What wouldn't you shy away from?

[Spqrblues]

If it's appropriate to the story I'm doing at the time and for the target audience, I've probably already drawn anything mentioned above. Issues such as racism and sexism would never be promoted in my comic, but they might be discussed. Graphic depictions of sex are fine if it's for a venue where graphic depictions of sex are appropriate, but unless it's to some specific purpose I don't draw the stereotypical woman-as-object/anonymous-man-as-reader-substitute dumb porn. I'm more sensitive about violence, but if there's a reason for the violence (say, showing that military life isn't like the television commercials with the lofty music), then there'll be graphic violence.

I keep things pretty tame as to violence in the CG comic because I know of teachers who use it as a classroom tool (yay?), but I find this inhibiting when it comes to depicting happy, natural nudity and sexual situations.

I also find myself self-censoring because some situations that were perfectly normal in the ancient world can get you arrested and your art confiscated if you aren't careful how you depict them in a comic. So: I cannot and would not depict a child in an explicit sexual act, but I worry about how to handle the topic without having to be obliquely coy and overly symbolic, how to show the completely casual way people exploit the weak (both in the past and now).

I've never drawn and would never draw violence or sexual violence with the intention of titillating the reader.

Oh. Scatological humour. I have no interest in poop and fart jokes

[McDuffies]

It's funny how little people care to admit that they do have boundaries. I mean, most of folks said "I'll do it if the story requires", but aren't you the one that chooses what the story requires?
When I sat to write "Kill'er now", I decided that it would be a comic with strong content, explotivie, and I choose the subject that justified such approach. Just like Buster, I wanted to push my limits.
I'm not of opinion that there is only one way to tell the story. Every one of us is author in french new wave meaning of the word, and his willingness to include problematic subjects, preferation how to deal with them, easiness with which he deals with them is part of his style, which is again, what makes his style one of the kind. Of multitude of equally fair ways to tell the story, he'll choose the one that fits his temper, view of life, thus his style. Save for a few of us, I think that most of us choose rather mild ways, and coinciding, choose tame subjects to deal with them.
i mean, can you really imagine Dutch making something consciously controversial? I'm looking at the guy making a kid's comic for years and never getting interested in doing anything R-rated, and I'm sure that given a choice how to display problematic content, he'd always decide that it's not quite neccesary to be explicit.

[Godai]

Hm, I suppose that some people would say that two shots in Cluster can be assumed preteen lesbian scene. That is quite far, I think, even if somewhat nested within the plot.

But I don't think there are things I'd avoid. As long as they were motivated and needed by the story.

Oh, well. I know. I'd NEVER put my hands anything near furry. But that's another matter.

[Pimpette]

There are things I wouldn't do, sure. Most controversial stuff I tend to shy away from, because I don't like stirring up drama and I just don't care enough to stand on a soapbox and shout, as it were. Things like politics, racism, religion, etc.. those things which people usually agree to disagree on, simply because the arguments concerning those topics almost always go in irritating circles.
Very early on in the comic, I did include a rant in the archives, and some angry comics. I don't particularly like those ones now, and they've been edited in the rewritten comic-book version because I dislike them so much.

Also,
Nudity doesn't appear in my comic because it amuses me to come up with different ways to "conveniently censor" my characters. Someone can be naked, sure, but you don't get to see anything. So ha.

[TigerEye]

Hmm well I defiently have some boundries when it comes to what I will and won't draw. Most of the boundries is stuff I am just not comfortable drawing and would not want to go there. It's also a factor that since I am not comfortable with it I doubt I could write or draw it in such a way that could be considered "good writting".

The stuff I won't draw is explicit sex scenes, rape, graphic torture, really graphic violence (like organs, buckets of blood..etc.. I just don't feel its really nessassary), things like that.

My current comic is going to be rated pg13, mostly for the violence part since there will be some violence. But then the comic also won't really need any of the stuff that I mentioned I won't draw.

[Dragonmajik]

I'm with Pimpette on not stirring up trouble by making blatent references to current-day controversial topics (politics, religion, etc.). Not sure where my writer is on that topic, but in the past Net tends to steer clear of those topics, too.

My personal boundaries tend to make me shy away from explicit sexual situations. I don't mind drawing nudes (blame it on figure drawing class and an overabundance of fantasy art on the topic), but for the comic the body would be creatively censored to keep it in that vaguely PG13-ish rating

I try to keep away from the buckets-of-blood kind of violence. I use to draw some of that stuff, but I really don't have that much angst anymore I don't know where my limits are in illustrating violent actions, my decision to include or disclude content would probably be based more on what I think readers will tolerate than anything else.

There's a lot of other stuff I wouldn't draw into TTG, but more out of an "I don't care for it" attitude than "I'm uncomfortable drawing it" kind of thing.

[Cope]

On paper, I'd probably draw the line at sexual violence, wherever that lies on the spectrum.

In practice, though, I doubt I'd write a story that even calls for nudity. But that's really more personal preference than personal morality; I'd be unlikely to write a romantic story, either.

[LibertyCabbage]

I'm fine with writing anything, no matter how explicit or perverse. I wouldn't write nudity or sex just for fan service, but I'd have no problem if it served a valid artistic purpose.

[CSchaefer]

It's funny how little people care to admit that they do have boundaries. I mean, most of folks said "I'll do it if the story requires", but aren't you the one that chooses what the story requires?

Heh, and that was pretty much what I was going to say, before reading your post. Upon reflection, a better way of wording it is, "I'll do it if I think it's true to the characters, and not gratuitous."

The first bit is obvious. I'm not going to write a scene with my main character slaughtering an orphanage full of puppies and nuns, because he's not the kind of guy who DOES that. It's not a matter of shying away from violence, but rather a specific act that would be totally out of place.

As for the second -- if I had another character who DID go ahead and slaughter puppies and nuns, the amount of graphic violence would be directly related to the kind of impact I want to make on the reader. Is it vital that the reader see dead puppies? Am I trying to evoke a visceral response with a decapitated beagle? If not, it doesn't go in. I'm concerned with the impact of a story as a whole, more than individual scenes or borderlines.

[Magpye]

I'm pretty okay with drawing whatever. Violence, sex, nudity, all have their place in stories. However, I'm not happy drawing something I'm not sure I can carry off competently, so will self-censor that way.

For example, I might write a character being brutally eviscerated, but never having seen someone being eviscerated, I'd be pretty much at a loss as to how to portray that in a real manner, in a way which would affect the reader in the way I want it to. So I would probably take that off-screen and let the reader's imagination do the rest.

I don't like drawing explicit sex scenes, in that it can look tawdry, as if you're doing it to give the reader a cheap thrill. So I might avoid too much detail.

As for acts of sexual violence, the reaction of the victim is often more evocative and affecting than showing the actual act, which again could be seen to be an attempt to titillate, however sick you find that personally. I would find it difficult to make myself draw a scene of explicit sexual violence for various reasons (and have shied from writing such scenes), mainly because it is such a sensitive subject that no matter how you approach it, someone is bound to misconstrue your intention.

[Swimmingtrunks]

I personally would never want to put a limit on what I can or will do, though I wanted Antagonist to be a story that wouldn't be off-limits to younger kids, I guess- And then my mom went and gave the web address to a ten year old, so now I have to think about everything I do a lot more carefully.

I do have to say I would never push boundaries just to push boundaries. I think the boundaries have been pushed around a good deal, and not with a lot of point to it. And I think I would feel more okay with those situations if I believed the mankind to be generally smarter and more sensible than it is.

I guess in some ways we might censor ourselves by the type of story we choose. But in others, there are a lot of times where people add things that aren't a necessity to the story that push the rating or whatever, just because in popular culture these things seem to be the norm. I think nowadays it's a greater challenge to tell a story without violence or sexuality (Nudity without sexuality, IMHO, is stupid to be so worked up about. But that's your good old American Puritan values.) than to tell a story with those elements as kind of an automatic presence.

So, I'd almost put myself where most everyone else has seemed to stand- that they'd do it if the story required it- but I did find myself, recently, questioning whether or not I should end the story in the place it took me to. The idea for the end was violent- perhaps not in an explicit way, but in an abstract way that was even disturbing to me and might be equally disturbing to many other people. Yet- the story arrived there. It made a big and interesting point. Will I end it as such? I'm still not sure- but it might be a few years by the time I get there, so we'll see if I'll shy away from it then.

[Nanda]

It's funny how little people care to admit that they do have boundaries. I mean, most of folks said "I'll do it if the story requires", but aren't you the one that chooses what the story requires?

No... My characters decide what's going to happen. I'm just along for the ride.

[Sorcery101]

I'm not a big fan of hardcore gore, but I'm perfectly okay drawing a really hot sex scene as long as it is something I think is hot. Only reason sex hasn't happened in Sorcery 101 is because well Danny hasn't gotten any since Sorcery 101 started.

[Tyras]

As any Concession fan could tell you, I shy away from nothing. It's not that I aim to draw the most damnable subjects I can find, I just have no desire to hold back.

I get the feeling that the type of people who wouldn't draw such things aren't the type of people to write stories that create the need to, but there are of course many exceptions.

It also depends a lot on your crowd. If all your fans celebrate and encourage explicit subjects, I think people are more likely to push their own boundaries, either for fan approval or (more likely) because fan reaction gives them more courage.

[Skyman8081]

I've already covered the effects of total war and genocide in my comic. I haven't really had any swearing or sex in it, because the storyline hasn't really gone there.

And frankly, the storyline IS going to get a HELL of a lot darker in the future.

[InSite]

I wouldn't push the boundaries, to be honest.

I've intentionally tried to make my comic as inclusive to all ages as possible. So I've restricted myself that way. Plus, my comic aims to be about politics, history, the nature of humanity and guilt... so I'm not focusing on violence, sex or 'fart jokes'. I'm trying to learn about storytelling and weaving in themes and sub-plots.

I don't see any need for sex or gratuitous violence in my comic. To be honest, the temptation to use the latter is probably stronger -- its something I haven't yet decided whether I'll just imply or actually show. I guess I'm trying to deal with themes more than acts so its not too much of an issue for me.

Pushing boundaries isn't something I've run into yet. I know the story I want to tell and I'm just trying to run from there.

[Joel Fagin]

It's funny how little people care to admit that they do have boundaries. I mean, most of folks said "I'll do it if the story requires", but aren't you the one that chooses what the story requires?

Heavens, no. That would imply I have any control over the powers of inspiration. Random ideas have recently included a light, funny story about returning the sun to the sky and a dark horror about a buried god and a dead man - neither of which are the usual fare that I normally choose to write.

- Joel Fagin

[Jekkal]

For Last Resort? Whatever I can actually manage to draw.

Implied Sex is fine, but I'm not so brazen to think I can actually draw genetalia worth a damn, so it'd probably be censored somehow (like my current av . . . if it's not hidden by the paneling, then the lettering hides it) My few attempts at drawing even nipples haven't turned out worthwhile enough to use.

Besides, as PvP said recently, the only thing better than nipples is the promise of nipples.

If it's within the plot and I feel that I can draw it, all the better. that said, I'm not going out of my way to draw masturbation or anything else where I don't feel comfortable that I can depict all parts properly.

... that, and my current drawing position is in full view of anyone coming down the stairs. NOT the place for drawing full-blown -nography.

[McDuffies]

It's funny how little people care to admit that they do have boundaries. I mean, most of folks said "I'll do it if the story requires", but aren't you the one that chooses what the story requires?

Heavens, no. That would imply I have any control over the powers of inspiration. Random ideas have recently included a light, funny story about returning the sun to the sky and a dark horror about a buried god and a dead man - neither of which are the usual fare that I normally choose to write.

- Joel Fagin

But what is this inspiration controlled by, other than your temper and subconsciousness?

[InSite]

But what is this inspiration controlled by, other than your temper and subconsciousness?

Quantam physics. Because Quantam explains everything.

Perhaps willingness to push boundaries is influenced by the type of comic. A shorter strip comic that doesn't have a continuing story might be easier than an epic where there's a story already planned out.

Though in saying that... perhaps stories with continuing plots give more opportunity to explore ideas in a set environment the audience is already familiar with. So maybe it doesn't matter at all.

Eh, I'm a chronic fence-sitter.