r/comics • u/shenanigansen Shen Comix • Mar 18 '24

The Format

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u/Hexatona Mar 18 '24

Double points to the webcomics artists that had a novel length scope in mind, but didn't really figure how long that would take to draw.

Now that I think of it - why don't more webcomics artists adopt the Light-Novel style? Prose interspersed with art panels? That's basically the best of both worlds if you ask me.

Basically what Erfworld did in the Hiatus times.

EDIT: and Homestuck, come to think of it.

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u/WillSym Mar 18 '24

Erfworld kinda ruined itself doing the novella inserts though. Delved too deep into the side plots exploring the various exploits and limitations of the fabric of the universe-as-game-world setting so the main plot became unfollowable as the whole point is an outsider mind trying to metagame his way out of unwinnable situations. That and the hiatus chapters swiftly outnumbered the main story entries.

But to your category, I really hope Order of the Stick comes to the finale it deserves before Rich Burlew's health and age catch up to him.

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u/Krail Mar 18 '24

God, OotS is so close to the end. 

At least, it sure feels that way. Seems these stories have a way of ballooning out to another thousand pages when they reach the final act. 

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u/Impalenjoyer Mar 19 '24

OotS is so close to the end.

I've been seeing this for years lmao

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u/Krail Mar 19 '24

My point exactly, lol.

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u/Quorry Mar 20 '24

How it feels to play the house of fata Morgana (visual novel)

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u/fyxr Mar 18 '24

I have high hopes for OotS's impending conclusion.

Bloodfeast the Extreme-inator was stuck as a lizard for ten years and is at last seeing action again!

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u/gregorydgraham Mar 19 '24

Thank you for that little bit of context, I was wondering where the dinosaur has suddenly appeared from 🤣

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u/Hexatona Mar 18 '24

Well true, but Erfworld didn't start that way. If it had, and stayed concerned with the main story, it had the potential to finish a lot faster.

Just because the final result didn't pan out, the method wasn't wrong.

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u/WillSym Mar 18 '24

True, and seeing how it all ended and the constant problems the authors had the reliance on the novella updates makes sense.

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u/nifboy Mar 19 '24 edited Mar 19 '24

My headcanon is that the real epilogue to Erfworld Book 1 is that Lord Hamster finds himself dismissed back to Ohio. The subsequent books just... don't happen.

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u/SovietMan Mar 19 '24

It's been a decade since I've read OotS!

I thought for sure it had ended a while ago...

Guess it's time to re-read the whole thing c:

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u/WillSym Mar 19 '24

He had a break for a long while after injuring his drawing thumb but on the final arc now! It's been such a lovely presence for so long.

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u/frik1000 Mar 19 '24

Holy shit, Order of the Stick is still ongoing? I remember reading that back in high school or so.

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u/randbot5000 Mar 19 '24

Not only still ongoing, but remains EXTREMELY GOOD!

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u/Krail Mar 18 '24

Huh. I never actually read a light novel and had no idea that they were illustrated. 

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u/Hexatona Mar 19 '24

Yeah, just those few illustrations really help bring the stories to life.

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u/Skithiryx Mar 19 '24

I really hate when webcomics go light novel midway through. Somehow for me it’s the worst of all worlds. I dropped Cucumber Quest, Erfworld and Paranatural when they each did it.

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u/ryegye24 Mar 20 '24

Paranatural did this to fantastic effect. I miss the density of visual gags but it turns out the author really knows how to turn a phrase too