Webcomics don't need to follow rules.
They are often created by one person and don't need to answer to editors, publishers or money-type-people. They can be made by just you, and can be made for an audience of just a couple friends or relatives…or just for yourself!
They need not aim for mainstream appeal - in fact, one of the cool things about them is their ability to be so unique and unusual.
For my part, the original idea for my comic Typical Strange (which still occasionally updates, I swear!), with its video store setting, was to reference movies all the time, both classics and more obscure ones, and be fully understandable by only the people who knew the same movies I do.
As the series has turned out, those references have only showed up once in awhile. And I usually set them up so most readers will know what's being referenced.
I don't do inside jokes, though. Well, not for friends and relatives from outside life. Most of them don't even know I do a comic.
Way back in the day, I wrote a screenplay and several rewrites featured a handful of inside jokes between friends and I - all of which were cut out before shooting. They didn't play, weren't funny, and just wasted time.
I think inside jokes COULD work if done with skill, in the right kind of work. They could play as just idiosyncrasies of the characters, or amusing non sequitirs, Or humor that lets other readers IN to the inside joke.
The one group that I do like to share inside jokes with are my regular readers. Throwing in a reference to previous pages in my comic, or to characters or creators of other comics in the community is a lot of fun!
Do you sneak inside jokes into your comics for your friends or your dedicated readers?
Etz Chaim He, Dude, as the ex used to say…
Have a good one!
-Banes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZviNlneTPQc
Inside Jokes
Banes at 12:00AM, Jan. 5, 2017
4 likes!
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Udyr at 8:13PM, Jan. 6, 2017
I know some make inside-joke CHARACTERS and pull them off, because they're so unique and weird. A comic artist I know based a character on an actual person and this character has tons of inside jokes, however they're hilarious even if you don't know the person because its just...weird!
Zaptoid56 at 9:56AM, Jan. 6, 2017
I try to do subliminal jokes...that way when people don't think my Toons are funny I'm not offended...
kawaiidaigakusei at 4:23PM, Jan. 5, 2017
I love references from The Big Lebowski, no matter how obscure.
EssayBee at 7:48AM, Jan. 5, 2017
I love slipping in little nods to various influences (and I'm not including the occasional movie quote). Fusion is littered with these nods (and Dude in Distress has a few as well), and it's always fun to see when readers pick up on them. Some are obvious, others not so much (and a few of the really subtle ones I haven't seen anyone comment on). I don't like to draw too much attention to them, since I figure it's more fun for readers if they're the ones to discover them.
KimLuster at 4:55AM, Jan. 5, 2017
Hrmmmm... I've had gueststars from other comics make little references to stuff from their own comic that noone would get unless they were the creator or reader of that comic! Does that count!
MOrgan at 2:35AM, Jan. 5, 2017
Do I do inside jokes? I'm afraid I can't answer that unless you're one of the cool people who gets them. ;-)
bravo1102 at 1:33AM, Jan. 5, 2017
I'll do inside references and tributes to stuff that has inspired me. But after my first comic the truly inside jokes have gone away because they are unfunny. But with 1100 pages in five comics that all take place within the same canon, I can reference my previous stuff repeatedly. It's all one big universe after all.
Ozoneocean at 1:07AM, Jan. 5, 2017
Inside jokes are great... just like Pit's penis. Hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!