GREETINGS FROM WEBCOMICS LAND: HATERS GONNA HATE

Somebody will hate your webcomic. They'll hate the title. They'll hate your artwork. They'll hate your writing. They'll hate the colors you use. They'll hate the fact that it is in black and white and not color. They'll hate the type of digital lettering used in your panels. They'll hate the lettering you did by hand. They'll hate it because you have to scroll down on the web page to read the webcomic. They'll hate it because you have your webcomic at a site that hosts webcomics. They'll hate it because it is Manga. They'll hate it because it is not Manga. They'll hate it because it features zombies. They'll hate it because it features vampires. They'll hate it because it does not have zombies OR vampires. They'll hate it because you make Dungeons & Dragons references. They'll hate it because you made fun of Dungeons & Dragons.

Haters gonna hate and the haters are everywhere. When someone decides to dump a bunch of hate on your webcomic then just ignore them because hating is toxic. There is a difference between constructive criticism and bringing someone down to feel superior.

As a webcomics creator, I have done my best to not be a hater. There are times when I see a webcomic that does not appeal to me and I'll pull out my Haters Club card because their webcomic had five thousand page views in one day while my webcomic had five page views. "How the hell did they do that?", I'll think to myself. Instead of hating on the webcomic, I've learned to see what they did to get the five thousand page views.

Do they have their own site dedicated to their webcomic? Do they have their webcomic hosted at a variety of sites? Do they advertise at other sites? How do they use social media to grab new readers?  Do they attend conventions? Do they have a podcast? Did they sell their soul to the devil?

Stop hating on other people's webcomics and see what they are doing right as creators.  



Tony Wright is the owner and editor of Champion City Comics. Check out his webcomics Day 165 and The Red Devil at Tapastic.