[10.33] See the Banished
Wouldn’t you believe it, this is page 407! I didn’t think I could ever commit to any project this long, but here we are. There’s much more to come, so stick around.
Speaking of long comics, I am suspecting that this comic has gotten long enough that new readers are getting discouraged from wading through the archive. After years of modest growth, readership has basically flatlined since *checks notes* last May. So I was hoping for ideas on how to make it easier for readers. Should I…
-draw some kind of condensed recap of the first few chapters (basically turn it into a prologue)? main problem with this is, there seems to be no particularly good point to “jump back in” to the main story.
-providing a pdf download of the first few chapters, make it easier to read without clicking all the way through each page
-optimize the site better for mobile?
————————————————————
10.33 Transcript
Daisy: Everything all right in there?
Kiro: He took a prisoner!
Kiro: C’mon, let’s get you out of here.
Ben: EEEYAAH!
Oh. Yeah. So, Ben, Daisy’s not dead either. Isn’t that great? Ben?
Binging a webcomic with a huge archive is like, half the fun of finding a new one. I’ve read through many long comics and have never had any issues clicking though each page. I agree with another commenter that you just need more ads on other comic sites to bring in new readers. Ultimately I don’t think they’ll be deterred by the archive.
I actually binged the comic and really enjoyed it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. You could optimise it for mobile though I guess.
I don’t think the history is an issue. The archive is organized well enough to navigate. (Personally, when I find a new comic, I prefer being able to read several pages a day, rather than have to wait for the next page to be published.)
Your problem is probably that not enough other sites are recommending you. I don’t know what to do about that. I don’t have a site of my own where I could promote this one.
As a fan of long running comics, I think you have everything a new reader needs. You have the About synopses, Cast, and nice Archives. Maybe you could have a short paragraph that summarizes each chapter, without spoilers?
But when I started reading your comic, I had to catch up. It was worth it. I would not want to read a summary and just start reading this chapter going forward. That’s for comic strips.
I can’t wait to see what happens next!
is there an upcoming chapter that might make for a good “jump back in” point? If you’re more of a structure writer than a discovery writer that might not be an option, though.
Poor Ben.
You could sell print copies like some webcomics, but it might be a SEO or advertising thing. I might be the wrong opinion to seek, but I usually go back and read without noticing how long it is, unless the art style has changed a lot.
I recommend you make some comic-specific swag and sell it. Like a keychain that has one of those special arrowheads as the design. And paying a little bit for Facebook ads/Google ads to make the comic more visible. The length of a comic has never been an issue for me (when it’s good). It’s just HEARING about it that’s a challenge. Thus, keychains and other unique swag are good conversation starters with friends.
I’ve seen some webcomics that condense early chapters into one scrollable page per chapter, and then leave the most recent chapter or chapters as episode by episode. I really liked that.
@CT, if sereneseal is savvy enough, maybe at some point (not saying right now, but it gets harder retroactively), they might want to include character links. That way, you can go back to previous appearances to get a better sense of the character. I’ve seriously forgotten Ben.
Lina Whatevs made a slick one a while back. Seems to still work through Chapter 7 or so:
detoxcampsearch.neocities.org
Honestly, I wouldn’t worry about the metrics. That’s a dark road to go down.
I seem to be an outlier of the vocal group here in which a huuuuuuge backlog is more likely to make me reconsider the time investment.
When I do notice a new comic I might like, I will read several new pages, then click all the way back to see how far back it goes, and read several in the beginning as well.
If the story in the several pages I’ve read catches my attention, then I’ll TRY to make my way through the archives. Unfortunately as a salaried grown up, I have SO MUCH LESS TIME than I want for myself, so I am reluctant to start something new (to me) unless it seems really interesting (story, art style, setting, characters, or something else) I will make the eeffort and try to keep up with it. This does, of course, mean I follow a dozen or more webcomics where I’ve read the first hundred pages, and all the ones since I started, and am missing a variable sized gap in between.
Still… I think I may have been an early reader here, ’cause I don’t recall having a massive archive to go through.
One site i know has “Save my place” and “load my place” buttons (cookies?). Makes it much easier to read the archive in several sittings, cos you don’t have to remember where you’d got to.
I’d like to see downloadable PDF/CBZ files for offline reading, say one file per chapter or group of chapters. But I think the comic would lose a lot if you reduced several chapters into a Reader’s Digest condensed book.
I have no problem catching up on a comic with a long read through the archives, but I second that a “bookmark” button so you can save your place and not have to try and remember it later is a big help with that.
It is THE best when you find a new comic like this and binge through it. It is FRUSTRATING to wait for every new episode.
It is ABYSMAL to attempt to find a new one. Googling all over the place, only ever so slightly being successful.
But mostly (like this one) having seen an ad reading an already known great comic, you get SATISFACTION of trying out another great one.
There was a point with this comic when I thought I wouldn’t continue reading. But that was due to SLOW updates, not for the content.
Please continue your work.
Miles,
I think most of the readers are grown-ups (meaning at least 18). I, for one, am in my 50s (which is more “middle aged” than “grown up”) and have a decent office job. I think you are trying to use your maturity as an excuse for your personal tastes. You don’t need an excuse; everybody has different tastes.
When I discovered Detox Camp, there were already over 300 episodes. I read a couple of episodes at the end of the day most workdays, and quite a few over each weekend, and caught up within two months. My age and employment did not prevent that.
Other people may be discouraged by being that far behind.
I’m kind of amazed at the volume of responses regarding the back story/archival pages. I follow less than a dozen online comics myself, so binge-catching-up is not a frequent/recent thing for me. Admittedly, though, some of them are years in progress, so catching up would take some time if I were just now finding them. On the other hand, I don’t watch TV and I have no kids, so evenings and weekends are wide open for that.
If I find a new comic that catches my attention, I go right for the archives and binge until I catch up even if I am several hundred pages behind.
If you are thinking of putting money into ad buys, the best results for your buck would be on an aggregator like TWC where comic readers tend to gather–most of the ones I know are pretty eager to sell adspace.
Speaking of TWC, Derox Camp seems to be getting around 25 votes per day, which isn’t bad but is still a few more votes per day short of being on the all-important first page (level 100 or better), which gets tens if not hundreds of thousands of views per day. Sooo, if anyone out there isn’t voting, and would like to help, the process is pretty painless and would be greatly appreciated by our intrepid author/artist. Look for the little TWC button at the top of the right sidebar. ^^
C T, my keyword was “Salaried” as an explanation as to why I don’t time. It means my company doesn’t have to concern itself about over time, so why not work me as many hours as they want with me having no say in the matter.
It wasn’t to imply other readers here aren’t grown ups.
Also, I don’t want to be a grownup. It is very tiring and demanding, at least for me.
Personally, I binged the comic over on ComicFury with little to no regard for how long it was because I found the comic that darn captivating. I was actually disappointed when I reached the end and realized I’d have to wait for more. And when I discovered there was *even more* to read on this site, I was delighted. I wish I could offer a good suggestion on how you could get more readers coming in, but if I knew that, I’d have more readers on my own comic, dig?
I’m sure seeing a lack of growth is discouraging, but please don’t forget how much the readers you already have love your work. I’m sure I won’t be the last person to discover your comic only to find they just can’t put it down.
Oh yeah, I should talk about the page. So the creature takes prisoners? That adds all sorts of extra dimension to this puzzle.
I’ve read through comic archives myself and personally, I have no issue with starting from the first page of a newly discovered comic. As for reader growth, don’t worry about it. New readers will come and keep coming as long as this comic is here.
As for the page, “Hello, Ben. Happy to see me?”
I found your comic through ads (on Gunnerkrigg Court IIRC), and binged the archive. I think you should still use ads and emphasize supernatural aspect more in them (even if it’s a bit spoilery) – it’s not obvious if you just read a few pages of the first chapter, and it implies there’s way more to the story then just kids in the weird camp.
All three of your proposed ideas seem feasible – I would start with optimizing for mobile, as that’d be beneficial for anyone on the site, dedicated reader or not. I’ve binged a couple webcomics on my phone, and it’s definitely nicer when you don’t have to adjust the view on every page.
As for archive size, I tend to delay reading comics with larger archives, though that may just be a general ADHD thing lol- I read the majority of this particular comic through the archive, basically everything before chapter 8, in a day or two because I really liked it. Having a PDF is convenient for readers, but it wouldn’t get you that sweet ad revenue, right? Besides, optimizing the site will make it easier to read/binge on mobile, giving less need for a PDF
A recap doesn’t sound like a bad idea, but I’d keep it small and simple. Never Satisfied has a summary at the end of each chapter, which I’ve found very helpful because I tend to forget stuff, especially if chapters run for a long time or updates aren’t close together. Maybe providing a full story recap at the end of this chapter would work for what you’re thinking?
Been putting off the mobile optimization for a while now. I wish I could just pay someone to do it honestly since I hate fiddling with webpages but i have no money so have to do it myself. With the PDF thats not a problem tbh I care more about reader experience than the pittance of ad revenue I make, haha.
NN4B did a recap I thought was good.
New reader here, who found your comic today. I’ve been reading through the archive and got here in a few hours. When I discover a new comic, I like reading from the start. If the archive is too deep, it can be a bit intimidating, especially if I don’t have the time to dedicate to it. An archive that goes back a decade or so is a massive feat that I probably only attempted a few times, but usually when I’m on vacation. This is not too bad, and very much readable in a very (for me) manageable amount of time.
This is one of many webcomics I have found after they have been running for years. I always just read from the beginning, somewhat faster than new episodes are being added until I catch up. This one is good enough for me to have kept going. Thanks for the free entertainment.
I just started this comic like a week ago or something, after questionablecontent had ads for it. I really enjoyed it and seeing the archive made me start it as well as the fact that it’s still ongoing. Especially with a story driven one like yours, I honestly believe that constant growth after a while is just luck. People like me enjoy it, other people don’t.