What keeps you coming back?

Leperdoctor · Post by **Leperdoctor** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:26 pm

So. Maybe we publicize it, maybe we hide under out blankets late at night to look at it so no one can find out, maybe we don't really care...but there's a very good chance you all have one.

A favourite web comic. ^^

But what exactly is it about this web comic that keeps you coming back for more? Does the storyline tickle your imagination? Does the art make you drool with envy? Do the interactions between the characters make you laugh? Or do they make you cry?

For most people, I'd imagine it would be a mixture between several of the options, but nonetheless there's usually one quality you look for above the others.

So...what is the best quality about your favourite web comic(s) that keeps you coming back?

Black Sparrow · Post by **Black Sparrow** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:33 pm

Yeah, you're right... it's usually a combination. If you ask me, it's more mixed than even that... For me, good characters MEAN good story! I guess my bottomline is that I'm always drawn to interesting and unique characters, but I like to think that my favorite webcomics have all of the above!

Fabio Ciccone · Post by **Fabio Ciccone** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 7:26 pm

Can't answer that... to me a really good Comic is one with good art AND story... otherwise it would be just a good story or a good drawing...

Geekblather · Post by **Geekblather** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 7:30 pm

I'm always looking for something new and pretty to read, but it it's just pretty- I get bored. What really makes me interested is following the lives of characters. If I don't care about the characters, then you had better be really dang funny, on a regular basis for me to stay interested.

Leperdoctor · Post by **Leperdoctor** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 9:03 pm

Darn, that's the other option I should have put up- the update schedule. >.<

Dutch! · Post by **Dutch!** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 9:13 pm

The characters win for me. Mind you... I actually prefer my characters to be fairly ordinary. No superheroes or fantasy champions for me. Give me a character who basically spends the comic going about day to day stuff with little fanfare. They're the ones I want to hear about.

Garneta · Post by **Garneta** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 9:54 pm

The storyline wins for me. I prefer that it also have good art, and be funny now and again, but my main reason for reading comics in the first place is to be entertained, and nothing's as entertaining as a good story!

Magpye · Post by **Magpye** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 11:50 pm

Art will initially draw my attention, but what's really important is good characterization. Without well-rounded characters, the best artwork will seem dull, and the most original plotline will not get a chance to shine as it should.

I hate to see a good story spoiled because the lead is 2-D, uninspired or formulaic.

Dominic Durgan · Post by **Dominic Durgan** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 4:45 am

Boobs.

Tenma · Post by **Tenma** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:37 am

The art has to be decent and the characters have to be likable (or hateable), but the dialogue is paramount for me. If you have a humor comic, it should actually be funny. If you have a drama comic, it should be dramatic, etc. Basically, the dialogue in your comic should effectively communicate your thematic intentions. There's not much point in a pretty picture with words that don't go along with it.

Lack of dialogue can also be an effective tool, of course.

CSchaefer · Post by **CSchaefer** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:43 am

It's characters and storyline for me, pretty close to a 50-50 tossup. I want to see people I care about, doing interesting things.

Vorticus · Post by **Vorticus** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 11:48 am

Barring eye bleeding art or characters and story that offend me personally, the story or humor keeps me coming back.

Pattyannboyd · Post by **Pattyannboyd** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 3:32 pm

art is simply the hook that catches me, the plot is what holds me

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 4:53 pm

I return to comics that are fun to read, intriguing and overall have certain qualities that make me want to read them again. That is really the most specific I can get.

Lei · Post by **Lei** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:57 pm

I think that plot and dialogue are largely driven by the characters in the comics I read, and since those are all things that hook me, I'm gonna go with characters.

TheSuburbanLetdown · Post by **TheSuburbanLetdown** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 8:10 pm

Overall package. A good comic needs a combination of all of the above to create a decent general effect. There is no strict formula, and there are no absolutes.

Kirb · Post by **Kirb** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 12:11 am

Like TSL says, the whole package generally attracts me.

But I also believe that characters break or make a comic, regardless of art and storyline.

Fabio Ciccone · Post by **Fabio Ciccone** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 11:26 am

I've just changed my mind and voted in Art. It's not exactly what keeps me coming back, but I've found out it's ESSENTIAL that I like the art... I simply cannot read a comic if I don't. Even if it's simple (like, say, The Order of the Stick), I must like it. I'm a designer, after all

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What keeps you coming back?

What keeps you coming back to your favourite web comic?

What keeps you coming back?