Line #4 Main/InteractiveComic


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4	[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/ShenComix https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/interactive_comic.png]]]]
5
6	A {{webcomic}} that, unlike most webcomics that have a set story and [[AscendedFanon swipe reader speculation periodically]], takes a ''lot'' of reader input. Frequently, the author will take so much reader input that nearly the entire webcomic is made of user suggestions. As such, they ''always'' have some way to put in suggestions, whether it's a designated forum where you can post in a suggestion box, comment in a comment box, a ShoutBox, or an email address you can send suggestions to. In fact, many of these comics had their origins in forum threads, where the update panels are in-line with the discussion of said panels and the suggestions.
7
8	In many cases (nearly all since the TropeCodifier ''Webcomic/MSPaintAdventures''), the webcomic will be [[FramingDevice presented as if it were a log of an]] InteractiveFiction game (with pictures). Because commands are parsed by a human and only one (or a very select few) command paths are actually used, the story usually ends up [[KudzuPlot far more complex than is possible to program into a game]] (mostly because the CombinatorialExplosion is much smaller and can thus be handled manually). [[WriteWhatYouKnow Due to the sort of people who make these comics]], these comics also frequently spoof such things as {{Adventure Game}}s, {{Simulation Game}}s, {{Puzzle Game}}s, {{Roleplaying Game}}s, or TurnBasedStrategy games.
9
10	These comics generally update with only one panel at a time and as such can be updated ''very quickly''. [[ArchivePanic Often even more than once a day.]]
11
12	For obvious reasons, these comics cannot use a StripBuffer at all.
13
14	Frequently these comics straddle the boundary between {{Webcomic}} and NewMedia[=/=]WebOriginal. General precedent seems to be to put {{Interactive Comic}}s in the Webcomic category. More and more however, traditional web comic creators are experimenting with the medium.
15
16	This trope has a ''lot'' of overlap with its SisterTrope, ForumQuest, since both tropes can trace their lineage back to ''Webcomic/RubyQuest'', and many works can be interpreted as belonging to both categories.
17
18	Several websites include entire sections in which {{Interactive Comic}}s can be created.
19
20	!!Tropes common to Interactive Comics include:
21	* AscendedFanon: These stories ''run on this and perhaps little else''. Beyond direct suggestions, authors often take direction of the future updates by canonizing fan speculation.
22	* CerebusSyndrome: Specifically, once the OntologicalMystery is slightly less of a mystery, the author will often reveal a backstory for the world and the character. This generally tilts the comic away from silly hijinks to plot-driven story, as the fans giving instructions become more invested.
23	* ForegoneConclusion: ''Homestuck'' has proven that as any interactive comic becomes popular enough, it begins to defy the medium. The creator of ''Homestuck'' has said that before ultimately closing the suggestion boxes, there were so many suggestions that he could pick any direction he wanted, losing the purpose of the interactivity.
24	** ''Homestuck'' is also an interesting case study in that the author eventually got incredibly fed up by endless streams of countless moronic suggestions; something usually considered a strength of this genre. Even without suggestions, fans still affected the comic in small ways as community jokes and theories often appeared in the comics or had nods to them. Also, the author himself said "90% of 'calling it' is actually influencing it in disguise."
25	* OntologicalMystery: Often of the YouWakeUpInARoom kind. [[SturgeonsLaw Fortunately or unfortunately]], this type of beginning to a story is ''incredibly'' easy to pull off.
26	* PresentTenseNarrative
27	* SecondPersonNarration
28	* SchrodingersGun
29	* GenreSavvy or GenreBlindness: Depending on the quality of reader suggestions, the protagonist in question can be [[IdiotBall a bumbling idiot with no brains]] or [[SmartBall an incredibly smart ninja who knows all the trappings of his fiction]], or anything in between.
30	* WhoWritesThisCrap: In stories with [[BreakingTheFourthWall a thinner fourth wall]], the characters in the story might rebel and refuse to follow instructions, as a means for the author to [[WhatTheHellPlayer express displeasure with the decision-making of the audience]].
31
32	----
33	!!Examples:
34	[[index]]
35
36	[[foldercontrol]]
37
38	[[folder:General examples]]
39	* ''Webcomic/AetheriaEpics''
40	* ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital''
41	** ''Webcomic/StrangeSchool'' (fancomic)
42	** ''Webcomic/StrangeSchoolEvenStranger'' (sequel comic)
43	* ''Webcomic/BasketsOfGuts''
44	* ''[[http://banditsquest.com/ Bandit's Quest]]'', stated to have been inspired by MSPA, originated on [[http://banditsquest.tumblr.com/ tumblr]].
45	* ''Webcomic/BeCalm'' runs on reader commands, but [[spoiler: the characters are fully aware that they are being interacted with, and often break the fourth wall to address the "voices" giving them prompts.]]
46	* ''Webcomic/BlackWardEmptyChambers'': an [[InteractiveComic interactive]] horror comic and spiritual successor to VideoGame/SilentHill2. ''Black Ward'' updates daily and uses [[AudienceParticipation comments]] as AdventureGame style prompts to move the story forward. The story follows AmnesiacHero Callahan Westchester as he makes his way through the dark and mysterious ‘Black Ward’, searching for his brother and encountering twisted monstrosities.
47	* ''Webcomic/BloodIsMine''
48	* ''Webcomic/CityOfTheDead''
49	* ''Webcomic/TheComplex''
50	* ''Webcomic/CutieClash''
51	* ''Webcomic/D20Pony'' is a fantasy adventure set in the universe of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', in which the readers take control of a young earth pony as she explores the land of Equestria.
52	* ''Webcomic/DeathByChoice'', a detective comic, is a Choose Your Own Adventure comic where the reader plays the role of a detective.
53	* ''Webcomic/DemonThesis'', a mix of interactive comic and java based tactical game by Chris Doucette, who also brought us ''Webcomic/TheLastDaysOfFOXHOUND''.
54	* ''Webcomic/DeepRise''
55	* ''Roleplay/DorfQuest''
56	* ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'', is based around this to varying degrees for all of its comics besides its primary one, Moonless Age.
57	* ''Webcomic/EcopportunityX'': a horror comic about a small child escaping the facility they awoke in.
58	* ''Webcomic/EnemyQuest'' is a Romance/Science-Fiction interactive comic in the same vein as Webcomic/RubyQuest and Roleplay/NanQuest. Created by [[http://questden.org/wiki/Bromeliad Bromeliad]], It follows the story of one Zack Nguyen as he's hired by a government agency to take place in a cultural exchange program with Earth's newest residents: the Visitors, a collection of four alien races from [[Main/AnotherDimension another dimension]].
59	* ''Epicsplosion: Tripp Rougestar's Space-filled Adventure'', whose story depends on which of several paths you take, something that Creator/AndrewHussie tried with ''Webcomic/BardQuest''.
60	* ''Webcomic/EvilPlan'' switched over to a MSPA style for AprilFoolsDay 2012, and took suggestions from the readers. The comic was updated nearly a hundred times that day, with several of the images being [[http://evilplan.thewebcomic.com/comics/1460787/start-game/ animated .gifs.]]
61	* ''Webcomic/{{Fortuna}}'' is a ''Homestuck''-inspired, but a completely separate webcomic that has its own universe, rules, plot, characters, phylosophical themes etc. Even though it began as a MSPFA project, it's a completely independent work now.
62	* ''Webcomic/{{Gengame}}''
63	* ''Webcomic/ImpjakAdventure''
64	* In ''Webcomic/KoanOfTheDay'', the guru is visited by the Goddess, which introduces a [[http://www.koanoftheday.com/146/ complicated puzzle game that few people have solved]].
65	* ''Webcomic/LandFall''
66	* ''Webcomic/LittleRobotBigScaryWorld''
67	* ''Webcomic/MorphE'', is like a visual novel, with animations and ''Franchise/{{Ace Attorney}}'' styled investigation sequences.
68	* ''Webcomic/MyDeliriumAlcazar''
69	* ''[[http://www.rebuildempyrean.com/ Mystic Empyrean Rebuild]]'', is entirely based around user suggestions either on the forums or every other week to determine the course of the primary narrative.
70	* ''Webcomic/MSPaintAdventures'' is the TropeCodifier.
71	** This has changed a bit since the site was started. While completed series ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'' is still an excellent example of the genre, the current series ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' has long since closed its submission boxes and is for all practical purposes a "normal" webcomic styled like an interactive comic. The audience still has a significant influence on the story, though, as author Creator/AndrewHussie enjoys reading fan theories and [[AscendedFanon employing]] the ones he likes into the story.
72	* ''Webcomic/NASAPone''
73	* ''Webcomic/OldRepublicPaintAdventures'' is an interactive comic (loosely) set in the Star Wars universe.
74	* ''Webcomic/OmnitopiaThePlayground'' where all the main characters are people from the Gitpg forums who have given permission to appear in the comic.
75	* ''Webcomic/PantsSeatCarpetRide'', which is told from the third person and contains no images, was inspired by MSPA.
76	* ''Webcomic/{{Prequel}}'' (which was also a [[Webcomic/MSPaintAdventures MSPA Forum Adventure]] before getting its own site.)
77	* ''Webcomic/RubyQuest'' and all the other [[http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Quest /tg/ quests]] are the [[TropeMaker Trope Makers]] (though ''Ruby Quest'' itself is younger than the TropeCodifier).
78	** ''Roleplay/JohnQuest'', GaidenGame-esque SelfParody of Ruby by the [[Creator/TheWeaver same author]].
79	** ''Webcomic/NanQuest'', ''Webcomic/RubyQuest''[='=]s SpiritualSequel.
80	** ''Webcomic/DiveQuest'', a fantasy roleplay and possible prequel to ''Webcomic/RubyQuest''.
81	* ''Webcomic/RWBYQuest''
82	* ''Webcomic/SaveThePrincess''
83	* ''Webcomic/SilentHillPromise''
84	* ''Webcomic/StableQuest''
85	* [[http://www.evil-dog.com/storyshift.html StoryShift]], as written about by [[http://boingboing.net/2014/11/05/storyshift-is-a-new-storytelli.html BoingBoing]].
86	* ''Webcomic/TerreneSpire''
87	* ''Webcomic/TinyCatPeople''
88	* ''Webcomic/TouhouNekokayou''[='s=] Create.swf Adventures
89	* ''Webcomic/{{Transverse}}''
90	* Downplayed in ''WebOriginal/{{Unichat}}'', which breaks from the genre's InteractiveFiction roots, instead allowing readers to interact with the narrative through the Unichat platform itself.
91	* ''Webcomic/{{Voices}}'' (which was originally an [[Webcomic/MSPaintAdventures MSPA Forum Adventure]] before getting its own site.)
92	* ''Webcomic/WayOfWushu''
93	* ''Webcomic/WeenieLicked''
94	* ''Webcomic/WickedAwesomeAdventure''
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:MS Paint Forum Adventures]]
98	The [[http://www.mspaforums.com/forumdisplay.php?85 MSPA Forum Adventures]] forum (now a redirect to the hereinafter mentioned archive website[[note]]On March 29th, 2016 the forums crashed, possibly after an attack, and could never be satisfactorily be brought back up; many adventures were continued on other forums such as Eagle Time and Omega Update.[[/note]]), which as the name suggests is part of ''Webcomic/MSPaintAdventures''' forum. A substantial number of these are fanfiction of ''{{Webcomic/Homestuck}}'', and a lot of them are archived on [[http://mspfanventures.com/ MS Paint Fan Adventures]], a collaborative mirror site which transposes these adventures from forum posts into the style of MSPA proper.
99	----
100	* ''Roleplay/{{Alanna}}''
101	* ''Webcomic/AllNightLaundry''
102	* ''Webcomic/ArtOfDomination''
103	* ''Webcomic/ABeginnersGuideToTheEndOfTheUniverse''
104	** ''Webcomic/ChairmanJackEmerge'' (sequel)
105	* ''Webcomic/BeTheSeaDwellerLowblood''
106	* ''Webcomic/{{Castelocked}}''
107	* ''Webcomic/{{Chiasmata}}''
108	* ''Webcomic/ChildrenOfTheGun''
109	* ''Webcomic/ACompleteWasteOfTime''
110	* ''Webcomic/{{Cordless}}''
111	** And its short-lived reboot, [[http://www.mspaforums.com/showthread.php?47265-Rebuild-of-Cordless Rebuild of Cordless.]]
112	* ''Webcomic/CorgiQuest''
113	* ''Roleplay/CrystalRave''
114	* ''Webcomic/CultFollowing''
115	* ''Webcomic/DarkDungeonsLightBot''
116	* ''Webcomic/{{Datastuck}}''
117	* ''Webcomic/DontNameIt''
118	* ''Webcomic/DoubleReacharoundOrange''
119	* ''Webcomic/DoubleReacharoundRed''
120	* ''Webcomic/DungeonsOfSunnydale''
121	* ''Webcomic/Facade2013''
122	* ''Webcomic/{{Fortuna}}''
123	* ''Webcomic/{{Godquest}}''
124	* ''Webcomic/{{Heartstuck}}''
125	* ''Webcomic/{{Hexane}}''
126	* ''Webcomic/{{Hoofstuck}}''
127	* ''Webcomic/{{Housetrapped}}''
128	* ''Webcomic/IjiCaptainLhurgoyf''
129	* ''Webcomic/ItsMidnightSomewhere''
130	* ''Webcomic/LegendOfTheHunter''
131	* ''Webcomic/{{Lucidstuck}}''
132	* ''Webcomic/MarySueQuest''
133	* ''Webcomic/Masquerade2011''
134	* [[Webcomic/DotMemoria .Memoria]]
135	* ''Webcomic/TheMotleyTwo''
136	* ''Webcomic/NepetaQuest2011''
137	* ''Webcomic/{{Nightfall}}''
138	* ''Webcomic/{{Oceanfalls}}''
139	* ''Fanfic/{{Selfstuck}}''
140	* ''Webcomic/SinisterEvolution''
141	* ''Webcomic/StuckHomestuck''
142	* ''Webcomic/{{Superego}}''
143	* ''Webcomic/SynodicReboot''
144	* ''Webcomic/{{TheHumanGame}}''
145	* ''Webcomic/TrolSeasson''
146	* ''Webcomic/{{Waterworks}}''
147	* ''Webcomic/{{Wildlife}}''
148	[[/folder]]
149
150	[[folder:Questden]]
151	''Website/{{Questden}}'' was created to run image board quests, which use a mix of pictures and accompanying text to tell stories.
152	----
153	* ''Webcomic/AcidSoup'': A girl got something stolen from her, but she doesn't know what in a city where that could be practically anything.
154	* ''Webcomic/AsteroidQuest'': A sprawling science fiction adventure in a high tech setting featuring many distinctive alien races.
155	** ''Webcomic/UnnaturalSelection'': An AI simulation happening in the greater Asteroidverse.
156	** ''Webcomic/KnightBlades'': A parallel story about a knight errant seeking to eliminate a great evil and to serve his master, Muschio.
157	* ''Webcomic/{{Dungeoneer}}'': A Dungeon Heart trying to expand her dungeon and maybe become a better person.
158	* ''Roleplay/FenQuest'': A kobold on a quest to make a name for himself and marry his love.
159	* ''Webcomic/ALittleTownCalledCoxwette'': A fugitive, randy tomcat tries to hide out in a lovely little TownWithADarkSecret.
160	* ''Roleplay/MudyQuest'': A kobold named Mudy out to claim a kingdom as his own.
161	* ''Webcomic/TrashyVampireRomanceNovel'': TVRN is the un-life of the recently-turned vampire Ricardo Castro and the messy situations he gets into.
162	* ''Webcomic/ViralByCommittee''
163	[[/folder]]
164
165	[[folder:Bay 12]]
166	Roleplay/{{Bay 12\|PlayByPostGames}} has several in the Forum Games and Roleplaying section, including such works as [[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=55601.0 thiiiiiiiis]].
167	----
168	* ''Webcomic/DarknessRedeemedNecromechanic''
169	* ''Webcomic/TheLittlestCheesemaker''
170	* ''Webcomic/LosingIsFun''
171	[[/folder]]
172	[[/index]]

Context Main / InteractiveComic