im out

[Johndisko]

there's nothing more depressing than not having your work appreciated. i mean, even the bad comics get some sort of response, be it flames or not. well... maybe im looking at it the wrong way, but if no news is good news, then how do i know people appreciate my comic?

*warning... look inside my personal life coming up:* ok, apparently my parents didnt know i had a comic, even though they saw me working on it more than once. well anyway, i finally asked them if they wanted to look at it and they said yes. but after the third comic they became uninterested and talking about other things. that coupled with the fact that there is a majority of requesters out there who have never said "yeah jd that comic based on my suggestion was funny. good job"

i mean... im not looking for recognition or top 100 placement or any crap like that, but really the only constructive criticism i ever received was on the layout. and finally when i had a decent layout, people stopped bothering with me at all. maybe no news is good news... i mean, im sure kisai never expected me to make her requests, but if shes going to take the time to post, she could have said "that brightened my day" or "that didnt really help, jd, thanks for insulting my work"

and its not just her. others out there im sure never expected me to make their suggestions, but i did. and afterwords,, their suggestions only became more outrageous. you can see the layout of the comic and what i can and cant do with it. i just wanted to give people a little laugh once a day. thats all.

id like to thank those of you who did say that my comic was even moderately funny. you are the people i made the comic for. however, now its just getting rediculous. im sure the rumor mill will think that vile annoyed me off the comic with stupid requests, which is partially true, but in all honesty i was going to stop the comic in december because school was over anyway. now, because of lack of feedback and a flame war regarding the more bothersome people (read: person) on this forum, i have decided to stop now.

i will probably continue to post on the forum for a little while longer, but im done plugging and making my comic. its just not fun anymore. i was told that maybe if i had characters that people could empathize with... and an ongoing story that kept peoples interest... but that was not what i had invisioned. i thought that maybe because my comic was more newspaper-like, going for a daily laugh instead of a plot, that i would have established more of a fan base, but apparently that idea is not for the internet. ah well. i gave it my fair shot, but i know when its time to throw in my hat.

*tosses beanie* i dont have a hat... that will do

thanks for listening, everyone

-jd

[Ghastly]

To be honest....


It's kind of like a funny SNL skit that was tragically not left a one-shot.

How to do something.

1) Non-sequitor
2) Non-sequitor
3) Do something.


While amusing at first, I can't honestly see it being the type of comic that would make people keep coming back.

[YarpsDat]

Umm... bye.

Sorry to hear that.
I know what you mean about no response thing.
Unfortunately, I can't do much to cheer you up.
I pay too much attention to the art, and your art... erm...
and I didn't really like your jokes... I haven't read many, but they all seemed alike- random. I often had the impression like you were just putting 3 random panels together.
And I like story based comics, and yours is not one.

So if you want to leave, you're free to go.
Or you could stay, become famous, and prove everybody that you were right all along.

Or you could change your comic, and target new audience. It would have to be a big change... improve art, writing-jokes or story, or all of them.
Of course it won't be your comic in it's current form.
yes, my puppet, dance, dance! Make plot-based action comisc with nice art, bwahahaha!

Or you could just continue drawing your comic for your own personal amusement.
If you love what you do,
maybe others will love it too.
Eventually.
It's not like you need readers to survive, do you?

[Nyke]

Yo, I had these appreciation questions before. I actually got hate mail because of it.

There's only one way to handle no appreciation:
Fuck 'em

Take a load off for your bruised and battered ego (if you need it) and come back to the project.

Also, check out the fan-mail cartoons on the "Neurotically Yours" website. (Warning: Foul Language. If you watch them, and your parents object, just tell them a guy you know from the internet suggested it. Also say that the guy will meet you for dinner and has asked you to bring a toothbrush )

I'll even give you direct links: one, two, and three

I had those feelings, and didn't get back for months (increased due to lack of ftp where I could update.)

[Rkolter]

I think with the number of webcomics out there, expecting yours to become a hit is wildly optimistic. Your comic was good, but the format was something that would only really SPARK people occasionally. I would either get a real kick out of it, or say "Eh.".

But then, that's what you were going for - as a daily site-gag comic, it'll always be either hit or miss.

Anyhow, it's too bad you're leaving. People who actually take the time to work on their comic are not a dime a dozen.

Take care.

[ZOMBIE USER 14998]

I've enjoyed How To..., and I'll be sorry if you leave. I have to agree with the other posters, though, that if you were expecting instant massive acclaim, it ain't gonna happen. You've got to keep in there plugging.

And if you stop doing stuff just because your <B>parents</B> don't understand/appreciate it, you're not going to get very far in life.

[Underbelly]

Whinge.

You know, you shouldn't start a comic because you want recognition and fan-mail. You should start a comic if, like me, the story ideas are bouncing around inside your noggin, and if you don't let them out, you fear they will pulp your brain.

Anyone who gets into any business just for fame and success is going to either do crappy work or be miserable or both. (For the record, I don't think your comic is crappy, I think some of them are funny, some of them aren't; it's the gag-a-day curse)

I would keep doing my comic if I only got one hit a day. It's not about stroking my ego or gathering a huge fanbase, it's about making the story something more concrete and real than just a few disjointed characters and moments floating in my head.

[Warren]

JD,

If I'dve gotten discouraged just because my comic was widely ignored, I would have quit back in 2000. But it's been 3 years, and it's STILL widely ignored!

But that's OK. I do it for ME! ME ME ME!

That's the attitude you should have. Like Nike said; if people don't like it, fuck 'em.

If you quit, you're actually just following the trend in webcomics. Just like 95% of the other 'Spacers who came before you.

Sorry if that comes across as a little harsh, but it is food for thought. ANYONE can be a quitter.

[Rian Q. Fox]

I found your comic was a good idea, but the design was just cr--- stupid.
Sorry that I come so late with this, if I had thought about it earlier, I could've helped you a little with little efforts.
If you change your mind, contact me via ICQ, MSN or AIM and I'll help you, if you want. And I can

[Keffria]

I, as others have said, prefer story-oriented comics, but I always wandered over to your site every week or so. I'm sorry to see you go, jd -- but if you don't want to do your comic anymore, that's your choice. Once it stops being fun, what's the point?

At any rate, good luck with whatever it is people do when they're not working on comics.

[YarpsDat]

JD,

If I'dve gotten discouraged just because my comic was widely ignored, I would have quit back in 2000. But it's been 3 years, and it's STILL widely ignored!

Yeah, for the first year my comic had like, under 500 visits total.
And half of them was me checking if someone visited.

ANYONE can be a quitter.

Precisely.

[Nishichi27]

At any rate, good luck with whatever it is people do when they're not working on comics.

People do things other than work on comics (and post on forums, of course)?
Wow!


Well, anyway, about you, JD, I'm sorry to see you quit so soon. Getting a fanbase is the hardest part of making a webcomic, so you can't really expect to have many people say anything in the beginning. At all. It can get a little discouraging to think that no one appreciates your comic, especially if you put a lot of work into it....
But, then again, it's something to always have around to do. If you're bored - work on your webcomic. If you need to brag about something in RL - brag about the fact that your work is on the web. It's always nice to have something you can constantly work on.

If you do decide to start up again, then one suggestion would be to at least have identifiable characters (with names and such) and a single setting. No intricate plots or anything are needed, as seen in many gag comics.

[Phalanx]

johndisko: I'm sorry to hear you're leaving. I always thought yours was an interesting concept.

I'd would like to ask you to not give up, but it wouldn't be fair. If it no longer gives you joy, then it's time to stop.

Well, at least you tried, and at least you're wrapping this up properly, instead of leaving it to languish in Keenspace Limbo.

Farewell.

Yeah, for the first year my comic had like, under 500 visits total.
And half of them was me checking if someone visited.

The third month after starting my comic was the hardest for me (This was before I moved to Keenspace)- i didn't seem to be getting any visitors and I was stressed out- trying to maintain the comic just took so much effort. Add personal crises and exams and you have a formula for a breakdown.

I think the reason I kept going on was because I stopped thinking about readers. I just did it, blindly, doggedly. maybe stupidly- but working on the comic saved me in the end. It gave me something to focus on.

If it wasn't for a few friends I had made by then (Lynn from Sand & Stone, for one, plus my then-future editor, MosHunter, goodness knows how I might have gotten though that period.

But I'm very grateful I did, because things got better after that- I got my Keenspace account and met a lot of really nice people- unexpectedly through the help forums on Keenspace while learning to set up our accounts.

Of course, in retrospect, I realise I had it easy in comparison to people lile Warren and YarpsDat. I salute you guys. May your unwavering dedication and will to go on against the odds be an inspiration to us all.

[Axonite]

Sorry to hear you're stopping "How To..." - I liked it. But then you're the one who has to like it for it to keep going!

[Johndisko]

ghastly: thansk for your comment

yarpsdat: thanks for the... um... constructive criticism, but no, im not going to revamp my whole idea. HOWTO was the epitome of my idea, and im just not happy doing it anymore

darkmagician: yeah i dont care what other people think, especially my parents, but that doesnt mean i dont have feelings. my feeligns were hurt that they werent interested in something i created, but their opinion beyond that is useless to me. oh and thanks for the links

rkolter: i never said i wanted it to be a wild hit. i never expected that either. that would be unrealistic. but i did expect some sort of response, not jsut strange requests trying to slip me up. while some people were genuinely interested in giving me ideas for my comic ('thank you' to them) other people just said whatever their head could come up with fully expecting me to not be able to make it. but when i did, they didnt care. that bothers me.

geoduck: thank you for your loyalty. and like i said before, i didnt stop because of my parents, i stopped because i was going to stop anyway in december. my parents just hurt my feelings, just like some people here did. i dont want to name names because i still like everyone here.

underbelly: whinge to you too? how many times can i say it? i didnt expect a boom of popularity over night. that is unrealistic. but i did expect epople who requested comics to post feedback about those comics... like kisai. i mean she posted requests out of frustration over current events. i made her comic requests and never once heard her say "yeah that was kinda funny" or "that comic sucked. i was being facetious" i wouldnt have cared the content of the response. but a response would have been appreciated.

warren: yea... i think i coevered the fact that i didnt want overnight popularity. i made my comic the way i wanted to make it and im done now

rian q fox: just the mere fact that you claim you can help makes me not want to ask. my comic was perfection according to my vision. i didnt need help with it, nor do i feel the need to make it better. yes the site layout needed help,a nd im glad people told me to change it, but the comic itself was exactly what i wanted.

keffria: thank you very much for your encouragement. i appreciated your requests and made them with a smile on my face. thank you for understanding, too, that i just want to stop because it is not fun for me anymore.

yarpsdat: everyone is a quitter. you tell me one person who continues to do anything forever... other than God.

nishichi: thank you for your encouragement and suggestions. im thinking of redoing all of the dates on my comics to update from now until like the middle of next year. i will give myself that time before i finally decide on whether or not i will continue them.

phalanx: thank you too for your encouragement. ill consider restarting later. right now, its just not fun anymore

axonite: thank you for understanding my position. i liked making your requests too

well everyone. that seems to be all i need to comment on right now. i hope you understand that i wasnt thinking about popularity. i have never been popular IRL so why should now be any different. im jsut disturbed by the fact that some of the people who were making requests never said thank you for me making their requests. instead they just tried making more and more outrageous requests attempting to trip me up. thats dumb. you requested, i delivered. why try and make my comic fail with requests that you obviously think i cant make. thats what was frustrating. so the comic isnt fun anymore.

like i said, ill be on the forums for a while longer. thanks for all the good feelings and well-wishing

-jd

[McDuffies]

Boy oh boy.
I might repeat someones words, but I'll list it:


1. If you quit, then you're quitter. Usually, if something takes you too much time, it's reccomended to gradually change your shredule, see if you can get with less updates in a week. And then quit.

2. Not enough time is a fairly good reason for quitting. Not having a response isn't.

3. Not having a response doesn't equal being hated.

4. You probably haven't feel it, but real negative criticism hurts more than no criticism at all. Believe me. (that doesn't mean it's not more useful, though)

5. I waited for half a year for a first fan that I knew about. Half a year more for a decent response. I'm stil waiting for regular response.

6. When someone says "I didn't expect to be a top popular, just a few responses" that usually means: "I expected to be a top populat, and I didn't even get a few responses".

7. Silence means "yes" more often than "no".

8. Your comic had a nice starting idea. I liked the design too, although it do gets boring after a longer reading (or making, I guess). But that coulda change, for instacne, if you introduced characters, or drawings instead of stick-figures, or something. Anything.

9. If you don't like it, change it.

10. My parents don't respect my comics a bit, not to mention liking.

11. You shouldn't have tried to make a comic for every stupid idea that came to mind to every hack that visits this forum. We're often silly, we talk giberish... You shoulda skipped some.

12. Sorry I had to be harsh, I'm just trying to make you not stop the damn thing.

[Superlance]

Oh... I liked HowTo......

And my parents have no idea I'm doing a comic; I do all my work in secret, locked up in my lair....

No, actually; I do on the couch while I'm watching TV, but they don't pay attention to me anyway.
Besides, my parents aren't the fanbase I'm attracting.

[Wethamster]

Tis a shame to see another keenspacerdrop out. But if thats what you want then thats what you should do.

As for the comic itself, it's amusing. But nothing I'd come back to read, it just. Well it seems a little odd the way it's done, hmm. But like YarpsDat said, clean the slate and start on a new comic. Somthing people will like. (please not anotehr gaming comic theres so many lame ones out there and only a very very few that are even woth reading)

[Johndisko]

gah! mcduffies... ya kinda missed the point

i know im a quitter, im just quitting earlier than i had expected
i know not having a response is not reason to quit. i said i stopped early because of the responses, not the lack of
yes i have felt negative criticism. remember the "parents" comment?
i had fans quickly, its not about hte fans. i thanked them for their support
I NEVER EXPECTED TO BE POPULAR
it wasnt about the lack of resposnes
see? you are not the first person to say it got dull because of *insert reason here*
i LOVED my comic. i WILL NOT change a thing about it
you missed the point about requests. i DID make the weird requests. i was disappointed that i could deliver the weird requests and that just made people try to slip me up more
thank you for your attempt, but its over. its just over a month before i had planned to end it

superlance: thank you. you above most deserve a big hug from me. thanks for your support

wethamaster: yes i can tell that people liked the comic idea and it was good for a laugh or two, but long term reading just seems to be out for a comic of this type. perhaps it does belong in print instead of on the web. and there is no way in hell my comic or my idea needed revamping. the comic i made was perfectly within my vision of what i wanted the comic to be. so i cant remake it. i could start a totally new webcomic with characters and plot and please everyone asking for that, but i wont because i cant draw... which is why i used clip art in the first place

and please everyone, dont tell me how to draw without drawing, or how easy it is to draw or whatever i did my comic, and im not going to be doing another (or if i feel like adding to this one) for a while.

i think i can be no clearer than i have been as to the reasons i am leaving really. you guys have been great, but its time for me to stop. thank you for all of your pushing and help and suggestions!

-jd

[Matt Lim]

Like someone said, anyone can be a quitter. I practically quit my comic, but later on I decided to just take a long hiatus. Just take a few weeks, months, or whatever off. You need some rest and then decided what you want to do after you have a clear head.