44 replies to this topic

[RazorSharpFang]

I was reading the forums the other day and found that TG (trans-gender) comics are absolutely everywhere and overused.
If this is the case, what are favourable genres for a new webcomic to be based off?
If you have any favourites please list them here, I'm trying to think of a genre for my first webcomic.
N.B.: this is not the place to spam "You had better be committed!" Your other topics to that well.

[Hidden Sanity]

Every Genre is 'overused', for the most part... all you can do is add a fresh take, twist, or simply do it well. Trying to do something that hasn't been done usually leads to doing things that haven't been done for a good reason.

[Marcus_Rizzo]

Try to do something you're passionate about. Basically do something YOU want to do, not something you THINK others want to read. Asking around what are good genres will just get you about as many different answers as people answer you and will get you nowhere.

[Lea Plath]

Most writers go for comdramas. But do sumin you want.

What genres do you like and think you can do right.

[RazorSharpFang]

I do rather enjoy supernatural themes. Are there any taboos that should not be done in this theme, or any warnings you can give me about this?
Also, if I did use supernatural, how "strong" should magic be? i.e: An novice wizard should not be able to destroy an entire town by experimenting. right?

[Marcus_Rizzo]

Well that depends again on your tastes, I personally prefer to write fairly low magic worlds, but that doesn't mean you can not have a novice blow up a town. Maybe it happens because magic is powerful and unpredictable, and he screws up. How you write and handle the setting imo will be more important than how much magic you will have.

[Lea Plath]

What Marcus's said. But think of the repercussions for the character if he did something that powerful.

[Speed]

A novice wizard should not be able to destroy an entire town by experimenting. right?

There's no rule to that. If you want to tell a story where that happens, do it. It's all in how you tell the story, not in what story you're telling. A story about a kid eating a grilled cheese sandwich could be MUCH more interesting than one about epic wizardry, despite the fact that it's not inherently interesting.

[Thom Khatt]

I think the best suggestion I can give is don't' worry about what others think. Write what you want to write. If you want to write a TG webcomic, write one. But put your own stamp on it.

I think it was Shakespeare who once said that every story had already been written. So, don't worry about treading over areas already covered. Just make them unique in your own way.

[RazorSharpFang]

That's good advice. Thank you very much. I'll let you guys know when my comic goes up.

[Celtic Minstrel]

An novice wizard should not be able to destroy an entire town by experimenting.

This could technically happen in my setting, if the wizard was self-taught (if he wasn't, the teachers would've been nearby and able to stop it). In fact, I even had a novice wizard suicide by blowing up the whole planet in an alternate universe.

[Amy-t]

Every Genre is 'overused', for the most part... all you can do is add a fresh take, twist, or simply do it well. Trying to do something that hasn't been done usually leads to doing things that haven't been done for a good reason.

I do not see all of them over used. There are not enough time travel ones out there. Need more alien ones too.

[Celtic Minstrel]

I don't think you quite understand what "genre" means (usually it's not as specific as what you listed). That said, I'm pretty sure there are quite a few time travel or alien stories out there. They may not be comics; they might be books, or movies, or whatever. You can't discount them on that note, because medium is completely unrelated to genre. But I'm pretty sure there are a lot of both.

[Tselsebar]

I think one important thing to consider (that many writers do not, I've noticed) when considering the potency of magic in a fantasy world is the overall effect that the existence of such magic would have on the structure of the world at large. So in the instance of your novice wizard able to destroy a town by experimenting... is that level of power a common thing with wizards? If so, there may be violent prejudice against wizards by the common folk (no one likes to be around someone or something that could randomly destroy their homes and loved ones). Wizards might be segregated into their own communities far away from anything fragile, like cities. Indeed, if a novice has that much power, how much does an expert have? Cities might not even exist if any wizard with a grudge could wander around wiping them out. Or are there advanced magical defenses developed to counter the possibility of a mad wizard?

There's no rule for how powers and magic should work in a fantasy world, but just make sure you keep things consistent and think through the effects that such powers and the people who wield them could have on a society.

[Celtic Minstrel]

I think one important thing to consider (that many writers do not, I've noticed) when considering the potency of magic in a fantasy world is the overall effect that the existence of such magic would have on the structure of the world at large.

Indeed. I've given a fair amount of thought to this, so let me see if I can satisfactorily answer all your questions... (even if you weren't really addressing it to me, it's a fun exercise. )

So in the instance of your novice wizard able to destroy a town by experimenting... is that level of power a common thing with wizards?

The level of power is not terribly uncommon, but it's not terribly common either. Anyway, while it'd be possible for them to destroy a town, that possibility decreases dramatically in proportion to the number of experienced wizards nearby, since if the novice started to do something dangerous it would usually be noticed before he got as far as destroying a town. That said, I think a plurality of mages probably don't have that level of power, especially when you take into account that only one of the many types of mages could have the combination of that amount of power and little to no experience with magic.

If so, there may be violent prejudice against wizards by the common folk (no one likes to be around someone or something that could randomly destroy their homes and loved ones). Wizards might be segregated into their own communities far away from anything fragile, like cities.

A fair point. Magic is not fully integrated into daily life, since the Masquerade was broken only a century or so ago and acceptance is slow in many quarters, so there's likely some segregation between the two communities, but not to the point of wizards having their own cities or staying out in the wilderness.

Indeed, if a novice has that much power, how much does an expert have?

With an expert, the scale tips quite dramatically. The chance of a novice having that sort of power is less than even; the chance of an expert having that sort of power is better than even. This is because most types of mages grow in power as they become more experienced (the exception being the ones that start out with that sort of power).

Cities might not even exist if any wizard with a grudge could wander around wiping them out. Or are there advanced magical defenses developed to counter the possibility of a mad wizard?

Obviously, before the Masquerade was broken, they would have needed to have ways to make it seem as though magic does not exist. This is one of the roles of the Ministry of Magic — being ready to teleport on a moment's notice to anywhere on the planet in response to signs of dangerous magic. This infrastructure has survived the breaking of the Masquerade and continues to play tis role.

(Note: There's also a version of the world in which the Masquerade is not yet broken and is only just starting to be worn thin. Most of my points still apply in this version, except that segregation is more pronounced since the mages keep their powers secret.)

[Hidden Sanity]

Are you helping RSF write this, CM?

[RazorSharpFang]

umm.. no. I plan to make this entirely by myself, like Dan Shive has. I can draw to a reasonable degree, an can come up with good ideas/outlines/designs. should everything work out, I may have a webcomic up and running by February next year. We'll see how it goes.

[Man on the Moon]

umm.. no. I plan to make this entirely by myself, like Dan Shive has.

Please, for the love of all that's good, allow another person to serve as editor.

[Marcus_Rizzo]

umm.. no. I plan to make this entirely by myself, like Dan Shive has.

Please, for the love of all that's good, allow another person to serve as editor.

Be fair MotM, it's not easy for new webcomic writers to find someone willing to put in the time and effort to be an editor, especially if money is an issue. Not everyone is in the enviable position of Dan where there are people tripping over each other in the scramble to be his editor.

[Hidden Sanity]

i was just wondering why CM was talking about his world when this is about RSF's