Forum archives » Read My Damn Comics » Final stripcreator Fantasy II!!!

LUEserElite
May 25, 2003 4:58 PM

http://www.stripcreator.com/view.php?author=LUEserElite

Credits for Merc Vivi for giving me the idea. And, please, take the time to rate them and give me suggestions.

Post #91734link

evil_d
May 25, 2003 6:28 PM

I read the whole series, or at least the first 21 parts; I'm not sure if you're planning on making more. I'm afraid the plot is only barely cohesive, and the strips in general lack humor. Some suggestions:

1. Plan out a series before you start writing. Too many things in your strips seem to happen for no reason at all, other than that you wanted to write about them. It's very difficult to follow, and it makes me wonder why I should care about the story. For example, in part 13, with no preface or explanation, two of your characters find themselves in jail and then immediately break out. What's the point? If that's somewhere you want to go with your story, think about what course of events might lead you there, what to do once you get there, and how it affects the rest of the story.

2. Try to make at least one good joke per strip. Plan the joke before you start writing the strip. If your joke doesn't work, rewrite the strip so it does. I'm assuming you're trying to be funny here -- it's okay if you don't want to be, but it looks like you do, so put some more effort into it. Don't rely on random and bizarre events to provide comedy. Randomness or incongruity can be powerful tools if you use them right, but the simple fact of randomness is not in itself amusing. My favorite part of your strips so far is the idea of the priest as a summoned monster: it makes light of the idea of summoning monsters, and plays on people's perceptions of priests, what powers they have, whether they're truly good or evil.

3. Don't use the narration boxes to explain yourself. As a general rule, in fact, you should use the narration boxes as sparingly as possible. They have their place, but they can easily become distracting and pointless. If your strip can't stand on its own without explanation, you're probably trying to do too much at one time, or being too obscure. Let the characters' actions and dialogue speak for themselves. In a three-panel, two-character format, a certain degree of simplicity and minimalism is required.

4. Work on writing realistic dialogue. Specifically, don't use internet shorthand, and don't have your characters say things like "if you don't talk/join us...." Don't make it difficult for your audience to imagine someone actually saying these things. It's jarring, and distracts the reader from the story and the joke. Dialogue is one of those things that the reader should never actually be aware of, if you do it right.

If you can take some of this advice, I think you'll start seeing an improvement in the quality of your strips. Keep at it, and welcome to Stripcreator.

Post #91745link

andydougan
May 25, 2003 7:16 PM

I was hoping these comics would have more to do with Final Fantasy.

Post #91747link

LUEserElite
May 25, 2003 11:30 PM

Hey, thanks for the advices, I'll be remaking them ASAP. And I'll try to limit the characters now to maybe only 4... Anyways, thanks for the advices.

Btw, how do you add people to your favorites??

Post #91760link

evil_d
May 25, 2003 11:43 PM

quote:
Btw, how do you add people to your favorites??

Click the "edit account" link in the bar at the top of the page. It's in there somewhere.

Post #91761link

fuzzyman
May 26, 2003 10:11 AM

By the way, you can ignore evil_d's suggestion about having a plot in mind before you start your series. I agree that the story needs to flow from strip to strip and make (some) sense, but planning it out too much is overrated.

Post #91797link

KajunFirefly
May 26, 2003 11:19 AM

I make all of my series in one sitting, with several Exporer windows open so that I can look at every comic and read it a few times to make sure I got it right.

I usually have a rough story in mind but I generally just think from comic to comic about a joke and the progression of the story.

I tried making a series with just one window open at a time and no real idea, it got as far as 3 parts before I lost interest and left it, I should probably set about deleting them.

Also, I tried making a series over a couple of days, that got as far as 7 comics, I think, I should probably set about deleting them too.

Post #91802link

andydougan
May 26, 2003 11:23 AM

I have a 114-part series that never really went anywhere. I would set about deleting it if I had the facility.

Post #91803link

fuzzyman
May 26, 2003 2:36 PM

I did a 100 part series but it was more a case of "let's see how long I can drag this out" than having an actual plan.

I generally had a very broad story arc in mind when it came to the Tobor series. I think the arc for "Tobor in Chains" was something like "Tobor goes to jail. Tobor cornholes some people. Tobor gets out of jail."

But then, the middle part is essentially the same in any Tobor series.

Post #91819link

Choobychooby
May 26, 2003 2:45 PM

My whole collection is a sort of ongoing serial sit-com, I have a few comics that link to the one that follows it in what could be described as a "series", but that's only because the idea I thought of wouldn't fit into 3 panels.

I do however agree that each comic in a "series" should be at least individually funny.

Post #91820link

kramer_vs_kramer
May 27, 2003 10:04 AM

I tend to think of a joke, and see how many times I can get away with repeating it before boredom sets in.

Post #91897link

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