Webcomics

Hello there! This article is going to cover a more environmentally friendly medium of presenting a comic, the webcomic. Are you familiar with webcomics? Do you already have one and just want to learn how to make it a little more successful? Then this article is for you.

Let me start with a definition here.

A webcomic is a comic that can be read online. Traditionally, but not mandatory, webcomics are short comic strips. Bite-sized stories that can be enjoyed in passing. That is not to say that you can’t find entire comic books, graphic novels, or manga books that are also webcomics.

To actually make the comic itself is a process I believe to have covered in the past with my previous article Comic Making Process. It covers similar steps that would be required for completing a webcomic. Feel free to pick and choose the extent that you wish to progress through that process. I would personally end at the completion of the final draft add the following steps.

Your webcomic is most likely going to be written, illustrated and (if you choose to) colored all by one person. Yourself. You won’t have an official editor making sure you meet your deadlines and that everything looks ship shape. After going through previous steps you might want to get your friends and family to take a look and give you their two cents. That way you have a good sense that your webcomics are actually pretty good.

Make the changes to your comic based on the feedback you received. Upload it so that your readers can enjoy. Now enjoy the number of visitors coming into your site! You are officially a webcomic creator!

A webcomic is a malleable storytelling medium. Since you have a significant amount of control over what is released you may get even more feedback from your readers themselves. You may even go to a convention and show your work to other writers or artists and they may even give you their opinions. Go back and update your comic based on the feedback and re-upload it. This is your comics Show work you can be proud of.

You already scripted and illustrated at least one comic. That is probably the biggest prerequisite. Regrettably, that is not all it takes.

You need to think about just how much control you want over the look of the website that keeps shows your webcomic, your earning potential, security, etc. This article will cover self-hosting webcomics. That is to say that there are a number of websites that will host your comic for free or for a fee. That will be a topic for another article in the future.

1. Get Yourself A Hosting Provider: For self-hosting webcomics you need to select a hosting provider, there are tons of them worldwide. My recommendation is for you to look into these service providers, read their reviews, see what additional services they provide including good customer service (I can’t tell you how important that is, the stories I have heard of bad hosting providers are terrible).
2. Get a domain name: This part is easy, make the domain name the name of your comic. If you plan on making multiple webcomic series you may want to consider a different name. A lot of hosting providers offer free domain names when you pay for hosting. Look out for that.
3. Design your website: This step can be daunting to someone who isn’t familiar with web design and development. Do not fear, for content management systems (CMS) are here! (I know that was lame) A CMS can help manage your website by giving you the ability to choose the web page layout, colors, any additional applications you would like your website to have and just about anything else. The other option for you would be to get someone else to set it up for you.If you would like any help with your website I am an experienced web developer and designer. You can contact me on my contact form here.
4. A Scanner And Upload Your Work: This part is easy enough. You scan or upload the files of your webcomic to your website and let your readers start enjoying them.
5. Market Your Webcomic: Now you get to attack the social media world and talk about your comic. Promote it, but also try to make your content there relevant enough that it will be able to retain a large following that it will benefit you. Make sure to involve yourself with other people in the industry; writers, artists, publishers, comic shops, etc. These people can help by promoting your work. Heck send it my way and I’ll help promote you!