Goofy Love!

[CharlieBoston]

Hey all!

Please to enjoy my new webcomic Goofy Love!

It's a slice-of-life comic based on real-life situations that occur in my life, mostly revolving around my new wife. Just like the strip, I'm new to the webcomic production community, and I'm learning a lot of this stuff as I go. For instance, it only occurred to me on the 5th strip (published today) that it would look a lot better if I drew the strip in a larger format and then shrink it down when I was done! As you can tell, it looks 10 times better and less, I don't know, claustrophobic?

Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think! Thanks for any and all critiques and advice you might have! As I said, I'm new to this, so anything constructive you might have to say is going to be well-received!

Cheers!

[Rob]

Before I go all Kanye on your launch celebration let me just say that I like your art and the humor, what I've seen of it, has real potential assuming your wife doesn't murder you in your sleep for revealing too much about your private life. That said, I want you to know that MOST of the time when someone pimps their comic here instead of a sort of new reader "hey man I likes the jokes and the arts be rockin" they get a sort of mini critique of their comic. If you don't want that you are probably in the wrong place. And I'll say that to everyone... in fact I should add it to the board FAQ (and I do believe I will).

There simply aren't enough members here to give you or anyone a significant bounce in traffic. So coming here to pimp your comic, even though that's what I named the thread is a fool's errand. This site is for networking with other creators and learning and sharing about the business and creative ends of running a webcomic. If all you want are new readers you will have MUCH better luck at Top Webcomics or The Webcomics List (and any one of a dozen others).

I'm adding this to the FAQ because it's directed at everyone here. Not just you. I'm just trying to give you a glimpse of what you are most likely in for from other members of the community. And me.

Just remember, if I didn't care about your webcomic. I wouldn't say anything at all.  ;D

But most importantly please keep in mind I am smiling and speaking in a happy and pleasant tone throughout this message. Sometimes people think I'm mad or being mean in my text communication because my sense of humor is sarcastic and dark. I'm actually just trying to be amusing. It's just my idea of funny sometimes makes me look like a total dick; which I've learned to live with.

So, for starters I'd say your presentation has real issues. The .gif files from your first three or four comics aren't working at all. In that all they present in Explorer and Chrome is broken image links.

Next is your choice of CMS (comic management system). Many folks that are unable to code in any way choose really easy to use CMS's like Wordpress with the Comicpress or Webcomic plug in. You can check out a comparison of them here:

http://forum.webcomicscommunity.com/index.php/topic,604.0.html

You may also want to do more reading on the two plug-ins for Wordpress. Comicpress is by far the most used webcomic host in all the internet... but that doesn't mean it is the right choice for you. There are also other CMS programs. One of the administrators here... DrBlkKnight has created his own CMS called Comic Reef:

http://forum.webcomicscommunity.com/index.php/topic,273.0.html

And he's always eager for new victi... guinea pi... testers to help him enhance the site. Comic Reef is pretty cool but you might need a very teeny amount of coding knowledge to get it how you want.

Other sites like Smackjeeves are also a convenient and easy to use solution although not ideal if you already have a following at Wordpress. 

Why am I telling you this? Because you appear to be using Wordpress without any plug ins and that is going to make bad navigation and site usability increasingly worse over time... until you reach critical mass and the killing spree begins... or you pay someone a bunch of money to fix it. Whichever.

You see, your navigation has no "first" button. Which means one must navigate backwards... all the way through your comics, clicking "older entries" at every single post to get back to your first comic. It looks like you only have five comics so far and yet I was still filled with rage by the time I reached comic number one; having loaded your website five times.

You also have no "first" button so let's say for example you had 100 comics on line and I had made the arduous journey to comic #1 reading your entire strip backwards. I could not, if I wanted to, simply click on a link and go to your latest post.

Also your site is missing many of the bells and whistles usually associated with webcomic sites. Those may not matter to you, but if you ever want anyone to read your comic the navigation most certainly will.

You also may want to review this thread regarding file preparation. Maybe you have no intention of ever selling your work in print and it's just a hobby to you... but if you do think there is any chance you may want to print your comic some day you definitely want to start off right. So check this thread and do some additional research and ask questions if you have any:

http://forum.webcomicscommunity.com/index.php/topic,737.msg5501.html#msg5501

If all you are doing is creating 72 DPI files for the internet you are going to want to go back in time and murder yourself if/when a print opportunity arises.

Good luck with the new baby (webcomic). Do please ask questions if you have any. That's what we are here for man.  ;)

[CharlieBoston]

I'm glad you clarified what you meant by baby! Don't let my wife see that, she's not ready! LOL.

Wow, thanks Rob! I didn't come here expecting a bump in traffic, I genuinely want other people's opinions and to network with other, more experienced webcomic artists/writers/etc.

As for my wife, I run each strip through her before I begin working on it. So far she's cool with what I've got. She's cool like that! Actually she let me know that the earlier images were down. I'm not quite sure what happened, but they're back. I'm hosting the images on Picasaweb for the time being until I can buy a host.

I am using a pretty basic Wordpress theme on a free account with no upgrades. I eventually (read: very soon) want to get a domain and host. I started out as a graphic/web designer, so the current configuration of the site is driving me crazy. Money's a bit tight, though, but once I've got the cash, I'm getting a host and will be designing the site to be more reader-friendly, and I certainly do want to implement a lot of the bells-and-whistles you mentioned ("first" link

I started out doing these in 300dpi, but in the exact size that you see them on the screen. With the most recent strip, I started with a much larger canvas, although still at 300dpi. In the little bit of research I did prior to starting, that seemed to be the common number to go with.

Thanks a lot for the input! I definitely will check out the threads you put in!

-Charlie

[CharlieBoston]

Hey,

After much searching, I settled on using HostGator as a host for Goofy Love's web site. I went with HG for a myriad of reasons. Most notable is the option to pay monthly, as opposed to one larger lump sum for the year. Another reason is the ability to use Wordpress and Comicpress on it. And another reason is the coupon code I used to make my first month's hosting only $0.01! (FYI: It is 1centcouponcode). So essentially, I just had to buy the domain name. Unfortunately, goofylove.com was taken and I don't like to use hyphens, so I grabbed what I feel was the next best.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you www.goofylove.net!

It's under construction, still, as I figure out how to edit the CSS to make it look more like I want it to. But at least now I've got proper and simple navigation.

[Rob]

Looks loads better. Congrats.  ;)

[CharlieBoston]

Thanks! Still not 100% happy with the looks of it, but the ease of use and navigation are a welcome addition.