Comic Fury Webcomic Hosting - I need a webcomic idea!

Hey guys! A little backstory:
I'm getting a new 22" pen display tablet delivered soon (screams in excitement) which I've heard makes inking and drawing a much more efficient and streamlined experience- this is the problem I had with my first "comic" (of like 4 pages hahaha)like, it's so much drawing that it's exhausting for me to use on my regular intuos. So basically I really want to make a webcomic because I love having OCs and telling stories, plus I want to work on backgrounds etc,,,

So basically, I'm stumped. I really want an idea for a webcomic, but I just can't think of anything. I have a few really vague ideas but they're just not clicking- I just can't connect to the stories I'm coming up with. Are there any good ways of coming up with plots? How did you come up with yours? How do you get passionate about it? Any help would be appreciated!

For me, it took years of tossing the characters and ideas in my head until things finally clicked and formed a story worth telling. Even then I have to constantly revise and fix!

One idea is to do a bunch of short comics. It won't be a huge time investment if you decide against an idea, or you'll end up with one of them you'll want to expand on. Don't try to make a novel or anything huge or complex, just aim for some short stories- even if they are only 10-12 pages long.

When in doubt, fan art it out.

Also: I recommend reading extensively. Current affairs, the classics--don't restrict yourself to a genre or a medium.

Two guys on a couch talking about video games.

;-)

Seriously though, I find plots to be a dime a dozen, it's the characters that make them interesting/fun. Take some characters that you know well and toss them into a situation and see how they would react.

Or take some public domain stories and mash them together, like Hamlet and Frankenstein.

You after a short-term thing, or a longer term thing?

You could do a limited page short story (30 pages-ish), or a bunch of really short stories (< 5 pages each), or a long-term story (doesn't sound like the thing you are into), or even something like a gag-a-day style comic, where you don't need to worry about getting to some end.

Depending on what you want, I could possibly shoot you some ideas.

Thank you all so much for the advice so far!
I really like the idea of exploring the characters more as well as doing some short test comics.
To answer the last post, it is actually a long-term project I'm looking to start haha.

do you have a genre in mind?

Fantasy, horror, sci-fi, drama, slice-of-life, etc.

Lots of good ideas here.

Rule 1: If you just want to have fun making comics then who cares?
Make anything. Make everything. Draw some images and then slap some words in a bubble. lol


If you want to do anything that will be meaningful to yourself and anyone else (in the future) then...

figure out what you want to say.
If you have nothing to say then you probably shouldn't be speaking.
I mean that.
If you have nothing to say, go back to rule #1


FIRST. Figure out and/or define your message(s)
Once you figure out your message, commit to it.


Second: Figure out who or what group can best can relay that message.
There goes your cast of characters.

Third: Pick a genre or graphical motif that you like or have a great deal of interest in..
There goes your setting and stage/platform.

------------------------
These steps aren't always in order. Many people go backwards and think to themselves, "Man I want to do something with elves. I gonna make... Game of Thrones...meets Lord of the Rings meets....[insert Japanese manga]..."

And from there, they draw some cool characters and they make the brave guy brave and the sexy girl sexy and the wimp kid wimpy and the evil guy really evil. And If anyone asks what the comic is about- they begin to tell you what happens....

That's the plot. That's the story. Where's the message? What's the message?
Most people skip step #1.

Step #1 NEVER NEEDS TO BE SHARED or explained.
NEVER.
People might argue about it- might even miss it because something else distracted them.
Only you need to know and be working it in your stories.
A well put together piece of work, usually has several messages around a single central theme.
Each issue can have a different, smaller message, but overall- there's a POINT that ...everything points to
. That central theme doesn't have to reveal itself quickly.

Don't mistake my sentiment.
I'm not telling anyone to cram or hurry up or even "get to the point".
Your job as a comic writer or creator is to get a reader to care about your next creation.

Whatever you do, you need to make them curious enough to stick around..
That means they care about some aspect.
And you can do this a number of ways.

- The art could be so awesome, I just gotta see how you illustrate that next thing.
- I love a character(s) so much, I want to know what you'll do with them..
- I love the story so much, I gotta see what you'll have happen next.

Usually in that order.
Visual are the first impression, characters the second hook and the story is what makes you pick the work back up after you've put it down.
---------------------------------------

For someone working past their first comic, this is probably overkill and somewhat OVERLOAD.
But I think it's never too soon to be given some basic truths.

If it's too much to think about or anyone thinks this is too serious, ignore step one and go back to Rule#1.
Have fun, but create meaningful work. If you care, you'll care to dedicate yourself to seeing it finished or fully exist.

I'd like to see a Twighlight Zone collection of strange yet poignant short stories. You could try that.

A search on CF reveals there are 28 comics associated with "terraria". 11 haven't updated this year, others haven't updated for months. 13 have only 5 or less comics posted, there are many 1 and 2 shot comics. Don't do a comic based on Terraria.

I don't give ideas, but I can give pointers how to handle any idea. Do you want train your skills? Do you want have fun? Do you want know how story would unfold? If you got at least two out of three, idea is good enough. Also remember, sometimes you don't choose idea, but idea chooses you... It happened with me...

2 gamrz on a counch
have a hot girl there
hilarious hijinks
=PROFIT

EVIL LASAGNA

No, how about you take all of your favorite shows/ books/ etc and mash them all together?
Borrow some themes you like, mimic some plot-structures, take inspiration from character arcs, maybe even mix-and-match elements of their genres. Hopefully, it'll be come an original monster of its own (if you do it right)

You'll have to find a way to place good restrictions on yourself to allow your 'original' ideas to pass through though.

Otherwise you run the risk of creating something that's a poorly written, glaring pastiche of all your faves.

Being more of a word-artist than a picture-artist, I have a huge stockpile of ideas. Here's some quick pitches, I have much more work done if you're interested in pursuing one:

1. A young girl's village is invaded by orcish hordes, who take her as a prisoner to the Black Tower. There, she discovers that she is, in fact, the bastard daughter of the recently-assassinated warlord, and is proclaimed his successor. Now, she has to learn to lead a warrior nation, protecting herself from backstabbing underlings, while trying to slowly turn the nation towards a less barbaric foundation. Twist: her father made preparations in case of his untimely death, and seeks to rule from beyond the grave. Themes: resistance of society to change, ethics of doing evil in the name of greater good, and whether such acts can make someone evil. Working title: "Power"

2. A strange artifact lands in the New Mexico desert. A US special forces team is dispatched to investigate, but a mercenary team beat them to it. Now, both teams are sucked through a portal and stranded on a distant world, forced to work together to survive. Twist: they're not the only ones recently trapped here. Themes: adaptation and survival, defection and loyalty. Working title: "Twenty Went In"

3. A young girl, training to be a swordsman, has her master killed in front of her. Now, she seeks her vengeance. Twist: the entire thing is done in a constructed language, which readers must learn entirely from visual context. Themes: chain of violence, fragility of life. Working title: "Kjala the Hero"

4. Three tales that combine into one, in a story patterned after 16-bit/32-bit JRPGs, combining fantasy stylings with the weird stuff modern science has discovered. One one planet, ships sail the sky over a burning wasteland, with only the tops of mountains habitable. Here, a pirate crew must choose between their own selfish greed, or joining a growing rebellion against the oppressive monarchs. On another planet, a primitive people live in caves under the frozen surface, too distant from the star to ever melt. There, a young girl (man, that's like a theme with me) is caught between her father, chief of the tribe, and her love for a man from another. On a last planet, a gas giant fills the sky, and immense tides carve high cliffs and tall mountains, and a religion based on the absolute rejection of gender identity. Here, a student of that religion is torn between their faith and their brother, choosing to flee with him. Twist: in their escape, they discover an ancient alien spacecraft, and flee not to the far continent where gender identity is celebrated, but to the other worlds in the system, tying the story lines together. Theme: conflict with authority. Working title: "Falling from Heaven"

I recommend making various ideas before sticking to one.
Maybe try going to a plot generator website then once you find one that clicks take it and see what happens.

With me it's all about daydreaming. I need to day dream in order to develope characters.
In fact my main comic started out as an inside joke between a friend and I.

1) plot driven versus character driven. Use both to make something work well. Know the characters to know how they effect the plot.

2) world build. Shorts or any other format work well. Just throw characters in and explore. Plot (any way will do) or pants, just learn your world and get a feel for it.

3) character sheets. You don't need to write them, just know them. Food, hobbies, how did they get that scar, sibling relationships, parents, background info, aspirations, morality, character flaws, know your characters.

4) plot arc, character arc, each character needs tied into the plot in a way that will have lasting change. Everything needs combined into the story..

5) want to know if your are done? Consider a prequel. Plot it including characters arcs. How much did you add? You were supposed to have this done already. Know their past, know them.

The way I came up with mine is I wanted an excuse to cram in all of my favorite stuff. Stuff like over the top fight scenes, ninjas, robots, magic, etc. I got the idea of a giant magical ruby when I was thinking of ways that a tablet could perform magic.

Man there's some great advice in here, pretty much everything I do is already been said. Also I'd like to reiterate that it takes a long time to create a really detailed world. You will naturally see what inspires you the most when you're creating a story because characters, plot elements, etc will be similar to stories you find most compelling. I'm mostly influenced by manga, fantasy, philosophy, and video games, but it's different for everyone. You won't really make something good if you don't find it REALLY interesting yourself. What has always really helped me though is listening to a shit load of music and daydreaming while doing that, try that out and everything else in here!

I think it is always helpful to have someone you can bounce ideas off of. It can be anyone, they don't have to be your writer. You just need someone who will challenge what your initial idea is and add a new perspective on it. I find that most times when creating a new story we become short sighted on the possibilities of the world or characters of the story. Someone pointing out a piece of information in your idea that you are not paying attention to gets you to restructure ideas and develop an even better story.

Also, don't spend a lot of time on your plot when first creating an idea. Your plot doesn't mean shit without characters. And often you'll have to change plot points in your story based on who your characters are (and setting which is a character in itself) and the decisions they make. You want characters to make choices based on their personalities, not because you set in stone some arbitrary plot point that you are too stubborn to get rid of.

And remember it is your story, so it can be whatever you want. Don't argue with yourself about logic. Make up your own logic. Anything can happen in something you create! Play God and have fun with it. I find my best work comes from having no ego or care of how well something does. I just do it because I want to.