Art vs story: which one decides a comics fate for you?

[AJpyro]

Story. I can stomach alot if I'm getting that good prose and ideas.

[GhostPirate]

When comics were newsprint and most took anywhere from 15-30 minutes of actual reading to finish it was absolutely all about the story for me. In fact, a lot of my appreciation for my favorite artists comes from frequent re-reads of much beloved stories.

Now that it's all glossy, digital color splash pages and a lot of decompressed storytelling I find the art much more important.

[Wollodrin]

Also if the art is bad it can't portray the story, since you need good facial/body expressions and logical sequences.

So without good art there by definition is no good story as well imo (unless you only mean the overall story/idea and not so much the execution).

[SiegePerilous02]

Story, but ideally it should be both

[MRP]

I am usually a story guy, but and it's a big but, comics is the medium of visual storytelling. If the art does not tell the story well, panel to panel, page to page then the story is not accessible no matter how talented the writer is or how good a story may potentially be. If there are no visuals, you might as well tell the story in prose, it will be more effective than art that lacks visual storytelling acumen. Good visual sotrytelling can save a mediocre story but bad visual storytelling can destroy the best story. The story is only as good as its told. A bad storyteller could ruin the Illiad for instance and a bad artist who cannot tell a story visually can destroy the most talented writers story. The art doesn't need to be pretty, it needs to be effective in telling the story. Tastes vary aesthetically so one reader's beautiful art can be another's ugly mess, but the there is a measurable skill in telling a story visually that is consistent through any comic, and if the art doesn't tell the story well, if you can't tell one character from another, if you cannot tell what order the panels should be read in, if the art makes the word balloons criss-cross all the tails to reach who is speaking, if there is no room for captions or dialogue, if there is no flow from one panel to the other and no transitions, if the images drawn do not form a narrative sequence when looked at in succession (i.e they are a series of pin-ups or non-sequitur images), the story will be lost and it is impossible to invest in it. Or worse, if the art seems to tell one story that contradicts the script (the characters look angry or is scowling in a moment the script tells you is joyful, the body language makes the characters look uncomfortable in a happy intimate moment in the story etc. then the story being told becomes muddled, confused or unreadable (unless there is an intentional dissonance called for by the story, but that can only be accomplished if art and story are in sych and that requires good/competent art where the reader can comprehend the dissonance is intentional and reveals the thematic content of the story). If the art tells the story well, then the reader can invest in it, but a visual narrative without being told well visually is near impossible to invest in because essential elements of the story are missing. If you don't need the visuals to tell the story, you're not writing/reading comics, it's illustrated prose. So story is why I am there, but in comics you can't get story unless the visuals are telling it, so it has to be effective art or nothing at all.

-M

[My Two Cents]

The art will pretty much have more influence on me picking up a trade, but the writing within will be the deciding factor on how far
I will read through the book.

[Lucky]

Story. But great art can help.

[WebLurker]

For me, it's actually the characters that dictate whether I'll get something or not.

However, between the two options, story easily; that's the bottom line of a comic, to tell a story. While I do want good art (and the art is an important factor in the story) and a weird style can take me out of the story, at the end of the day, the story is the reason I read a comic. If I just want to look at art, I'd be look at an "Art of..." book or something.

[Darkseid Is]

I have artists that I'm in love with but honestly most art I really like. There are only a few that I can't stand. I buy books mostly for stories but there are a couple guys I'll pick up whatever they draw.

[From The Shadows]

Story first definitely. I'll put up with art I don't like if the story is good. I would have missed out on some good ones too if I let the art turn me off.

[JackDaw]

When comics were newsprint and most took anywhere from 15-30 minutes of actual reading to finish it was absolutely all about the story for me. In fact, a lot of my appreciation for my favorite artists comes from frequent re-reads of much beloved stories.

Now that it's all glossy, digital color splash pages and a lot of decompressed storytelling I find the art much more important.

A fair chunk of way some modern comics are illustrated persuades me to just put them straight back on the shelf.

Splash page after splash page. Naff all dialogue, no thought bubbles (are they illegal now?), average panel counts of about three a page, fight scenes that seem like static body builder poses.

Usually think...another writer that can’t be bothered to write a story.

It’s comics...of course both story and art need to be there. But a good story is the essential starting point for me.

[Bryan]

ART
ART
ART
ART

I love the ART of comic books and have followed specific artists for the past 35-40 years. Of course I want a great story to go along with great art, but no matter how good the story is, if I do not like how the comic is drawn I cannot get into it.

[judder64]

The story is more important than art for me, but I need the art to have a minimum of quality to get into it. Moreover, nowadays, and especially in big budget superhero comics, I think that the art is easier to get right.

A few months ago I read Ed Brubaker's Dead Reckoning for detective comics. The premise was actually really good and interesting, but the art was too cartoonish for the story and ended up being a detriment, for my taste.

On the other hand, Mark Millar's Civil War had spectacular art but the story and characterization was weak.

Another interesting point to rise is how hard it is to have maxiseries drawn by the same artist. The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, City of Crime or All Star Superman are excellent stories that are strengthened by its cohesive art.

We should be grateful that Doomsday Clock is going to be entirely drawn by Gary Frank, but look at Metal... I wish DC had given Snyder and Capullo more issues to develop the story, instead of having to rely on the spin offs.

[RamblingMan]

Inconsistent art in a series seems pretty common now sadly. Its nice to get collections/runs with the same team.

[Jon-El]

Art for me. I would always go to the comic shop or bookstore & thumb through the first few pages. If I liked the artist then I bought the book. Thing is, my taste in art has changed over the years. There were guys I avoided but later came to appreciate.