What elements are important in reviewing a comic?

[alquackskey]

I've been sitting on this idea for a while, and I was thinking of starting a blog for reviewing Disney content; I know that many have done it before me, but it's still something that I'd like to try my hand at.

What I wanted to ask here was, when comics are the subject of a review, where would it be best to focus my attention? What details might one forget to consider, or not pay enough attention to?
What details might one focus TOO much on?

I understand how to do a basic review of something, of course, but I'd also like to provide content worth reading; there's no point in starting otherwise.

Most people here are more well-versed than I am; if you were to read a review or discussion on a comic story, what would you think of as being absolutely integral to discussion?
Any and all advice and suggestions are appreciated!

[LP]

I'm certainly no expert, but I enjoy watching movie reviews on Youtube, and I've reviewed comics on this forum before. I guess you should focus on the aspects that you yourself find most important. I focused mainly on the storytelling and the characters. That's what I think is the most important in a story. And of course: since comics is a visual media, the visuals are important too. 

Getting readers is hard, but if it's something you want to do, then go for it! I did it mainly because sharing my frustrations about a particular comic is a way to process those frustrations. Also, I think it's fun and educational; by pointing out what's bad it's easier to appreciate what's good, and vice versa.

[alquackskey]

Jan 12, 2023 19:33:41 GMT LP said:

I'm certainly no expert, but I enjoy watching movie reviews on Youtube, and I've reviewed comics on this forum before. I guess you should focus on the aspects that you yourself find most important. I focused mainly on the storytelling and the characters. That's what I think is the most important in a story. And of course: since comics is a visual media, the visuals are important too. 

Getting readers is hard, but if it's something you want to do, then go for it! I did it mainly because sharing my frustrations about a particular comic is a way to process those frustrations. Also, I think it's fun and educational; by pointing out what's bad it's easier to appreciate what's good, and vice versa.

Thank you for the input!
That definitely makes sense; it makes sense that the most authentic form of engagement would come from what's found to be engaging from a personal standpoint, rather than one that meets some kind of criteria, even if those criteria aren't always the most interesting or easy to talk about.
As for the visuals, I suppose I might be getting ahead of myself; I have this notion in my head that I'd end up repeating myself or running out of stuff to say, but like you say, it's about personal engagement - to worry about that so prematurely, saying it out loud, does feel kind of ridiculous

Personally, I'm not actually hugely worried about readership; personally, I don't have the greatest memory, even for things I love. In a way, it would be almost like a repository, of sorts? Like, a way to watch something fresh and be able to refer back to certain details that stood out to me, or facts that I found interesting about it.
I agree, writing something out does make it a lot easier to process - oftentimes, in doing so, I end up either building a solid argument or realizing that I don't care as much as I thought I did 

Thanks again for the input!

[That Duckfan]

It's not an easy thing to do. I do most of the reviewing around here, and you may have noticed that I don't cover comics all that often. I find it harder, somehow.

I personally put a lot of emphasis on story, because I find it the most compelling (and often neglected) part of a piece of fiction. No matter how many millions of dollars you put into a movie, story remains key to whether it sinks or floats -- or so scriptwriters like to tell themselves. With regards to Disney, the rule is that the best story is one that develops naturally from the character's motivation, so character is also important.
Comics are of course a very visual medium. I'm not an artist at heart, so this is also something I struggle to put into words.

Personally, I find that the real 'verdicts' on things tend to be in the court of public opinion. Your take isn't going to be the definitive one - art is not a science. But your opinion has one ace up its sleeve --- it's yours. Your experience of something is always going to be colored by your background and experiences, and that's something you can capitalize on. As you learn about your tastes, you learn about yourself and what the story in front of you says about you. This is why I write a lot of "I think" and "I feel", rather than "it is". It's a mirror.

One development that I've followed with interest is the replacement of YouTube reviewers with video essayists. If you're like me, and like enjoy pseudo-intellectual patter about some cultural phenomenon, that's great. It's an effective way to shed a specific light on something, using your expertise of choice. Of course, there are some who go too far in this exercise, but it's the thought that counts. I have read essays that had absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand, but were absolutely riveting to read.

Ask yourself: what is it that motivates you to write about comics? Are you an artist, or do you want to become an artist? Do you want to teach, or to learn more about how comics work? These are all valid reasons, but each one leads to a slightly different review.

The only way you will find out what works best for you is by doing the thing.

[alquackskey]

Jan 20, 2023 19:35:56 GMT That Duckfan said:

It's not an easy thing to do. I do most of the reviewing around here, and you may have noticed that I don't cover comics all that often. I find it harder, somehow.

I personally put a lot of emphasis on story, because I find it the most compelling (and often neglected) part of a piece of fiction. No matter how many millions of dollars you put into a movie, story remains key to whether it sinks or floats -- or so scriptwriters like to tell themselves. With regards to Disney, the rule is that the best story is one that develops naturally from the character's motivation, so character is also important.
Comics are of course a very visual medium. I'm not an artist at heart, so this is also something I struggle to put into words.

Personally, I find that the real 'verdicts' on things tend to be in the court of public opinion. Your take isn't going to be the definitive one - art is not a science. But your opinion has one ace up its sleeve --- it's yours. Your experience of something is always going to be colored by your background and experiences, and that's something you can capitalize on. As you learn about your tastes, you learn about yourself and what the story in front of you says about you. This is why I write a lot of "I think" and "I feel", rather than "it is". It's a mirror.

One development that I've followed with interest is the replacement of YouTube reviewers with video essayists. If you're like me, and like enjoy pseudo-intellectual patter about some cultural phenomenon, that's great. It's an effective way to shed a specific light on something, using your expertise of choice. Of course, there are some who go too far in this exercise, but it's the thought that counts. I have read essays that had absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand, but were absolutely riveting to read.

Ask yourself: what is it that motivates you to write about comics? Are you an artist, or do you want to become an artist? Do you want to teach, or to learn more about how comics work? These are all valid reasons, but each one leads to a slightly different review.

The only way you will find out what works best for you is by doing the thing.

Thank you for weighing in!

For the record, I don't plan to look solely at comics; it's just that, of all the relevant media, comics are the ones I believe I'd struggle with the most.
Taking them by individual issues, the stories tend to be short; I worry that I'd be repeating myself or treading the same ground - though I'm starting to come around to the idea that I'm blowing that out of proportion in my head 

I agree about story and characters being absolutely integral to a proper review; they tend to be what I remember most from a film, characters especially - so that definitely tracks with keeping the review personalized and authentic
As for art, I wouldn't be an expert myself; I've dabbled in it, but it's all been self-learning, so I know nothing of official techniques. That being said, it's easy enough to point out what character designs or set pieces I like - so that's definitely something to look at!

That's honestly a really good point; I don't aim to be definitive in any way - I'm well aware that it's all been covered before me - but I have a few personal slants that I'd definitely want to put in when reviewing

I've definitely noticed the trend; admittedly, some of my inspiration would come from the older reviewers - not in terms of comedy or anything, just I do have a respect for that older style of 'run through a bit, explain, run through a bit, explain' - if that makes sense

And it has taken some thinking, but I do know what I'm going for; it's a bit of both, but generally, what I want to do is learn, then share what I've learned

Right now, the main thing I'm struggling with is structure; as in, when hopping between different media, how to time it - I don't want to be locked to one topic too long, but I also don't want to aimlessly meander and annoy people
Like you say, though, the best way to figure it out is by doing

Thank you again for your input - it has been very helpful!