Webcomics are like mayflies. There are hundreds of them out there, yet most of them flicker and die shortly after inception. That is if they get off the ground at all. Browse through the Keenspace archives sometime and note the number of dust laden archives, the tumbleweeds blowing between gutters.

But let’s say you do a comic and it lasts a while. It survives the deathtraps that commonly pray on webtoonists - real life issues, fading interest, etc. How do you end it? When do you end it? Well, if there isn’t an overarching plot that’s not so much of a problem. But what if you do have some kind of story going on in your comic? Then things become a bit stickier.

First, develop a sense of timing. You need to know when to let that scythe fall. Maybe it’s just me, but there are far too many comics out there that just drag on and on. These sequential zombies are afraid to end for one reason or another. In professional comics it is because of the threat of lost income. In some comic books it is because the same characters and story get recycled from one writer to another over the course of years under corporate moguls. I would advise against extending your comic’s life longer than the story requires. One of Bill Waterson’s greatest moves was knowing when to quit Calvin and Hobbes. It had a good, long run, but in the end he knew when to tie it off. All good things must come to an end and they’re better for it. It is better to have a reasonable amount of something good than to see a large quantity of something that used to be good but turned sour with time. Which would you have - loss and resolution or the long lasting taint of bitterness? That said, don’t cut it off too soon either. Don’t forget plot threads and rush to a hasty end. Also, don’t create explanations purely for the convenience of finishing more quickly. This too will lead to bitterness.

A great deal of pacing is intuitive, I’m afraid. At least it is with me (my infrequent updates aside). But the best way to guage how you’re doing with the pace of your comic is to go back through your archives and read them. It’s invaluable. You’ll also likely find plot threads that you left dangling which give you the chance to resolve them and repair any plot holes that you may have dug. Also, I would recommend thinking of the end of your comic ahead of time so you can work up to it. Write out all of the final comics before you actually start to wrap things up, particularly if you’re not in the regular habit of writing several comics in advance. It will give you a chance to edit things and reconsider the direction that you want the story take before ending.

So what form will the end of your comic take? Well, obviously avoid common endings unless you have some kind of a twist to them or you’re really, truly convinced that you can do it and still keep it interesting for your audience. Above all, keep your comic true to itself. It needs to make sense within its own context. Changing the flavor entirely is too abrupt. Don’t have your characters lose their personality to narrative imperative. In other words, don’t have them do things just because they need to get done, regardless of whether or not the character would actually act that way.

Finally, there is one last thing to do before you completely close up shop. Hopefully even though your comic has ended, the site will be up for a long time to come so new readers can stumble on it and browse through your archives. If so, you might want to think about your site design. If you have your latest update on your main page then you don’t want these new readers to read the last comic first! Add just one more update - a panel that says ‘the end’ or some such. Think of it as the last period at the end of a sentence. Of course, if all your comics are simply in the archives and don’t show up on the first page, this isn’t so much of a problem.

Few comics reach a grand old age, but having an ultimate ending in mind can be a great motivator. It’s something to work towards. When I felt listless and unimaginative I simply thought about that. If I stopped the story would never be resolved. Most webcomics have rough edges - gems still in the matrix as it were. As we work on them, we improve them. By the end webcomics rarely resemble their first few awkward panels. They’ve been transmuted into something more refined. So if you’re looking to end your comic, do it the best way you can: go out in style!

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