Comics Edge Revisited

[Scatman]

Well, I'm back from Vegas, and Kristen and I had a blast. A couple of tips: Hold off on visiting the Liberace Museum until the renovations are completed in a few months. Also, in the MGM Grand, the fourth "Elvis" slot machine from the left is hot. Now back to the toons:

How did you like the reruns of some of the CE strips? When I posted them, I compared them to my current work. I can see improvement in the artwork, and I think the wording is tighter, but I may have gotten away from some of the strip's original charm. The CE strips were created with a 6 per week format in mind. This allowed me to develop storylines and characters a little more. With the current 3 per week format, I have the mentality that each gag has to stand alone more often. This may have resulted in a little stagnation. In the future I'll try to create more ongoing storylines. I think this will help with the creative process, and me to further develop the characters.

One of my priorities is to develop Andy's (the grandson) character more. I think he should be more than a character that sets up Lester's punchlines.

Walter (Lester's son) adds little right now. I'll have to look into his professional life more.

One of the surprising things that evolved that I like is Lester's relationship with Annie. I think that their friendship/relationship has a lot of charm and potential.

Well, I'm here to get your feedback too. Do you agree or disagree with my assessments? Any other suggestions?

[Yupyop/m]

I like HOME FRIES as it is, but IMO shifting the main POV away from Lester to the grandson would make it more commercial. There seems to be an unlimited demand for family strips from a kid's POV. Nearly every syndicate now has a family strip with an over 65 year old as the main character. I wonder if there is any room left for this version of HOME FRIES.
If Lester remains the focus, is the family necessary? As a reader I see little connection between Lester's world and the world of the rest of the family.
As for any difference between CE's and today's HF, your ability to visually tell a gag has improved. I also think CE's Lester was a sweeter, nicer character than today's version. As with today's gag Lester can be so mean-spirited I wonder why his friends put up with him.

[Scatman]

Than, Yupyop. I was hoping to hear from a few more people before responding, but my lack of self promotion may be to blame.

I intend to keep Lester the focus of the strip, I just want to develop the other characters more. I think that more interaction will help bridge the gap that exists between the characters. Bridging the gap with Andy especially will keep Lester from being too rooted in the world of the old and curmudgeonly. (I don't know if that's spelled right, and I don't feel like getting out the dictionary.)

I guess I wanted to make Lester a little less sweet, but I hope I haven't pushed him into being mean. You really think I went a little too far?

Anyhow, like I said, I think that having more ongoing storylines might be more satisfying to me as a creator and to my readers than just a stand alone gag every day. What do you think?

[Yupyop/m]

Don't be too discouraged by the lack of critical feedback, maybe your readers are happy with HOME FRIES just the way it is.
While any feedback can be helpful, it is not as important as the experience you are getting from just doing the comic. So don't worry about promoting a webcomic but instead focus on developing this into a syndicated comic.
I like "mean spirited" humor except when it is one sided. Have other characters zing Lester once in awhile or have Lester respond to another's put down. It will make the characters more interesting and the humor more likable. Warren, IMO, is a human Odie to Lester's "Garfield". I'd enjoy GARFIELD alot more if he didn't always win.
Storyline vs gag a day. Does it matter? I like the way PEARLS BEFORE SWINE does both.