I'm all in!
Poker reference.
We've all read comics that grab us and get us invested completely in what's going on. And we've read others that don't do it for us. Most are probably somewhere in between, with hits and misses. Such is life.
And of course we want our own stories/pages to be ones where people buy in, are emotionally invested and go along for the ride.
So I was thinking about some of the “make or break” elements that keep me reading, or make it more difficult to stick with a comic. Disclaimer: this is mostly theoretical, but still has some truth to it. There are lots of good comics I would be reading in a more dedicated way if I had the time.
But maybe this will be some useful food for thought…
What makes me keep “buying in”? There are probably several things, but I want to focus on what I think is the biggest one.
Understanding what's happening.
This is the biggest one by far, and everything else hangs on it. If I don't get what's going on, it's hard to stay with a story for very long.
Of course, in a long form story, not every page is going to explain everything we need to know. And some stories are structured in a mysterious way, where we're supposed to figure things out as we go. It's not a matter of getting a long explanation of the entire Universe of the story, either!
What we need to understand is 1. What the character wants (and maybe why), 2. What's in the way, and 3. Some kind of stakes. Meaning, what does the character lose if they don't get what they want, and what do they win if they do. This applies to stories as a whole, but also to individual scenes.
It rarely seems to happen, but in a perfect world, I would want every page to have a proper setup, conflict, and payoff like that.
If I read a comic for too many pages and can't hook in to what's going on, at least on some level, it's hard to stick around.
There are other aspects to this - Characters we can relate to (or are entertained by or something), questions we want answered, snappy dialogue and good art and such. But to me, making it clear what's going on is right at the top of the list.
Of course, the trick is that you can't just EXPLAIN everything that's going on. Therein lies the challenge, eh?
So what do you think? Am I way off on this? What helps you buy in and keeps you reading? What puts you off or makes you cash out? How do you try to keep readers engaged?
Shuffle up and deeeeeeeeal!
I'm not sure why I married this subject to poker. But I did.
Have a good one; see you next time!
-Banes
Buying In
Banes at 12:00AM, June 2, 2016
4 likes!
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Z74 at 8:57PM, June 6, 2016
it's this very thing that is drawing me further and further away from main stream comics.Back in the day you could pick up any comic that looked interesting and there would be this little paragraph catching you up on the story , that is gone now so if you are not following the book religiously you won't get it. I think they are alienating potential readers. where's Stan Lee when you need him?
bravo1102 at 7:19PM, June 4, 2016
And at the opposite end of the spectrum there is the so-called "idiot plot". A plot that can only work if every character is an idiot. Why or how do you buy into that? There is satire and parody but is there anything else?
irrevenant at 2:38AM, June 3, 2016
@Kim re: "I have a dreadful fear of people not 'getting' my stuff". This is probably teaching you to suck eggs but it's worth noting: You're never going to be able to make your work suitable for everyone because different people thrive on different things. Some people want everything spelt out for them in detail but others will find that patronising and be driven away. Probably the best thing is to write at the level you want to write and draw in the audience that matches that. Having said that, we *are* very close to our own work and it can be well worth getting a beta reader to eyeball the scripts just to make sure you haven't missed communicating any key information.
usedbooks at 6:15PM, June 2, 2016
Oh, and I definitely need to get my bearings when jumping into a comic. I usually don't read a comic just starting out (unless I know the artist already), and I tend to follow in the middle a while before I delve into archives. I think that's pretty typical. I don't need to know the whole story, but it's good to be able to orient myself. The art needs to get the mood and setting across fairly clearly, and the personalities of characters should show. An interesting character will draw me in more than anything, and just a couple lines of dialogue will usually be enough to assess. ---- As a creator, I think the biggest compliment is a reader commenting on character or plot development, recalling previous events. It's one thing to create a world I can personally escape into, but something even more amazing when others choose to enter that world too.
usedbooks at 6:04PM, June 2, 2016
Speaking of rewatching/rereads, bravo, I agree completely -- especially with mystery stories but it extends to any other story. I'm a "watch it twice" person if the writing and characters are good. Especially if it's an "enemy in our midst" type. The story has a whole new spin when you watch it knowing who the bad guy is or what happens. (Then you can pick up all the foreshadowing too.) On that note, there was exactly one video game my bro and I played through a second time IMMEDIATELY following the first playthrough based solely on the story. It was BioShock 3. The writing, cohesiveness, foreshadowing, etc. was all fantastic. And it was more incredible on the second go. A good story is definitely a "read/watch/play it twice."
bravo1102 at 4:59PM, June 2, 2016
On the other hand don't show me all your cards, because the real fun of the game is guessing what they are or being fooled about what they are and waiting for the call.
bravo1102 at 4:55PM, June 2, 2016
I am a very savvy reader. I regularly rewatch shows with well done "twists" and bluffs just to enjoy how it's done even though I already know the plot. Knowing the plot and being able to enjoy how it is portrayed adds another level to how I experience media. After all I am really into history where we already know the endings. The Bismarck always sinks, Marie Antoinette always gets her head cut off. I guess I might be some kind of super reader because I can almost always figure out a story. I once pegged a twist ending of a 400 page novel on page 3, but it didn't make getting there any less fun. Sometimes it's all about the journey not the destination.
bravo1102 at 4:46PM, June 2, 2016
I'm always pleasantly surprised and delighted when reader's comments indicate that they really get it. We all like to anticipate how a story works out and I like to think I surprise and delight and have rewritten bits to twist them. Some kind of mystery is necessary to keep a reader going so you don't want to show all your cards at once. You got to able to bluff and what isn't shown is just as important as what is. And if anyone asks I will explain but my story isn't about educating a reader on my world or showing off my mad world building skillz.
Bruno Harm at 12:34PM, June 2, 2016
aw man, I'm always asking people If my comic is making sense! there can definitely be an off-putting feeling when you read for a while, and you don't feel like you're getting it. Especially with a web comic that has it's "in crowd" chatting away in the comment section. You start to feel like an outsider... well, if you're a socially awkward introvert reading online comics, you do. Or maybe that's just me.
Gunwallace at 12:16PM, June 2, 2016
Always bet on black. (Is that a poker thing?) As someone who would rather write than draw, but has been forced into drawing to get things done, I struggle to be motivated to do my own comics for this very reason. I can't help look at most of the things I have made and wonder what they would have been with a good (or juts decent) artist.
Banes at 12:14PM, June 2, 2016
@KimLuster - thanks! Yeah, I wonder if I'm over or under explaining things in my comics. From the comments, people seem to understand what's happening; sometimes they have a deeper understanding than I do!
KimLuster at 6:32AM, June 2, 2016
As for the poker analogy... It sorta works (so I bought in)... but I also suck at poker!!
KimLuster at 6:31AM, June 2, 2016
You're always spot on with this articles!! This is actually a big deal...! I can think of several comics where the artwork is otherworldly good, but... I still don't know what's going on!! Or the story is decent, but something about the art doesn't grab (what makes it grab? I think it's similar to music - you just like what you like and you don't know why...). Anyway, I have a dreadful fear of people not 'getting' my stuff... So much that I probably over-explain here and there (which, ironically, could potentially drive someone away... damned if you do/don't ;)). It's been okay so far though, or everyone's really NOT 'getting it' and just being nice to me so I don't cry... :)