Official "Discuss the latest page" thread

[altasilvapuer]

Apologies for the double-post and the wall o'text, but I felt this merited both saying and a separate posting:

Some thoughts, on the note of advertising revenue, as well:
I normally run a Firefox addon by the name of Adblock Plus that prevents most ads like that from even rendering. I think this addon may be included in the newest version of Firefox, due to its popularity, but I could be mistaken.

I have had it running for so long, that I often forget it is even there. It seems to work by blocking that whole frame, so that things positioned relative to the ad might move, but everything else remains the same. As an example of what I mean: when the sidebar ad on the comic page is blocked, the button to vote for your comic is right under the link to the RSS feed, with little/no gap. When the ad is unblocked, it falls between the RSS link and the voting button.

With that in mind, my first point is to wonder whether the use of the aforementioned addon's ability to interrupt the rendering of the ad causes the ad revenue to not generate. I have set my copy of Adblock Plus to turn itself while on your web domain, just in case this what is in fact happening.

My other point stems from visiting the forum with the blocker off. I noticed that there seem to be no ads on the forum, whatsoever; they seem to exist only on the comic. I know many of us occasionally tire of looking at ads, but I recognize that they do serve a purpose in some cases, and will re-allow them, as in this case. Is it possible, within the forum software, to add at least one adspace to the forum? Since you update once a week, my guess is that the majority of your site traffic is to the Comic only on Mondays, while on the forums nearly every day of the week.

Just a thought.

-asp

[Lokekar Kra]

If life were not so difficult at times then the best moments of our lives would lose their shine. The one thing that helps me get through rough times, which includes right now even, is knowing that it will not go on for ever. Trials and tribulations have their end on their own schedule. All I can say from experience is that we never are alone and that there are plenty of helping hands out there if we can swallow our pride to only look.

Onto today's page, it did not disappoint! I figured at first it was a hologram to "greet" them, but from the captain's reaction this will be interesting. And as said above, you are a master at telling a great deal with just faces and postures, if you were an actor you would make Australia proud, but then we would not have Crimson Dark, so we are the lucky ones.

Crimson Dark is foremost yours to do with as you wish. We have not paid you for this delightful story in any way, so it is well within your rights to do what you want. Sure I would be disappointed to see it go on long hiatus. One comic I greatly liked, Rules of Make Believe (another great story with great drawing), went on "temporary" hiatus a long time ago. Do I wish the writer/artist would return to weekly updates, sure, but I am just grateful for having the chance to read it at all. I feel much the same about Crimson Dark. I of course will be depressed if it goes or updates less often, but that will never change how grateful I am to you David for letting us peer into that brilliant mind of yours and see what goes on in there with these characters.

[Dtech]

Not really about the latest page, but I don't see another way to send you a message. As a long time sufferer of assorted medical conditions (several of which you have now), I just wanted to tell you to hang in there. Believe me, it could be worse.

I'd also like to tell you that I wish I could contribute - I do enjoy Crimson Dark, and I hope to see how it comes out. Unfortunately, the economy here is in the tank and I seem to be unemployable.

In short, nothing useful, just a few words of commiseration and praise for the story.

Mike-

[DWG]

Okay... glowy, silvery girl(?) in the airlock. Hologram, ghost, serious level of augmentation, or something else entirely? Your public demands to know!

On a more practical slant, I'm not convinced barefoot in shorts is the optimum ensemble for boarding another spaceship

Touching on the real-life stuff, a point I've had made to me both in relation to art and to managing chronic illness/disability is that they both need to be treated professionally -- that's not 'treated by professionals', but rather that you as the artist/person with the illness need to approach each of them as though they are a profession if you are truly serious about getting the best from them. It's a double-edged sword to an extent, particularly with the art, as it means giving attention to something other than just your muse, but if, for instance, you can talk management to the managers then you are better placed to keep them out of your hair to let yourself concentrate on the actual creative stuff.

Pacing-wise there are two separate issues with a web-comic: how does it work as a page a week/whatever ongoing tale, and how does it work as a single work to be read in a sitting. I'm pretty patient, it didn't matter to me that Chapter 6 took a year to tell and was mostly people talking in static situations, because I found what they were saying interesting, but for other people without that patience and interest I can easily see that it would drag. OTOH reading it in one sitting wouldn't quite have the same degree of dragginess. Perhaps the issue with Chapter 6 was that both the current and flashback threads were static and talky; one talky, one-action based might have struck a better balance for the less committed readers. Even the best of writers have trouble finding a balance that satisfies everyone -- look at what happened to Serenity. Personally I'm more concerned with how the tale will read when complete, but anyone doing something episodic has to consider the audience reading it piece by piece, and inevitably that means compromise and likely a sulking muse

[jmk_saint]

Just a note to say how much I enjoy the webcomic. It's high quality, very enjoyable and I think it has a remarkable style. What you've got here is special on a number of levels. Don't get discouraged, get innovative. You've got readers worldwide that respond to your content. That's awesome.

[Fractalsphere]

Hi! Long time reader, but had to comment on your latest post.

I'm sorry you've been going through such hard times lately. Personally, I think Crimson Dark is a great story with fabulous art and I always look forward to an update!

Best of luck getting your physical situation sorted out (going to the doctor was a good first step - haha!).

Normally I don't really read the wall-o-text, but just wanted to add a word of encouragement here.

Rich

[Tachyon]

You have my sympathy. You really do. >.>

Thank you for deciding to continue the comic. It's one of my favorites, and I really appreciate being able to read it.

[Darkheart]

I'm right there with Fractalsphere. Long time reader first time poster.


You've got a comic with the same kind of suspense and dark humor as something produced our master Joss.

If you post it they will read it.

Best of luck with recovery of you health problems.

[Larhanya]

Another first time poster but avid reader!

When you said that you had considered giving up Crimson Dark I think I started to have a panic attack

On the other hand, as a student myself, I understand the pressures of being in class, and can only imagine the added pressure of not being well while trying to get that edu-ma-cation. I hope your visits to the doc lead to better health soon! Take things as they come, at the pace that your body and mind allow.

You're an artistic genius, brother! I'm sure there are many people praying for you all over the world!

[PO8]

Just wanted to drop a note to say that I'm really enjoying your comic, and am grateful that you are willing to continue it at whatever pace you can manage.

As a college professor (albeit of CS), I have huge sympathy for the time pressure an academic program can put on you. I'd encourage you to try to work with your instructors, if at all possible, to find ways to integrate your work on Crimson Dark into your academic work, so that you can "double dip" a little bit. And if you're really not happy with the institution you're attending, I'd encourage you to look for a different one. I've been there, and was really glad I got out.

As a 45-ish sedentary guy who just had a colonoscopy that found diverticulosis, internal hemorrhoids, and a now-removed pre-cancerous lesion (to add to my existing batch of medical issues) I certainly sympathize with your health troubles as well. Thanks much for being willing to let people know what's happening to you.

And again, thanks for Crimson Dark. Your writing, art, and story are all consistently strong, and I only can say that about a few comics on the web.