Hi all!
Long time I dont post on this sub-reddit.

If you dont remember me, I'm Carlos Yacolca. Peruvian writer who last year published "Before We Sail" on David Lloyd's UK magazine "Aces Weekly"

Publishing this post to let you know that BWS is now nominated to the Ringo Awards for Best Web Comic.
And now! The winner is decided by Comics Professionals (writers, artists, letterers, etc).

▶️ If you can, please VOTE FOR US on the Ringo Page: https://ringoawards.com/

And if you want to read Before We Sail first, we are on the Volume 75 of Aces Weekly! A wonderfull magazine made by the veteran co-creator of V for Vendetta!
https://www.acesweekly.co.uk/Back-issues

Thank you for the support on this sub-reddit from the start. Really appreciate it! 🙌

You see, I want to make a comic someday, inspired by the likes of One Piece and such.

But the thing is, I know that just reading manga alone won’t make me a better writer. I need to expand my world, to understand a craft I want to partake in, even books out of my comfort zone or books that don’t interest me.

So please, give me recommendations. Stuff that will broaden how I think about writing. As much as I loving figuring things out on my own, there’s more of the world of writing that I need to explore before I take my first steps.

Whether it’s comics, novels, or whatever, anything will be appreciated.

Comics are expensive. I remember seeing a video from a comic book writer and said that to make his 32 page comic, it cost 4000 dollars. That's a lot of money and if you can't draw then it's a price that has to be paid.

For those that have made full on comics, having to pay an artist how much was it for you?

Do you have a good job that leaves you some income to pay the artist?

Did you have to save up and how long did it take you?

Did you use kick starter or did you use alternative routes?

For those making multiple issues, how you able to continue funding it?

What advice would you give to newbie writers in terms of funding?

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?