OUTSIDE THE PANELS #16: TO WEBCOMIC OR TO COMIC? THAT IS THE QUESTION!

When a comic writer has finally figured out their story, writes the script, finds an art team to turn the script into a comic and the pages have all been delivered and approved it is time to figure out how the project will be published. Specifically, will it be a traditional comic or a webcomic?

Today, the goal of this edition of OUTSIDE THE PANELS is to determine which is right for you, Comic or Webcomic. Before I start please note that the way I started my comic writing was through webcomics. I recommend that anyone wanting to dabble in comics do a webcomic because there is so much you could learn through webcomics including: collaborating, scripting, pacing, hitting deadlines, scheduling and maintaining publishing schedules. It“s basically everything you would do with a regular comic but on a much smaller and controllable scale for a small outfit.

I“m going to list the pros and cons of both in order for you to get a feel to help you make a decision:

PROS TO CHOOSING TO CREATE A COMIC-

1. You made a comic! That“s a hard enough task so pat yourself on the back!

2. You now have a physical comic you can show off, sell, and bring to cons.

3. You can put it on sale at Comixology Submit if you so choose.

4. You can gain exposure through print or digital by showing a whole issue.

5. You could potentially put it on the web for free to get your name out there.

CONS TO CHOOSING TO CREATE A COMIC-

1. You have to pay to print and ship it”¦. Plus you need a place for your inventory.

2. It“s hard to build an audience with one comic every month or two months.

3. If you want it in stores you need to set something up with Diamond or do Consignment

4. You can only have one “big day”“ where a particular comes out.

5. You should wait to have multiple issues complete before the first one“s released.

PROS TO CHOOSING TO CREATE WEBCOMIC

1. If you choose a weekly/daily schedule –stick to it– you will have something to show every week.

2. If you keep your schedule you will have something that comes out weekly/daily!

3. This would teach you how to maintain a schedule.

4. Builds a readership and following faster than a traditional comic.

5. You can always print it and treat the collection as another “big day”“ for your series.

CONS TO CHOOSING TO CREATE A WEBCOMIC-

1. You have to maintain a weekly/daily schedule.

2. Being late multiple times could affect your readership.

3. You need a reliable website to release your comic.

4. You never come out with everything on one day so people have to return.

5. Some readers are reluctant to webcomics and it will be your job to convert them.

So there you have it. All your pros and cons to both comics and webcomics. I could have done twenty pros and cons for each of these but rather than bore you I came up with the five I believe are most important to think about when making your decision.

I can“t make a decision for you, nor will I convince you to do one or the other. This is simple facts I“m providing through my own personal experience.

If you want to see what my webcomic looks like please visit cunexttues.com. If you want to see what my upcoming comic looks like please visit , my upcoming Kickstarter campaign for my and Ibai Canales“ series, SOUL MEN and don“t forget to back the Kickstarter for SOUL MEN #1 on May 31st!

Good luck, everyone!

Sal Brucculeri

@SalveyB, cunexttues.com, soulmen.launchrock.com, salbrucculeri.com, aa88press.com

Author Profile

Sal Brucculeri

Sal Brucculeri is comic book creator, writer, and editor with an passionate determination to create quality comic books. Sal currently publishes a successful weekly webcomic, C U Next Tuesday, featuring the Bride of Frankenstein’s Monster. He is also the editor of The Devil You Know. Sal is also the writer of the successful Kickstarter project, Ninja Baseball Man, Vol. 1. In addition, Sal, along with Frank Mula, is the co-founder of the small-press publishing company, AA88 Press.

Websites: cunexttues.com, aa88press.com, salbrucculeri.com

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