I read webcomics backwards, and maybe you should too. You might be aghast about spoilers, but trust me– almost every reader who happens upon your comic does this too.
I should specify–I don't read the entire archive backwards. It depends on the comic but typically I read back ...
Going Backwards
Amelius at 11:00AM, Feb. 17, 2019Don't Sweat The Details
Amelius at 9:27AM, Feb. 3, 2019
What is a character? A miserable little pile of traits! Except no, there is more to a character than a collection of likes and dislikes. There are varying opinions on the importance of character versus plot, with some authors viewing all characters as a mere tool to drive plot forward ...
80 Years of Superman
Banes at 12:00AM, Sept. 13, 2018
2018 marks the 80th birthday of the big guy himself - the OG superhero.
Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938.
Actually, there were precursors to Superman. But he popularized and defined the ‘Superhero’ character-type and genre. He was the template for countless characters who came later, with his ...
The Sacrificial Lion
Tantz_Aerine at 6:09PM, Aug. 31, 2018
One of the toughest tropes in any kind of narrative work, from novels to comics to movies is the Sacrificial Lion - but not for what might be an obvious reason: having to axe a top tier character. It's because the trope is something that will affect and carry through ...
Where DO you need Planning for your Plot?
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Aug. 11, 2018
So there's a lot of talk and discussion on how to approach the creation of your webcomic (or novel, or short story) regarding planning out your plot, the degrees of planning out, and the option of flying by the seat of your pants.
I have done both, both in ...
Casting Characters in Comics - Larger casts, personality and temperament
Banes at 12:00AM, Aug. 9, 2018
Last week there was a post about smaller regular casts in a series - The Loner series, the Duo, and the Trio. Here's that post:
https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2018/aug/01/casting-characters-in-comics-123/
With a larger cast, things start to get more complicated - but with more possibilities for different ...
Drawing the Line
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, July 14, 2018
We live in a world that can be exceedingly beautiful or appallingly harsh, and everything in between. And as art reflects one's experiences, emotions and questions about this world, it's unavoidable that both the themes of amazing beauty and the themes of absolute terror, disgust and horror will ...
The Sheet of Glass and Other Tropes
Emma_Clare at 12:00AM, June 8, 2018
Tropes aren’t bad. In fact, they are a useful and, at times, necessary shorthand that creators, particularly in the webcomic field, can wield to enhance their work. J Hillis Miller posited a trope as, “… the use of figurative language, via word, phrase or an image, for artistic effect.”
Every ...
Your Javert's Options
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, June 2, 2018
So last time we had talked about the Javert trope, a category of character that is very compelling and makes for excellent drama, immense suspense and often gets their own following in fandom. (Just check out Saito Hajime's hero's journey as a prime example.)
The Javert character is ...
The Javert Effect
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, May 26, 2018
Javert is such a stellar and powerful character in Les Miserables that he has his very own trope.
He's the skilled, dogged, unwavering locomotive of a chaser that in the name of the law, the church, the state, the cause pursues and persecutes the hero of a story, and ...