This is strictly theoretical, but what would you guys think if the strip was in color on a daily basis? I came up with a nice, efficient coloring style with the minicomic that I like quite a bit which should translate well to the daily strip. Figured it would be worthwhile to at least solicit some opinions.



One of these days Phillip will get polling working and we can do this sort of thing all scientific-like.

If the daily strips (I say daily meaning, you know, the ones that occur on days... regularly) were in color, I would worship you like the god of missing socks. You would be king among philosophers who graft barbells to their toe nails (but only if you would like to be), and I would sing your praises silently (it'd be bad if I made noise... nobody wants to hear me sing).

Apart from all that, I think it'd be swell. However, I think I'd miss the old tradition of black and white strips, but that's only because I'm used to them.

So, you're saying that you think you'll now make all strips in color, just like the Sunday strips that come out the first Sunday (*cough* *cough*) of the month?

But not quite as colorific.

I'm for it.

I came up with a nice, efficient coloring style

I this method called 'inside the lines'? Yeah! Kiss my ass Picasso!

All kidding aside, unfortunately, my IIe is still hooked up to a green screen monitor, so the benefits of color would be lost one me. But it sure sounds like it would be more fun.

In Response to zamphir (#11561):

So, you're saying that you think you'll now make all strips in color, just like the Sunday strips that come out the first Sunday (*cough* *cough*) of the month?

Getting the minicomic done was more work than I thought -- my comicing schedule is all off. It's a good thing I never promised first sunday. Hopefully things will be back to normal in a month or so.

I'm probably in the minority because normally people like more better than less, but I like the simple black and white strip a lot. The color strips I like as special. Not special as in for premium folks, but special as in out of the ordinairy.

For example, this color strip [goats.com] is embedded in my psyche. I really enjoyed it. I'd love to see more use of color to expose moments that would enhance the comic. I think that would do more for the comic than having every day be color day. But that's just my opinion I guess.

Color is pretty cool. May take a few strips to get used to it though, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Seems like most people are into the idea. I'm gonna do a couple just as a test and we'll see how it goes.

Just curious, but how does the efficient coloring of 3 weekly strips compare to the black and white creation of 5 weekly strips?

In Response to mcgrue (#11577):

5 strips a week! I like that idea!!! How'd you possibly think of something so innovative, yet so entertaining at the same time?

If it doesn't negatively affect any comic timing or stuff like that, I'm all for it. But nostalgia keeps pulling me back...

In Response to mcgrue (#11577):

Just curious, but how does the efficient coloring of 3 weekly strips compare to the black and white creation of 5 weekly strips?

It doesn't. Once I get my backgrounds created properly, it won't take more than an extra 15-20 minutes per strip for color. Each strip, on the other hand, takes about 2+ hours, not counting writing.

I want to increase the strip frequency myself, but I'm a bit nervous about maintaining the schedule once I'm back to work. I'll revisit that in a couple of months once my situation is a bit more settled.

I really like the way the use of black/white has evolved, particularly in the background colours where sharp contrasts enhance the "emotion" of a panel (not sure how best to describe it).

That said, where the strips have been in colour, the results have been generally fantastic (Worlds of Peril [goats.com], the mr. roboto prohphesies [goats.com] and the strip [goats.com] Chad mentioned all spring to mind). These are all very "textured" (and, I assume, time-consuming), so I guess they wouldn't be the norm.

I s'pose I am saying that I'm with both Chad and Zamphir on this - I like the strip in b/w, but colour with the odd "colourific" special strip would be cool.

In Response to evilaltor (#11592):

Plus, there's nothing stopping him from doing the occasional strip in Black And White again.

You know, if he wanted to do a Holocaust story, and regain his Hollywood "cred" as an "artiste". And then he could win an Oscar.

"Twenty-somethings?" (Skoff) Is this the slippery slope to Joan Rivers?

I remember when the online strip went from analog to digital there were some groans, but in general, eveybody seems to be happy with the online digital version of the strip.

In Response to deerboy (#11595):

"Twenty-somethings?" (Skoff) Is this the slippery slope to Joan Rivers?

No.

It is the slippery slope to Family Circus.

In Response to deerboy (#11595):

Does anyone still have an archive of the analog strips? I remember more jokes about rabbits in those ones, and I do love rabbits.

In Response to zamphir (#11597):

It is the slippery slope to Family Circus.

Does that make Phillip "Jeffy Keane" when we get the Post-It strips?

In Response to Rich (#11604):

And megaGAMERZ is by "Not Me"?

Can we look forward to a big Sunday 'Worlds of Peril' strip of the gang traversing the Expanse of Discomfort and getting sidetracked a la Family Circus?

My only comment is that the backgrounds look a little soft... mainly because of the lack of black lines. Not bad, just a little off to me.

On the whole though, I don't mind either way. I worry about the bitching you might get if you end up short on time and go back to black and white. Cause at that point many will feel 'entitled' to color strips...

Will it cost more to print a book in color and likewise cost us more to buy it? This is if you are planning to put out a book of the color strips.

Color is good. If you can reliably do three (or more) strips per week in color, plus a monthly Super-Sized Sunday strip, I would be all pleased.

Although, it would decrease the special-ness of the Sunday strips. Maybe, if the Sunday strips were, instead of Goats comics, Patent Pending comics, that would re-invigorate the special quality of those strips. I mean, people originally started out paying to read the Patent Pending storyline, (when it was on Modern Tales), so why should those of us who are Premies get to see more Patent Pending?

In Response to Clan_Hanna (#11620):

I'd guess that maintaining 2 story types in his little noggin would be hard. Like when you are thinking about one thing and it all works well and then someone makes you think about something else at the same time and the quality of thought goes down...

If I am right it's probably be easier to move Goats to 5 days a week than to do 3 a week with a single patent pending a month. Not that I am saying jon ought to go back to 5 as he already answered that question.

In Response to jon (#11588):

I'd just like to take a minute to let everyone know that I've done very well in resisting my urge to make jokes about "strip frequency".

Thank you.

In Response to unFalln (#11578):

What can I say? I'm a leader, a prophet... but you're all too blind to notice.

(Apologies: Too much Oingo Boingo.)

I say it's up to you, whether you think a particular comic would benefit more from pretty colors or more detail in b&w (if this is a necessary tradeoff). Color is great, but I agree that some of the recent b&w strips have been really cool in terms of shading etc. I personally wouldn't at all mind a mix based on whatever you think is best for each individual comic.