Conclusion

So what? you might be saying. So what? I've just read through this entire site and I just can't seem to find a point anywhere.

Well, the thing is that there isn't a point in the conventional sense. You're not going to find a place where you can point and say "See there? That's the thesis."

But that doesn't mean there isn't a point at all.

I like comics. That may or may not have been evident based on my writing a site more or less entirely devoted to the critical discussion of a particular aspect of comic writing. Furthermore, while I have affection for some newspaper comics, for the most part I think the web is where it's at. Sure, the comics aren't always as polished as those you might find elsewhere, but you know the authors' hearts are in it. They're here writing comics because they have something to say, not because they think it might sell a plush toy or two.

I have noticed recently that the critical discussion of webcomics has started to become more prominent and mainstream in the community. I think this is a good thing. Whether we know it or not, comics are an art form that is different than any other. Writing a novel does not make you a good cartoonist, and neither does drawing a portrait. There are probably hundreds of books on how to write a short story, but almost none on how to make a good comic.

The creation of a critical community can only improve webcomics. I do not claim to be all-knowing, but what I could discern about how to create a successful hybrid of comedy and drama from a pure humor strip is contained herein. It mostly comes down to this:

Be true to what your comic was. Do not squish your characters and your world into a new mold because you are tired of the old one. Change must come gradually.

Know why you are changing your strip. Do not do it on a whim; do it because you can't tell the stories, can't create the world you want to with your current tools. Remember that once you cross that line there is no going back.

Finally, don't forget why you are drawing the comic in the first place. Make the comic that makes you happy. Otherwise, what's the point?

Works Cited

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