It might just be me, but comics that are self aware as comics, or comics that have to do with people drawing comics annoy the crap out of me. Of all the subjects you can write about in a comic, you pick drawing comics? If that's not mental masturbation, I don't know what is.
The entire web was founded on self pleasuring. What were you expecting?
I'm not just talking on the web. I love Chris Ware's work...but when he does stuff about being a cartoonist it drives me up the wall. Ivan Brunetti's stuff too.
I was just saying it annoys me, hoping to get atleast one amen.
Well the thing is, writing comics comes mostly from your own experiences. You may not have been present in some situations, they may be just situations you put your character in, but there is some basis in your life for most of the stuff that happens in your comics. Comics are usually your reaction to everyday situations. Even if that reaction takes the form of, say, a cat that plays videogames. I dunno.
So... having taken stuff from their life for so long, eventually comic artists end up wanting to just write straight about their own lives. Especially if they work on comics all the time, and so don't do much else. Couple that with the fact that you're often told "write what you know" and there you have it. You run out of material and it's what you fall back on. You want to really express how you feel, this is how you do it.
I find it alright if it is done once in a while, in moderation, or with really good humor. It can be a good shift, and refreshing for the comic creator, but I agree if carried on for too long it can get tedious. I mean, I don't begrudge bands for singing about life on the road, or how much money they make and how much tail they get, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't rather hear about hurt, loss, hate, happiness, or hard drug usage. You just have to mix it up a little.
Big Cheese Press = Comics
I have to say that self-reference, or even a character referencing being in a comic almost always takes me out of a comic. To me the point of creating a comic is being able to create your own world. Part of the challenge in creating your own world is that it has to have an internal believability. Constant self-reference makes it seem like the comic must take place in the real world, and then when something crazy happens it doesn't ring as true... And the opposite is true when characters are aware they are in a comic... It shows that the whole thing is fake, and that there is no internal truth... All that being said, I am a minor character in my own comic, but not really as myself.... My character has a personality that is the polar opposite of myself, and I don't ever say that it is me within the comic.
I don't put myself in Arthur, King of Time and Space because when I was six Winnie the Pooh taught me that immodesty is natural but impolite. (That, and I'm not a character from arthurian legend.) My characters are allowed to break the fourth wall only by literally stepping out of the panel. Two of my characters are webcartoonists when they live in the present, but it's far from the centerpiece of their story. The trick with breaking the fourth wall, as with any device, isn't whether you use it at all but how you use it. Naturally that means there'll be lots of webcomics that abuse it horribly and at least a few that make an artful balance of it.
See, even the person who doesn't put HIMSELF in his webcomic has CHARACTERS who make webcomics. The distinction is not that great. basically, we all want to write about ourselves on some level (even the guy who does it secretly without naming himself.)
Doing that in a humor strip or short story doesn't take you out of the story with the same level as it would a fantasy strip about Aurthur or whatever because with a humor strip it's acknowledged that there are changes between strips. A joke may last for only one strip, then the storyline strips may resume. The self-contained aspect makes it more palatable than writing about being a webcomic artist and claiming it isn't you. It isn't as jarring in a shorty story or strip because you expect dramatic shifts in tone, unlike a storyline comic. It works alright if the comic story makes fun of comics in general (Lethargic Lad). It's just that writing solely about the trials of being a webcomic artist makes it difficult for the audience to relate, whereas everyone has trouble with the opposite or same sex, trouble with school/work, reads the news, etc. The trick is to tell stories that are interesting without alienating your audience.
Comics about making comics are usually pretty uninteresting to people who aren't comic creators. So then you rely solely on your colleagues to read your comics. Not very wise, seeing as most webcomickers (including myself) never have time to catch up on reading other webcomics.
Get another hobby and make a comic about THAT. Whether it's cricket, music or porn. That way you've got yourself an actual target audience and you're still entertaining yourself in the process.
[quote:d4b3fd8b8b="Big Cheese Productions"]See, even the person who doesn't put HIMSELF in his webcomic has CHARACTERS who make webcomics. The distinction is not that great. ... It's just that writing solely about the trials of being a webcomic artist makes it difficult for the audience to relate, whereas everyone has trouble with the opposite or same sex, trouble with school/work, reads the news, etc. The trick is to tell stories that are interesting without alienating your audience.
[quote:d4b3fd8b8b="Liz"]Comics about making comics are usually pretty uninteresting to people who aren't comic creators. ... Get another hobby and make a comic about THAT. Whether it's cricket, music or porn.
Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. My webcomic isn't about making webcomics. It's about a nice kid who's made a world leader out of the blue when he comes of age.
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Self Reference
It might just be me, but comics that are self aware as comics, or comics that have to do with people drawing comics annoy the crap out of me. Of all the subjects you can write about in a comic, you pick drawing comics? If that's not mental masturbation, I don't know what is.
RE: Self Reference
Hey, here's an idea: maybe you can make a comic about a guy who's critical of people who make comics about making comics. Nobody's ever done that before. Of course, there wouldn't be much of an audience for it at first, but a few years down the road people will recognize the genius of such a visionary concept.
Re: Self Reference
[quote:afba668fa7="brideau"] If that's not mental masturbation, I don't know what is.
Playing 12 bar blues.