Today I won’t talk about an actual platform to host your comics the traditional, web way, but the traditional, old way combined with the modern joys – a online magazine! A few months ago I ran into StArt Faire, a new magazine accepting a variety of comics. So I joined, and it was a great idea! Here’s what it’s about in their own words:

StArt Faire is an online monthly comic magazine with an emphasis on fantasy themed comics appropriate for people 13 and older. It was created by an artist for other artists and fans of comics as a non profit project that aspires to unite artists in a collaborative effort to bring the concept of the Japanese comic magazine to an international and online format.

StArt Faire’s Aims: To help promote artists and their comics, to be a community that helps support each other, and to provide deadlines and purpose to help motivate artists to stay committed to finishing their stories. StArt Faire is a team project and each person on the team is important. You are important.

Pros

Pretty much all comics are accepted (possible exceptions are excessive gore, nudity and violence – if in doubt, ask). You have the option of submitting your comic in a variety of formats, and with different rules and advantages, as outlined below.

I am currently submitting The Green-Eyed Sniper as a mirrored comic, 10 pages (which is the monthly limit) at the time. This is the perfect option for comics that are already running, especially if they have a nice buffer. The featured option is very good for authors who want to get some free advertisement, as they consist in a one-time sample of their comics. Both options are quite good for visibility, although mirrored comics obviously require more commitment.

If you enjoy the magazine and are up for it, the best option is exclusive. If you go for this option, you must commit to having pages regularly available for the magazine and make sure they appear on StArt Faire before any of your website/mirrors.

The magazine also offers in-depth reviews of other comics and a variety of articles on how to improve comic craft (for writers and artists), which is awesome. The StArt Faire people are kind, committed and very responsive. The magazine is also growing its breadth, as it hosted a fun contest called EIWAwards.

Cons

The only minor problem I found is that the DeviantArt community for Start Faire seems pretty much dead. This is not any fault of the Start Faire folks – I think it’s just DA dying out in general and the comic authors submitting their stories not participating there (I’m culpable of this, too).

Tips

If you’re worried about the magazine hosting only manga and the like, you shouldn’t. GES is the farthest thing from a manga you can think of, and it’s been accepted. They really are okay with different types of comics. If in doubt, go ahead and ask, they will respond quickly and be very informative.

Conclusion

StArt Faire is a really cool online magazine filled with visibility opportunities, run by nice and competent people, and featuring more and more comics with each passing issue. Whether you want to submit your story as exclusive, mirrored or featured, I highly recommend it!