Back to the BfloD  

Why do webcomikers go furry?

This is a legitimate topic. You can even disregard my derision to the genre, since this a topic about creative motivation—just ignore my own ‘WTF’ about it all. At face value, we can simply distill it to ‘special interest,’ the same as gamers, sprites, workplace, and most other subgenres.

However, creating an animal-anthropomorphic cast-and-setting to share your artistic genius suggests a broader yearning, since I’ve seen few anthro comics that couldn’t tell their stories just as well with an all-human cast. Fantasy settings aside, it’s not a question of content, but some manner of left-field characterization where featuring furry-anthros adds a nuance the writer/artist can’t present without the fantasy. And considering the overwhelming stigma versus furries compared to its niche fanbase, building a full-time project in this oft-maligned cloister takes a commitment I can’t relate to.

So why furry?

Here we go: Gothbunnies

By Joanna Wojtysiak (alias Munkymu) GothBunnies is furry-lite (read: suspends disbelief) since the premise actually matches the characters: three garden rabbits who’ve just moved into a new, mysterious hole. While the narration begins with kids-book gentleness, the bunnies themselves don’t waste time in sharing their eccentricities and sarcasm, ranging from general slacking-off to suicide being a better alternative to work.

Honestly, within the first five clicks, I was charmed.

As the siblings explore their new home, a contest for supremacy ensues between the newcomers and shovel-wielding shrubs. The Chlorocontructs (magic plant monsters) must be defeated before our protagonists can even settle into their new home!

Thus, the supernatural element merges with the humanoid rabbits, and all becomes gold from thereon-though this almost-100-strip-old webmangu.

Gothbunnies starts with thick (if clean) B&W lineart, but quickly develops with more sophisticated backgrounds and a slimmer feel to it, making it more attractive as time goes on. While a minimalist, Munkymu puts the detail where it counts and has a great sense for character expression. It’s nice to see such fluid and noticeable improvement in lineart, especially when it wasn’t shitty to start with. That shows commitment by the artist, and leaves me with nothing but positive expectations for GB’s future. I’m actually interested in colored strips (covers), and I don’t often bother caring about that.

As far as the writing, the dialogue is snappy, witty, if British (I jest, that’s again, charming). The pacing is fine from panel to panel and from strip to strip.

Fuck, the whole goddamn comic is as polished as it needs to be. No glaring flaws. But nothing real exceptional either. It’s just kind of hanging out, pleasing it fans. Capable within the top five percentile of webcomics.

So, J.W. Munkymu, congratulations. You’ve crossed into Crowfeathers limbo.

CF is my fav example, since, while the project was stellar for chapters upon chapters, it was the best minimalist mangu webcomic no one had ever heard of. Crowfeathers is starting to come into the web-public eye, and Gothbunnies is certainly in the running as a replacement for ‘most capable minimalist mangu webcomic no one has ever heard of.’

I’m talking to the creator here, but feel free to eavesdrop:

Dear Miss J.W. Munkymu,

Thanks for the fun read.

If you’re a semi-pro-illustrator/hobbyist-webcomicker, you’ve certainly hit your stride, no matter the genre. However, I believe Gothbunnies could gather more attention if you work as hard on webdesign and webpresence as you have the project itself.

Some simple (read: grayscale) texture in your website’s borders, and any manner of banner, would make the design look a lot more modern and, OMG-buzzword, dynamic. As it stands, the minimalism of the comic is great, but for the webdesign, it’d be something I’d click off of if I didn’t know any better.

Minimalism is a stepping stone, a foundation, not an end result. Your development in character designs and backgrounds should be a relatable example.

I’d like to see an archive/home link in the page navigation, since clicking ‘first’ isn’t a very intuitive way to find home.

I’d like to see an ‘about/bio’ page about the project, or youself, or both. That’s fun stuff for readers, especially new fans, as we instantly relate to the project as something bigger than the story itself. All of a sudden, we become excited about you as an artist, and are much more willing to see/help you succeed in voting, merch, etc.

The blog link should also more prominent. And while I’m not saying create a forum, a venue for public feedback (not just e-mail) is so common these days as to be default. Community starts with public feedback.

I won’t press anything on the level of gathering press, or advertising, but if you shore up just a few details and make yourself an online character, it’ll pay dividends in return readership. If you tweak your webdesign, it may just help get a few more people to click into your archives—it certainly won’t chase anyone away.

Overall, it doesn’t feel like you’re taking this seriously beyond your own artistic effort. It’s a shame, since you’re one of the few people that might aught to–you’re underachieving. You may as well develop the web-and-community aspect and see where it goes, no expectations required. It’s a week’s work for a who-knows result.

Best wishes,
Aarin