Hodges Pond - Comics which do you prefer? -- Balto's Journal -- Fur Affinity [dot] net

Hodges Pond - Comics which do you prefer?

13 years ago

Welcome to Balto's Journal

Hello Reaidents of the Pond, yes in speaking to the 2 of you lol. JK. Anyhow I was curious to know. Do you guys enjoy the series or do you prefer the single gag comics? Some feedback would be welcomed and helpful. It's sometimes hard to know which direction to go. Part of me enjoys doing series because it sorta lets me work on the comic as if it was a comic book. It allows me to flesh out ideas while still doing some single gags in the process. I do believe a comic strip should ultimately be .... Comical. However there is a part of me that also enjoys the quick single witted comics that can be done with a single standalone comic.

I know there are some of you out there, who silently enjoy the comic but if I can borrow a moment of your time I would really like to hear the feedback on what your preferences are with this comic.

Feel free to comment on anything else you'd like to as well. This feedback is very helpful to me and I hope you have been enjoying reading Hodges Pond as much as I have enjoyed drawing it for you. Thanks in advance or your kind comments and look forward to brining you more from the always eventful residents of Hodges Pond.

Oh if you can also please let me know which of the characters is your favorite character from the comic and why. I plan on doing some marketing and products in the future and I'd also like to know which characters are connecting with the readers. Thanks again for all your help and support

Read the comic here: www.HodgesPond.com
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My regular Twitter is : BaltoWolfDog

10 Comments

rick2tails ~rick2tails

Watcher

13 years ago

single gags sometimes is ok but doing only that all the time wouldnt be good.

phoenixaudubon ~phoenixaudubon

Writer

13 years ago

I agree with this. I like a good, expanded storyline, but some one-shot strips here and there keep things fresh, in my opinion.

Varaleo ~varaleo

3D Modeller

13 years ago

I like the on going story with single gags now and then to help break things. The on going because it shows how the characters interact with one another and how the community grows and behaves. Then the single comics you get how people really do react when talking with one another dealing with things most people deal with day to day. These aren't always relevant to the story, but are able to deal with a wide range of topics.

I do like the love hate thing going on between Trixie and Mark. Also the political arc has been funny dealing with "extremes" and "do as I say not as I do".

Keep up the good work.

Balto ∞balto

Traditional Artist

13 years ago

yeah I agree, series are the best way to get to know the characters. In a way with out the series you never really get to know the characters hence the single gags wouldn't make sense unless you know the characters. They do go hand in hand.

Matt and Trixie are one of my favorite relationships in the comic. I really enjoy the playful tormenting Trixie subjects Matt to LOL.

FreyFox ~keenyfox

13 years ago

It is good to get a mixture I think ^^

Furet ~furet

Traditional Artist

13 years ago

As noted above a few spots, I find the blend a pleasant pace. It lets one style 'cool off' as it were as the other moves forward, then back again. Neither style feels 'used' to heavily.

And what can I say, Go Trixie! LOL

-Ferret

muddypaws ~muddypaws

Traditional Artist

13 years ago

I like both actually! Now if it's easier to do the one-shot gag's go with that, and leave the 3-panels for say... once a week.

It's up to you. I'm such a fan of your work anything is fine with me.

Royce ~rcoony

Watcher

13 years ago

I kind of prefer longer story arcs myself, though in the case of Hodges Pond, new strips aren't frequent enough to make for a long story. I don't really care for gag-a-day strips. To me, those are for the newspaper, where you read it and throw it away. Here you have an archive where you can go back and catch up on a story.

Also, let's face it. Gag-a-day strips are rarely ever funny. :)

Sometimes though, long story strips aren't always a good thing. I've noticed that some comics that rely on long stories, have eventually over the years settled into this long, rambling, never ending story arc that never goes anywhere because it takes months for some characters to have a very dull conversation.

Anyway, I like what you are doing now. As others have mentioned, a mixture of both. But I'm always waiting for a good story. Have you ever thought of trying a different layout? I've always wondered why so many webcomics are formatted to fit in a newspaper. Seems like you'd be free to do a lot more if you broke out of the 3 or 4 panel daily format.

Balto ∞balto

Traditional Artist

13 years ago

Those are some good I sights I appreciate that very much. Also the reason I am in a newspaper format is Because Hodges Pond, Critter County and Orville occasionally are picked up my various newspapers around the US so I want to already be formatted for newspaper print in the event that happens. So fary comics have been printed in about 8 diffrent papers with an average run of about 1 year (weekly) That's the main reason I stick to the newspaper format otherwise I agree doing it on a wider format would allow for more options. The only caviet would be to resist the temptation to get too wordy. I am of the school of thought that comics should be a quick read. That's why you don't see too many wordy comics from me.

Anyhow I appreciate your feedback that's does help me to consider things for the future. It looks like a mix of story and short gags are what's best. I like series but you raise a good point with a weekly comic it's a challange to get though a story with out dragging on or months. :).

CodeFly ~codefly

Anthro Artist

13 years ago

I think the single gag comics are very important for the sake of attracting new viewers to your comic. While it's nice to have a general storyline and progression to keep existing viewers engaged in the comic, newcomers need to be able to get something out of each and every strip, or they won't bother to start watching for new ones. Even if the strips are funny, having to go back and read old strips feels like a chore, and I think only the most dedicated of us would do so.

That said, if the POINT of your comic became the gags, I might not watch either, because it'd be relatively difficult to stay interested in. I should want to come back, not for the sake of a joke, but because I can't wait to see what happens next! Jokes are easy to abandon. Stories and characters I've grown attached to, much harder to leave behind.

So, my response is that I feel it's best if you continue doing a little bit of both. Tell the story, but try to tell it in a way such that each strip will be enjoyed by newcomers that barely know who your characters are, as well as those who have been viewing for weeks. I would err toward the side of the individual gag, though, especially if there's only one strip a week.

I think Matt is my favorite character so far. It's hard to say exactly why, but I think it's because his story is easier to become emotionally attached to than any of the others.

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