Whilst the archive isn't huge - going from twice-a-week to once-a-week updates due to moving house and losing my buffer, along with changing the way I made the comics to a process that gave better results but took longer, means that it's quite easy to click through the entire comic in a matter of minutes.
But I've never stuck with something this long under my own steam, so I'm allowing myself to feel a bit proud of myself, and giving myself this post to be congratulatory.
Statistics
73 Comics drawn specifically for W Word, 1 older filler comic and 1 first birthday card.
30 followers on comicfury, 32 on Tumblr.
8140 unique visitors on comicfury, with 67,448 pages viewed, and average strip rating of 4.85/5.
Highest number of comicfury hits per day - 62, 3rd January 2014
Highest number of notes on tumblr - 80, on this strip.
1199 pageviews on the blog (yay!)
I know the numbers aren't massive in terms of just about anything else on the internet, but hell, I know that the majority of those are from people I don't know. Like, these aren't just family or friends who are reading out of politeness and a sense of obligation. These are people from elsewhere in the world who feel that I have something to say that is of interest to them. Who are willing to put up with my all-thumbs approach to practising my art and scripting, and (hopefully!) enjoy what they see.
These numbers are a great boost to my self-confidence, and have really helped with my self-discipline to stick with this project. I've committed to it, and now I feel like there are people who are at least somewhat invested in it, I've got to keep going and see it through, unlike previous attempts where I did like four comics and got bored.
I've also been making a point of going back and reading through the archives of popular comics on the internet and seeing how their art styles changed and matured with practice and experience, and I've been getting good at learning how that's fine. It was one of those things that I accepted easily in other people, but not in my own art. Maintaining this for a year has helped me to see the change in my art, and feel my skills change, and give me the confidence to start challenging myself slowly and developing.
So, in honour of my first birthday, I'd like to share with you some of the comics that have always inspired me to want to join the ranks of webcomic artists, and whose work I love and admire greatly.
Bad Machinery
I've been reading John Allison's work since I was in high school, at least a decade ago now, and I've seen his art and storytelling style change through three different, but wonderfully interlinked webcomics. Personally I'd recommend going right back to the start and reading everything from Bobbins onwards, but I'm biased. I own so much of his stuff too, like 6 t-shirts, a book and two or three mini-comics. His designs are amazing and his fictional teen girl characters dress better than I do.
Girls with Slingshots
Danielle Corsetto has a wonderful sense of humour and a delightful appreciation for the wonders of alcohol. Her ability to portray detail with comparatively simple lines is a thing of beauty, and her facial expressions are amazing. Recently I've also been really enjoying how she's been mixing up camera angles and panel composition, which has inspired me somewhat, although I'm not skilled enough yet to achieve it quite as well!
Stop Paying Attention
Lucy Knisley has a wonderful way of observing the world around her, and it was her work that made me realise that journal-comics could be a thing, although I've never had the skill or the patience to create the sort of thoughtful and insightful comics she draws. She also does some wonderful travelogues and yummy recipes.
Nimona
I actually only discovered Nimona fairly recently, but I fell totally in love with Noelle Stephenson's art style, and the doodles on her tumblr are just the best.
So go, read and enjoy these wonderful comics! And thank you all for your support over this last year, I hope you'll stick around for the future!
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