Webupon

LOL! ROFL! LMAO! Hahahaha! Hohohoho! Hehehehehe! And all the laughters that I can think of. These are the reactions of a successful webcomic business or if some preferred, an action-style/fantasy/adventure/horror webcomic. But mostly a successful webcomic would be into comedy. People will always look at the funnies or the cartoon pages in a newspaper or Astro Television programme or even on the Internet. And I can see that this is one of the many business opportunities for creative people. I, on the other hand, don’t have that much creativity. I love logics and how things work accordingly and properly. The man with most common sense. Creativity on the other hand can move beyond logic or even around it. Like how surrealists think that time is really flowing by or they prefer to say “fish” rather than numbers. It’s all very amusing and a profitable business should you choose to start a webcomic business.

And if you do start a webcomic business, then you need the following to make it work:

Image via Wikipedia

• Lots and lots of creativity - To make your webcomic successful, it has to be fresh. It has to be filled with constant and new ideas everyday like the news. There are old news and up-to-date news. So you need lots and lots of creativity and ideas as well before you start a webcomic.
• Proper art materials/software - There are plenty of ways to start drawing. Some just draw it on MS Paint or some just draw it on a paper then scan it onto their PC so it can then be uploaded to their website. Either way, you need proper art materials or software before you can start a webcomic.
• Genre of your webcomic - Before you can start a webcomic, it must have a genre or category of what your webcomic is about. Is it fantasy in an post-apocalyptic world? Is it a modern world that is happening today as ordinary people? (careful though, this genre is already very popular. So it may be getting old.) Whatever you choose, be sure its the right one for you to put in your ideas and creativity on.
• Storyline - Every comic must have a storyline along with its characters. Every character must be unique and different. It is not allowed to take the same characters that other webcomic artist took nor are you allowed to use sprites from video games. For example, the webcomic bobandgeorge.com was using all of the Megaman sprites to make its story. That is an easy job but along came Capcom, the company that design, made and produced the Megaman series, to sue them for copyright infringement.
• Setting up a website - For a comic to be a webcomic, it must be shown on a website. Otherwise, it’s just called a comic. A lonely comic that hasn’t reached the eyes of the reader. Therefore, a website can provide that in order to reach everyone who’s interested in reading your story.
• Updating your website and storyline - For a webcomic, it may turn out to be a full-time job to some people. Take a look at Garfield. One of the most successful comic that has turned into both a comic and webcomic for all the public to see, read and laugh about. And the creator of Garfield, Jim Davis, made it his full-time commitment ever since he first made his daily strip comic. And that’s another thing, how often do you want to update your webcomic? Daily? Fortnightly? Every other day? Weekly? Most certainly not monthly I hope.
• Market after launch - This one requires a lot of discipline and a lot of work and time after you effectively set up your site and now it’s on the market. The hardwork has just begun. You have to keep marketing and promoting your website to bring in as much traffic as a Rush Hour at Jalan Tutong or Jalan Maulana at 7 in the morning.

Other than that, you’re all set! Find your true calling as a webcomic artist and see if it fits for you. Who knows? Maybe down the line, after being popular and being in demand for more, the Borneo Bulletin and Brunei Times might be rushing to buy your material from you.(Should you choose to provide a daily strip comic service because that is what they want in their newspapers) So all the best to you and your online business endeavors and if you’re ever successful from a webcomic business, I might be reading it in the near future. 

Image via Wikipedia