Krad's Reviews // 001 // Hanna

Hey y'all,

As a bit of a preface to my review; I'll just be doing one webcomic/manga/comic-artbook per post. This will contain pictures, a lengthy description, and a tasty link where you can go to their site pronto.

For the auspicious first post (for me), I'll review Hanna Is Not a Boy's Name, by the delicious Tessa: http://vert-is-ninja.deviantart.com/


Simply put, this is by far my favorite webcomic there will ever be. Charm, mystery, humor, action, kickass artwork and characters - this has everything for a classic.


Did I mention an epic storyline to boot?

The story goes with Hanna being a detective of some sorts that specializes in the supernatural - somehow he manages to attract the loyal (and the only sane) person, er - zombie? Zombie, or (...) as the fans call him, hangs around Hanna to see an ever growing cast of visually and personally interesting characters - everything from a nerdy vampire to a mysterious clock-maker - shouldn't say any more, as delving into the rest is spoiler territory. Needless to say, each and every one of these characters hit home with humorous banter, snazzy outfits, and a genuine feeling that leave you warm and fluffy.

(Need I mention that one of the characters (Conrad), went to Ringling? Now hows that for an AWESOME shout out?!)

Despite the warm fluffy feeling, there are some (make that a lot) of darker moments here - There will be deaths, blood and some poingant moments all woven together with snarky humor and a sense of friendship.

The artwork itself has a very distinct style that fits perfectly with the mood - the colors alone are ingeniously mixed together in different pallets for different scenes, often with a neon edge to make sure you are pressing that next button RIGHT NOW.

I literally cannot say anything negative about HINABN; and look very much forward to what Tessa does with this already legendary webcomic.

Webcomic Tutorial - 1: Getting Started

This is one of a series of posts I will make that are wecomic specific. They will cover many topics - banner design, template coding, promoting, communicating with fans, merchandising, etc. Updates will come periodically...meaning whenever I feel like it or someone bothers me for the next one haha

This first post shall all be about getting started and prepared to post your webcomic!


- Where to host? -
There are quite a few websites you can host your webcomic on.

[Smackjeeves] My personal favorite. The community on the forum is very nice and helpful, and the templates are VERY easy to edit! You have lots of control what your comic looks like.

[ComicGenisis]

[DrunkDuck] Very hard to edit templates on this site, which I really don't like. But I hear the community is active and good.

[ComicFury]

[The Fabler] A relatively new site that's really primarily good for uploading and the option of print. Good for having a mirror location for more exposure and being able to read fullscreen in their flash reader is pretty neat.

There are likely others if you google around, but the first four are pretty much the mainstream sites where most people choose to have their comics hosted for free.

- What if I already have a site, but I can't code? -
If you have a website but are in need of coding expertise, I recommend using ComicPress. It's made by the same people who made wordpress and is easy to use and easy for viewers to understand and navigate. Changing the template may be more difficult, but you can find tutorials for doing so.


- Do I need a domain name? -
To start, no. However a short and sweet domain name can be easier for people to remember and find your site. Having a unique name for your comic they can search for also would help. Do whatever you can to make sure that people who want to find you, can - but for just starting out, that doesn't mean a domain is necessary.


- What do I need to start? -
Before you start posting your comics, you will probably want the following: a few page buffer, a banner design, a synopsis/description, and a decent template up. If you can't get it all up at once, its no biggie, but it will help.

Why the buffer? It will help you stay consistently updating in the beginning. Consistent updates are very important to help in building a fan base and you never know what make come up, especially with schoolwork. Having a buffer that's good for at least a few weeks will help you stay ahead. However, not everyone can do this - some people need to update every week, or they end up procrastinating and not doing anything because they feel they don't need to.

Why a banner? This will help draw people's eye to your comic. It usually includes the logo/title, an image from the comic, and sometimes a slogan that tells quickly a bit about what the comic is about. Make sure the art is consistent with the comic - you don't want it to give a low impression, or disappoint them if the banner looks better than the comic!

Why a synopsis/description? Most sites you'll advertise your comic on will want and expect you to provide something about what your comic is about.  It should be short, tell the basis premise, and be written so that it intrigues readers to want to check it out. Try to keep it around 250 words or less.

Why a decent template? First impressions are everything! In this day and age, people have very low tolerance for bad websites. They should be able to navigate your comic with ease. They should be able to find links to the archive, first, and last buttons quickly and obviously. Design-wise people may be more forgiving, but having a custom template that shows more of your art and makes your site have more of a unique identity is very helpful.

- What's next? - 
That is a basic summary of what you need to get your comic started. In coming weeks I will post about more specifics - time-management tips, preparing pages for the web, building a fan base and communicating with fans, and a lot more. Not sure what order I shall do this all in exactly, but keep tuned...or tell me what you want next and I'll get workin' on it. :)

~Laura, C3 president

Jacobs Webcomics

Some of the Webcomics that I read.

Evil Inc:   http://www.evil-comic.com/

Otter Soldiers(no, it's not furry): http://iperyys.net/ssos/archive.html

Tinkers of the Wasteland: http://coolchickens.com/en/

Transient: http://www.transientman.com/novel/

I read others too, but I've can't find em lately :(

Laura's Webcomic Reccomendations

Here are some of the comics I read 8D

Strays
The Meek
Misfile
Boxer Hockey
Johnny Wander
Housepets
Zombie Hunters
Metal Breakdown
Hanna is not a Boy's Name
Rice Boy / Tales of Order / Vattu
Pollimerase
Fuse
Romantically Apocalyptic
Winters in Lavelle
Dream*Scar
Illusional Beauty
Cealdian
Everblue
North World
Side Quests
Kiwi Blitz
Amya
Crystal Specs
Hemlock
Last of the Polar Bears
The Pale
Unsounded

I read a bunch more...but these are mostly my favorites. I hope I'm not forgetting any x_x

~Laura

James' Webcomic List

Here's some of the webcomics I have read / or are currently now.

Rice Boy / Tales of Order
http://rice-boy.com/

Looking for Group
http://www.lfgcomic.com/

By Moon Alone
http://www.bymoonalone.com/

No Need for Bushido
http://noneedforbushido.com/

Gunnerkrigg Court
http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/

The Meek
http://www.meekcomic.com/

Johnny Wander
http://www.johnnywander.com/

Strays
http://www.straysonline.com/

Dresden Codak
http://dresdencodak.com/

Marry Me
http://marryme.keenspot.com/

Last Blood
http://lastblood.keenspot.com/

Dawn of Time
http://www.dawnoftimecomics.com

Evil Diva
http://www.evildivacomics.com/

The Tale of Tamarind
http://www.tamacomic.com/

Octopus Pie
http://www.octopuspie.com/

Metal Breakdown
http://metalbreakdown.smackjeeves.com/

Shrubmonkeys
http://girlamatic.com/shrubmonkeys/

Mokepon
http://mokepon.smackjeeves.com/

Everblue
http://everblue-comic.com/

Roza
http://www.junglestudio.com/roza/

Olive Peril
http://www.arcanacomics.com/oliveperil/

Hey, It's a Club Blog!!

This blog has been created for Ringling College's Comics Collaborative Club.  We'll be postin' up resources for making comics, announcements for any upcoming demos, and what we're currently working on. After meetings I'll post up links and information relating to what was talked about that week.

Tomorrow we'll be splitting into two groups. Those who already have a story or comic they're working on will be in one group, and those who don't know what they want to do will be in another. The alter will do a few exercises to help them come up with many different ideas for inspiration. The first group will introduce our story ideas to the other and explain what they're about so we're familiar with them, and we'll discuss how we will want to handle our club time in the future.

I'll introduce our blog to the club and grant permissions for everyone who wishes to be able to post. I highly encourage people to share their work each week or what they're working on! For those who wish to want to make their comic a webcomic, I highly recommend using Smackjeeves.

That's all for now!
~Laura, C3 president