Could you see a pre-med/application web comic taking off?

[Compass]

I'm an artist (sort of) in my alter ego phase.

Would you enjoy a webcomic describing the life and times of pre-med applicants which exaggerates our life and times?

Here's a non-illustrated example:

Frame 1 - Guy #1: Hey, want to study genetics tonight?
Frame 2 - Pre-Med #1: Nah, I gotta work on orgo. Sn2 and stuff. Hydroxyl group removal. You know the deal.
Frame 3 - "Later" Pre-Med #1 surrounded by bottles of beer gone googly eyed.

Yes, no, in bad taste, etc.?

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[Kaustikos]

I'm an artist (sort of) in my alter ego phase.

Would you enjoy a webcomic describing the life and times of pre-med applicants which exaggerates our life and times?

Here's a non-illustrated example:

Frame 1 - Guy #1: Hey, want to study genetics tonight?
Frame 2 - Pre-Med #1: Nah, I gotta work on orgo. Sn2 and stuff. Hydroxyl group removal. You know the deal.
Frame 3 - "Later" Pre-Med #1 surrounded by bottles of beer gone googly eyed.

Yes, no, in bad taste, etc.?

You need help? Web-comics are hit or miss, unfortunately. This would have to be a collaborative effort with proper advertising.

 

[Compass]

Oh, no, I'm fine at drawing, but I'd rather not devote X hours a week if no one likes it.

 

[Kaustikos]

Oh, no, I'm fine at drawing, but I'd rather not devote X hours a week if no one likes it.

Unfortunately, you can't go into it with that attitude. Web-comics sometimes go years without any attention until they finally make their mark. I honestly think it's more about the dedication/love of drawing. I'm currently working on a comic (10 pages in) and I don't think I have a chance of getting it anywhere but I still relentlessly work on it because I love it.

 

[SirGecko]

I wouldn't bother with it. It would have to be pretty funny (like way funnier than that example) to get off the ground and you would likely have to toil in obscurity for a while. Plus I just don't think you'd have the time to really stick to an update schedule. Draw it if you find drawing fun but don't bother if you are drawing it because you want internet fame. (or money, or just because you expect an audience because you may never attract one)

edit: There is a reason you don't see a successful web comic out there that is drawn on a regular basis by a medical student or a doctor. They take up a lot of time and so does medicine.

 

[Kaustikos]

I wouldn't bother with it. It would have to be pretty funny (like way funnier than that example) to get off the ground and you would likely have to toil in obscurity for a while. Plus I just don't think you'd have the time to really stick to an update schedule. Draw it if you find drawing fun but don't bother if you are drawing it because you want internet fame. (or money, or just because you expect an audience because you may never attract one)

edit: There is a reason you don't see a successful web comic out there that is drawn on a regular basis by a medical student or a doctor. They take up a lot of time and so does medicine.

Not necessarily true. Considering www.xkcd.com as an example, we can see that the punchline is all that necessarily matters. OP, if you want to make a webcomic and really deliver, don't fret about the quality of the work. In the end, you'll start improving as you draw more and progress towards being able to deliver quality comics in less time than imagined. If you want an example, simply look at www.penny-arcade.com and look at their first comic and then their recent work. There is a stark contrast and penny-arcade was definitely not nearly as popular as it is today (considering their own expo generated a larger audience/fanbase than E3 did last year). Good luck

 

[Narmerguy]

I think there's definitely a market for it but like someone mentioned earlier, it'd have to be pretty funny. I think you should accept help because with a group contributing ideas/drawings you don't necessarily have the pressure of delivering as frequently. This will allow you to put out quality comics all the time and avoid just putting something out so that you can be consistent.

An example of one that did well while the artist was in medical school is the underwear drawer I think it's called. Don't have a link but I read all the comics she put up and they were all pretty funny. I remember one of her most distributed comics was the one "the 12 different med students" and it portrayed a bunch of stereotypical personalities you'll see in med school.

Good luck

 

[SirGecko]

Not necessarily true. Considering www.xkcd.com as an example, we can see that the punchline is all that necessarily matters. OP, if you want to make a webcomic and really deliver, don't fret about the quality of the work. In the end, you'll start improving as you draw more and progress towards being able to deliver quality comics in less time than imagined. If you want an example, simply look at www.penny-arcade.com and look at their first comic and then their recent work. There is a stark contrast and penny-arcade was definitely not nearly as popular as it is today (considering their own expo generated a larger audience/fanbase than E3 did last year). Good luck

But xkcd is a perfect example of what I was trying to say. (maybe I wasn't clear) The writing is what matters and you need to consistently produce a comic on schedule. (and most of them need to be funny) Maybe the xkcd guy is just brilliant and doesn't have to take that long to write comics but as I understand it webcomics aren't as easy to make as they look. (the drawing isn't the part that I was saying takes all that time)

As to the penny arcade guys they had a very lucky mixture of timing, talent and an untapped target audience. I'm not saying they aren't good (I love penny arcade they deserve the success they have) but they are a product of the beginning of the web comic boom. In true entrepreneurial spirit they got in on the ground floor of something and rode it all the way to the top.

Now if you want to draw a comic for fun or just when a brilliant idea comes along that's cool too. Just don't expect it to be a huge thing. In my experience the webcomics that really seem to do well are either brilliant or consistently good and they stick to a schedule. Or both. Biggest thing though is that the writing needs to be good.

Oh and namerguy: http://theunderweardrawer.homestead.com/scutmonkey.html

 

[Compass]

I'm going to be brainstorming a bunch of ideas. I'm not for riveting storyline. XKCD makes a point of not requiring major knowledge of the entire comic life cycle to understand. This is a sample storyboard. Basically, I'd be comparing the 2 extreme ends of the spectrum:

Very tongue in cheek, of course.

For the record, I've never asked for services to be paid on my artwork, because I draw for fun. I do get a little money here and there for it, but I'm not out to take over XKCD or your Saturday morning cartoons. If I need money, I'm not going to go "HEY, LET ME MAKE AN AD SPACE AND MAKE A MEDIOCRE WEBCOMIC" and then earn my billions off that like some places I know v.v

I'd just rather not draw comics if I'm the only one who will ever enjoy them. If I wanted to entertain myself about comparing runners and gunners, I'd just imagine it and randomly burst out laughing hysterically in public.

 

[SteinUmStein]

I like it. I'm a huge xkcd fan, even if half the computer science/math references go over my head, it's still hilarious. If there were a comic similar in style to xkcd but with pre-med/med student-type content, I'd love it.

 

[Compass]

The short answer is no. The long answer is no. Here is why. There are billions of websites out there. In order to create traffic, your website needs to be new. It has to offer something that is not out there. Saying that, it also has offer a reason for a person to visit the website and to come back to the website in the future. The reason why Facebook took off is because it was something new. Your website idea won\'t draw any traffic. Sorry, but that is the honest truth. Your website is only going to target a very select few of the whole bang of Internet users. I would assume your website might be lucky to get 20 visitors a week. Even though there are thousands of pre-med students out there every single year, most don\'t go searching the Internet for pre-med comics. You would need one hell of a good SEM plan to drive any traffic. There\'s been a poster around these neck of the woods that is building a company that is Internet based. He\'s making a company that offers a service that any of the millions of United States citizens can use. Compare those numbers with your few thousand of people as your target audience.

20 is fine. That's more than enough, actually