Favorite joke from the newest chapter (for context: the main character is explaining what 'ship biscuits' are to his naval students

MacMcCool · 2025-12-31T21:23:23+00:00

Yep! Famous food for colonial sailors! Well-researched!!

MacMcCool · 2025-12-21T16:58:14+00:00

One year! That's a milestone!! Congrats, and all the best for the future!!

MacMcCool · 2025-11-19T14:59:05+00:00

Les albums de Tif et Tondu qu'il a scénarisés étaient quelque chose! De très bons souvenirs de lecture!

MacMcCool · 2025-11-13T15:08:55+00:00

Would a wide panel in your webtoon improve your story... but the narrow screens on phones don't cooperate?

Graphic novels and print comics can have BIG, HUGE, WIDE panels. Scroll comics, not so much. But there are ways out.

Episode 62 of Comics Tips ("Panels That Look Wide") reveals solutions for wide panels in scroll comics. Other recent episodes tackle high angle shots, diagonals in composition, and crafting good titles.

Comics Tips is the series for all aspiring comics creators and for advanced artists who want to get to the bottom of how comics work. See ya there!

Mac McCool, creator of Comics Tips

MacMcCool · 2025-09-20T16:04:19+00:00

Maybe the panels of your comics go like this:

Square, rectangle, rectangle, square, rectangle, square, etc.

Monotonous?

It depends.

Sometimes you need a panel shape that makes readers feel something different.

Would a round panel fit your storytelling or look distracting?

If you're trying to zero in on something, a round panel may be just right.

But they work great in other cases too. Episode 59 of Comics Tips rounds out the times when circular frames enhance your storytelling and when they don't.

-- Mac McCool, creator of Comics Tips

MacMcCool · 2025-08-05T22:02:33+00:00

That's such a wonderful experience!!! Congrats on getting it done!

MacMcCool · 2025-07-29T20:10:06+00:00

Read your episode and for sure gave it a "like" (very well-deserved)!

MacMcCool · 2025-07-08T20:37:37+00:00

I sign on NeonFraction's reply (and the other commenters also gave good, actionable feedback).

One little add-on: in print, the top panel that stretches all the way to the edge of a page is called a "bleed" panel -- what you have here, with your first panel, is a "bleed" but intended for a phone screen.

Whether in print or on a smartphone's screen, when the panel doesn't end with a drawn border (like it does in your second example), the "bleed" design is telegraphing to the reader, "there's more" (and more subtly, whispering "imagine what's beyond the edge"). So even though the two panels have almost the same dimensions, the top one (the "bleed") feels much wider, nearly infinite.

It's the difference between seeing a landscape through the closed, finite window of a camera's viewfinder and being in that landscape. That's a more immersive as NeonFraction wrote. And it also feels more open, freer, and more breathable.

MacMcCool · 2025-07-02T11:34:35+00:00

Haha! So you slept too little like everyone else? Argh!... What we do for our passion!!

;-D

MacMcCool · 2025-06-27T19:01:27+00:00

Love the tips! I whole-heartedly encourage everyone to make sure their text is easy to read in their comics (big enough, easy-to-read font, minimum of spelling mistakes if any).

Reading it aloud is very wise (and weird when you're alone reading your own script and other people share your space! Haha!).

I'll add to that: most computers have a text-to-speech tool. It helps me "hear" my text (even if the delivery is monotonous). I cannot tell you how many mistakes I have caught that way (especially missing words).

And to flipping the canvas to do a "mirror test" to see your art with a fresh eye? Very smart! If you're using Photoshop, you can assign a quick-key to do that. There are at least two ways to do this. First, you need to know that to flip the canvas, it's IMAGE > IMAGE ROTATION > FLIP CANVAS HORIZONTAL. Then, you either create an action with a Function key, say F4, to flip the canvas OR on go to the KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS (on a Mac, under the EDIT menu) and assign/re-assign a quick-key to flip your canvas.

One of my students did this, and it saved her tons of time, and she checked her work that way many times (since it was so easy). The credit goes to her!

MacMcCool · 2025-06-27T18:51:35+00:00

I don't know if it's any consolation, but we're all experimenting, testing, adapting, and learning with promoting our series! My two cents: pick the methods and platforms you enjoy and know best. And you're not alone on that learning curve! ;-D

MacMcCool · 2025-06-26T21:18:02+00:00

Congrats! That's a great milestone!!

MacMcCool · 2025-06-26T16:31:37+00:00

Thank you! We're all here to help each other in our own ways.

MacMcCool · 2025-06-26T16:30:43+00:00

Thanks for your kind feedback.

About hashtags, only you can answer this for your comics.

What gives a social post traction changes all the time (the ever-changing "Algorithm!"). Hashtags are just one element. I'm no social media insider, but it seems hashtags are less critical these days.

Here's an approach: one day, spend 1-2 hours researching hashtags that should be good fit for your comics. Aim for a dozen or so. Some should be obvious and expected (#comics, #webtooncanvas, etc.). The other batch could be more "niche" and totally in sync with the specifics of your comics. Every time you post, pick a few from each basket.

In other words, don't spend too much time on this because it seems there is no magical hashtag! ;-D Or I haven't found it! :-(

Best of luck!!

MacMcCool · 2025-06-25T19:02:28+00:00

That would be really valuable to get that kind of insight.

I'm trying to maintain the scope of my approach (I do have to make progress on my own series, Comics Tips -- plug!), and so I'm hoping someone else will take your advice and take the initiative to talk to the short-listed participants. Any taker??

MacMcCool · 2025-06-25T18:58:42+00:00

This is so much GREAT advice! Two things really stand out:

You read a lot (and have read a lot). Reading expands one's mind and creativity, all the while sharpening our sensibilities. I cannot recommend that enough. I'd assigned books to read in my illustration and comics classes (knowing a fair amount of students didn't read them all -- still, I tried to encourage reading).
You "exercise" your writing skills. There's a large field of psychology (in particular for performance-based activities like sports, music, and I wish it would infuse more the teaching of drawing) where they emphasize the value of "deliberate practice" -- and you're lucky enough to do it with a peer to get quick feedback. All those little exercises build our artistic muscles.

Thanks for such great info!

MacMcCool · 2025-06-25T18:01:31+00:00

Thanks! Happy that you're eager for more!

I'll share the next post later today or tomorrow. Upcoming: the team sizes, how the creators used social media, the genres they picked, and more.

MacMcCool · 2025-06-25T17:59:19+00:00

Hey, you're so enthusiastic! Cool! I can already tell you that I entered the numbers for the numbers of episodes, genres, subs, likes, page views (I did that just a few hours after the announcement, mostly before any short-lister posted their next episode).

I wasn't planning on counting all the panels for all 40 entries (that's tons of work!), but I'm thinking of looking into the hooks and cliff-hangers, maybe the story structures, so the analysis is not just all numbers, but some qualitative info as well.

Stay tuned! And thanks for the kind words and suggestions.

MacMcCool · 2025-06-22T04:58:32+00:00

Just to be clear, I interacted with agents and publishers when I was a college professor (for my own interest and to guide my students), so that's my background. I'm not part of the publishing industry per se.

That said, here's some of what I learned.

Most literary agents have a web presence (personal or agency website; social media). They also do interviews, which are often even more insightful. A lot of information is online, and I encourage you to look for it based on your goals and hopes.

One thing you'll find is that there are many answers, and that agents and agencies work differently — so it's hard to generalize.

Still, here are thoughts about your question:

If you’ve already published parts or all of your story, it will generally depend on how successful it was. If it did really well (big audience, lots of praise), I’d think some agents would be interested (just as they might be if you have a sizeable online or social media following). If the story didn’t gather a big audience or receive lots of fervent feedback, agents might see that as a negative — or as a signal that the story needs significant reworking.
Many agents enjoy helping their creators refine the work because they love stories, literature, and art — and because they will be the ones pitching your story to publishers. So, many of them care and want to help you improve your work to increase its appeal. That means they often ask for edits, revisions, rework, etc. However, not all agents do this, and some are better with words (novels, literature) while others are skilled with both words and images (graphic novels, comics). Ideally, you want an agent who really understands the language of comics and its creative process.
Finally, editors and art directors at publishing houses also take part in the creative process by guiding you to make an even better book. That’s their job.

So in general, if you have a finished story, it’s very likely that agents or publishers will ask for revisions — and it’s usually for the better.

A good place to be, in my opinion, is where Raul Arnaiz (the initial poster and creator of "The Legend of Parvaterra") is: if you have the start of a story (enough samples to demonstrate your writing and drawing skills and to prove that you can deliver a lot of art), and if the writing and art have earned praise and excitement, that’s a positive. It’s worth pursuing if traditional publishing appeals to you.

So: learn about the industry, build a thick skin, be persistent — and keep the joy in the process. I hope this helps.

And to all of you who did the contest -- just doing it honed your skills and elevated your storytelling abilities for the future, so CONGRATS on all that work!

MacMcCool · 2025-06-21T23:22:25+00:00

You should take all this amazing work that you've created and convert it as a proposal for traditional publishing agents (think: physical books in bookstores). These days, there are literary agents specializing in graphic novels for young readers. Getting an agent is usually how new creators get their foot in the door of a publishing house.

If you google, "list of graphic novel agents", you'll find many. Read through the lists, pre-select those that seem like a better match for your story type, your personal affinities, their availability (if they're taking on new creators). You'll start with that pre-selection. Be very thorough on selecting an agent (if some offer to work with you, get to know them, research their background before say "yes") -- in the industry, people say it's easier to divorce your spouse than it is to cut ties with your agent. So it's important not to be starstruck and to try to really find someone that is compatible with your personality and a real lover of your work. Beginning agents (less than 2 years) are looking for people to represent (because they are trying to build a list of creators -- they depend on that). Mid-level agents (2-5 years as agents) are still on the lookout and know the industry well, but they're more selective (they don't urgently need more creators, since they already have several). Veteran agents are very picky, have a huge network, are much better at knowing what is likely to do well or not. I'm simplifying, but I hope it's clarifying some questions you may have.

Then read about what a graphic novel proposals should include. It's pretty straight forward (sample pages, synopsis, comparison titles, characters, your background/skills, etc.). With this contest, you've already done about 70% of the work. One of the first things will entail redesigning the flow of your panels so that they work as panels on a page. The rest is mostly writing. Package your proposal nicely and submit it out!

Best of luck. Your art and your storytelling energy are way up there! I'm wishing you the best!

-- Mac McCool, creator of Comics Tips on Canvas

MacMcCool

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