Being Unique... Part #1
Submitted by moovok on July 6, 2006 - 05:58
Although each webcomic tries to put their own stamp across the world of the web, there's some that do exactly what the other does and some that are different. People that actually stop and think "I quite like that idea" usually set themselves apart from the rest, here are just a few:
When you think Webcomics the first idea that comes into your head isn't of having a theme tune. Why should it? It's just a strip on the web, it wouldn't need a theme tune, but to be quite honest with you, I enjoy listening to the extra content, the theme tunes as it were. Two such examples are Boy on a Stick and Slither (BOASAS) and Multiplex.
BOASAS is created by Michael Zole. The tune almost reminds me when listening to it that I'm about to watch one of those late night cartoons, like Rocky's Modern Life or things like that. Original and great sounding.
Multiplex's is a song by AM/FM. Although short (12 seconds long), it still has that soon to be animated like quality, which is I guess what they all thought of when doing it, that one day they could use it as a future series or something and that's definately unique!
Apart from theme tunes (which is quite a good extra), Joe Loves Crappy Movies not only releases strips about certain films but below it always has a review about the specific film targetted that week. It's like having a laugh then having someone reviewing it below. That's unique and different.
Although this isn't a huge feature, it's still something different. Pirate and Alien feature in their Extra's a way of finding your Pirate name. Or if you're an Alien fan, you can always rearrange your name with their simplistic instructions to find it out!
Charity is sometimes what webcomics do to band together. Monster Guy actually supports specific charities and asks people to donate, but also at the bottom of the page there's a funky Flash Monster Guy which when you move your mouse over him he says something different. I like that. Also reminds me of the pet bear on Bearskinrug, where you have many different actions he can do, either eat, drink, be set alight.
And heck, just to be different and unique, why not alter your site once a week. Richard Tingley roughly does and makes it so you actually have to find the different images, artwork and delights inside his brain.
There are thousands if not hundreds of different ways to make your webcomic unique but uniqueness not only gives your readers something to come back for as well (apart from your comic strip) but it also gives your webcomic a bit more depth. Above are just some unique examples, but what you really have to think about is how to make yours that little bit special. So be different, be special, be unique!
Interactivity
by DAJB - 07/07/2006 - 07:12
I'd have to agree with the other comments here. Being "unique" or "original" is fine up to a point. Unless that originality actually adds real value to the comic story, however, "unique" features are just a gimmick. Maybe even a distraction.
Do comics need theme tunes? Maybe some are better for it but how many are really a better read just for having a soundtrack? And how many readers already have their radio/CD/MP3 player on while they read on the net? A theme tune isn't going to appeal to them.
It seems to me, the one big feature of the net which could really help differentiate webcomics both from one another and from other comic media is interactivity. I don't claim to know how exactly and I haven't yet seen any webcomic that has used it in a way that doesn't amount to little more than a gimmick. But that has to be the future.
Until that nut is cracked, webcomics will tend to be read in the same way as print comics and, just like the dreaded "variant covers", any incremental traffic generated solely by virtue of being "unique" will - as Fabricari said - be shortlived.
Broken Voice Comics
Because comics are not just for kids
Broken Voice Comics
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Because comics are not just for kids
if this article had a theme
by oolong - 07/06/2006 - 21:49
if this article had a theme song it would be by some ska band with no real musical talent and lyrics that are sort of funny and weird but not actually good
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I agree, originality really
by Fabricari - 07/06/2006 - 21:08
I agree, originality really should be most apparent in the comic itself.
Earlier on when we first started the webcomic and no one was reading, we deployed gimmick after gimmick: podcasts, webcams, video podcasts, drunk blogs, snarky comics, free copies of print comics! It helped grease the wheels, but it didn't really help when it came to retaining readers.
And after a while - the traffic that a good gimmick brought was pale compared to a good advertisement and focusing on maintaining the schedule. In fact - gimmicks take away from comic time. That's a bad thing.
And the problem with trying to come up with unique hooks is that the very next week someone can borrow the same idea - and most likely they'll do it better. But no one can draw your comic the way you do.
Now, I'm not saying that I won't be doin' gimmicks anymore - they're a lot of fun. But The comic is what's most important to me now.
Steve "Fabricari" Harrison
Steve "Fabricari" Harrison
Personally, I just prefer
by Sean C - 07/06/2006 - 16:48
Personally, I just prefer original ideas for webcomics. Most readers just come looking for the strips, so being able to deliver something interesting and original. My partner and I took cliches and skewered them until they were unrecognizable. We have a ninja comic where everything ninja is really just part of the background; a typical ancient villian returns to terrorize the world, but ours is experiencing massive culture shock rather than just getting down to business; and rather than all the characters having phoney Japanese names (like every other ninja comic) we have American characters, and the whole thing takes place in Boston.
 A few of the other members of my collective really produce some original stuff. Cartridge Comics does parodies, but those characters return once and a while, as part of a rotating cast, rather than just appearing once for the sake of the joke. Just check out his Emo-Spider stuff, which was a take off of the upcoming movie's black costume. It may be a familiar genre, but the approach and writing is quite smart and unique.
Hockey Zombie is well, just out there, and that's what's so appealing. The fact that the main character is a zombie is really just a bonus.
A Divine Dramedy is an artsy story about three recentley deceased actors, and their experiences in the afterlife. Check this one out. The art is fantastic and stylized.
Combustible Orange may not update regularly, but the idea of two near delusional comic creators, which are not based on anyone producing the work, by the way, is great; Frank and company explore the underground comics scene quite often. Oh, and who couldn't love Super Demolition Christ?
I can't stay away from these comics; it's the originality that really makes them attractive.
Don't hesitate to procrastinate. See my stuff at http://www.cuteninjagirls.com
Don't hesitate to procrastinate. My brand new comic: http://cain.bombsheltercomics.com
On the topic of uniqueness...
by moovok - 07/06/2006 - 16:41
Problem is, if everyone gets their own theme song that would therefore make you less unique than thinking of something different yourself :)
In That Case...
by todaythecomic - 07/06/2006 - 16:58
Hmm, good point. It would water down the uniqueness big time. I think instead of doing a theme song for 'Today', I should do a straight gangsta rap song.
On the topic of Theme Songs...
by Jerzy - 07/06/2006 - 14:56
Two of my comics, Silver and The Periodic Forces and The Origin of Jared have theme songs written and performed by my brother Eliott Drozd. He recently launched his own website at blueshiftmusic.com, and he's taking on freelance work for anyone interested in getting their own comics theme.
http://www.mlatcomics.com - Saturday Morning Comics for kids of all ages.
"(Mutilate Us)" (the Multiplex theme song)
by Gordon McAlpin - 07/06/2006 - 10:14
Thanks for the mention! I would like to clarify that the "theme song" is a pre-existing track, from AM/FM's "Mutilate Us" album (which is awesome!). The track was used with permission, of course. I'd had it in mind as the theme song when I first started developing Multiplex as a Flash animated short. Even though that didn't come to fruition, I always connected that 12 second bit of nonsense in my head with Multiplex, so when I noticed other webcomics had theme songs, it was a no-brainer to e-mail the band and ask if they didn't mind me using it.
Multiplex is a twice weekly humor comic about the staff of the Multiplex 10 Cinemas and the movies that play there.
 I hadn't read Multiplex
by madscott - 07/06/2006 - 12:46
 I hadn't read Multiplex before. I laughed my ass off over the superman returns spoiler strip. I'll check it out again soon.
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