Episode 55 - Genres Revisited
Dec 13, 2011
My attractive assistant Skoolmunkee agreed to another guest appearance in order to re-adress this topic. I asked people about their favourite webcomic genres, why they like them and what makes them so cool and interesting, whether it's the genre they like to read or create in. The genres we covered chiefly in your previous genre Quackcast (number 29, http://www.drunkduck.com/quackcast/episode-29-genres-generally-speaking/), were fantasy, slice of life, post apocalypse, and spiritual, and declared that post apocalypse the winner. This time we all decide that steam/diesel/cyberpunk is best! We briefly try and tackle superheros, but nothing much comes out of it except the brown Lantern...
Topics and Show Notes
Featured comics:
Wyyrd Vintage - http://www.drunkduck.com/Wyyrd_Vintage/
Our contributors:
- Genejoke - http://www.drunkduck.com/user/Genejoke/
Some important factors about genre that you have to keep in mind as a creator:
- What genre does your work best fit into? - this helps when you want to be able to describe and “sell” your comic to others.
- What other comics are also in that same genre? - This helps when you want to know what comic you should advertise on or compare yourself to.
- What are the key identifiers of the genre you’re creating in? - this can help you better appeal to fans of that genre or even give you new ideas on directions of where to o with your comic.
- What can you use and what can you subvert?
Some writing or drawing exercises involving genre:
- Take a basic story premise and adapt it (briefly) into different genres. (Try a plot generator). Think about how the story changes to fit into that genre, what tropes it taps into, whether it has to follow rules, etc.
- Try taking a character from one genre and sticking them into another. (These stories tend to end up being kind of silly, but I’ve ready some pretty entertaining “wrong genre” stories.)
- A single piece of work usually is made up of several genres. Take a favourite comic or story and try to identify what’s being drawn into it.
- Writing exercise in genres - http://www.bisg.org/what-we-do-0-136-bisac-subject-headings-list-major-subjects.php
We're also starting a new radio soap. Anyone can contribute to the ongoing story here:
- http://www.drunkduck.com/forum/topic/174836/
Next week's Quackcast number 56 is the Christmas Quackcast! Please contribute by posting your stuff here:
- http://www.drunkduck.com/forum/topic/174847/
Episode 47 - The Show About Websites and Design Stuff
Oct 18, 2011
oz is the expert on this one, which focuses on advice about designing a comic website which makes your comic look good and is easy to navigate, as well as some advice about logos and branding. skool has her own opinions as well!
Episode 46 - Pop Culture Dress-Up for Fun and Profit
Oct 11, 2011
Zac rejoins oz and skool this week for a fun and enlightening talk about cosplay! Together oz and zac have a good bit of experience on the subject (skool's a bit ignorant) and they cover the range from what it is and how to do it, to how webcomicers in particular might benefit.
Episode 45 - A Not-Very-Organized Hour on 24 Hour Comics Day
Oct 4, 2011
This week, Zac of The New Luciefer joins skoolmunkee and ozoneocean to talk about the featured comics and 24 Hour Comics Day. skool and oz have never done it, but Zac (as of recording) is just about to!
Episode 42 - My Infinite Canvas Could Beat Up Your Interactive Story
Sep 13, 2011
In this extra-ordinary length podcast about extra-ordinary webcomics, skoolmunkee and ozoneocean talk about how media, format, topic (and other features) may factor into whether a comic is "traditional" or not. And some of their favorite examples!
Episode 38 - QuackCast+, Sharing and Stuff
Aug 9, 2011
Aside from a hilarious clip by VegaX to promote "Duck and Quail", skoolmunkee is on her own this week. She takes the opportunity to think out loud about community involvement, Google+, and the idea of a site-wide poll.
Episode 33 - Here Comes The Metric System, Part 2
Jun 28, 2011
ShadowsMyst (Mistress of Marketing, and creator of Brymstone and Shifters) is back this week for Part 2 of a double-cast, all about the numbers and data behind your comics! There's more discussion in this second half about targeting efforts, gathering information in unusual ways, and search engine optimization.
Episode 12 - The Okay Debate: Comic Hosting Sites vs. Own Hosting
Jan 25, 2011
skool and oz fall back into habit with a rough beginning, lots of feature discussion, and talking too long about the weekly subject with no clear outcome. But it's still good!
