Shine, you are indeed creative! but I suspect you are too ambitious for your first effort.
8 bit theatre and Bob and George may update daily, because the sprite graphics need minimal placement and arrangement. This is, sadly, not possible with hand drawn comics.
You should aim for more spaced out updates. I have watched many good artist friends burst out the door, and then crash and burn because they could not keep up with their own schedule.
The best way to do this, as I have learned from obervation. Is to create, or have created a "pilot" A short but sweet quick series that defines the characters in context, but not with lengthy dialogue. Think how much you learned about characters in popular shows from what they did, and not what was said about them. Naturally, if anyone wants to get to know a character, profile pages are better than in comic introductions. But don't lay out their entire story up front, be vague enough to change you mind when things aren't working.
Lengthy introductions are a luxury, and best handled minimally later on in the series, especially if you want to devote an entire segment to a particular character.
The most important thing up front is to get interest without exhasperating your target audience. Create short adventures with the specific intent of generating interest. Long before you have an official site. Pitch your ideas on forums, message boards, and free sites where potential for word of mouth is at it's greatest.
Set small goals at first. You, of course want to create a comic that will visited by many people, but work your way up there. start small, with an easily achievable goal like "I want to create a three panel cartoon that people will want to hotlink as their signature" or, I want to create an image attachment good enough to garner 20 plus replies on _____ message board.
Your first works are simply not going to be your best, so get them out of your system, and show them to people a good time after you have put your best foot forward.
People don't think much of promises, there are many promises on the internet, but once you have actual product, you will win people over. That is the biggest barrier, ispiration to perspiration, and people know it.
Once you have interest, established, start being more regular. You may not produce a comic every week, or every other week, but keep the interest alive with Single panel illustrations, and side stories to keep people on your side. Character profiles are a nice start, but single scenes that flesh out your character's personality and such are often better accepted
If your characters are good enough, you will begin to recieve fanart. You may use this art for a hassle free art update for whatever server is hosting your images, or even to shop around for artists to feild your story ideas. Throw the more enthusiatic artists some side stories if they are willing to produce.
When you have a well established following, that is a good time to plan the site, and plan to launch the site with new content, content that has not been seen before. Select single panels to display the art, or more baiting moments in the story. But do not show the finished product until the site is up, and don't announce the site itself until it is ready to go up with the most important parts in place. Work on the site and test it offline and online with trusted testers before you make it known that you will launch one. And make the announcement no more than a month before go date.
It is critically important to make the launch date, and if you don't, update and tell people why, and when it will go live. To break either of these rules is Suicide! I have seen the "bodies" myself.
I really don't believe that I am now the artist you want, though I do spread myself across the board, I honestly don't have the consistency for regular deadlines.
Perhaps I will one day be the artist you need, but for now, Good luck, and I hope you find your perfect partner for this job.
Only you can stop sig pollution.
Originally Posted by 88mph
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