Readily Ready
Alright, I need your opinions on this…
A reader brought up the point of the fillers being slightly obtrusive, at least splashed around in with the main storyline. Obviously, the fillers I make are more or less a fail safe for when I get bogged down with freelance, emergencies, etc. Now, I wish that I could avoid fillers, but at the very least I want to post something, I owe you guys that (and more truthfully). I cannot move the fillers to another page on the site, because of the way comicpress is, and my strip format, they would be horridly squished, to the point of being unreadable. Now, this is what I can do about it after talking with a few others.
-I can leave it the way it is.
-Delete them a day or two after they’re made, so everyone will see the filler, but it won’t interrupt anything.
-Post a filler, but also mirror the post on another site altogether, then delete the post after a day or two on Nerf This.
These are the options I “think” I’d like to present. I seriously want Nerf This to be an enjoyable experience for everyone, you guys are the ones who make these posts happen 5 days a week, and I wish I could do more than that. Some day I truly hope I can, so thanks 🙂
Also, doing mockups of the shirt, so that will in the store tonight, tomorrow morning 🙂
leave it as it is, let those beggars scream in agony XD
I concur. Where else are we supposed to humour of such high quality as that “werewolf gypsy prostitute” line?
well i’ve never been annoyed by their presence.
they’re pretty funny and i would honestly never look them up again if they were moved but they make me laugh every time i go through the last few pages of the story line.
so…unless someone’s still living in the stone ages and can’t load internet pages faster than a milisecond, then i think it should be kept the way it is. how hard is it to click the next button, really?
On a not-so-side note, Jerry is freaking terrifying.
I actually had a look of disgust while coloring him.
The last panel hit a lot creepily close to home for comfort >_> They say you can’t trust someone from a dating site. You can, cause they’ll be just as creepy here as they would be in real life.
I’d second this. We’re going to load the page anyway, might as well see something, have a chuckle, and know that the strip won’t be updating that day, rather than wondering if we should check back later.
If you really think it disrupts the flow you could delete them or put them in another place, but people reading the archives may like them as well.
When I first began reading the comic, I was pretty far behind. And I never once thought to myself: “These filler comics make me so angry. Grrr.” Not once. I loved them, and I still do. Sure, they might break the pace of the story, but truthfully, when fillers are as amazing as the one’s that Scott makes, well who cares?
Agreed!!! The fillers are great 🙂 No need to go to a bunch of extra hassle. The fillers are part of what makes this comic. Honestly I hope they make it to the book, you could have a fillers section 🙂
i got to say that guy was creepy! and as for the fillers, i personally have no problem with them but can understand what you are saying. i would suggest going with options 1 and 3. BTW thank you for making such an awesome comic and giving it to us free 5 days a week, and its totally cool if you miss a update every once in awhile, you got to remember the most important thing is to do you!
I think for the most part a filler is fine to show up mid story on a webcomic. I’ve been reading tons of them over the past few years and it’s just something I’ve come to expect. Also, your fillers are typically funny enough that it’s fine, and I’ll just be happy to get back to the story when it comes back.
For those that don’t like fillers, and want the story in sequential order when they read it… Put the strips in a book and let us buy it without the filler, maybe just throw those in the back as a bonus or something.
And since I haven’t really commented but I have been reading all three of your current comics… Awesome work, I look forward to each new page for each comic.
Thanks Joseph, I’m more than happy you like my comics, and a very good suggestion too. I might do that with the book 🙂
and a movie.
This deserves to be made into a movie.
I wanna be Zoey’s boyfriend <3 and I hate feet:D lol
Also, I love the filler where it is… your filler is better than some peoples main comics…lol
I will fight you for the position of Zoey’s new man! Of course, only the true gentleman shall win, so I offer you the first swing. Have at thee!
I look forward to the latest addition to Jake Cline’s closet space! 😀
And as far as the filler goes- I think it works juuuuust fine as it is. There’s nothing stopping people from clicking the back button a few times and taking a refresher. Especially with such delightful work. I find myself starting over and blasting through the entire archive every once in a while.
Also, Jerry makes me want to reenact that scene from There Will Be Blood on the nearest popped-collar ‘bro’ I see.
“I AM THE THIRD REVELATION!”
i seriously laughed my ass of when I read, “the latest addition to Jake Cline’s closet space!” made my day lol
*sics a Tyrapeasaurus rex on you* I will win.:P
As someone holding a degree in awesome. I say leave it how it is. Sure it may be a little weird for someone reading through the archives, though if they bother to read your blurbs (And really, they should, because you’re pretty goddamn amusing) then they’d understand just what they are.
Either way, though, I can safely say that I appreciate your humor in any form, and even moreso appreciate that you’re putting it all out on the line for us. You’re seriously an inspiration.
Now, then, that was very hokey, and I’m going to vomit at my own sincerity. <3
Not really sure I understand what the issue is. You’ve done filler strips before, so why is it suddenly a problem for people? Or is it because it’s more like an actual strip than an “oops, this is filler” pic?
Whatever. I say leave it. Although maybe make a tag so the Nergil & Jasper fans can find all the strips until they get housed in their own place. Assuming that’s something you want to do. Because I know you just have oodles of free time and all. 😉
p.s. Is the tag really supposed to be !st Date instead of 1st? I can understand having a ! reaction (or even a !!! one) to Creepy McCreepster.
I think I had another thought but I am still braining a bit slow post-ECCC.
Well, the good news is that I’m signed up for EEEC next year 🙂 And that is a really good idea for the tags, if people ant to find the strips easily. (the !st) is a mistake 😉
Oh goody! A chance to go all McCreepy on you! …In the 2-3 minutes of spare time I’ll have in between running around to get coffees and foodstuffs for the media guests. 😉 I now know everywhere it’s possible to buy coconut water within a 4 block radius of the convention center. Woof.
Please leave them D:
I am not always able to check for a new post each day, and I’ve always enjoyed the fillers when I have to play catch-up. I don’t see any issue with keeping it the way it is; to have to go check another site would be kind of annoying, especially if I only have time to glance through, and deleting them completely would be such a waste of humor. I look forward to them and would hate to see them go.
I love your fillers dude
Personally, I’ve got no issues with the way it is now.
On a different note, I’ve got no real knowledge of how comicpress works, nor do I have any true understanding of how the next and back buttons work either. However, it seems like it should be possible to change the location of where the next and back buttons redirect to. For instance, now we have the comics
/honest-mistake
/magically-awkward
/readily-ready
all in a row. shouldn’t it be possible to make /honest-mistake lead to /readily-ready without deleting the /magically awkward page? Then if you wanted to, you could set up another link at the top along with archive, cast, etc, where people could just get the direct links to the comics. If you could edit which comic the next and back buttons take you to, you could likely also set it up so that each filler comic lead to another filler comic without much hassle.
Oh well, it’s just an idea, I’d just say to leave it as is if it would be too much of a pain though.
A very good idea, and thank you for the suggestion, I’m not sure if I can do that, but I’ll look into it 🙂
Just leave them. the fillers are funny most the time and are a good way to pas the time. a lot of webcomics i read do it too. fuck the whiny bitches who complain about it.
leave them!
however – i demand koalas! you left me hanging with the koalas dammit!
The koalas will be coming back I do promise that 🙂
They are not over intrusive. They happen. I deal with it. Again, it’s not to the point where it’s all I expect out of “Nerf This” so I’m fine with it. As a reader, i totally respect the fact that you are doing things that help build your career and bring me, the reader, more goodie awesome stuff. Ignore the haters.
Keep’em here, I like them as much as the real comics.
LEAVE THE FILLERS! They’re hilarious and whenever you do post them I dont get annoyed because they are still funny on their own merit so it’s fine. When you publish your book (not “If” – “When”) just have all the comics in sequential order with no fillers to obstruct the story line. Maybe have the fillers in the back of the book? That would be cool…
Anyways, EWWWWWWWWW FEET!!
Ergo EWWWWWWW JERRY!!
The fillers aren’t print quality, so they would be a little section for them maybe in the book, and ew Jerry indeed, the creepiest person I’ve drawn in a while D:
Ahhh that sucks… You might get away with blowing them up to about 150% at print quality. They will still be pixelated a little but not so bad that your eyes start bleeding.
I’d love to see them printed.
I wondered why the wallpaper filler was suddenly gone. 🙂 I don’t really mind the fillers, though I do like croda’s idea.
Anyway, to paraphrase the comment I left on the wallpaper page: I really love your comic—wandered over here from LAWLS and read the archives over the weekend. Keep it up!
I feel sorry for Zoey in that last panel. O_o
Oh awesome, I’m glad you found me through LAWLS, Joenis is an awesome guy 🙂
And you deserve a metal for reading everything in a weekend, that is no easy feat, I still shudder when I look back at even a few months ago!
But thank you, I’m really happy you like everything, that means tons to me.
i say leave it as is.
also, i love everything you do. please keep it up 😀
I would just leave it the way you do it now. I love the fillers, thats what makes this comic great imo. Or at least one of the things. ._.
<3
I’m fond of the fillers so I vote for leaving them.
Also I would have you know that I played a one-off of Danger Patrol (rpg) this past weekend where I played the Intrepid Professor, Professor Balziac (say it fast). Under uniform colors I listed stately and mustache and my rival Professor Doctor Nemesi tried to attack me from invisible zeppelins.
While saving the fair folk of rocket city I used a good amount of quotes from your comic. They served me well in portraying that I was all around dashing and adventurous. My hats off to you sir.
I actually quite like the fillers. Even when the comic isn’t posted there is something there to make me laugh. I’ve grown quite fond of the filler characters actually
I very much enjoy the fillers. Nerf This, as a whole experience, includes the fillers. It’s a lovable little quirky part of it that can’t just be tossed aside like a cold cappuccino you forgot about. The fillers are mad delicious and don’t go bad! I beg of you to leave them. While Nerf This is about the story, yes, it is also a webcomic. The fact that the author of a webcomic would make fillers for the fans because of real life situations adds to the endearing level of reader-author intercommunication. As a whole, it just wouldn’t be the same without them. They add a spark of personality. And aside from my philosophical argument, they really are funny. I would hate to see them go and would love to see them stay in a book when that manifests. Even if they’re not print quality, as you say, I’d prefer a maintained order when you have a book for sale, if at all possible.
P.S.
If Jerry starts off a relationship that way, I dare not venture to imagine how it would develop further.
Like a lot of other people, I really don’t see the problem with leaving the filler. It takes literally less than two seconds to skip past on anything even resembling a decent connection, if you really want to read in sequential order, and if somebody has a problem with filler as it comes out, then I don’t know what to do with that, because it’s going to be just as long a wait for new story either way, and what the hell.
(I would totally buy a book of Nerf This.)
I read the post that I believe inspired your doubts, and I’d like to say I completely disagree with it. As I already said, it takes virtually no time to skip them if you really don’t want to read it, and even if you can’t help but feel the need to read through them, it’s still a lot less of a wait than the (roughly) 24 hours between strips, anyway. If this were a much more story-heavy comic, with much-less comedy, and no punchlines whatever, it would make sense to move the filler elsewhere. But as it is, the punchlines at the ends of the comics interrupt the flow of the story (not that there’s anything wrong with that with this comic) just as much as any amount of filler, making the entire point of removing it moot.
I love that you take time to listen to your readers’ suggestions and complaints, Scott, but you should probably also have a little more confidence in your comic.
(And while we’re on the subject of suggestions, I, and I’m sure many other readers, still want those boxers.)
Yes. I agree with this 110%. The extra ten percent is for the boxers.
Leave the filler!!!! I think, as you can see from all the comments, the majority of your readers, myself included, want them kept as-is.
yea, the filler isn’t bad. keep it up and tell those people to deal with it,
YOU do great work, and it’s not like you are going to do a 15 year skip then drop the end on us like http://www.bizarreuprising.com … that was just sad to watch. keep up AMAZING work.
and tell then to piss off if anyone says otherwise.
I say, leave them as they are. Like so many before me. 😛 I often link them to my friends when I feel the need. Especially when they include dinosaurs!
Also, it sounds like I might be meeting you at ECCC next year, yay!
Hey Scott what’s going on with the books? I’m anxious to hold greatness
I like the fillers. You should let them stay, only so long as your comfortable with making them at all. Most of us enjoy them.
The fillers are like an Almond Joy candy bar. Sure you get every thing with coconut and chocolate that is ‘Nerf-This’, but the almonds are always something extra that isn’t given to you in a Mounds candy bar. If you have just one texture, it can get rather dull, but throw in an almond or two in the mix, and you have a delicious treat!
Leave the fillers as is, my good sir. I enjoy Jasper’s shenanigans!
And thank you for giving us comics five days a week, it must be a long, arduous task and truly, you deserve every bit of praise that everyone else has given you.
Therefore, a day off every once in a while with some small filler is well deserved on your part for continuing to work so hard for us!
Best regards,
-Cap
I vote leave it as it is; it’s never been any sort of bother to have the fillers there. At the very least, don’t remove them altogether, because I like them. 🙂
When will the “Cast” link be updated to reflect many of the new characters as well as update the Thumbnails of already stated characters 😛 Also updated info on said characters. xD
Leave it as is. I honestly think I’ve linked the filler more times than the actual comic itself, just because you don’t need to know everything that’s going on to “get” them. I see them as hilarious “commercials” and they’ve never really bothered me at all. Looks like I’m not the only one either.
Keep up the awesome work!
Leave the filler where it is. If they’re playing catch-up and don’t want to read filler, they can keep hitting the next button until they get to the current arc. Besides, you have an archive with each comic title labeled, which is more than most comic sites that just list comics by date in their archives. If anything, you might just post in the archives labels like “filler” or “story” or something of that sort so people can just skip the filler if they want.
Sorry I don’t have time for a longer post today, but keep the fillers, THEY ARE AWESOME!
Keep the fillers they’re hilarious and I find them completely unobtrusive. They also use the same style of humor as the story which makes it perfectly appropriate for them to be there.
I love your fillers!
(… hmm, my first comment here turns out rather homoerotic.)
I smiled when I read “Stabecus in the facecus!”. It amused me so.
I love the fillers! How anyone could have a problem with them is beyond me. I’d give specifics, but I think everyone else here already stated my thoughts. 😛
By the way, I dated a Jerry once. I didn’t think so at the time (I claim temporary insanity), but looking back on everything, that’s a VERY accurate portrayal! EWW!
Out of curiosity, which would you say is worse. A Jerry type where his fetish is creepily brought forth on day one, or someone who appears normal, but once he’s comfortable enough with you might reveal that feet is something he’s into.
I’d think that the second is better, but of course there’s the added creepy factor of its’ unexpectedness, and the damage could be compounded by the trust built.
Seems like if you’re someone who’s sexual tastes differ from the norm, deciding when and how it’s appropriate to broach the subject could be difficult.
Second option definitely. At least you’d know he had the sense to keep something like that to himself until you knew each other better. Then you could always politely decline, whereas creeper just makes you uncomfortable, and you don’t know how to react.
The filler doesn’t bother me at all. If I were to suggest anything, I’d say it could be rearranged at the end of a story arc to form an intermission of sorts, but even that is entirely unnecessary. I think the plot can be sporadically interrupted with one shot gags without being damaged in any way.
The fillers are awesome!! keep them as is!!!! 8D
I’m pretty late to the party, but I’m hopping on the “leave the fillers as they are” bandwagon. I don’t think its as disrupting as some are making it to be. I know when I open the site and see jolly old gentlemen talk about shanking each other its one of your busy days. 🙂
Can’t wait to see the shirt design, I may order one for the boyfriend.
Leave it! I love the fillers~
😀
I say leave ’em as well. They’re fun to read and if people don’t like ’em, they can always hit the next button.
Jerry is creepy a shit man.
I like the fillers right where they’re at, personally. They tend to be a good break in the story, and when I read them I chuckle and get excited because I know we’ll be coming right back to the story next time.
So I’d leave them simply for ease and for the purpose of building excitement, because we all appreciate it that much more when there’s been an interruption. =)
In any case, fillers are definitely better than nothing, and we in turn come to like the filler characters, like Sugar Tits and Yelling Bird. xD
Leave it as it is! It’s actually really neat to read through and have them in there. It’s not like I get confused (“waaaiiiitt, who is this guy with the monocle?” doesn’t actually happen), and really, it’s almost like we get to see a bit of your life wrapped in (“ooh here is where Scott was really, REALLY busy”). None of that mirror nonsense, and I would be devastated if you deleted them.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it 😛
Leave them how they are! i still look back to some of the fillers sometimes.. including the one with you and the baby chick.. i still laugh histerically when i look at it..
Let the whiners whine and keep up the good work!
Things are pretty good the way they are! Definitely don’t remove the fillers altogether, because they are really funny. I can understand how they can be obtrusive to those who go archive storm later, but they should still exists somewhere. I like the idea of moving them to another site several days after you post them, but that sounds like more work for you 😛
I think its pretty good the way it is.
I don’t know what I’d do without the fillers. The best ones were your “This is me, if I were a cartoon” ones, and then as they became even more dapper, I’ve actually looked forward to them more and more (almost to the point of wanting another site to look at all of them)
But for now, I’m content going back through the archives to see the fillers. I have no problem reading through a story line and seeing said fillers.
If someone is that annoyed with them, they can go —> that way and purchase your book. Internets are not hard.
Leave the fillers. love the comic and the fillers are like a little added bonus of funniness that makes you laugh just at the right time, i go back and read them some times when I’m at work laugh my ass off get weird looks and laugh even harder then show what I’m looking at and then everyone joins in the laughing keep the fillers like i said just a little added bonus of awesomeness.
Personally I like your fillers. I don’t mind having breaks in the comic at all, plus it’s better than not posting anything. As for deleting them after a few days, I’d say no to that too. In fact just last week I was searching through the archives showing my sister and her boyfriend the gentlemanly escapades of Nergil and Co. They also found them to be funny 😀
I like it fine! Never bothered me any 🙂
Just random joke pages in between the rest!
i like the fillers! keep them 😀
poor zoey….
Yeah I say leave them. Its hilarious to randomly find a filler in between hilarious strips.
Also, Zoey in the last panel is so much more beautiful than when you first introduced her.
I think you should keep it the way it is, I enjoy the fillers, they always make me giggle.
I like the fillers. I would much rather read them than nothing. Also, you shouldn’t have to work any harder than you already do. Keep on keepin’ on.
I enjoy the fillers, I find that they’re nice breaks from the comic. While the main storyline is nice, it’s always nice to have something breaking it up every once in a while.
And besides, the plot is not so incredibly complex that we need a continuous flow of plot or we’ll get scared and confused and run off.
wow zero to creeper in 2 seconds flat. impressive.
Is it really that big of a deal to have them the way they are? I absolutely love the filler posts. If people don’t want to read them they can just not read them…Maybe I’m a bitch, but I think it’s idiotic to make a fuss about it.
It’s just fine the way it is. Bitches need to stop whining. I mean…. bitches need to stop whining.
Leave them as is. They’re awesome.
Also, I love you 😀
Yeah I cast my ballot on the leave as is side of things. But what’s your opinion on guest comic fillers? I’ll bet there’s a ton of people who’d give up spare limbs to do that for you.
Keep the fillers as is, but perhaps you are biting off more than you can chew? Also, when can we see Zoey’s feet?
You know… Speaking of fillers, a Jerry-type character would make for some guaranteed hilarity in that area.
Leave the fillers. Leave them there so we can bask in their shiny goodness forever!
Leave the fillers. Theyre funny. Ive never heard anyone complain about them.
I am in love with the fillers. I would be sad if you take them. So sad that i might just cry. And you don’t want to make me cry… do you?
I’v got to say I enjoy the fillers and like that if there is not going to be a story update that there is still something here. I too was quite behind when i started reading and the filler never once bothered me.
I also like thezombiegal’s idea, a filler section in the book would be great.
I just noticed that there is another Fish here, well i must find a new name
HAHAHA I’m sorry!
On the bright side, I officially think you’re cool because you have good taste in avatar names =)
So, I agree – Keep the fillers. I know wordpress.com lets you put posts into different categories, but I don’t know if comicpress allows that. If so, that might be an easy solution to your problem. Just make sure in the archive you have a link to “Storyline” and “Fillers”. I check out Questionable Content almost daily and Jeph throws up fillers, too. It’s expected when something happens. Why? – because you can’t exactly call out for a comic. This is like your full-time job and unless you have guest-strips that are handy and available to throw up, then you have no choice but to either put up a filler or…sadly….nothing. I vote for filler. I say keep them all in sequential order for the “back” and “next” buttons, but put them in categories under the Archive page. Like I said – I’m not sure how Comicpress works. Another idea is to have a slideshow of all Nerf-This comics and all Filler comics in the Archives. Each comic, when tagged, would magically appear in order under their slideshow, so all you’d have to do is click either the filler or story slideshow.
You also don’t have a lot of guest-strips, which is nice.
Also, did you simply not realize how creepy Jerry would be until you colored him in? Or is it that coloring him in kind of…brings him to life for you? Chase is creepy, but less creepy and more…random and eccentric and airy. Jerry is…just…*gags*
So, being a fairly recent addict to your comics (I only started reading in January) AND having gone back and read them in the archives from the beginning; I have to say I really don’t mind most of the fillers. My only thing is I get slightly disappointed I won’t get to see the story progress that day. It kinda helps me remember your art is a process and you are human (probably) like the rest of us…. And I like that.
Thanks for making comics that help me get thru the day!
I prefer when a comic has separate archives, one for main content and one for filler, and the main page shows the latest from either.
I want to say that I agree not to get rid of the filler, it would be a waste to nuke it after putting it up.
As for possible solutions for those who don’t like fillers, croda mentioned something I thought of right away when I heard the issue. I’ve come across at least a few online comics that have such a work around, and the extra tab is called “skip fillers”. I’m not sure how difficult that is to set up on different sites, but it’s a handy little item for the filler haters.
I’ve never really used it myself, but I can see using it for instance if I forgot a good chunk of plot and wanted to reread the comic in order to remember what’s going on.
Honestly, I find the fillers hilarious, and as someone who just recently read through the Nerf This archives for the first time, I would have been sad if they had been deleted and I could not have read them. I say keep them, it doesn’t take more than a second or two to skip one anyway.
Your fillers are hilarious! I don’t see any problem the way things are right now. However, if there are people that don’t like them, i think that the best idea would be to post them but 2 or 3 days later to delete them from the site( or move them to other place).
Leave it as is. Even comic strips in newspapers have filler from time to time. If their worst problem in life is reading a webcomic that has a filler strip, then wow, can I trade with them?
Great strip, keep up the good work. I love the fillers, they’re hilarious.
I think the fillers are quite dapper. Whenever I read one, I yearn to adorn my face with an eye patch or monocle. Perhaps both! Every artist runs into a few obstacles here and there and what better way to keep things merry than with a filler? I vote to keep this fine tradition.
You CONSTANTLY draw Zoey more and more pretty! …i hate you.
I know right? Even with that weird little hair poof thing she’s got goin on.
I’m not sure what kind of limp noodle would have a problem with your fillers, but I’ve never had a problem with them. In fact, sometime I run through the old strips just to see some of the fillers.
I also agree with people saying that they’re a great notification as to whether there’ll be an update.
Looks like an overwhelming “Keep ‘Em” consensus from what i’ve briefly skimmed on my way down this unusually long chain of posts. All I can say is at least the fillers are shorter than anime fillers and less calories.
Keep up the good work and don’t let the haters get you down.
Wait until you get a minion before you worry about “organization.” =3
I want to share my little comic experience. I found Nerf This about 3 weeks ago, and burned through your archives in about 2 days. The fillers were/are amazing. Going through your archives and hitting a filler is like taking a break from one brand of awesome and cleansing your pallet with another. It also made me appreciate what you do for your fans even more, because I’m one of those people who reads the post beneath the comic plus the comments. No matter how busy you are you always have something up for us, and it never disappoints.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is, please leave them. They’re half the reason I read all your comics so fast. The other half is that you’re so awesome. :3
Like so many so many before have said, I love the fillers! Also, Tapki just stole the words out of my mouth: fillers and the comments you leave with them help us to remember all the work you put into entertaining us, on top of a schedule that’s likely fuller than most of ours are on any given day! And, having just blazed through the archives I must give you MAD PROPS!! for your amazing growth as an artist in such a short time, and for your great story telling ability!
Zoey’s hair is starting to look more and more like Spartacus….
Zoey’s Existence is Suffering.