I’m putting this post up mainly as an excuse to update the ‘blog’ section of my site, which I haven’t touched in (cough) a long while. But I thought it good to duly note that I’ve been plugging away at this here webcomic thing for four years now! Four years, no buffer to speak of, and I only ever missed one update! That’s pretty good, I’d say.
I thought I’d mark the occasion by listing a few things I’ve learned over the years:
Making a webcomic is fun!
It really is, and it’s the readership that makes it so. Having you fine people look at and comment on my stuff is really the highlight of my week; it’s the reason I happily sacrifice a big chunk of my free time to the endeavour. So thanks for giving me the motivation to keep on going! If not for you, I’d probably just spend my limited free time playing video games. Badly.
Making webcomics is not a viable business model.
Word to the wise: on a work-to-profit ratio, making a webcomic is a terrible, terrible investment of your time. If you’re ever thinking of making a webcomic, I totally encourage you to do so … for personal satisfaction only. If you’re dreaming of dollar signs, start a Let’s Play channel on Youtube or something. Yes, there are a few highly successful webcomics out there that turn a decent profit (and by ‘decent profit’ I mean ‘barely living wage’) but there aren’t many of them. The market is small, the competition is fierce, and expenses are high. That said, it’s a fun hobby, and if we compare it to other fun hobbies like model trains, it’s a little better because it at least has the chance to potentially pay for itself.
I’m not really very good at what I do.
I don’t mean to be overly harsh; I just mean that the world of webcomics contains some amazing talent. There are people out there creating magnificent work, and they’re real people – not abstract pseudo-celebrities like Jim Lee. (Okay, I know Jim Lee is theoretically a real person, but we’re not really on the same plane.) It reinforces my own mediocrity more when someone says, “Hey, take a look at this seventeen year-old girl from Wyoming! She can draw circles around you and write jokes that people actually laugh at, and she’s not even out of high school!” Humbling, to say the least.
I’m not really that bad at what I do.
Again, I don’t mean to be overly harsh, but I’ve grown increasingly aware of the sheer quantity of absolute garbage out there on the internet. And I feel strongly that, at the very least, I can sleep at night knowing that my comic is not making the internet a worse place through its existence. I might not be making the internet much better, but at least Puck ain’t no Sonichu. Hell, I’ve made it to four years and I’m still not in the Bad Webcomics Wiki! That’s something to be proud of! Either that or it’s just an administrative oversight on the part of the BWW – though if they ever need an article about Puck, I really would like the chance to write it myself. I think tearing my own work apart would be an entertaining (and easy) exercise.
I think I’m game for another four years (at least).
Creating the comic has adversely affected my life in a number of ways; it’s added a lot of stress to my plate and caused a few sleepless nights, but it’s added a lot of good stuff to my life too. It’s given me an artistic sense of purpose, and a more definitive sense of identity. They’re intangible benefits, but they’re also invaluable. When push comes to shove, I can say this: the comic has always been worth it. I think that means I’m in for the long haul.
Thank you, for continuing to update your comic. I’m glad to be able to experience the characters which you’ve given life.
Well, thanks for continuing to read! It means a lot.
Yeah, I feel like I could have written most of this myself.
Eight years will be probably far longer than the average webcomic.
It is fun to make something and hear what people think of it.
I think there are a couple of webcomic authors who are making lots of money (and even have employees). Then maybe two dozen who are making just enough for it to be their job. Then there are some amount who earn enough for it to be worth the time spent. And then everyone else is either doing it for free, or practically for free.
There are a lot of amazing people on the internet. Many so good, and so young it sometimes makes me feel incompetent. Then there are some really popular artists and comics that aren’t good, and you can’t figure out why.
The Bad Webcomics Wiki seems to include a few bad webcomics, and then there are a number of the biggest webcomics- that they don’t like. And instead of saying they don’t like them, they say they are bad. Considering the comics on there, and what they complain about- I think a comic has to be either nightmarish, or really popular to be on their radar.
Pulse isn’t there either, and probably an easier target, so that could be a warning sign.
Yeah, and I didn’t mean to imply that I’m definitely quitting at the eight year point. But I have at least four years more in me.
Like you, I never cease to be amazed by the really junky stuff that is super popular. Some of it is ‘special interest’, which explains the success, but some of it is just plain bad with no real attraction of any type.
As for the Bad Webcomics Wiki, there’s an alternate reading which my friend Rebecca Cohen (creator of Gyno-Star) once said: “You know you’ve hit the big time when you’re in the Bad Webcomics Wiki.” Might explain why we aren’t in there.
Happy anniversary, I’m glad to see you in a better mood about your comic 🙂
More tired resignation than better mood, but it’s a state of peace.
Dang :-s
I guess I’ll settle for tired resignation, then. Still believe you could produce some nice, more ambitious, art, but I’m already happy with Puck 😛
Believe me, Puck is me working at the furthest extent of my capabilities. (Some might say overshooting.) There’s an endless number of ‘ambitious’ webcomics out there made by creators whose skills can’t live up to their ambition. I don’t want to join their roster. If I tried something grander, the end result would be a comic where people look and say, “This comic would be really cool … if it didn’t suck.” I don’t want to go that heavily trodden route.
I like the comparison to model trains. Been making wine with an old buddy for years, and I always tell people, if you’re going to spend your spare time futzing around in the cellar, it beats model trains all to hell. 🙂
This comic is a lot of fun and just keeps getting better. Thanks for putting it out there every week.
I once had a colleague who made something like 200 bottles of wine a year – really good stuff too. He once told me (in jest), “It’s pretty obvious that I have a drinking problem.” I replied, “No, I’m pretty sure you have a drinking solution.”
Webcomics are a lot like making wine. You likely won’t get rich off it. You might win a few minor-level accolades that really don’t mean much in the big scheme of things. And you might bring a smile to a few people’s faces. All said and told, though, it can be a noble pursuit, and (in my opinion) beats watching reruns of Supernaturals.
Happy anniversary! Glad you have continued. Too many of my favorites have gone under while junk goes on and on. I won’t name names. Long live Puck!
Junk always has a leg up on longevity. Junk is either (A) really easy to make, or (B) the product of an unbalanced person who lives for said junk and would never think of stopping it. The higher quality webcomics are mostly the products of young and talented artists who want to take the world by storm. They quickly find out that webcomics are a terrible way to take the world by storm, and switch to a more lucrative enterprise.
As for me, I’m too old and too worn out to take the world by storm. I only have enough energy to make this comic. I feel safe saying that it’s the best webcomic I can produce with the limited resources, knowledge and talent I possess.
I enjoy Puck. You’re well up on Top Webcomics, which is not a bad thing. You may not take the world by storm, but you’ve got a good, firm, beachhead established. Savor it occasionally. 🙂
To parphrase from Howard the Duck comic, “You’ll believe a 600-y.o. fae can settle down to marital bliss and poopy diapers!”
Thanks for sticking with it. A smile is a noble gift to gave. 🙂
Thanks for letting me know you enjoy it. I shall continue to make noble attempts to get people smiling. And I do appreciate the beachhead, as you so nicely put it, but like you said, I’m not going to take the world by storm, and as unrealistic a goal as that is, I think all creators do feel slightly bummed when they realize that ain’t ever going to happen. That’s why the average webcomic lasts thirty comics. It’s at that point where you realize that the best you can ever hope for is a tiny but appreciative audience. But I realized that long ago, I’ve tried to find my zen with that, and I’ve settled in with the goal of making a comic that is the best comic I can make for that audience. That’s my goal.
How DARE you refer to Jim Lee as a pseudo-celebrity! He defeated the shadow warriors and saved Marion countless times! And he did it all while wearing blue leather pants – LEATHER PANTS! Do you realize the swalls he must have endured what with all those hurricane kicks?
I believe his legal name is Bimmy Lee, thank you very much.
Man, Your saying everything I’m thinking. I’ve only been doing Webcomics for 9 months, but it’s definitely a labor of love. I hope in four years, I can be copying and pasting all this. Hang in there man. And good luck in all of it.
Don’t know how I missed this comment! Sorry for the late reply. But yeah, labor of love. You hang in there too. So many of my webcomic brethren have hung up their hats on my watch. And while there’s always new talent coming in, it sometimes feels like most of my old friends have checked out.
If you can find an audience, even a small one, it tends to be worth it. At least that’s my experience.
The Clothes, The Eye, The Kids, I can see where this is going…
If you see a Child Services officer at the end of this long, dark tunnel, then your vision’s 20/20.
Quoth you: I’m not really very good at what I do. Of course, you draw one comic every 7 days, it’s small, and only a tiny bit of that is drawing, sketching. If you were to draw one piece of line art a day, as small as your comic, you would grow 7 times faster at minimum. If you were to draw a full page, theoretically, you could grow much more… however, I see few if any sketches.
I met an artist, the best one I have ever met, and he did speed runs for 4 hours every day. Not just that, but when he sleeps his brain actually works on whatever he did that day, giving him additional capabilities. I met another artist (not as good as you, imho) who did one piece of art a day, and he actually got worse over the course of a year.
In short, add a few sketch panels, cop out some, draw more, practice. As a bonus it would give us more comics, but at a lower quality. Look up http://www.egscomics.com for an example, click first, then click last to see how much he has grown since he started. 🙂 He does comics twice weekly, I think.
Do I think you are better than him… yes, but if you look at how much he has grown, it’s staggering. I honestly wish you could teach him… :/ By the way, his comics, there are over 2000! – Vegeta!
http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=1802
Click the first issue and be floored at how much he has grown. From poorly drawn anime styled humanoids to emotive griffins… wow.
Valid points, but I’m beyond getting better at what I do. I’m old and have a limited talent pool from which to draw. Seriously, dude, I was schooled in animation and I met people there that could draw circles around me with a tenth the effort. I’m garbage and I know it. Can I improve? Sure, yeah, I can. Not enough to rise to a professional level, though.
I’m a working father of two pushing forty with a mortgage and full-time job. I’m not an eager twenty year-old kid who’s got dreams of going somewhere. I had dreams, dude. I pursued them, I failed miserably due largely to a lack of talent, and I landed here. This is what I can do.
Since when was public urination a bad thing?
“The Language of Terror” sounds like a great elective course taught at university.
Oops, meant to post this on this week’s comic.
I’m sure it’s really depressing and all about warfare and death and stuff. I always avoided those courses and signed up for ‘History of Pastry’ instead.
Hey, “Sally Sprocket and Piston Pete” ROCKS !!!!
Others comics do not, but I don’t ‘diss specifics. Everyone tries, and deserves credit for that. And what I like, others may not. ETC.
And I have by no means exhausted your list of great comics. I’ve actually explored very few so far.
One you have not mentioned is BROODHOLLOW. Wonderful, but on hiatus. sigh
It’s all over the place. And the list of comics there, some of those are comics that I happily read, love and totally recommend. Some of them are comics that are done by friends of mine, and some are comics that put links to my site, so I felt it was only polite to reply in kind. That said, I try to only put comics there that I think are in some fashion good.
And good webcomics always go hiatus. Or end. It makes me sad way too often.
Oddly, I’ve not yet become appreciative of Home Run Star.
I’m just put off by what I take to be his voice, which seems to be that of a retarded person. It seems belittling to me. Because working with the mentally disabled is what I do.
No, no, I’m no hero. I do not work with Druggies or Criminals. Or even folks who are damaged from drunken driving, skateboard stunts, etc. Only total innocents who were born the way they are.
So you can see my compassion is, well, limited ? And my reputation is to be caustic and not PC at all. Which would be accurate.
Yet if someone uses “retard” as an insult, I just grit my teeth and ignore. I’m not on any crusade.
So basically I suck. Not as much as some, but far more than others.
But back to Business.
Am I misinterpreting Home Run Star somehow ? I hope I am.
I’ve been a fan for a long, long time, and I’ve never really thought of Homestar as mentally challenged. I’ve always thought of him as kind of like Colin: selectively dumb, but smart when the occasion or joke requires. If the voice is grating, though, I get it. Many people also hate Strongbad’s voice. One of the Youtubers I watch (Arin Hanson of Game Grumps fame) said he used to work at a Blockbuster and during his shifts, he’d put DVDs of Strongbad on the TV screens mounted around the store. Apparently he would get endless complaints from people to turn it off, because Strongbad’s voice is just that grating.
I’ve resolved to give HRS another chance.
Maybe HRS is Down’s Syndrome. Can’t a DS person be a hero, too ?
Unless a comic makes fun of a person’s handicap in a mean way, there actually should be MORE people with disabilities in Web Comics, not less.
And after all, the Gecko “walks the walk”. He promotes a Ginger.
Hey once again congrats! I left a post on your Facebook about your 4 years. I know I’m late in the congratulations but still!!! It’s a great accomplishment and you’re still going strong!!
I’m actually at year five now. Gotta update this.