The Dreadful -- Chapter 10

[MSperoni]

Thanks! That's one reason I switched to the new format, I felt the comic read better that way.

What I'm going to try to do is have each update be it's own scene, connect to the previous comic, and also have a kind of "cliffhanger" to it. That's probably too advanced for me to attempt writing-wise at this point, but like when I play video games, I always start on the hardest setting

[Gillsing]

Kit sure has a tricky mouth.

Originally Posted by Atma

I think this is because 8-bit theater attracted a very specific demographic (Old-school video game and Final Fantasy fans)

I for one never played Final Fantasy. I got wind of 8-bit Theater through a reference to Red Mage and his minmaxing and stat juggling. And that was on the Neverwinter Nights forums, way back in 2002 or so. And whether it's RPG fans or FF fans, I think it was Brian's clever mix of extreme personalities, absurd logic and terrible consequences that made 8-bit Theater so popular. In The Dreadful the personalities are not nearly as extreme, the logic not nearly as absurd, and the consequences not nearly as terrible (as far as we know).

Originally Posted by Atma

while The Dreadful attracts another (Sci-fi fantasy, hand drawn comic) and while there is a bit of overlap, it probably isn't very significant.

This I agree with. Some advertising on Top Web Comics and/or through Project Wonderful should get a diverse group of eyeballs who already read webcomics, while relying on the Nuklear Power visitors might be free and easy, but so very limiting.

As for the pacing, I have this feeling that nothing much has happened or been resolved in The Dreadful. But I get that feeling with a lot of webcomics, and I don't know if it's true or if it's just me. Sometimes I think that some artists just like to draw, so when the artist is in charge of the pacing, things can get drawn out. If the writer is in charge and has to pay the artist for every page, there is suddenly a financial incentive to get the story told in fewer pages. But what do I know?

Maybe all the pieces will come together at the end, like in a Seinfeld episode?

[Krylo]

Pacing is tricky, because while too slow leaves it feeling like things aren't being resolved, too fast leaves it feeling like nothing makes sense.

That said, some webcomics are best left for a few weeks and checked all at once, rather than reading every update.

[Toaste]

Long time lurker (2003 ish) here who had to register to offer support. Part of my daily sweep of the web includes stopping in to see if a new comic was posted or something interesting was said in the forums.

For every person posting, there are untold masses not posting. Take heart, I am confident that you have far more fans than you realize.

Many of us have some discretionary funds that we would be willing to throw your way to help ensure the continued Kit addiction. Donation button, kickstart project (who wouldn't love a Kit t-shirt or hat), etc would all be welcome. Also, having your own site would mean potential advertising revenue...

Keep up the great work and we will try to do a better job of spreading the Dreadful word!

[MSperoni]

Originally Posted by Gillsing

If the writer is in charge and has to pay the artist for every page, there is suddenly a financial incentive to get the story told in fewer pages.

Thought about that myself, actually. Maybe I should start pretending like I'm paying for the art.

I've read a lot more manga than I have western comics, so maybe their influence is causing me to move slowly. Like in One Piece or Naruto where it takes 300 pages to finish a fight with one villain. Difference is that in manga they have a lot of assistants (even though only one person gets credit). I'm just one person so I can only do so much (and maintain a quality I'm happy with).

I've thought about ways to increase my output. A colorist would be nice, because I wouldn't have to put so much work into the drawing. Black and white with minimal greyscale toning is more time consuming than it might seem. The line work has to pull all the weight, so I have to spend a lot of time adjusting it so the panel is readable. Also color tends to hide a lot of a drawing's inadequacies.

Coloring the pages myself would end up taking longer, though. So it's not something I feel I can do.

Besides I think black and white lends a "cheap" feel to The Dreadful's tone. Like "Lone wolf and Cub" or "Sin City" or "Maus" or something along those lines. Maybe I should drop the quality a little more, actually. Make it all grungy. At least visually.

[Admiral Skippy]

Remember, all this stuff about design is great, but you also want to start making money, and this isn't going to happen until you get a donation button. You seem to me to be rather a purist artist kind of guy, who mainly thinks about his work, and that's laudable in this day and age. But monetization is important too, indeed it's essential if you want to turn your passion into a living. If anyone deserves that, you do.

[MSperoni]

Yeah I'm going to do that once I get a website set up. I'd like to have that all ready to go by the end of the year.

My work situation makes things a little tricky. But I'm going to get things reorganized in the next few months and get things done!

[Admiral Skippy]

That sounds awesome man.

Eagerly awaiting new chapter, and yeah I can empathize with having aa complicated work situation haha.

[MSperoni]

Page 235!

Kit's not just a pretty face! (but we already knew that)

[Loranna]

Well, Kit's got quite a punch. Not as good a punch as Jeanne's, I'm guessing, but good enough for these two!

Silly detective; whyfore did you not keep drawing your gun when you knew Kit couldn't shoot you? You might have still had teeth left if you had!

Loranna