Just a note...

[SteveB]

As I understand it (and Tim can correct me if I'm wrong), he's not getting rid of the online comic, but starting with the next storyline he's going to alter the physical format of the online comic with a view toward eventually collecting it into a book (that he does NOT want stuck in the "graphic novel" section of the bookstore). I'm assuming he's going to be either giving us something more "pagelike." Or perhaps he'll just put up partial pages like Joe Zabel does over at "Amazing Montage" (http://www.artcomic.com/montage.html).<P>You might want to check out Zabel's work if you're not familiar with it, Tim, he's got several collected "graphic novels" that are mystery centered, though what he's doing on the site right now is reprinted early work, some of which is really strange. Joe's home page at <A HREF="http://members.tripod.com/amazingmontage/" TARGET=_blank>http://members.tripod.com/amazingmontage/</A> has his books for sale, including an anthology comic devoted to mysteries that I think I'm going to find out who's in charge of and demand to know why you weren't included in.

[Somebody Strange]

One of my friends who draws a webcomic recently decided to switch his format. Now he's planning on writing a serialized story, and illustrating certain parts of it (that he feels he is capable of drawing).<P>Although as a fellow creator I have to respect his decision to create in the way he chooses, I'm a bit bummed. I liked his style and I liked his comic.<P>That said, I don't want to be bummed here too. For the sake of your fans (even those silent ones among us), keep up the comic. It rocks.<P>--Strange<P>------------------
Neurotic -- sane, but unhappy about it.

[Tim Broderick]

Actually Steve, you're pretty correct. The only thing that'll be changing is the shape of the cartoon. The way I tell the story will pretty much remain the same. <P>So don't worry! I can't see doing Odd Jobs any way other than as a cartoon. <P>What I was trying to figure out was how I wanted to present the finished product? Since I think I'm writing a mystery series, I'd want it to appear on the shelves with the mysteries. <P>You can see what that size is by going to <A HREF="http://oddjobs.keenspace.com/newindex.html" TARGET=_blank>http://oddjobs.keenspace.com/newindex.html</A>
Those squares in the middle are the grid I'll be using. It's actually pretty flexible. I can get one large panel, two fairly large panels, three decent sized panels or four basic panels.
One panel - Maximum effect - a frozen moment in time
Two panels - Extreme dramatic moments
Three panels - Events are unfolding, maybe needing more space for the art to provide a sense of place or time, or just a change in pace.
Four panels - Maximum pacing, events unfolding close to "real time," two people talking back and forth, maybe with a pause, etc.<P>Also, here's a couple of other considerations I had: <P>- File size. The larger the comic, the longer it takes to load. The new size should work pretty well for slower connections and for email delivery - which I'm going to make available. Plus, I'm sensitive to the needs of my free webhosting service. It costs money for bandwidth, and it makes sense to make your site as small as reasonable.<P>- Unforseen formats. I think the new size will maximize the number of platforms Odd Jobs can be seen on. Right now, I'm trying to find out the pixel width available for PDAs. There's a place on the web called Handheld Crime. They deliver e-book mysteries right to your handheld. Might be interesting to see if I can get Odd Jobs to work for that!<P>Steve, if you want to pursue that anthology, I'd sure owe you one!<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by SteveB:
<B>As I understand it (and Tim can correct me if I'm wrong), he's not getting rid of the online comic, but starting with the next storyline he's going to alter the physical format of the online comic with a view toward eventually collecting it into a book (that he does NOT want stuck in the "graphic novel" section of the bookstore). I'm assuming he's going to be either giving us something more "pagelike." Or perhaps he'll just put up partial pages like Joe Zabel does over at "Amazing Montage" (http://www.artcomic.com/montage.html).<P>You might want to check out Zabel's work if you're not familiar with it, Tim, he's got several collected "graphic novels" that are mystery centered, though what he's doing on the site right now is reprinted early work, some of which is really strange. Joe's home page at <A HREF="http://members.tripod.com/amazingmontage/" TARGET=_blank>http://members.tripod.com/amazingmontage/</A> has his books for sale, including an anthology comic devoted to mysteries that I think I'm going to find out who's in charge of and demand to know why you weren't included in.</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><P>------------------
Tim Broderick
Someday, all jobs will be<A HREF="http://oddjobs.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank> Odd Jobs</A>