Researching your comic/manga

So in the previous article, we talked about generating an idea for your webcomic.

• (If you're starting from this, you can just follow along or start our webcomic fundamentals roadmap to up your webcomic/writing game. This is one of the articles in the series.)
• In order to well explore this, we'll come up with a sci-fi/romance mock story, say; a couple living in a futuristic world where dreams are sold and bought.

Awesome! But before we dive headfirst into drawing and scripting, it's time to do a little detective work. Yes, it's research time. Most artists (shamefully 10 year old me included) tend to skip this part and as a consequence, our comics don't stand out. So pull out your magnifying glass and let's get snooping.

What's already out there?

First things first, we have to check out what's already been dumped into the crowded webcomic ocean. Here we try to see what kind of stories, art styles and formats are trending. (Not just in the comic/manga space, but the film and animation industry as a whole.) Pay attention to what makes readers hooked and what they ignore.

In our scenario, this could be checking comics or shows such as Inception (Really love btw) that talk about dream manipulation. Analyze what elements make these stories compelling. Myabe it's the intricate world-building or moral-dilemmas.

From these you could test to see if there's a gap your story could shine at. For instance if most dream manipulation stories are set in generic worlds, your neon futuristic city could be a unique selling point.

Know thy audience

We'll go deeper into this in our next article but the gist of it is simply acknowledging your potential audience affects how you draft your story. Given that we're building a romance story, this is the part we assess. Who are we targeting? 14 - 18 year olds who will resonate much more with puppy love teenage romance or 18 - late 20s who want a more complex romance story?

The research should inform us what group loves what genre more and what parts of that genre exactly. You could ask your friends or ask people online in a form or a conversation or a questionnaire, all is fine as long as you simply get responses from people about what they might like.

Analyze the competition

Here we get a bit competitive, in a friendly way of course. (LOL, No). We take a look at webcomics or manga or shows that talk about what we're also writing on. In our mock examples, this could be "Dreamweavers", what are their strengths and weaknesses? Maybe they have an awesome worldbuilding but lack character depth.

Use your findings to then improve your own story; if their art style is too normal, aim for a more vibrant one, if their plot is linear, you might add complex twists and storylines.

But make sure to get inspired, not intimidated. It's easy to look at works of others and feel like you're trying to fill some gigantic shoes. Remember, research is about inspiration, not imitation. Use what you find to fuel your own creativity. You're not copying, you're adding your unique flavor to the mix.

In short; research is your ticket to creating a unique webcomic that stands out. Embrace the process with curiosity and excitement and let the adventure of discovering what's out there lead you to create something spectacular. Read the next article to see how defining your audience can change your story and help you connect much better to your readers to make sure they become die hard fans.