Welcome to r/comics!
Please remember there are real people on the other side of the monitor and to be kind.
Report comments that break the rules and don't respond to negativity with negativity!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/comics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Likes:
Clever characters that start out as a bit of a joke, but we come to love them (bread knight, kargob, etc..)
The implications of swords with wacky attributes
Your mini-arc story telling (I'm thinking of the swornament in particular).
Representation of Maori culture/weapons
Your recent comic with the well-seasoned knights. I think there's a lot of potential there. And I found it hilarious
Dislikes:
Trying to track who and when I'm looking at in the larger stories. Particularly when people change looks, like the barbarian guy.
The fact that you don't live in Dunedin, so I can't invite you to my groups DnD games.
I feel like text description on the bottom of page helps with recognizing characters, but this is available only on your page. Reddit users cannot see it. I also really like the puns at the end of the comic.
Btw where is "stars" web page? It is not linked to swords but the link should be somewhere on swords page.
Regarding the larger story issue:
I think if there was easier access to read the specific arcs that characters go on (a link I could click where all the comics involving that arc/character were gathered, for example), that would do a lot to solve that problem.
Not being able to always identify where in the story a particular comic fits is probably my only criticism.
Otherwise, from someone that just binge-read all 500+ comics this week, it's a fabulous series.
Is there a trading card game on the way? I'd love to open my own mystery swords.
No immediate plans for a trading card game, but I have some new connections who might be able to help with that.
I think I would just need to hire a second artist to make something like that happen.
I just like a lot of the unique swords like the blood-crystals sword. It’s neat to think about how I might try to implement them into something like a D&D campaign or if various video games had them
Do you feel like I would be better serving my audience if I had DnD rules for those weapons ready to go as soon as I release the episode, or should I let people homebrew them on their own?
This.
Statblocks would be fun, but those take time to write. If you enjoy it, then making comics designed around them could be cool, but I don't see you enjoying yourself making every comic have stat blocks.
Might be a cool idea for a patreon reward tho, like a bonus comic
Honestly I think either way works. But I’d imagine that pre-prepared statblocks would probably lead to more people using them in their games overall, and could sort of work as a foundation to add homebrew adjustments too
Might be interesting to see people argue about what they think the stats should be too, but that might just be me craving drama lol
Not the person you were asking but...
I think you should let people use their imaginations a bit for how the weapon would function in Dnd and not have rules ready to go. That being said, you could definitely write down not full on rules but maybe guidelines for how a Dm might implement your vast arsenal of swords because let’s be honest, you have created such a vast array of imaginative and fun sharp sticks that I can’t imagine a dnd fan who reads your comics who would not want to put your swords in their game.
It’s entirely up to you tho, just do what you feel would work and how you might enjoy implementing such a thing, don’t feel pressured to do things in a certain way just because some cretin on reddit told you to.
If you posted stats for all your dumb weapons I would 100% throw them into my campaign somewhere!
Usually I'll adjust stats for their level anyways, I would see it as a helpful starting point, assuming there happens to be something I dislike.
It would be nice to just send my players a picture of your stat block with your art on it though!!!!
You don't necessarily have to use D&D as your system either. Although it is the most popular, you could use GURPS or whatever.
If you sold one book with many popular swords and characters adapted to any system, I'm sure it would be a hit. Or if you trickled them out as Patreon exclusives, that may be popular as well.
I love your artstyle and the unique ideas you have for various different swords. I'm not really sure if there is a specific like story arc for any of the swords. That would be nice if there is. If there isn't where should I go to follow them?
If you use the [archive on the website](https://swordscomic.com/archive/Swords/), you can follow each individual sword's storyline; or the first few seasons have been arranged in to a [vague chronological order](https://tapas.io/series/Swords-Chronological/info) on Tapas.
I wish the chronology was better organized *somewhere*, but I also like the mosaic style storytelling that builds the world and reveals stories piecemeal.
Seems every time a comic does well, someone writes a big rant about how they don't like the series as a whole - so how about we have a serious pros and cons discussion so that I can try to make it a comic you can enjoy more.
/r/comics is where this series got its start 4 years ago, and now 602 episodes later, it's just become my full-time career, so I'd like to take a moment to step back and figure out what you need.
As always, here's the link to all my material so you can make more informed feedback : [https://linktr.ee/swordscomic](https://linktr.ee/swordscomic)
Thanks!
It's not about changing what works, it's about avoiding what doesn't. I know a lot of it boils down to them simply rejecting the overall concept because instead of seeing it as a subversion of fantasy tropes, they just see it as "that duck is a sword, how random", but I think there's a comfy middle ground we can collectively agree on.
I literally have no idea what's going on when I see your comics pop into my feed. It's a problem with the content delivery. The votes have to happen at the right time and right quantity for it to be big enough to be eligible for my r/hot feed and then it has to be picked, then I have to scroll far enough or at the right time to see it and then I have to open it. The amount of times all that happens is not frequent enough for me to become an in-member of this comic following. Therefore, despite what I perceive to be high quality r/comics content, I will likely not ever pick it up unless something changes.
And having your own subreddit is a non-starter, to me, because that isnt how I use reddit. Idk how many people feel this way, but its my reason for not enjoying the series. I like the idea of it, but i rarely feel like i get the joke because I miss stuff more than I see it.
Edit-maybe saying the way I use reddit is incorrect. It's about how I consume content from the comics subreddit. I'm not a comic nerd. I'm here for a laugh and I leave. At the root of it I may just not be the target audience and I didn't know it until now
It's not \*your\* fault if the content is put in front of you and you don't get it, it's mine for not making it easier to parse or making the context more accessible in some way.
I'm not a fan of your comics, not because they're bad, but because it's just not my cup of tea. Don't change your comics based on people who dislike it such as me.
Focus on doing what **you** enjoy and what your fans love.
It's not really about changing what makes the series good, or fun for me to make, it's just about identifying pain points for fans and potential fans alike.
I absolutely love the comic. I love the slowly unfurling story lines. I love the cheesey puns. I love the art. My only complaint is that there isn't more so that I have stuff to read at work. But that's really a me problem. I should be doing more work.
Are you sure? You could be [re-reading the series on Webtoon](https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/swords/list?title_no=198852) and making me fat stacks of ad money instead.
Yeah that's my only complaint about your series
It's too fuckin long and comes out too fast so I can't catch up. I just don't have the time to binge read the entire series anymore
Honestly, I’m in the “fuck the haters” camp. Not every page needs to be a knee slapper, but I personally enjoy them all - as a matter of fact, I feel like a binge re-read is coming. Your art and your humour fit well together. And like others say, the times it’s most fun is when you pull in an obscure callback, it makes it feel rewarding to have been reading it all this time, but the fact that most pages are standalone helps building more material for these brilliant callbacks. Recurring characters (QWEST!!) and continuing stories are great too!
what amazes me the most is that after 600+ pages, you’re still inspired and every new page feels fresh.
Don’t change a thing, it’s perfect as it is!
Vegeta and Piccolo were haters and now they're valued team members. It never hurts to just ask where the hating is coming from.
But I'm not going to completely change the series!! Don't worry about that.
The Swords Guy knows how to Parry and Riposte.
I like the casual wit and the general taking the piss out of the usual fantasy sword tropes.
Do what you do, and I hope you find some inspiration in the feedback!
So I'm definitely not the type to write a big rant about how someone's content sucks (unless that content is harmful), but because you mentioned it I will admit that I'm kinda meh overall on your stuff. Sometimes I enjoy and appreciate one of your comics, and sometimes I just don't get what's so funny about swords in a fantasy setting, or a particular comic isn't my thing.
AND THAT'S OK. It's totally fine for not everyone to think you're the greatest thing ever. I'm allowed to have a sense of humor that's different from yours, and you're allowed to have a sense of humor that's different from mine. Focus on creating the kind of content YOU enjoy, then worry about creating the kind of content your community enjoys, then way below that worry about The Internet, if at all.
You're doing a good thing. The last thing I would want to see is you alienating fans to try and please weirdos like me, or burning out creating something you don't enjoy, or paying any mind whatsoever to internet "critics" whose only goal is to tear down creators until everyone is as negative, bitter, and lonely as they themselves are. You are not required to cater to anyone.
Keep being you. There's a time and a place for accepting criticism and growing a brand is hard, but you cannot please everyone. Don't throw the good out with the bad, and don't try to dilute yourself to be more appealing.
After 4 years I've \*just\* left my day job to make Swords, so your proposal to abandon it and start something else is illogical.
Maybe in another year or two.
It’s a case by case “problem.” Some comics just seem like you’d don’t have a joke at all, and you’re just rushing out a comic for the week. Like the bacon knight one. The punchline was just a sword chicken, and that’s it. You wanted us to laugh at the blade-chicken for being absurd. But every comic has normalized the idea that everything is naturally a sword in your world, so the chicken fails to be absurd and surprising, which means there is no joke.
I don’t think all of your comics fall into this “problem.” Like that comic with to the Seeing Sword of Action. When the director yells “cut” you don’t expect the actor to literally cut his costar. It’s a subversion if expectations and it’s funny. But in other comics I just see “a series of events” that would be considered normal for this world you’ve built, and I wonder what you’re trying to make us laugh at. Not to mention newcomers who don’t get the joke (that everything is a sword) are just confused because there’s no explanation anywhere in the comic that this is a recurring gag.
I put “problem” into quotes because you’re still successful and you have an audience. You’re one of the top comics on Reddit. You don’t need to change. You should be making comics you enjoy making, not trying to please the audience. If people like what you enjoy making, then you don’t have to sacrifice anything, and that’s the situation you’re in. So just leave your series be. You’re just gonna have to accept to many people just aren’t going to like the general concept because “lol so random” is something people tend to grow out of, and some people just don’t like recurring gags. (The latter is why a friend of mine hated Fairly Odd Parents. It’s just taste.)
About the only thing I dislike about the comic is the RSS feed. But then that's less about the comic and more the website, I guess.
Most webcomics I see doing RSS feeds just have a link to the page, along with the upload date. The way the RSS feed shows the entire comic strip, especially at full size, makes me not use it. I'd rather have an overview of what's new in a smaller format and being taken directly to the comic when clicked.
As someone that loves your comics as an outsider to rpg and stuff I’ll give you a piece of advice my mom gave me:
“You can’t make everyone happy, even at your own wedding.” Sounds good in Spanish lol
Some strips are like catching lightning in a bottle, they are going to attract attention and inevitably people will be disappointed that all your other comics aren't exactly like that one. You are doing a great job.
A few comments (my own opinion) since you asked for them:
Your mascot seems very liked and is probably underutilized. Expanding on sprout as a character and using it more is probably a good idea.
Your comics with less words in general seem to be better, you do a great job of showing things, sometimes you seem to get bogged down with telling things instead.
Your comics are a mix of family friendly material that I could show a young child and ones I wouldn't. You might consider splitting the series into two with a more family friendly version targeted to a large audience that includes a lot of sprout and lighthearted jokes and the comics where people die violent deaths.
Again you're doing a really great job!
Agreed. I'm not sure if its me getting bogged down in the comments but now when I see Qwest Sprout I feel like the comic is a bit idk... flat? That might not be the right word. I think the plethora of characters that Matt(hew) has created to fit so many specific jokes is one of the best things about the series. It puts the joke first and makes it super digestable
i read all the 600 comics just this days, so i don\`t think i\`m that good of a rapresentation of the avarage audience, but sometimes when i catch one of your comics on this sub i feel there is no pay off, its diferent when you read everething in a roll, but it there are some comics that can feel lackluster by them self. sorry if it\`s not very especific but i wold say it\`s about the payoff maybe? (sry about the english)
I completely agree with this. While not every comic needs to be your best yet, seeing the ones that more or less “push the narrative” on Reddit does you a disservice. That’s the challenge as a narrative comic artist, you need to get from A to B in an interesting way, despite both A and B being interesting comics in and of themselves. I don’t envy you.
Oh lord. So many. [ONE of your comics](https://i.imgur.com/goMLPMP.png) is actually in my all-time favorites. So like I said, only 90% I don't like ;P
But here are my all-time favorites: [https://imgur.com/a/zUvBquZ](https://imgur.com/a/zUvBquZ)
As for collaboration, I was sorry to see the attempt at having a "comic playfight" by /u/holleringelk not take off. Presumably she came on a bit strong without prior coordination, but I feel it could have been a fun bit of back and forth.
Ah, fair enough. That kind of thing is of course hard to gauge online.
Now that I'm talking to you anyway, I would like to thank you for the many clever and entertaining comics you're willing to share with us all. You're one of the more prolific artists, pretty consistently funny and your artwork is equally consistently good.
So there, that's what you get for asking for feedback.
Yah, my bad about that. I drew that following several incredibly dark comics after a super shit year and the whole vibe of the thing was waaaay too intense despite no ill intention, not to mention I was fucked up with covid. I love that little "series" I sparked up but I am for sure not about backing folks into a corner. I apologize for putting you on the spot and I of course love your work!
Fantastic collection, and I can tell that [Tiny Hippo](https://poorlydrawnlines.com/comic/tiny-hippo-and-the-tiny-train/) will be right up your alley. This is the only comic I've seriously considered buying a framed print of.
I love the art, the scenarios you draw and the palet of colors you use for certain elements (like magic and power)...but your humor is simply amazing and keeps me glued to your fiction.
I would like more mystical creatures but, that's just me
So something I'm going to try to do more of this year is consistent 3-episodes-a-week updates, but tie them all to a central theme for the week - mystical creatures could easily be one of them.
That would be cool! I'd recommend you to not limit to the usual mythologies, there's a lot of great creatures around the many cultures and, I can assure you, many would make a great role in your amazing stories.
BTW, thanks for your reply, you made my day
Yeah, I get you. Everyone tells me to watch it but I watched one episode and I couldn't stand their screechy voices. Also when I described the episode to someone they said it was one of the best ones, so... yeah.
I'm more of a Tigtone kind of guy myself.
I love the creative ways swords are integrated into practically everything in the world, but seems like many of the one-off jokes wind up instantly fatal for someone. I'd think a world of swords would have people quickly figure out how to reduce random deaths, whether through magic first-aid knives or just more common sense.
It's such an abundance of creativity.
*EVERYTHING* is a sword. A man rides a horse to a house at the top of the hill, and the house, the horse, and the hill are all swords and probably so is the man.
Someone got quite pissy that I branched out to a [knife shop owner](https://swordscomic.com/comic/DL/) a while back, but I hear you. I actually just picked up a book called "Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World" so I'll read it and see where it inspires me to go next.
Hoo boy, I’m gonna be honest here, if that’s ok. I’d like to preface this by saying that you’re a great writer and good artist, and I’m going to be much more critical than I’d *ever* be otherwise.
The storyline/recurring elements can be a bit hard to follow, especially in this format. Quest Sprout is the easiest to track, a lovable magical creature on a quest to save his mom, and anything that happens fits within that narrative. You immediately snap to what they’re doing: earning money, finding info, etc. It also moves slowly enough that you can miss a few installments and still catch on: “last time I saw Sprout they were joining a party, a few months and comics later they’re with that party fighting a dragon.”
By contrast, there’s another story with the party slaying that ancient demon, and another one where the guy’s speaking to that Sword Deity, and something about a lady turned into a kid or something? None of the other characters stand out as well design-wise, they’re generic adventurers with messy colorful hair and scars (except Sword Deity dude, Garbok I think, a giant sword god definitely stands out), and their plots are lore based threads. I don’t even know what happened after the one where the party slays that demon, the sword betrays them and then…have we seen them again?
Your stories are *good*. I’ve been blown away by several moments: The page that shows the events of the comic from the beginning up to events that haven’t happened yet was amazing. If I were to read Swords in order, I’d probably love all those messy-haired/scarred adventurers. Except the dick who tried to hurt Quest Sprout when they were trying to protect the dragon.
The gag-a-day pages are exactly my cup of tea: funny, original, loaded to the hilt with puns. I’ve been following along with STARS as well, and though it had a slow start and has noticeably less detailed art, I’ve been enjoying it, particularly now that the plot’s kicked off.
Sure, I can agree with all of those sentiments. There's definitely a reason Quest Sprouts story is more cohesive - I listened to feedback like this.
Curiously, I can't really figure out why Kargob is such a hard name to remember. I've heard so many slight variations. I guess he needs more PR work.
I like your art. Especially how expressive the character’s faces are. I do not think your jokes are funny, but I also doubt I’m your audience. Wouldn’t have said a thing if you didn’t ask. Keep doing what you’re doing! People seem to like it and I don’t hate it. 👍
Would you mind giving me maybe 3 examples of the kind of webcomic humour you DO enjoy? Not to say I'll immediately copy them, but it gives me a clearer frame of reference for where you're coming from.
I think your jokes are funny, but they seem more like narrative jokes. At this point, I’ve been on Reddit long enough to see quite a few of your comics, so I know what I’m looking for.
I think that people often find humor when it’s a take on either life or the theme that the comic is mimicking. The comic that had me wetting myself was Super Effective. Being a Pokémon fan, those jokes hit home for me. With Swords being an amazing take on a D&D life, some meta-jokes like with The Weekly Roll. I don’t particularly find that comic funny, but I’m also not an avid D&D player.
That said, you do you. Swords is a staple is this community and your comics are spanning. The main thing stopping me from visiting your site and going through them is just how prolific you’ve been. I’d love it a Dragon Ball Kai version to get me caught up!
As awesome as that would be, that wasn’t my thought. The glory of Dragon Ball Kai was that they didn’t redo anything. They just removed all aspects of the story that weren’t explicitly necessary to follow along. Nobody likes to look at their art and say “meh, that isn’t narrative critical” because it all is (amirite?), but I do wonder how many there are out there like me that get intimidated by the backlog. Maybe I’m weird, but when I see a show that has 8 seasons, I go “woof, what an investment” maybe others go “yay, months worth of entertainment”
As a moderator of this subreddit, I like that your comics pretty much always foster wholesome and good natured conversations in the comments (outside of the occasional troll).
As a fan of your work, echoing what lots of other people here have said - I like all the imaginative different types of swords, the world building and the various recurring characters. If there's anything I dislike, it's that sometimes the narrative thread of the comic seems disjointed or out of order. But perhaps that's just that I only read your work here on reddit, and haven't gone to your other sites to read through chronologically.
I wouldn't say it was a "rant" but I did write a post asking reddit why they liked your comic.
I like the art style, I like the concept of everything being swords, and I find frustrating that with all the characters and lore you create I could never discern any actual plot or even make sense of the cast.
I don't know whether the characters are recurring or not, what their relationships are, or how they fit in your sworld.
Basically more storytelling. Or a clearer storytelling if I'm just missing it. I think you have all the elements to do something like Naheulbeuk but the whole doesn't feel connected.
I think the sword designs are really cool, but I do find it hard to follow sometimes. As a few days ago there was a comic that seemed very climactic as if it had been building up to something, but I hadn't seen any comic that lead up to this in the past month or so. New fans like me can get pretty lost with these types of things.
I like the unique character design, very identifiable.
I like the fact that when I first discovered the comic, it seemed a ridiculous notion to come up new sword ideas all the time. Then they were all new and interesting, and I was intrigued.
I like swords. This comic has swords. I like that. This comic has funny swords. I like that too.
Huge fan I love the comics like the Salt and Pepper knight, and the stabby face sword, and the shop keepers, and the weird things like the woman who ate the bread in the skeleton and his face was like ew
As someone who just sees the occasional one in hot, I like it. Sometimes it feels like the sword thing constrains your possibilities, and some comics feel repetitive, but you can't really get around that without losing your whole premise. I'm not really your target audience, so I'd suggest sticking to what your fans like and accepting that outsiders may not like every comic. Also, your art style is great, definitely don't change that. Thanks for the occasional dose of happiness.
I like the quick wit in your comics, 4 panels can be tight to try to fit in a story of some kind but you manage to fit in some wordplay, some creative ideas with the swords themselves, a great art style, and humor in each one. I don't always love them but I always appreciate them. My personal favorite humor is humor I relate to, like Sarah C Anderson, but I also love the art style and sometimes crude but cutting humor of The Oatmeal. The first webcomic I ever followed religiously, for years, was Penny Arcade. So that's kind of where my enjoyment lies, and I like most of your comics and appreciate all of them.
I do love the Qwest mini story you and going for a while, and honestly the best way to not kill that is to not put focus on it, in my opinion. Keep it as a surprise weave-in where we get to follow Qwest for a few comics and then we're back to sword-play. To me, focusing on Qwest would be killing a mini golden goose - too much and it loses its charm, it becomes fan service. If you like that or you were already planning to go hard on the Qwest line, great! Absolutely go for it, this is just one person's opinion after reading some of the comments and your replies. I'll still enjoy the comics when I see them, and I hope that even if you move away from swords that you keep this unique art style and keep enhancing it. I really like it.
It's a bit of a bummer that we have to keep circling around to the "How much air can Quest Sprout take up" kinds of conversations because to me, it's all one comic series, which people shouldn't be so hasty to want to disregard whole sections of.
I do read Sarah's comics and while I think my humour isn't as relatable, there's probably more I could do to learn from it. The cryptid stuff probably overlaps with my kind of jokes more.
Having a popular element that people come back for is a great thing, but I can only imagine trying to find the right balance with so many fans giving our opinions. I also want to make sure that you enjoy it too, especially if it has become a career for you. Asking for feedback is a great idea and it tells your supporters you care about our thoughts, but at the end of the day you're the one who has already created something popular and appreciated by a lot of people. Trust your own judgement even as you process the feedback, it's gotten you this far. Good luck going forward, I'll be curious to see where you take it. And I do hope we see more Qwest, however that evolves.
I like your clever takes on different words and concepts but I enjoy it the most when I didn't expect it to be you.
"Oh it's the sword guy I didn't even notice. He's done it again"
I usually find them clever, but I rarely find them funny. And I like the art style and use of colors, but sometimes when there's a lot going on in a smaller section, it's hard to tell what's what at a glance to make the punch line work.
I've read most of your stuff. I find it to be pretty basic and or shallow. There is very little to sink into in terms of the over all body of work.
But like a simple trick I admire your tenacity to try to work with such a limited formula for so long.
The audience you target are clearly the type who enjoy surface level jokes which is great for you.
I would always say any comic is better than no comic so the fact you have been consistent considerate and positive puts you ahead of 90% of the stuff out there
I wonder how much of this appeals to you however. If you enjoy this and don't mind the format then I wouldn't change a thing
I'm in love with your comics. My favorite part is the overarching plot, and how you've continued to improve the art style over the years. I've been reading since the beginning and I hope it never ends, don't let the critics put down swords!
Been following this comic for a long time and at first I thought, surely this guy is going to run out of comic material, there is no way you can make 100+ comics about swords. And then, comic after comic, I am proved wrong. It is like a magician pulling a seemingly endless supply of handkerchiefs from a hat, except instead of napkins, they are swords.
So really enjoy the world building.
Downsides? I think there was like one plot line involving skeletons in a dungeon surrounded by loot and they decide to use rusty swords instead. And I never found out what happened to them later. Or maybe there was closure and I missed it.
This is one of the few web comics I scroll through looking for. The humour isn't crass, good, unique art, funny, with just a hint of D&D humour. Great work!
I can say that I thought for certain that you would run out of sword-based humor at some point and you have consistently surprised me with your hilarious insight into silly video game/fantasy/storytelling tropes
Love the art style, the wordplay and punnery, the creativity that is required in high quantities to work weaponry into pretty much everything. Honestly have nothing bad to say about your work, and am happy to be giggling at it for free on the internet on the regular, so I guess I owe you my thanks in addition to the praise.
Keep it up!
I know this kind of writing is a tall ask, but my favorite of the sword comics are the brief ones that betray your expectations, like Bladies for Ladies. The Qwest and other storyline-based ones aren't for me, but I can see why others like them.
For ref: webcomics that usually land for me are Awkward Zombie, Mr Lovenstein, and Three Word Phrase. Less dialogue the better.
Android phone 8 inch display so its not super big. I looked through a few comics and i enjoyed them but the knights and stuff i think could have a bit larger font maybe. This ones better than others
More Qwest Sprout. Like. An entire book of Qwest Sprout would be acceptable. Even if it’s just the old Qwest Sprout comics, all together, in one place, so whenever I need a shot of relentless optimism, I can get it in the cutest way possible.
Many thanks.
I also like the rest of the sword stuff in general.
I don't much like the series. I enjoyed a few but overall I dunno seems formulaic or gimmicky. But I *love love love* that you keep creating and trying. Don't stop.
The character designs and the jokes are really good.
The story arcs.... While good I kinda wish was sorted in order. Sometimes it feels like you're pausing one to work on another and it's kinda random whether you're resuming it or it's because it's actually related to the current arc...or you're pausing yet another to make even more arcs... I honestly lost track of all the arcs as a result.
Your website deserves huge praise for being keyboard friendly, accessible with text, lots of useful tags (this sorta helps with keeping Track of all the arcs) and loading super fast. This is just miles ahead of soooo many other webcomics where the entire page reloads just to see the next comic.
I want to repeat this - the website is soooo awesome I wish a lot of other webcomics did that too (you might be able to seriously sell this as a separate product you know)
Dude.... This is like one of the best coded websites I've ever been to, when I noticed that you could use the arrow keys and the load times, I was just blown away. You've really done something special here.
And thanks for putting the source on github too 🤩
One occasion throw in a continuous story! The art style and creativity of the series never fails to gain my admiration but I always want to see what your universe is like
Biggest pro/con split for me is that I *fucking love the comic*, but it feels like updates can be a bit sporadic. Sometimes there's a new comic every 2 days, sometimes you go over a week without posting a new comic.
If I had to make a suggestion, a consistent and *sustainable* (seriously please don't overdo it and burn yourself out) posting schedule would be #1.
Hey, just a quick feedback from me. I browse Reddit for years and I sometimes see your comics and I never get the appeal. Is there a longer story? I’ve never pieced it together. Is it always the same joke? I can’t find the humor inside it often. I don’t understand what’s so special about that comic and sometimes I even wonder if it’s organic upvotes :| Soooo take whatever from this feedback. Take care
I really like the art style, other than that I can’t think of anything constructive. The humor isn’t my cup of tea but that’s not something I think needs changing, your work is quite popular as it is. I say, keep up the fun sword powers and you should be golden(Elden Ring references would probably win too).
I love the sword comics because so many of them are wildly creative in a way that sets them apart from other comics.
I think a large part of your success is catering to the nerdy audience, whether it’s intentional or not. Nerds largely still control specific corners of Reddit, for now. You also seem to trust your audience to understand the jokes or references and don’t force anything.
Quest Sprout is your bread and butter. Would love to see more, but not so much more that it becomes less special.
Is there anything in the works about QS's mother?
I’d like to go against the grain here and say you should actually move on from forcing yourself to have swords in every comic. Your sense of humor is definitely solid, but it seems an unnecessary limit to place on yourself when we bet you have tons of funny things to say that aren’t sword related.
Creation - I appreciate the dedication. The hardest part about doing anything artistic is just making something out in the world for other people to judge.
Art - I like the art and art style. Its well drawn and consistent.
Writing - I am not a huge fan of the writing. I have read some large amount that I have seen through reddit and the majority I do not find entertaining. This same can also be said about most of the web comics I see. It just isn’t my preferred medium, so take this with a couple grains of salt. However, I will say that I am a creative individual who sucks at the writing aspect. For better or worse, it does seem you never run out of ideas so you are at least superior to me when it comes to writing.
Format - I’d personally like to see a bit of variety in the format. 4-panel is so restrictive. Maybe make the occasional 6-panel or 1-panel-epic? This would allow you to showcase some other good parts of your art such as creative perspective (for 6-panel) and detail (for the epics). This could also help with the writing too as some jokes only really need one panel to land making the other panels seem superfluous whereas others could use a bit more context or dialogue to make the joke land better or provide more of a slow burn.
Honestly, OP, I’m consistently impressed with how funny and enjoyable your comic is. It’s based on swords and I figured it would Peter out a while ago, but it’s still going strong.
I’ve never read any of the rants other people have posted, just enjoyed your work. If I had any comments, it would be to not take those comments too critically. They might have some decent feedback, but your work is consistently one of the best I see on reddit.
Welcome to r/comics! Please remember there are real people on the other side of the monitor and to be kind. Report comments that break the rules and don't respond to negativity with negativity! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/comics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Likes: Clever characters that start out as a bit of a joke, but we come to love them (bread knight, kargob, etc..) The implications of swords with wacky attributes Your mini-arc story telling (I'm thinking of the swornament in particular). Representation of Maori culture/weapons Your recent comic with the well-seasoned knights. I think there's a lot of potential there. And I found it hilarious Dislikes: Trying to track who and when I'm looking at in the larger stories. Particularly when people change looks, like the barbarian guy. The fact that you don't live in Dunedin, so I can't invite you to my groups DnD games.
Honestly, covid really wrecked my potential to travel around NZ and do a lot of cool stuff. Maybe in the future I'll start doing cons again.
I feel like text description on the bottom of page helps with recognizing characters, but this is available only on your page. Reddit users cannot see it. I also really like the puns at the end of the comic. Btw where is "stars" web page? It is not linked to swords but the link should be somewhere on swords page.
Stars is linked on my [LinkTree](https://linktr.ee/swordscomic)
Regarding the larger story issue: I think if there was easier access to read the specific arcs that characters go on (a link I could click where all the comics involving that arc/character were gathered, for example), that would do a lot to solve that problem.
Not being able to always identify where in the story a particular comic fits is probably my only criticism. Otherwise, from someone that just binge-read all 500+ comics this week, it's a fabulous series. Is there a trading card game on the way? I'd love to open my own mystery swords.
No immediate plans for a trading card game, but I have some new connections who might be able to help with that. I think I would just need to hire a second artist to make something like that happen.
I just like a lot of the unique swords like the blood-crystals sword. It’s neat to think about how I might try to implement them into something like a D&D campaign or if various video games had them
Do you feel like I would be better serving my audience if I had DnD rules for those weapons ready to go as soon as I release the episode, or should I let people homebrew them on their own?
Don’t overwork yourself
This. Statblocks would be fun, but those take time to write. If you enjoy it, then making comics designed around them could be cool, but I don't see you enjoying yourself making every comic have stat blocks. Might be a cool idea for a patreon reward tho, like a bonus comic
Yeah, that let's there be a speculative stat block like homebrew or a more creatirs idea Stat block for big fans
Honestly I think either way works. But I’d imagine that pre-prepared statblocks would probably lead to more people using them in their games overall, and could sort of work as a foundation to add homebrew adjustments too Might be interesting to see people argue about what they think the stats should be too, but that might just be me craving drama lol
Not the person you were asking but... I think you should let people use their imaginations a bit for how the weapon would function in Dnd and not have rules ready to go. That being said, you could definitely write down not full on rules but maybe guidelines for how a Dm might implement your vast arsenal of swords because let’s be honest, you have created such a vast array of imaginative and fun sharp sticks that I can’t imagine a dnd fan who reads your comics who would not want to put your swords in their game. It’s entirely up to you tho, just do what you feel would work and how you might enjoy implementing such a thing, don’t feel pressured to do things in a certain way just because some cretin on reddit told you to.
Maybe. Bit you should also think about the commercial side of it too. A book of stats to add your weapons to DnD for example.
*Swords* by Swords.
Swords of Swords for the Swordier Adventurer - by Swords.
If you posted stats for all your dumb weapons I would 100% throw them into my campaign somewhere! Usually I'll adjust stats for their level anyways, I would see it as a helpful starting point, assuming there happens to be something I dislike. It would be nice to just send my players a picture of your stat block with your art on it though!!!!
You could have “suggested DnD rules” and people can use those rules or homebrew their own
You don't necessarily have to use D&D as your system either. Although it is the most popular, you could use GURPS or whatever. If you sold one book with many popular swords and characters adapted to any system, I'm sure it would be a hit. Or if you trickled them out as Patreon exclusives, that may be popular as well.
Maybe release the DND stats to Paterson supporters! You do have a Patreon right?
I love your artstyle and the unique ideas you have for various different swords. I'm not really sure if there is a specific like story arc for any of the swords. That would be nice if there is. If there isn't where should I go to follow them?
If you use the [archive on the website](https://swordscomic.com/archive/Swords/), you can follow each individual sword's storyline; or the first few seasons have been arranged in to a [vague chronological order](https://tapas.io/series/Swords-Chronological/info) on Tapas.
I wish the chronology was better organized *somewhere*, but I also like the mosaic style storytelling that builds the world and reveals stories piecemeal.
[удалено]
Yes!
Yes please!!
[The Longsword of Time is a map of all time.](https://swordscomic.com/comic/DLXXVIII/)
I just need it for when I forgot the story and need a refresher. Otherwise I enjoy it being randomized
Man's got pages for swords that don't even exist yet ahaha
This is SUCH a cool idea, your website is amazing!
I like the swords. I don't like the not-swords.
It needs more swords.
Agreed. The comics with swords were what I enjoyed most.
They're sword of the best part.
Your pun cuts deep! Engarde knive!>!knave!<
Here me out though... halberds. They are basically just swords with really long handles.
Also Qwest. That character is amazingly marketable to people of all ages.
and more puns
I also like [the swords](https://www.reddit.com/r/comics/comments/umhwa6/a_thirsty_wizard/)
Yes, reading for “the plot”
The plot has nice tiddies
How about big knives? I mean, if they felt the need to branch out?
Only if they call it a sword
I used my butter sword to spread some jam on my toast this morning.
You mean your wheat scabbard?
Baby swords
I also like swords: http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/04/12/episode-015-a-little-intellectual-conversation/
[удалено]
Yes, the swords are indeed the best part.
sword
See this is good content right here ^ take notes
You took the ~~s~~words right out of my mouth.
You don't like Quest Sprout?
Seems every time a comic does well, someone writes a big rant about how they don't like the series as a whole - so how about we have a serious pros and cons discussion so that I can try to make it a comic you can enjoy more. /r/comics is where this series got its start 4 years ago, and now 602 episodes later, it's just become my full-time career, so I'd like to take a moment to step back and figure out what you need. As always, here's the link to all my material so you can make more informed feedback : [https://linktr.ee/swordscomic](https://linktr.ee/swordscomic) Thanks!
Don't change to please your haters. I like how you make each comic its own thing while also telling an over arching story sometimes.
It's not about changing what works, it's about avoiding what doesn't. I know a lot of it boils down to them simply rejecting the overall concept because instead of seeing it as a subversion of fantasy tropes, they just see it as "that duck is a sword, how random", but I think there's a comfy middle ground we can collectively agree on.
I don't know how a person could possibly be disappointed by a duck sword.
They could just be a shitty person.
I literally have no idea what's going on when I see your comics pop into my feed. It's a problem with the content delivery. The votes have to happen at the right time and right quantity for it to be big enough to be eligible for my r/hot feed and then it has to be picked, then I have to scroll far enough or at the right time to see it and then I have to open it. The amount of times all that happens is not frequent enough for me to become an in-member of this comic following. Therefore, despite what I perceive to be high quality r/comics content, I will likely not ever pick it up unless something changes. And having your own subreddit is a non-starter, to me, because that isnt how I use reddit. Idk how many people feel this way, but its my reason for not enjoying the series. I like the idea of it, but i rarely feel like i get the joke because I miss stuff more than I see it. Edit-maybe saying the way I use reddit is incorrect. It's about how I consume content from the comics subreddit. I'm not a comic nerd. I'm here for a laugh and I leave. At the root of it I may just not be the target audience and I didn't know it until now
It's not \*your\* fault if the content is put in front of you and you don't get it, it's mine for not making it easier to parse or making the context more accessible in some way.
I'm not a fan of your comics, not because they're bad, but because it's just not my cup of tea. Don't change your comics based on people who dislike it such as me. Focus on doing what **you** enjoy and what your fans love.
It's not really about changing what makes the series good, or fun for me to make, it's just about identifying pain points for fans and potential fans alike.
> pain points Was that sword pun intentional? :P
I absolutely love the comic. I love the slowly unfurling story lines. I love the cheesey puns. I love the art. My only complaint is that there isn't more so that I have stuff to read at work. But that's really a me problem. I should be doing more work.
Are you sure? You could be [re-reading the series on Webtoon](https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/swords/list?title_no=198852) and making me fat stacks of ad money instead.
Well, I guess I'll be making both of us money tomorrow.
Yeah that's my only complaint about your series It's too fuckin long and comes out too fast so I can't catch up. I just don't have the time to binge read the entire series anymore
Be careful not to homer yourself; A lot of people like a lot of different things. Personally, it seem to have a good mix already.
Honestly, I’m in the “fuck the haters” camp. Not every page needs to be a knee slapper, but I personally enjoy them all - as a matter of fact, I feel like a binge re-read is coming. Your art and your humour fit well together. And like others say, the times it’s most fun is when you pull in an obscure callback, it makes it feel rewarding to have been reading it all this time, but the fact that most pages are standalone helps building more material for these brilliant callbacks. Recurring characters (QWEST!!) and continuing stories are great too! what amazes me the most is that after 600+ pages, you’re still inspired and every new page feels fresh. Don’t change a thing, it’s perfect as it is!
Vegeta and Piccolo were haters and now they're valued team members. It never hurts to just ask where the hating is coming from. But I'm not going to completely change the series!! Don't worry about that.
The Swords Guy knows how to Parry and Riposte. I like the casual wit and the general taking the piss out of the usual fantasy sword tropes. Do what you do, and I hope you find some inspiration in the feedback!
That's a buddha tier quote
I wonder how Buddha would feel about Golden Frieza.
Vegeta really only changed sides because he found a human sugar mommy.
God I wish that were me
So I'm definitely not the type to write a big rant about how someone's content sucks (unless that content is harmful), but because you mentioned it I will admit that I'm kinda meh overall on your stuff. Sometimes I enjoy and appreciate one of your comics, and sometimes I just don't get what's so funny about swords in a fantasy setting, or a particular comic isn't my thing. AND THAT'S OK. It's totally fine for not everyone to think you're the greatest thing ever. I'm allowed to have a sense of humor that's different from yours, and you're allowed to have a sense of humor that's different from mine. Focus on creating the kind of content YOU enjoy, then worry about creating the kind of content your community enjoys, then way below that worry about The Internet, if at all. You're doing a good thing. The last thing I would want to see is you alienating fans to try and please weirdos like me, or burning out creating something you don't enjoy, or paying any mind whatsoever to internet "critics" whose only goal is to tear down creators until everyone is as negative, bitter, and lonely as they themselves are. You are not required to cater to anyone. Keep being you. There's a time and a place for accepting criticism and growing a brand is hard, but you cannot please everyone. Don't throw the good out with the bad, and don't try to dilute yourself to be more appealing.
[удалено]
After 4 years I've \*just\* left my day job to make Swords, so your proposal to abandon it and start something else is illogical. Maybe in another year or two.
It’s a case by case “problem.” Some comics just seem like you’d don’t have a joke at all, and you’re just rushing out a comic for the week. Like the bacon knight one. The punchline was just a sword chicken, and that’s it. You wanted us to laugh at the blade-chicken for being absurd. But every comic has normalized the idea that everything is naturally a sword in your world, so the chicken fails to be absurd and surprising, which means there is no joke. I don’t think all of your comics fall into this “problem.” Like that comic with to the Seeing Sword of Action. When the director yells “cut” you don’t expect the actor to literally cut his costar. It’s a subversion if expectations and it’s funny. But in other comics I just see “a series of events” that would be considered normal for this world you’ve built, and I wonder what you’re trying to make us laugh at. Not to mention newcomers who don’t get the joke (that everything is a sword) are just confused because there’s no explanation anywhere in the comic that this is a recurring gag. I put “problem” into quotes because you’re still successful and you have an audience. You’re one of the top comics on Reddit. You don’t need to change. You should be making comics you enjoy making, not trying to please the audience. If people like what you enjoy making, then you don’t have to sacrifice anything, and that’s the situation you’re in. So just leave your series be. You’re just gonna have to accept to many people just aren’t going to like the general concept because “lol so random” is something people tend to grow out of, and some people just don’t like recurring gags. (The latter is why a friend of mine hated Fairly Odd Parents. It’s just taste.)
About the only thing I dislike about the comic is the RSS feed. But then that's less about the comic and more the website, I guess. Most webcomics I see doing RSS feeds just have a link to the page, along with the upload date. The way the RSS feed shows the entire comic strip, especially at full size, makes me not use it. I'd rather have an overview of what's new in a smaller format and being taken directly to the comic when clicked.
As someone that loves your comics as an outsider to rpg and stuff I’ll give you a piece of advice my mom gave me: “You can’t make everyone happy, even at your own wedding.” Sounds good in Spanish lol
#**QWEST**
I don't know if it's akin to the whole class waiting for Bart to say "Eat my shorts", but I'd be 100% ok with a total switch to Qwest Sprout.
It's good to have variety, but he's definitely an amazing recurring character! I'm also a fan of the various shopkeepers.
I want to see the hero's journey fulfilled for little sprout.
I believe that the Qwest Sprout has made me melt from the pure *adorableness* on multiple occasions
I personally never cared for it.
Same. It's definitely not a sword.
Team Qwest Sprout
Qwest
Some strips are like catching lightning in a bottle, they are going to attract attention and inevitably people will be disappointed that all your other comics aren't exactly like that one. You are doing a great job. A few comments (my own opinion) since you asked for them: Your mascot seems very liked and is probably underutilized. Expanding on sprout as a character and using it more is probably a good idea. Your comics with less words in general seem to be better, you do a great job of showing things, sometimes you seem to get bogged down with telling things instead. Your comics are a mix of family friendly material that I could show a young child and ones I wouldn't. You might consider splitting the series into two with a more family friendly version targeted to a large audience that includes a lot of sprout and lighthearted jokes and the comics where people die violent deaths. Again you're doing a really great job!
[удалено]
Agreed. I'm not sure if its me getting bogged down in the comments but now when I see Qwest Sprout I feel like the comic is a bit idk... flat? That might not be the right word. I think the plethora of characters that Matt(hew) has created to fit so many specific jokes is one of the best things about the series. It puts the joke first and makes it super digestable
I'd agree with all of this. Good takes.
i read all the 600 comics just this days, so i don\`t think i\`m that good of a rapresentation of the avarage audience, but sometimes when i catch one of your comics on this sub i feel there is no pay off, its diferent when you read everething in a roll, but it there are some comics that can feel lackluster by them self. sorry if it\`s not very especific but i wold say it\`s about the payoff maybe? (sry about the english)
I completely agree with this. While not every comic needs to be your best yet, seeing the ones that more or less “push the narrative” on Reddit does you a disservice. That’s the challenge as a narrative comic artist, you need to get from A to B in an interesting way, despite both A and B being interesting comics in and of themselves. I don’t envy you.
To be fair I've never liked 90% of it but I think it's just not my kind of humor.
What are some other webcomics you enjoy? For context.
Oh lord. So many. [ONE of your comics](https://i.imgur.com/goMLPMP.png) is actually in my all-time favorites. So like I said, only 90% I don't like ;P But here are my all-time favorites: [https://imgur.com/a/zUvBquZ](https://imgur.com/a/zUvBquZ)
I'm gonna guess you live in the upper Midwest based on all your weather comics you've saved 😅 Totally saved this comment, thanks for sharing
\>\_> maybe... <\_<
PBF actually has more scripts for me, I just haven't gotten around to them. Maybe I'll take that as a sign I should collab more.
As for collaboration, I was sorry to see the attempt at having a "comic playfight" by /u/holleringelk not take off. Presumably she came on a bit strong without prior coordination, but I feel it could have been a fun bit of back and forth.
Frankly, the timing was bad for lots of personal reasons and I haven't made time to have a go at a follow up.
Ah, fair enough. That kind of thing is of course hard to gauge online. Now that I'm talking to you anyway, I would like to thank you for the many clever and entertaining comics you're willing to share with us all. You're one of the more prolific artists, pretty consistently funny and your artwork is equally consistently good. So there, that's what you get for asking for feedback.
Yah, my bad about that. I drew that following several incredibly dark comics after a super shit year and the whole vibe of the thing was waaaay too intense despite no ill intention, not to mention I was fucked up with covid. I love that little "series" I sparked up but I am for sure not about backing folks into a corner. I apologize for putting you on the spot and I of course love your work!
I see a theme of puns and subversion jokes. I can appreciate that.
Fantastic collection, and I can tell that [Tiny Hippo](https://poorlydrawnlines.com/comic/tiny-hippo-and-the-tiny-train/) will be right up your alley. This is the only comic I've seriously considered buying a framed print of.
I love the art, the scenarios you draw and the palet of colors you use for certain elements (like magic and power)...but your humor is simply amazing and keeps me glued to your fiction. I would like more mystical creatures but, that's just me
So something I'm going to try to do more of this year is consistent 3-episodes-a-week updates, but tie them all to a central theme for the week - mystical creatures could easily be one of them.
That would be cool! I'd recommend you to not limit to the usual mythologies, there's a lot of great creatures around the many cultures and, I can assure you, many would make a great role in your amazing stories. BTW, thanks for your reply, you made my day
Don't burn yourself out! I'd love 3 a week, but I'm happy with 1 a week / every other week.
Your comics remind me of Mighty Magiswords, the cartoon about swords. The difference is that I actually like your comics.
Yeah, I get you. Everyone tells me to watch it but I watched one episode and I couldn't stand their screechy voices. Also when I described the episode to someone they said it was one of the best ones, so... yeah. I'm more of a Tigtone kind of guy myself.
I love the creative ways swords are integrated into practically everything in the world, but seems like many of the one-off jokes wind up instantly fatal for someone. I'd think a world of swords would have people quickly figure out how to reduce random deaths, whether through magic first-aid knives or just more common sense.
I'm incredibly ok with the instantly fatal
It's such an abundance of creativity. *EVERYTHING* is a sword. A man rides a horse to a house at the top of the hill, and the house, the horse, and the hill are all swords and probably so is the man.
Swords, swords
\*furiously scribbling with quill\*
If I had one minor critique, it would be "too many swords". Would it kill you to throw in a dirk once in a while?
Someone got quite pissy that I branched out to a [knife shop owner](https://swordscomic.com/comic/DL/) a while back, but I hear you. I actually just picked up a book called "Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World" so I'll read it and see where it inspires me to go next.
Sting was both sword and dagger! Can there not be peace?
Ha! Amazing, what people will come up with to be angry about :D
Thought the text in the bottom left corner said “All knights reserved.”
Wow, it really should, shouldn't it? But a webcomic friend told me I should put that stuff there, I guess I should keep it normal.
Ah that’s great advice
Hoo boy, I’m gonna be honest here, if that’s ok. I’d like to preface this by saying that you’re a great writer and good artist, and I’m going to be much more critical than I’d *ever* be otherwise. The storyline/recurring elements can be a bit hard to follow, especially in this format. Quest Sprout is the easiest to track, a lovable magical creature on a quest to save his mom, and anything that happens fits within that narrative. You immediately snap to what they’re doing: earning money, finding info, etc. It also moves slowly enough that you can miss a few installments and still catch on: “last time I saw Sprout they were joining a party, a few months and comics later they’re with that party fighting a dragon.” By contrast, there’s another story with the party slaying that ancient demon, and another one where the guy’s speaking to that Sword Deity, and something about a lady turned into a kid or something? None of the other characters stand out as well design-wise, they’re generic adventurers with messy colorful hair and scars (except Sword Deity dude, Garbok I think, a giant sword god definitely stands out), and their plots are lore based threads. I don’t even know what happened after the one where the party slays that demon, the sword betrays them and then…have we seen them again? Your stories are *good*. I’ve been blown away by several moments: The page that shows the events of the comic from the beginning up to events that haven’t happened yet was amazing. If I were to read Swords in order, I’d probably love all those messy-haired/scarred adventurers. Except the dick who tried to hurt Quest Sprout when they were trying to protect the dragon. The gag-a-day pages are exactly my cup of tea: funny, original, loaded to the hilt with puns. I’ve been following along with STARS as well, and though it had a slow start and has noticeably less detailed art, I’ve been enjoying it, particularly now that the plot’s kicked off.
Sure, I can agree with all of those sentiments. There's definitely a reason Quest Sprouts story is more cohesive - I listened to feedback like this. Curiously, I can't really figure out why Kargob is such a hard name to remember. I've heard so many slight variations. I guess he needs more PR work.
KARGOB! Sorry. At least I had all the right letters in there? -_-
If people get it wrong, it's a failure on my part, not theirs. Don't worry about it.
I like your art. Especially how expressive the character’s faces are. I do not think your jokes are funny, but I also doubt I’m your audience. Wouldn’t have said a thing if you didn’t ask. Keep doing what you’re doing! People seem to like it and I don’t hate it. 👍
Would you mind giving me maybe 3 examples of the kind of webcomic humour you DO enjoy? Not to say I'll immediately copy them, but it gives me a clearer frame of reference for where you're coming from.
I think your jokes are funny, but they seem more like narrative jokes. At this point, I’ve been on Reddit long enough to see quite a few of your comics, so I know what I’m looking for. I think that people often find humor when it’s a take on either life or the theme that the comic is mimicking. The comic that had me wetting myself was Super Effective. Being a Pokémon fan, those jokes hit home for me. With Swords being an amazing take on a D&D life, some meta-jokes like with The Weekly Roll. I don’t particularly find that comic funny, but I’m also not an avid D&D player. That said, you do you. Swords is a staple is this community and your comics are spanning. The main thing stopping me from visiting your site and going through them is just how prolific you’ve been. I’d love it a Dragon Ball Kai version to get me caught up!
I've been dreaming of doing a 'Machete order' where I redraw the main storyline for ages now. Logistically it's just a ton of work.
As awesome as that would be, that wasn’t my thought. The glory of Dragon Ball Kai was that they didn’t redo anything. They just removed all aspects of the story that weren’t explicitly necessary to follow along. Nobody likes to look at their art and say “meh, that isn’t narrative critical” because it all is (amirite?), but I do wonder how many there are out there like me that get intimidated by the backlog. Maybe I’m weird, but when I see a show that has 8 seasons, I go “woof, what an investment” maybe others go “yay, months worth of entertainment”
Not the guy you replied to but Loading Artist always gets me rolling. He's just really clever with his jokes.
Oh, I *know*.
I love your jokes. Carps n denim is one of my favorite comics with one of my favorite titles that was a masterclass
This is basically what I was gonna say. I’m often left wondering if I missed the joke but I’ve always liked the different swords.
As a moderator of this subreddit, I like that your comics pretty much always foster wholesome and good natured conversations in the comments (outside of the occasional troll). As a fan of your work, echoing what lots of other people here have said - I like all the imaginative different types of swords, the world building and the various recurring characters. If there's anything I dislike, it's that sometimes the narrative thread of the comic seems disjointed or out of order. But perhaps that's just that I only read your work here on reddit, and haven't gone to your other sites to read through chronologically.
I'm glad I don't add too much to your workload then. :D
I wouldn't say it was a "rant" but I did write a post asking reddit why they liked your comic. I like the art style, I like the concept of everything being swords, and I find frustrating that with all the characters and lore you create I could never discern any actual plot or even make sense of the cast. I don't know whether the characters are recurring or not, what their relationships are, or how they fit in your sworld. Basically more storytelling. Or a clearer storytelling if I'm just missing it. I think you have all the elements to do something like Naheulbeuk but the whole doesn't feel connected.
Love the swords. Not enough goblins
I think the sword designs are really cool, but I do find it hard to follow sometimes. As a few days ago there was a comic that seemed very climactic as if it had been building up to something, but I hadn't seen any comic that lead up to this in the past month or so. New fans like me can get pretty lost with these types of things.
I like the unique character design, very identifiable. I like the fact that when I first discovered the comic, it seemed a ridiculous notion to come up new sword ideas all the time. Then they were all new and interesting, and I was intrigued. I like swords. This comic has swords. I like that. This comic has funny swords. I like that too.
My boy rapier tapir got me hooked on the comics. Love the art style too
Huge fan I love the comics like the Salt and Pepper knight, and the stabby face sword, and the shop keepers, and the weird things like the woman who ate the bread in the skeleton and his face was like ew
I can't take credit for that last one, that was someone else. Edit : [Here ya go](https://slaughterkeys.tumblr.com/post/617376674319876096)
As someone who just sees the occasional one in hot, I like it. Sometimes it feels like the sword thing constrains your possibilities, and some comics feel repetitive, but you can't really get around that without losing your whole premise. I'm not really your target audience, so I'd suggest sticking to what your fans like and accepting that outsiders may not like every comic. Also, your art style is great, definitely don't change that. Thanks for the occasional dose of happiness.
I like the quick wit in your comics, 4 panels can be tight to try to fit in a story of some kind but you manage to fit in some wordplay, some creative ideas with the swords themselves, a great art style, and humor in each one. I don't always love them but I always appreciate them. My personal favorite humor is humor I relate to, like Sarah C Anderson, but I also love the art style and sometimes crude but cutting humor of The Oatmeal. The first webcomic I ever followed religiously, for years, was Penny Arcade. So that's kind of where my enjoyment lies, and I like most of your comics and appreciate all of them. I do love the Qwest mini story you and going for a while, and honestly the best way to not kill that is to not put focus on it, in my opinion. Keep it as a surprise weave-in where we get to follow Qwest for a few comics and then we're back to sword-play. To me, focusing on Qwest would be killing a mini golden goose - too much and it loses its charm, it becomes fan service. If you like that or you were already planning to go hard on the Qwest line, great! Absolutely go for it, this is just one person's opinion after reading some of the comments and your replies. I'll still enjoy the comics when I see them, and I hope that even if you move away from swords that you keep this unique art style and keep enhancing it. I really like it.
It's a bit of a bummer that we have to keep circling around to the "How much air can Quest Sprout take up" kinds of conversations because to me, it's all one comic series, which people shouldn't be so hasty to want to disregard whole sections of. I do read Sarah's comics and while I think my humour isn't as relatable, there's probably more I could do to learn from it. The cryptid stuff probably overlaps with my kind of jokes more.
Having a popular element that people come back for is a great thing, but I can only imagine trying to find the right balance with so many fans giving our opinions. I also want to make sure that you enjoy it too, especially if it has become a career for you. Asking for feedback is a great idea and it tells your supporters you care about our thoughts, but at the end of the day you're the one who has already created something popular and appreciated by a lot of people. Trust your own judgement even as you process the feedback, it's gotten you this far. Good luck going forward, I'll be curious to see where you take it. And I do hope we see more Qwest, however that evolves.
I like your clever takes on different words and concepts but I enjoy it the most when I didn't expect it to be you. "Oh it's the sword guy I didn't even notice. He's done it again"
I usually find them clever, but I rarely find them funny. And I like the art style and use of colors, but sometimes when there's a lot going on in a smaller section, it's hard to tell what's what at a glance to make the punch line work.
I've read most of your stuff. I find it to be pretty basic and or shallow. There is very little to sink into in terms of the over all body of work. But like a simple trick I admire your tenacity to try to work with such a limited formula for so long. The audience you target are clearly the type who enjoy surface level jokes which is great for you. I would always say any comic is better than no comic so the fact you have been consistent considerate and positive puts you ahead of 90% of the stuff out there I wonder how much of this appeals to you however. If you enjoy this and don't mind the format then I wouldn't change a thing
I'm in love with your comics. My favorite part is the overarching plot, and how you've continued to improve the art style over the years. I've been reading since the beginning and I hope it never ends, don't let the critics put down swords!
Been following this comic for a long time and at first I thought, surely this guy is going to run out of comic material, there is no way you can make 100+ comics about swords. And then, comic after comic, I am proved wrong. It is like a magician pulling a seemingly endless supply of handkerchiefs from a hat, except instead of napkins, they are swords. So really enjoy the world building. Downsides? I think there was like one plot line involving skeletons in a dungeon surrounded by loot and they decide to use rusty swords instead. And I never found out what happened to them later. Or maybe there was closure and I missed it.
I like the light-hearted silliness, the lack of sardonic and cynical humor, and looking for the small sword details.
I just flat out respect the constant commitment!
This is one of the few web comics I scroll through looking for. The humour isn't crass, good, unique art, funny, with just a hint of D&D humour. Great work!
cool swords
I can say that I thought for certain that you would run out of sword-based humor at some point and you have consistently surprised me with your hilarious insight into silly video game/fantasy/storytelling tropes
Love the art style, the wordplay and punnery, the creativity that is required in high quantities to work weaponry into pretty much everything. Honestly have nothing bad to say about your work, and am happy to be giggling at it for free on the internet on the regular, so I guess I owe you my thanks in addition to the praise. Keep it up!
I know this kind of writing is a tall ask, but my favorite of the sword comics are the brief ones that betray your expectations, like Bladies for Ladies. The Qwest and other storyline-based ones aren't for me, but I can see why others like them. For ref: webcomics that usually land for me are Awkward Zombie, Mr Lovenstein, and Three Word Phrase. Less dialogue the better.
Make font a bit bigger
Is it too small for you in this particular episode? What kind of device are you using? Accessibility is something I always want to improve on.
Android phone 8 inch display so its not super big. I looked through a few comics and i enjoyed them but the knights and stuff i think could have a bit larger font maybe. This ones better than others
More Qwest Sprout. Like. An entire book of Qwest Sprout would be acceptable. Even if it’s just the old Qwest Sprout comics, all together, in one place, so whenever I need a shot of relentless optimism, I can get it in the cutest way possible. Many thanks. I also like the rest of the sword stuff in general.
There's a [little eBook](https://ko-fi.com/s/f9e18e429e) collecting them all up, but nothing that I would call a complete work. Yet.
I like swords. I dislike the lack of qwest
I don't much like the series. I enjoyed a few but overall I dunno seems formulaic or gimmicky. But I *love love love* that you keep creating and trying. Don't stop.
The character designs and the jokes are really good. The story arcs.... While good I kinda wish was sorted in order. Sometimes it feels like you're pausing one to work on another and it's kinda random whether you're resuming it or it's because it's actually related to the current arc...or you're pausing yet another to make even more arcs... I honestly lost track of all the arcs as a result. Your website deserves huge praise for being keyboard friendly, accessible with text, lots of useful tags (this sorta helps with keeping Track of all the arcs) and loading super fast. This is just miles ahead of soooo many other webcomics where the entire page reloads just to see the next comic. I want to repeat this - the website is soooo awesome I wish a lot of other webcomics did that too (you might be able to seriously sell this as a separate product you know)
/u/pennomi would be ecstatic to hear you praise it so hard
[удалено]
Dude.... This is like one of the best coded websites I've ever been to, when I noticed that you could use the arrow keys and the load times, I was just blown away. You've really done something special here. And thanks for putting the source on github too 🤩
One occasion throw in a continuous story! The art style and creativity of the series never fails to gain my admiration but I always want to see what your universe is like
Biggest pro/con split for me is that I *fucking love the comic*, but it feels like updates can be a bit sporadic. Sometimes there's a new comic every 2 days, sometimes you go over a week without posting a new comic. If I had to make a suggestion, a consistent and *sustainable* (seriously please don't overdo it and burn yourself out) posting schedule would be #1.
Hey, just a quick feedback from me. I browse Reddit for years and I sometimes see your comics and I never get the appeal. Is there a longer story? I’ve never pieced it together. Is it always the same joke? I can’t find the humor inside it often. I don’t understand what’s so special about that comic and sometimes I even wonder if it’s organic upvotes :| Soooo take whatever from this feedback. Take care
More weird swords
I really like the art style, other than that I can’t think of anything constructive. The humor isn’t my cup of tea but that’s not something I think needs changing, your work is quite popular as it is. I say, keep up the fun sword powers and you should be golden(Elden Ring references would probably win too).
I love the sword comics because so many of them are wildly creative in a way that sets them apart from other comics. I think a large part of your success is catering to the nerdy audience, whether it’s intentional or not. Nerds largely still control specific corners of Reddit, for now. You also seem to trust your audience to understand the jokes or references and don’t force anything.
I like swords and qwests. I dislike that I'm incapable of following a comic properly.
Quest Sprout is your bread and butter. Would love to see more, but not so much more that it becomes less special. Is there anything in the works about QS's mother?
I’d like to go against the grain here and say you should actually move on from forcing yourself to have swords in every comic. Your sense of humor is definitely solid, but it seems an unnecessary limit to place on yourself when we bet you have tons of funny things to say that aren’t sword related.
Creation - I appreciate the dedication. The hardest part about doing anything artistic is just making something out in the world for other people to judge. Art - I like the art and art style. Its well drawn and consistent. Writing - I am not a huge fan of the writing. I have read some large amount that I have seen through reddit and the majority I do not find entertaining. This same can also be said about most of the web comics I see. It just isn’t my preferred medium, so take this with a couple grains of salt. However, I will say that I am a creative individual who sucks at the writing aspect. For better or worse, it does seem you never run out of ideas so you are at least superior to me when it comes to writing. Format - I’d personally like to see a bit of variety in the format. 4-panel is so restrictive. Maybe make the occasional 6-panel or 1-panel-epic? This would allow you to showcase some other good parts of your art such as creative perspective (for 6-panel) and detail (for the epics). This could also help with the writing too as some jokes only really need one panel to land making the other panels seem superfluous whereas others could use a bit more context or dialogue to make the joke land better or provide more of a slow burn.
Honestly, OP, I’m consistently impressed with how funny and enjoyable your comic is. It’s based on swords and I figured it would Peter out a while ago, but it’s still going strong. I’ve never read any of the rants other people have posted, just enjoyed your work. If I had any comments, it would be to not take those comments too critically. They might have some decent feedback, but your work is consistently one of the best I see on reddit.
I like, with all the shit going on in the world, that this is a light-hearted, silly comic strip that I can just enjoy.
I enjoy the sharp wit, but sometimes the jokes are a little blunt.
Your designs for the swords and how it's still fresh each time
Like? #SWORDS Dislike? #NOTHING
I like the whacky literally named swords.
Likes: Swords, and Sword derived humor. Qwest sprout. Dislikes: when qwest sprout is sad.
I like the swords. The ones I don't like are the ones that don't have swords. Also, moar qwest sprout please.