ComicPress?

Amtekoth · 02-14-2012, 12:22 AM

Any opinions here on using the ComicPress theme laid over WordPress for a webcomic? The other theme, I think is simply called "webcomic". I'm having difficulty pulling the trigger on this (I can't code but a little).

dmh_3000 · 02-14-2012, 01:27 AM

It works fine for me. I got someone else to do the coding for my comic though.

zcotty · 02-14-2012, 05:17 AM

I used it at one time very intensively (I still use it a bit) and it's great. Very flexible.

pi0trov · 02-14-2012, 10:11 PM

Comicpress is great if your main goal is to host a single comic on your site - it does everything you need and is pretty straightforward. DJ Coffman has a great tutorial on his site for hosting a comic using it: http://www.djcoffman.com/how-to-host-your-own-webcomic/

Webcomic isn't actually a theme - rather it's a Wordpress plugin that can theoretically be made to work with any theme. But if you're not CSS-savvy, you'd be best to stick with the Inkblot theme, that's made to work with it.

I'm a fan of Webcomic, mainly because you can easily host multiple different comics on one WP site, and you don't have to make one specific comic the focus of your site if you don't want to (e.g. if you want to add comics to an already established blog).

Both are well supported though, and either would be good choices - just depends on what you want to do with your site. There are a few other comic publishing themes and plug-ins available for WP, but none of those really seemed as tested and reliable as CP and WC.

And if you're thinking of going with Webcomic, the creator has a series of video tutorials he made, explaining how to set things up (most of these were made for an earlier version of WC, but they're still applicable): Webcomic 101

Amtekoth · 02-15-2012, 01:43 PM

I was planning on doing several sites. The most important was moving my www.labbratz.com site to a webcomic-friendly format, because right now the design is pretty non-functional.

I also want to put together a better site for the Mongrel Graphic Novel that Andrew Kudelka and I are working on.

Third, I have formed a small publishing company, Velvet Leaf Publishing, to gather my various projects together. I currently have the domain names I need for for Velvet Leaf Publishing, Lab Bratz, and Mongrel.

So you're saying if I go with "webcomic" for WordPress instead of "ComicPress", I can set up a Velvet Leaf Publishing main site and then have Lab Bratz and Mongrel as separate webcomics on the site? Do you have any examples of that?

pi0trov · 02-15-2012, 06:43 PM

I think a good example for what you might be after is the Sorcery 101 site: Sorcery101.net

He's got a his main updates on the front page, with the various comics in their own sections. Pretty sure he's using some custom WordPress theme, but it's still with the Webcomic plugin for organizing the comics.

Or for a much more bare-bones example check out LarsBrown.com (Lars is the creator of North World and a friend of mine). He just started switching his homepage over to WC+InkBlot in the last week or 2, with a basic blog, and has begun archiving some of his short stories on the site.

Bulletboy-Redux · 05-01-2012, 04:22 AM

Pretty intimidating at first. I came close to giving up several times. But once you get the hang of the basics (after lots of trial and error) it's pretty awesome. There's was pretty much nothing I wanted to do that I found myself unable to do.

I'd suggest learning at least the basics of CSS because it expands the number of ways you can customize your site. You don't have to become an expert. In fact all you really have to understand is whatever bit of code you're trying to modify. The "companion" tool that comes with every theme lets you single out specific bits of code and modify them without altering the theme's original css file, so you can tinker all you want without doing any permanent damage. Online tutorials will be your best guide as you go.

02-14-2012, 12:22 AM	#1
Amtekoth Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 371	ComicPress? Any opinions here on using the ComicPress theme laid over WordPress for a webcomic? The other theme, I think is simply called "webcomic". I'm having difficulty pulling the trigger on this (I can't code but a little).

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02-14-2012, 01:27 AM	#2
dmh_3000 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 616	It works fine for me. I got someone else to do the coding for my comic though.

02-14-2012, 05:17 AM	#3
zcotty Based on a living person. Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 1,583	I used it at one time very intensively (I still use it a bit) and it's great. Very flexible.

02-14-2012, 10:11 PM	#4
pi0trov Peter Foglesong Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 1,198	Comicpress is great if your main goal is to host a single comic on your site - it does everything you need and is pretty straightforward. DJ Coffman has a great tutorial on his site for hosting a comic using it: http://www.djcoffman.com/how-to-host-your-own-webcomic/ Webcomic isn't actually a theme - rather it's a Wordpress plugin that can theoretically be made to work with any theme. But if you're not CSS-savvy, you'd be best to stick with the Inkblot theme, that's made to work with it. I'm a fan of Webcomic, mainly because you can easily host multiple different comics on one WP site, and you don't have to make one specific comic the focus of your site if you don't want to (e.g. if you want to add comics to an already established blog). Both are well supported though, and either would be good choices - just depends on what you want to do with your site. There are a few other comic publishing themes and plug-ins available for WP, but none of those really seemed as tested and reliable as CP and WC. And if you're thinking of going with Webcomic, the creator has a series of video tutorials he made, explaining how to set things up (most of these were made for an earlier version of WC, but they're still applicable): Webcomic 101

02-15-2012, 01:43 PM	#5
Amtekoth Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 371	I was planning on doing several sites. The most important was moving my www.labbratz.com site to a webcomic-friendly format, because right now the design is pretty non-functional. I also want to put together a better site for the Mongrel Graphic Novel that Andrew Kudelka and I are working on. Third, I have formed a small publishing company, Velvet Leaf Publishing, to gather my various projects together. I currently have the domain names I need for for Velvet Leaf Publishing, Lab Bratz, and Mongrel. So you're saying if I go with "webcomic" for WordPress instead of "ComicPress", I can set up a Velvet Leaf Publishing main site and then have Lab Bratz and Mongrel as separate webcomics on the site? Do you have any examples of that?

02-15-2012, 06:43 PM	#6
pi0trov Peter Foglesong Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 1,198	I think a good example for what you might be after is the Sorcery 101 site: Sorcery101.net He's got a his main updates on the front page, with the various comics in their own sections. Pretty sure he's using some custom WordPress theme, but it's still with the Webcomic plugin for organizing the comics. Or for a much more bare-bones example check out LarsBrown.com (Lars is the creator of North World and a friend of mine). He just started switching his homepage over to WC+InkBlot in the last week or 2, with a basic blog, and has begun archiving some of his short stories on the site.

05-01-2012, 04:22 AM	#7
Bulletboy-Redux Rex Dart: Eskimo Spy Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: New York, NY USA Posts: 82	Pretty intimidating at first. I came close to giving up several times. But once you get the hang of the basics (after lots of trial and error) it's pretty awesome. There's was pretty much nothing I wanted to do that I found myself unable to do. I'd suggest learning at least the basics of CSS because it expands the number of ways you can customize your site. You don't have to become an expert. In fact all you really have to understand is whatever bit of code you're trying to modify. The "companion" tool that comes with every theme lets you single out specific bits of code and modify them without altering the theme's original css file, so you can tinker all you want without doing any permanent damage. Online tutorials will be your best guide as you go.