The webcomic creator is never far from their audience. Be it through social media, public email addresses, Discord servers, or simply the comments section beneath a page, there is a rapport and a conversation that is developed that is unique to the medium. We’re continuing those conversations here, albeit a little more formally, by interviewing webcomics creators to pick their brains about craft, storytelling, and their personal experiences with the medium.
This time around, we’re talking to Vimeddiee, creator of the historical fantasy merfolk-out-of-water webcomic “The Ocean Soul,” and the, now completed, webcomic “Under the Aegis.”
To start us off, then, tell us about your experiences with webcomics prior to starting “Under the Aegis.”
Vimeddiee: Awright, my experiences with webcomics before “UTA” were basically reading ones made by other people, I didn’t know you could do webcomics as a job and actually earn money from them. “UTA” was my first webcomic (I think it shows -cough cough -.) Prior to that, I was just doodling silly fancomics, short strips and a semi-regular slice-of-life comic based on my life that I’ve since discontinued.
(It was called “No Panic Button” and touched greatly on the subject of anxiety.)
How so? Or, let me rephrase that. What aspects of “UTA” do you see as showing signs of your early growth as a webcomics creator?
V:Hmm. If you mean, why do I now find it very cringey to read currently, I think it’s due to (and setting aside my technical limitations as an artist at the time I made it,) going about it in an amateurish way? There’s a lot I’d like to change and research more, plot holes to fix, minor details that now make me wince when I think about them regarding how certain sciences work in the “UTA” universe, etc. I was very impatient with “UTA” and also ambitious (SEVEN MAIN CHARACTERS, WHY), and I rushed many things, made others convenient…
However, there’s quite a lot of “UTA” that I’m proud of and that I’d keep the same, and those parts I made sure to keep doing.
From the readers’ end, at least, you certainly seemed to do a good job of balancing the cast and making the narrative central to them.
V:I’ve never been more grateful to readers for showing so much love for this project, and their feedback was super important (and still is!) “UTA” would be what it is without them, honestly.
Is the worldbuilding something you found difficult?
V: I think that worldbuilding was one of the ‘easiest’ parts of “UTA,” but making everything fit together was a challenge.
What pieces gave you the most challenge?
V: Oh heck, world politics.
I think that was the most challenging, figuring out who was going to backstab whom, which peoples would be allied, motivations behind world leaders, WAR. It was enough to make me flip a desk and turn to coffee shop/flower shop AUs.
And also balancing the amount of ‘screen time’ each character had.
Before we get too much further into the discussion, give us the elevator pitch for “Under the Aegis” for those who haven’t read it.
V: It’s really a story about six young people who are chosen at birth by ancient weapons, and have to solve a thousand-year mystery before they become lost. It’s angsty and funny and there’s romance on the side, I cried while making it and you’ll probably cry when you read it.
That’s a fantastic description.
V: Thank you, I try.
So, for UTA you were working for Webtoons at the time, correct?
V: Yep! At first, I was self-publishing on Tapas after I’d quit my day job and to help get myself out of a funk, then it gained some attention on there. I got a lot of tips from pros which helped my improve my webcomic game and I’m super grateful to those individuals. A few pages in, I got contacted by the Webtoon team and they got me on a contract and all I had to do was send over an episode a week.
It was pretty good! . . .Up until I was working 52 hour weeks and forgot what natural light looked like, but at least I was working on something I wanted to do as a career.
Continued belowOh man, that’s rough. Do you think that’s common among webcomics creators?
V: I think it’s absolutely common especially among those starting out. Once you start asking around and observing what more seasoned creators are doing themselves, then you start to question whether you can sustain that kind of workload indefinitely or if it’s better to think of alternatives.
I mean, the advantage is gaining a readership on the platform, and it’s a huge boost you’re given, but also, you’re not paid anywhere near industry standard. But I suppose that for someone starting out it’s decent pay.
Sounds like you weren’t 100% thrilled about the Webtoons schedule. Did it affect the way you created the story?
V: It definitely did. I think that I, and I’m guessing others in my position too, was very eager to please at first, and wanted to do my part well. Plus, if you didn’t hand in your episode on time, you didn’t get paid, so that was extra motivation. And after a while I wanted to make my episodes as long as other webcomic creators (and to please readers as well,) so that meant producing more content each week. I sacrificed a lot of quality in order to push the story and meet deadlines, which is why I made sure to take my time with future projects.
I’m not doing that again. [Laughs]
I can imagine. I’m guessing you had this in mind when you began “The Ocean Soul.”
V: That’s a big yep. Once I finished “UTA” (and slept for about three months, went outside, started interacting with fellow humans again,) I swore to myself I’d take it slow with “TOS,” write out the script first instead of the day before drawing an episode. I want “TOS” to be more about aesthetic, less the chaos that was “UTA.” Plus the themes are pretty different as well. And only four main characters this time!!!
Huzzah!
V: I learned my lesson!!!
Speaking of the work process, do you work digitally, physically or a combination of both? What about your preferred format do you find works best for you?
V: I work almost entirely in digital mediums. The exception is the thumbnailing process, which I almost always do traditionally because I can concentrate better planning panels on paper than on a screen for some reason. I prefer digital though, because I end up filling a lot of sketchbooks and I move around a lot so it’s difficult to keep track of which pages are thumbnailed in what sketchbook.
Also, killing less trees is always favourable!
That it is! What have you found to be the most challenging part of the creation process? Is it the idea generation, the scripting or is it a function of the art, the lettering or the coloring?
V: Inking.
That’s literally it. Inking and inking backgrounds. I really am working to optimize this part of the process and make it more pleasant for myself but I’ve yet to get there!
. . .And maybe the discipline to write more script before starting on making pages.
Your backgrounds do come out looking gorgeous and full.
V: Thank you very much! It involves crying
How much time is spent on backgrounds vs the rest?
I usually draw characters speedily, depending on whether the angle is 3/4 facing left…if not, then it’ll take a while longer. Backgrounds take significantly more of my time because I want everyone to think I’m good at them.
I think 90% of my comic-making time is spent choosing what opacity a filter layer should be at.
A very specific angle.
V: Please don’t make me draw a head tilted upwards. [Laughs]
Every artist has the thing they loathe to draw, right?
V: Oh yeah.
Back to “UTA,” though. When creating it, you were making each update for, for lack of a better term, the scroll. Did this change the way you thought about your narrative or about the way the characters interacted?
V: It changed how I viewed webcomics a lot. It pretty much ruined the traditional format for me honestly, I love scrolling comics, and it really boosted many parts of the narrative, gave me freedom outside of the constraints of the traditional ‘page’ format. A lot of people read comics on their phones/tablets and I think the vertical format adapts to our scrolling habits nicely.
Continued belowIt also leaves you a lot of literal visual space to play with as a creator and I like that you can use it to your advantage, whether it’s to give the reader’s eyes a bit of a rest from the action, or use the downward direction for big reveals. I didn’t use as many scrolling tricks with “UTA” because I learned about them more later and now with “TOS” I’m thinking more about getting it print-ready more than scroll-adaptive but I try to find middle ground!
That so interesting to hear, as I know there are a lot of people who feel the opposite. Is there a reason you are leaning more towards making “The Ocean Soul” print-ready vs built solely for the internet and digital?
V: I think I want to make “TOS” easier to keep, if that makes sense? By making it print-ready from the get-go, it helps lighten the workload a lot when the time comes to send it off to print or PDF. I feel like it’s more practical to have it in page format that I can adapt to a vertical format than the other way around.
Another lesson learned from “UTA,” because I made it for scrolling format and now getting it print-ready is giving me massive headaches.
Oof. Yeah. Do you see your webcomic living longer in print? Do you find this to be a larger trend with webcomics in general?
V: I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve never sent anything off to print before, and I’m basing my knowledge off feedback from readers who have expressed their wish to own physical copies of my comics, which is overwhelming but in a good way! I do like the idea of seeing a “UTA” or “TOS” collection on a bookshelf, because that’s how I started out as a kid with comics and illustrated books. But also, I want to keep my work in digital format and free-to-read as well.
It’s a tough thing to balance, eh?
V: Yep, plus it takes up funds! Digital is definitely cheaper, but print is kind of nostalgic? At least for me anyway. It’s nice to flip through a physical book.
I wonder how much of that nostalgia drives the trend for print collections of webcomics. I know it, the permanence of it, and supporting the creators is why I purchase them.
That and it means I can bring them to cons and get them signed.
V: Bless you for that! If not for those who support our craft, it would be a lot harder to survive as a creator. I love to buy books and zines whenever I can and if my location allows. Gotta support your fellow creators too.
Too true. It’s a hard world for webcomics creators, especially now that the revenue model has changed so much.
V: It’s consistently getting harder for us, I agree. And getting harder on those who’d like to keep supporting us as well. Lots of variables to take into account.
OK, I’ve got just a couple more questions. Earlier, you mentioned that you used to have an autobiographical webcomic. What made you decide that it wasn’t a genre you wanted to pursue anymore? Or was it simply that the comic had outlived its purpose for you?
V: Hmmm, a little bit of both? I made content for it during a difficult time. I was having a bad crisis, I was unemployed and getting treated for anxiety and depression so I tried to keep myself busy with that and with “UTA.” I had to make a decision on which series to continue and chose “UTA!” After I finished “UTA,” I tried to go back to “No Panic Button” but found I didn’t need it anymore. And there are plenty of relatable comics out there that I enjoy and felt that I didn’t need to add mine to the mix.
Was it a hard decision to make at the time?
V: At the time of the decision, I didn’t think twice about choosing “UTA.” Its characters’ stories were, I felt, much more rewarding and cathartic to tell compared to my own and it was just as personal as my relatable comic. Naturally I felt sad, and still do, about leaving “No Panic Button” behind but it’s just another of those projects I started and never finished.
Continued belowAnd now you’re creating “The Ocean Soul,” which is a totally different beast than both “UTA” and “No Panic Button.”
V: And it has 99% more butts!
And many more mer-folk.
V: “TOS” is no less personal, and it helps with my ocean nostalgia.
How so?
V: I’m indulging the inner child that was crazy about merfolk. I love the sea and not being around it is painful, now that I’m landlocked, I have even more wistful thoughts of the ocean and I find that relatable to the main character’s future struggles. . .Spoiler alert.
I’m all about important scenes happening near ocean.
There certainly are those in “UTA” as well with Nen. Which actually brings me to my other question, interestingly enough. Both “UTA” and “TOS” are fantasy stories, although “UTA” is set in an alternate world while “TOS” is set in a semi-fictionalized 14th century Britain. Because of this, are there aspects of fantasy most appeal to you and your work?
V: “TOS” is actually set around the 5th-6th century and will feature heavy artistic license. What I find appealing in fantasy is the ability to do this, mostly because there’s not a lot of information available about this period specifically, after the Romans left and before the Saxons arrived.
Shoot, I was about a millennia off. Are there any tropes you look to avoid in your works?
V: Hmmm, there are tropes I want to avoid, and some I’ll be including (no ragrets.) I want this story to question and possibly challenge gender roles. I wanted the main character to be a generically attractive, vain merman with all of the stereotypical attributes and motivations usually given to mermaids.
I think my main concern is romantic tropes for the moment, and any that are pushed for the sake of drama.
Such as? And are there any tropes or genre trappings, both of romance and fantasy, that you love that you’ve included?
V: Oh heck, so many. In fact, there’s an entry on TVtropes for “UTA” that a reader told me about and you can see for yourself. Them there’s my favourites.
Ha! I always forget about that site.
V: And no worries about the time period.
I guess I, and any curious readers, will have to give it a nose
V: Please think of me fondly. [Laughs.] For “TOS,” there’s going to be the ditzy merman trope, at least.
Alrighty, to close us out, then, what are three webcomics you would recommend for fans of “Under the Aegis” and “The Ocean Soul?” And, perhaps, one or two for fans of “No Panic Button?”
V: My top three right now have to be:
– “Heart of Gold” by Eli Baum and Viv Tanner (if you like churches, pianists and priests with secrets.)
– “What Lies Within” by Lacey (for fans of vampires, demons and cryptids.)
– “Sfeer Theory” by Jayd “Chira” Aït-Kaci (artist) and Alex Singer (writer.)
And as far as relatable comics go you can’t go wrong with Sarah Andersen or Ketnipz.
There are so many webcomics that I’ve got my eye on and should be reading but being a webcomic creator means sacrificing reading time for creating time.
