat. Heavy-handed exposition is all good when it makes sense in the context of the story and avoids random info-dumping, especially within the first few pages. And thankfully, Heartstopper managed exposition delivery wonderfully! We are able to learn about Nick and Charlie’s personalities and backstories incrementally, and understand them as people solidly within a few interactions with them. It feels like getting to know a person naturally rather than being lectured about them, which sets up reader attachment. Right away, unforced, we have reasons to care about Nick and Charlie, which makes it easier to empathize with them and what they do.

Speaking of Nick, I can’t gush enough about how wonderful he is. Nick is just a downright lovable character, between his powerful love for other people, his big huggable design, and the fact that he simply does not half-ass anything. He runs with his emotions, never hesitating to come to the defense of someone who needs it, regardless of what it means for his own social standing. The way his bisexuality is handled is great, especially because his process of learning about what it means for him is an important and well considered part of the story. Charlie, having intimate personal knowledge on the struggles of balancing your identity with the rest of the world, is completely supportive of his journey. Which brings me to my next point…

Nick and Charlie support and uplift each other in so many vital ways. And in these ways, the story manages to subvert a number of huge tropes it could easily have fallen victim to. I’m so, so, glad it doesn’t. For one, the miscommunication trope. There are a number of times where the story seems like it might be going in this direction, but every time without fail, it pivots back to Nick and Charlie openly communicating with each other about their feelings, current events, and their concerns. This is the basis for a healthy relationship, so seeing that openness and fortification is so refreshing (Note I’m only talking briefly about this trope, and there are many nuances to it that differ between stories, so it really is situational). Because of this, these instances enhance the plot, rather than bogging it down.

Another facet of the story that was well managed amidst the danger of potential issues is Charlie’s backstory. Charlie being bullied is an important and realistic facet of his character; It informs who he is and how he engages with others, believably. But seeing as this is a story in [mostly] the aftermath of it, I’m happy that it focuses more on his healing and finding happiness rather than dwelling too much. The balance here is good. We need to engage with Charlie’s past because it’s what led to the current events, but we are still able to look toward the future. The elements that follow him into the current timeline, such as his interactions with Ben, are huge driving forces where I think the framing was handled nicely. Seeing Ben get his ass beat by Nick was incredibly cathartic even though we had only seen a few developmental points of him by that point, which is points to it being well executed. In addition, it’s important in a story like this to see Charlie find power within himself that is not completely hinged on a protector. The last time (in-story) that he has a tense encounter with Ben, he finds that power, which… as cathartic as it was watching Nick intervene, it was even more so this time watching Charlie deal the final blow himself. I actually whooped out loud.

Side note, a trope I love: the classic Accidentally-Falling-On-Each-Other-And-Getting-Flustered trope :^)

Now onto the technical stuff. Alice’s creativity when it comes to panel layout and formation is absolutely fantastic. It breaks the monotony of a vertical scroll format and makes the actual act of reading and scrolling part of the movement of the story. The parts where story elements like leaves and flowers escape the frame are such a joy, and the instances where a moment is huge and emotional and the frame dissolves into flying objects… It takes my breath away! Using these objects to effectively space out the panels also helps with the flow of the story, so it can slow the reader down and force things to sink in better. Pacing is definitely one of the hardest things to work with in webcomics, so, well done!

Lastly, I want to look at the implications for the future, especially in regards to Charlie’s mental illness. This was definitely a given based on all the info we’ve been provided thus far. Seeing as Heartstopper is a backstory comic, there’s likely a lot of info out there outside of it and it’s obviously no secret that Nick and Charlie end up together- and very happy, at that. I haven’t read Solitaire yet so I’d like to revisit this when I’ve read it and when the comic has delved into this territory. I’m eager to see how these subjects will be handled, and I can’t wait to read every update along the way!

Now, go read Heartstopper and leave lots of comments, favs, and reblogs!

You can support Alice by:

Checking out her Portfolio

Buying Alice’s Books

Supporting her on Patreon

Following her on Twitter

Buying something from her Shop

Following her on Tumblr

And, as always, tell your friends!!!

[letstalkaboutwebcomics]

Let’s Talk About Lovespells!

And again, before we continue, please be sure you’ve read Ye Olde Disclaimer so you know what exactly is going on here.

Beware… SPOILERS AHEAD!

Lovespells is the fantastically charming webcomic created by Ryan and Sage, who are also the world’s cutest married couple! Heavily inspired by jRPG gameplay, the story follows the lives of Esther, who is a spellcaster, and Maria, a lady knight. And right from the very beginning, you know they are meant to be.

Ryan and Sage are very open with everything that has to do with Lovespells. It is no secret that the story is about the guaranteed love between Esther and Maria. Right on the about page they state, “Lovespells is not about coming out, nor does it feature grim themes, body or sexuality negativity, break-ups, persecution, or character death. It’s just about two girls who fall in love by working on magic together. We can promise outright that things work out and no one has to be unhappy in the end. It’s meant to be low-stress and is also safely PG-13, so you can feel good about reading it.” And, know know that? That works so well for Lovespells. Everything from the title to the premise and the setting is a promise that you can go into this comic knowing it will be a feel-good experience, and it is in every aspect. Not every story needs to rely on dramatic twists and turns and high stakes reveals and angst to make for an enjoyable experience. Sometimes you just want to read something to heal your heart, and Lovespells is here to fill that niche.

That does not, however, mean that the comic is devoid of narrative ups and downs and conflict. The main conflict here (aside from one involving a very brief run-in with a douchey paladin) is focused on Maria’s coming to terms with her identity. This also seems to be the source of a lot of reader confusion for some reason, but for anyone who can relate in the slightest, it is such a refreshing experience to see a character like Maria treated and written with respect. She is warm hearted, caring, and loyal, but altogether a little clueless when it comes to her own feelings. She has some distance to go before she works it out, and the care with which this is handled in the narrative is absolutely my favorite part of the comic.

Maria is not shamed or made to feel lesser for taking her time, nor is she written that way. Even when her friends joke about how oblivious she is, it isn’t mean-spirited or from a place of bad intent. And the story makes it abundantly clear that, yes, it’s okay for your identity to go through changes! This is part of why it’s taking so much time for Maria’s feelings to work out for her. It’s all new territory. Reading every update, watching her get closer and closer to realizing why she feels the way she does about Esther is such a nurturing, sweet feeling. As a reader I want to scream, “Yes!! You’re in love! You’re a lesbian and it’s wonderful!” But I’m okay with not being able to because I know Maria will get there and I’m so excited to see it when she does.

Now, Lovespells has been running since October 2015, and 2.5 years is ample time for a webcomic to go through plenty of changes in its look. Lovespells has gone from being a black/white comic with pretty heavy emphasis on the jRPG referential elements, to a full color comic with far less of that. I actually like these changes by merit of recognizing them as a shift in emphasis. The focus of the narrative now is clearly different, so for it to be focused more on the development of the interpersonal relationships between the characters and less on the embodiment of the gameplay-style world makes a lot of sense. I see those elements as decoration and exposition- there to add flavor to the story, but not take it over completely. The handling of color and technical work now is gorgeous and it’s so fun to read through and see how Ryan’s art keeps getting better and better over time. Hey, Ryan? You’re too powerful!

Lastly, I have to mention how much I just adore Esther. Everything about her from her character design to her rich personality is just wonderful and it’s always a joy to read a scene with her in it. Her facial expressions betray so much of her emotions, which makes it only all the more hilarious when Maria is so oblivious to Esther’s pining. And you can tell that, despite the obviously small and tight knit world they live in, Esther seems to be a bit lonely. So despite the mutual-pining going on where Esther believes her feelings to be unrequited, it is so nice to see how much she and Maria enjoy each other’s company and share in each other’s joys. They take care of each other, obvious romance or not.

And, side note, I love seeing Maria spend solid time with her friends outside of her budding relationship with Esther. Well rounded character relationships in the romance genre are ALWAYS good!

So, thank you to Lovespells for delivering the soft, sweet, and undeniably therapeutic lesbian content that I so crave. It’s the type of comic that is fullfilling to read after a hard day for a warm pick-me-up, or on any day in general for the type of positive reading experience you know will not stress you out on days when maybe that’s not what you need. I think everyone should have a comic like this in their reading arsenal.

Give Lovespells a read, a follow, a like, and a LOT of comments!

And show Sage and Ryan your support by:

Following the comic blog: @lovespells-comic

Following the comic on Twitter!

Following Sage on Twitter!

Following Ryan on Twitter!

Becoming a Patron!

Sending them a ko-fi!

And TELL YOUR FRIENDS TOO!

[schweizercomics]

Cleaning out my filing cabinet, I found this handout that I made for my mini-comics class.  Hope it’s helpful!  Remember, it ain’t only for comics.  Self-publish short stories, collections of drawings or sketches, or blank for journals/sketchbooks, etc.

[schweizercomics]

(Reblogging because I’m doing a talk for teen writers tomorrow and sending them to tumblr is a lot more cost efficient than printing up a ton of handouts)

[letstalkaboutwebcomics]

Let’s Talk About Novae!

Before we continue, please be sure you’ve read Ye Olde Disclaimer so you know what exactly is going on here!

And beware… SPOILERS AHEAD!

Let me tell you, I had to shorten what I originally wrote by a lot because I couldn’t shut up about it.

I wanted to start off this series with a webcomic very dear to my heart, which is the wonderful Novae by @kaixju, a duo of artists with a solid comics resume behind them. KaiJu have collaborated in the past on The Ring of Saturn, Mahou Josei Chimaka, and Inhabitant of Another Planet, which is the prequel to Novae. All are hosted on Sparkler Monthly, and I highly recommend reading them all. Not just because Sulvain and Raziol cameo in The Ring of Saturn as well as Mahou Josei Chimaka, which I thought was so good.

Novae follows the tale of two men in 17th century France, at the height of the scientific revolution. One is Raziol Qamar, the apprentice of the esteemed scientist Christiaan Huygens. Raziol is the son of a translator, and has a boundless love of astronomy. The other is Sulvain. Yep, just Sulvain, no last name so far. He’s a mysterious traveler that we know very little about yet, other than the fact that he is curious, lonely, and loves the stars just as much as Raziol does. You can see where this is going.

We get a number of strong visual hints as to Sulvain’s past or the truth of his existence, and surely more info will be revealed very soon. Novae has just completed Chapter 4, which very neatly contains the blossoming of a relationship between Sulvain and Raziol. I won’t summarize the story thus far, because I would much rather you go read the comic for yourself! Instead, let’s start looking at some of the key themes Novae gives us:

Loneliness

Belonging

Grief 

The powerful multifaceted-ness of love

In Inhabitant from Another Planet, we are introduced to many of these key themes through a look into Raziol’s past- namely, his last intimate relationship. This, in addition to Sulvain’s flashbacks from Chapter Four, brings me to one of my favorite things about Novae: it is not afraid to be absolutely open with the character’s past loves. Novae is a story primarily about the love between Raziol and Sulvain, but it is just as much about the love that, inevitably, brings them together. Something I see often in the Romance genre is this idea that giving positive and meaningful context to a character’s past relationship(s) is somehow de-valuing their present one. Past relationships are sometimes treated as a stepping stone to get to the ‘one true love’, or a device to create hurt comfort. As if the current relationship needs to be the only good one the characters have ever had, and that’s what makes it meaningful. It’s not. And I’m not saying that stories where that happens are inherently bad, because that’s not true either. It needs to be handled delicately.

What Novae does is provide us with insight into the past relationships that built Raziol and Sulvain into the people they are now. That they have loved before, they love now, and they absolutely can love again. Romance is not devalued by the presence of other loves. And I love the insight into that. It tells us so much about them. Raziol’s relationship with Bevan provided a moment in time where he felt considerably understood and happy- temporarily, yes, but that temporalness led him to reconnect with his father. The feeling of otherness has not left Raziol in Novae, and it’s a pivotal part of why he connects with Sulvain. Raziol gravitates towards people that help relieve that. As for Sulvain, at this point we can only guess. I have my theories about his condition. There are many hints that he practices Necromancy, and even more hints that he’s either undead or immortal or something of that nature. Immortality and loneliness are inseparable from each other, classically. Raziol gives him something he can easily give back: familiarity and nostalgia, and the delight in learning new things.

But with immortality (or whatever it is that plagues him) comes the other classic issue: the fear of intimacy and, you know… getting attached. How many times can one obviously sensitive guy handle burying the people he loves? And yet, intimacy and comfort is all too enticing. Who can blame him? I’m interested in seeing where that goes once we know more.

Side note, I appreciate that this is the first time they see each other. Nothing is better than main couples having an embarrassing first interaction.

And Sulvain is just kinda like [nods] “Yes, understandable. I, too, have that reaction to myself.”

Another one of my favorite aspects of Novae is the attention to detail. So many tiny bits of the world are so carefully researched and considered, it makes my history-loving heart sing. Objects in a room can do so much in developing a character, and it’s so nice to see that so thought out for both Sulvain and Raziol’s father’s apartments. It is believable that a person lives there, and the word feels so tangibly like 17th century France. This makes is so easy to become immersed in the world these characters inhabit. We are not simply following their story on its surface, but becoming part of the environment that drives that story. Not only that, but the comic places such a loving emphasis on tiny, quiet moments.

Every small gesture, every silent look they give each other means something so visceral and signifies a huge step forward. Soft and so often silent, but that’s what forces you to pay attention. The limited color palette deftly assists in this, every single page dominated by either a rich blue or yellow or a mix of the two. Blue, the historical color of divinity, cosmos and magic, and yellow, the historical color of happiness and knowledge.

I want to bookend this with a look at my favorite scene so far, which is related to my earlier point about Sulvain’s past love: the final scene of Chapter Four, in which we see a flashback showing Sulvain burying the mystery woman from his memory (Ohhhoh whooo could she be??). The color palette transforms stunningly. It’s not easy to show flashbacks without being heavy-handed and direct (or alternately, not being clear enough), but this color palette change does it in such a nice way that sits well with the feeling of the rest of the story. The burial shown is a traditional burning-pyre one, and this is the first time we get to see Sulvain displaying extreme emotions. He weeps for her, wailing, but silently due to his inability to speak. And it’s beautiful, not only because of the stunning imagery but also because it handles quick, simply addressed death within a story pretty fantastically.

Sulvain’s relationship with this woman is powerful and meaningful. Her death is not the end of his story, but it does lastingly impact it. And he is allowed to mourn, and feel vivid emotions, and still grieve however many years into the future when these feelings affect the new connections he builds, and that is okay. Sulvain is not shamed for having complicated feelings, or not being completely ready to dive in headfirst into a new romance, but instead go slowly. Don’t forget, in the Novae timeline, Raziol and Sulvain have only known each other a few days (which is just my guess). It just makes me unbelievably happy that that understanding is there in the formative moments of their relationship, and it’s not used as a miscommunication drama fodder (a big pet peeve of mine). Each of them knows that they are both going into this with a lot of baggage, and part of a strong relationship is working through that together, and giving it time.

To briefly address another technical aspect, suffice to say dialogue is one of the most difficult parts of comic writing. There is a fine line between too much dialogue and just enough. Novae stays within this line wonderfully. As a reader, I never feel like the story is unnecessarily being explained to me. It takes advantage of the beauty of a visual medium and allows visuals to tell the story clearly and concisely, and all dialogue serves to enhance the story. It never feels too wordy, and everything is so astoundingly poetic that the dialogue itself works perfectly in tandem with the environment.

In conclusion, Novae deserves serious props for handling a slow, quiet narrative so well. It’s really difficult to manage that, especially in webcomic time when you generally update a page at a time. With longform webcomics, it’s easy to lose the reader’s attention from update to update if it feels like nothing is happening. But here, with every page, something huge is happening. It’s just a quieter, more contemplative something, and I look forward to it every time. I know whenever a Novae page goes up, it’s going to be gorgeous and I’m already completely invested in the complexities of these characters. Reading this comic, you can feel the love and care the creators have put into developing it. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

PLEASE go read Novae, leave many comments, and support KaiJu! You can do so by:

Following them on Twitter

Becoming a Patron

Sharing their Portfolio

Follow them on Tumblr

And tell your friends about Novae!

[letstalkaboutwebcomics]

Ye Olde Disclaimer

A few things to note before reading the webcomic essays:

These are reviews masquerading as analytical close readings...or maybe vice versa. The focus will be on what I like, and examining the themes etc.

As is the nature of webcomics, almost all of the series’ I’ll look into are unfinished/in progress. So rather than looking at the essays as my final, definitive opinion on the work, think of it as my impression of it as an unfinished story. I will be revisiting these as they progress, or when they are completed, to put forth my updated views.

I will not be offering any harsh criticism unless there is something severely glaring that I would like to point out that impedes the reading experience. I am not interested in nitpicking the comics or being mean about it. This is supposed to be a Good Time. Well, as much as reading an essay could possibly be a good time.

HOWEVER, if the creator wants me to give them a critique of the comic, I would be happy to follow up with one.

I don’t see myself as some kind of comic authority or perfect creator who does no technical wrong or something so writing these essays giving unsolicited critique feels weird. Therefore, only when asked!

Thanks!

[letstalkaboutwebcomics]

(Web)Comics Resources

Below are some fantastic resources to get you going in the webcomics hellscape. This list is not all-encompassing, but is a means to get you started- or, perhaps, to find a helpful tool you didn’t know about before.

What are Webcomics?

What are Webcomics?

The Theory of Webcomics

A rundown of Early 2000’s webcomics

The History of Webcomics

Underground Comix and Webcomics

The Chicago School of Media Theory: On Webcomics

*A Criticism/analysis of the book The History of Webcomics

Masterlists:

*PaperCatPress’ Weekly Roundup of Artist Opportunities*

Webcomic Alliance

Carey Pietch’s NYC comics student resource list

Incomprehensive Masterlist of Trans Webcomics

LGBT Webcomics Tagpacker

Queer Cartoonists Database

Cartoonists of Color Database

Art Director Contacts

Masterlist of printers

Resources for Comickers**

Chicago Artist’s Resource

Fractured Atlas

SAIC’s Free Resources for Artists PDF

SAIC’s Job Search Sites List

SAIC’s Resources for Self Employment and Freelancing

**Some links are broken

Comic Production:

Biggest Mistakes When Starting A Webcomic

Grants, Fellowships, and Residencies for Cartoonists

How Do Comics Visualize Sound?

Jamie McKelvie’s Comic Book Page Breakdown

Precision Colors Printer Ink Refills

Gail Simone’s Comics Survival Kit Blog

Panel Layout: The Golden Ratio

Fake iOS7 Texts

Blambot Comic Fonts

DaFont*

* WHEN USING DAFONT PLEASE BE SURE TO CHECK THE TERMS/CONDITIONS/LICENSING POLICIES OF THE FONTS YOU DOWNLOAD. Check the readme.txt when you download too. Sometimes even completely free fonts have conditions regarding commercial use or alteration.

Digital Art Resources:

Digital Brushes

Perspective grids (photoshop)

Ron Chan’s CSP/MS5 Double Stroke Brush

Color Scheme Generator

Making a Programmable Keypad

Marketing/Selling:

The 1000 True Fans Theory

Webcomic List Sites

Project Wonderful

How to Advertise for Free on Project Wonderful

The Webcomic List

TopWebcomics

Comic Rocket

Archive Binge

The Zine Club

How to Get Traffic Without Spending a Dime

8 Basic Branding Tips

Artigrades Comics Marketing Club

WebcomicChat

ComicBookHour

Comic Tea Party

Health:

The 20/20/20 Eyestrain Rule

Book: Draw Stronger

Staying Healthy Tips

Stretches for Artists

Hand Stretches for Carpal Tunnel

Higher Education:

Disclaimer: I know college/art school is not necessary in order to be a successful cartoonist. These are just a few examples in case art school is what you really want to do. There are many other options and paths and all are valid if you utilize them to your advantage. However, if you have any questions about art school, feel free to ask me! As an almost-graduate of SAIC, I am happy to answer any questions.

Center for Cartoon Studies

SAIC

MCAD

Emerson

SVA

CCA

Podcasts:

Drawing a Dialogue

CMYK

Tight Pencils

Graphic Novel TK

Speech Bubbles

The Art Corner

Writing/Reference Resources:

Resources for the Muse (writing)

Kris Noel’s Blog (writing)

Funky Reference (EVERYTHING)

Character Development

Writing Resource Library

Guide to Plot Twists

Creating a Solid Plot Structure

Getting to Know Your Characters

Character Writing Exercises

Types of Characters in Fiction

Tip of My Tongue

The Fantasy Writer’s Exam

The Twelve Character Archetypes

Fantasy World Mapmaker

Written Sound Dictionary

Sound Effect MP3s

Food History Research Service

Comparing Heights

The Internet Movie Script Database (for practicing?)

Reference Folder of Fat Bodies

Recommended Reading:

Note: Sure, not all of these are about webcomics or even comics at all. But I believe firmly in having a wide range of references and there are valuable things to pick up from all of them!

Let’s Print a Comic

Let’s Kickstart a Comic

Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines

Fashionpedia: the Visual Dictionary of Fashion Design

Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice

Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation

Manga in Theory and Practice

Vanishing Point: Perspective for Comics from the Ground Up

Framed Perspective Vol2

Elemental Magic: The Art of Special Effects Animation

Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter

Force: Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Masterclasses

Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art

Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers

Encyclopedia of Black Comics

Creating Your Own Webcomic Site:

WordPress’ Comic Easel Plugin

The Grawlix CMS*

How To Host Your Own Webcomic Site

Best Webhosts 2018

*The site is down indefinitely but the blog and forums are still up, and the CMS is downloadable.

Free Webcomic Host Sites:

Tapas

LINE Webtoon

Tumblr’s Webcomic Theme

Smackjeeves

ComicFury

ComicGenesis

Webcomic Collectives:

Hiveworks

Mary’s Monster

Sparkler Monthly

Ink Drop Cafe

Spiderforest

Comicadia

Tomgeeks (dead)

Comicker Digital

Conventions/Events:

Con-Mon Convention Tracking

CAKE

Chicago Zinefest

SPX

TCAF

VanCAF

C2E2

APE

MICE

ECCC

Thought Bubble UK

Airfare Watchdog

The Chicago Visual Arts Calendar

Where to Get Things Made and Where To Buy Supplies

ArtsCow Custom Merch

Table Displays

Artist Alley Survival Guide

Comics Journalism/Writing:

POME-Mag

Comics Alliance

Book Riot

The Beat

Paste

Love in Panels

Yes Homo Reviews

The Comics Journal

Comic Crusaders

This list is a static page on this blog and will be periodically updated with new info.