I remember that drunk duck used to have webbooks vs webcomics seperation back in the day, now they are called Stories and Strips and there is still absolutely no discernable difference between the two except for random placement of certain comics in each with no noticeable common (or different) traits.
Seriously whats the difference and who here can actually tell where a comic belong just by reading the comic (without seeing what category it is in)

I dunno. Strips are to Garfield as stories are to Marvel?

AQua_ng
I dunno. Strips are to Garfield as stories are to Marvel?

doesn't match up. I tried looking at update schedule, use of color, are style (copy paste vs unique drawing), involvement of plot (ie, plot vs non linear humor) and several other categories and none of them matched.

Kennedy0
Strips can be read individually. You can read one and get a joke or main point out of it without going to another. They can contain stories, but they're usually loose.

Stories are just that. You can read one page and it'll probably make no sense whatsoever because its only a fraction of a story.

It may be a fine line between the two with how some people write, but it is there.

couldn't have said it better.

ditto

What they said.

Couldn't agree more.

I concur.

(Hey, let's turn this thread into a huge chain of different ways to say “I agree”. Won't that be fun?!)

Taltamir does have a point in that we see certain comics crossing over to the other side that may not technically qualify for “story” or “strip”. Sometimes the line is blurred, anyway.

I know I'm a but guilty myself, as my comic strip is in page format like a story and even has a lot of continuity between pages. I justify the classification as strip by putting a gag at the end of each page and by not having actual chapters or anything.

This is the first thing I THOUGHT it might have been supposed to mean… except half the strips are books and half the books are stips if that is really the definition.

And who determines whats what anyways? not to mention a TON of them just change in the middle from one type to the next. (ie, a strip becomes plotty or a plotty comics becomes a strip). They are indistinguishable.

I love you comic hawk, but it never struck me as a strip. I just love the plot and I really think one would be missing out if they didn't read from the begining. So its definatly a book (that started as a strip)… so hence the question, can you even tell them apart since MOST comics (abouit 90%) start as a strip and turn into a book, no matter what category they are placed in.

The authors determine where their comics go, so the problem lies with them. I don't think the distinction is all that hard to see, it's just that there are a lot of people who classify their comics incorrectly. With the way things are, though, it's not like the moderators can go in and read every comic and make that judgement for people.

.: isukun :.

i would say about 90% of comics start out as strips and end up as books. And they are split 50-50 between the two categories. Might aswell just scrap the thing since its so loosly adhered to.

umm….no
because mine is actually a story

I don't think you should scrap a system just because some people aren't paying attention to it. Try that with child rape.

actually i think its the way i phrased the question, basically it sounds like “are you smart enough to do that” and everyone will vote yes, then read the thread and possibly realise thats not what i meant and be unable to change even if they wanted too…

I am willing to accept what other people say, i learned that:
1. there is a clear definition
2. its just not followed very often (according to other people, mainly because things start as strips and end as books).

I couldn't have come up with this theory since I didn't even know the difference between the two (what it was supposed to be)…

You do have a valid point, Taltamir. The definitions are either not closely adhered to or are ambiguous to some authors. In my case, my comic simply changed over time.

In the meantime, I think it's important to not let the classification bother you, and to remember to check both strips and stories for comics you might like.

Stories are in books and strips are when nice young ladies take their clothes of for money…?

Hard and fast catagories will always be transgressed. Catagorisation is artificial and somewhat limiting creatively.

But I do stories because they're 100X easier than strips. Doing a comic strip is too hard.

ozoneocean
But I do stories because they're 100X easier than strips. Doing a comic strip is too hard.

Ahh, it is funny how people differ. I would find a story comic 100x harder than a strip. I'm terrible at continuity and long term pacing and whatnot, and my style does not lend itself to presenting stories very well at all.

suzi
'm terrible at continuity and long term pacing and whatnot

Continuity and pacing? Hahaha, I'm no good at those either!
But in strips you need to make a fully enclosed story/joke/point in only 3 to 8 panels or something, EVERY SINGLE TIME!
That is hard. You just just ramble in stories.

Hawk
You do have a valid point, Taltamir. The definitions are either not closely adhered to or are ambiguous to some authors. In my case, my comic simply changed over time.

In the meantime, I think it's important to not let the classification bother you, and to remember to check both strips and stories for comics you might like.

true, the important thing is to have fun :P