The blunt truth is: it is MUCH easier to get pageviews by drawing fanservice and quick TF2 jokes (brand name recognition), than it is to get pageviews by drawing something witty and original like that one evolution comic you once made. You're simply not up to the challenge.

Never have I seen such a unique and large backstory.

Heh heh... 'plot.'

That's a nice pair of plots.

It occurs to me that the 'biggest' source of getting hits would be if the comic's shared, which happens when a comic provides commentary on another subject.

I don't care what the comics talk about. As long as it stays plot heavy with nice backstories. Engie backstories if I mind :)

Does he realize that the reason his last Hearthstone comic was so popular was because somebody linked it on the Hearthstone subreddit (one of the most visited subreddits)? Of course you're not going to get the same level of popularity without pandering to such a huge demographic, that's basic logic.

Damn you casuals! Giving Jo more money for DOTA 2 and Hearthstone comics, because you don't get linked to the other stuff.

@doujinflip: I guess you don't spend enough time on Fan service sites to know that Breasts = Plot. And the bigger they are, the more plot you have.

Well, I found the comic via dota2 - think that'll always be how comics about stuff like dota2 work. That said, I stayed for the personality, so to speak :)

PS. I'm liking this mini arc.

You know i really hope that you don't start to strictly make DOTA Comics because alot of people like me don't understand them due to not being invested in those games *personally i REALLY dislike DOTA but thats a opinion* but you can draw what you want i'll keep checking in everyday :>

"The last Dota 2 strip, followed by the Hearthstone strip,was not only popular, but was the most popular Nerf NOW!! strip this year"

It's official. The assholes have infested this once decent comic.

Ya know... not many people can pull off the Tower of Berets look... but I think Anne wears it well.

I found you because of DOTA comics, and i keep coming back for DOTA comics, but i dont mind the other stuff. Explore as an artist and do what you want!

@DjShadFox: Engie(2) isn't Jo's character, he doesn't use her anymore.

Okay, since Engie(1) is now known as Angie, there is a question: where is Engie(2)? I miss that redhead.

Less popular? I dont get any of the LoL jokes or DOTA (or watever the hell you are always playing). I much prefer these over the normal stuff. Or at least branch out into more games

is this the worst strip ever?

@Kate Blackwell: Guy sees funny DOTA strip. Guy links said dota strip to all his DOTA buddies. Everyone as a laugh. These strips don't really work like that because they need context. Therefore "shareable" generic strips get way more viewers.

I personally would love to see a SWTOR strip. Would it be popular? Who knows. Would I love it? Yes.

Thus begins the artistic age of Anne-Marie, long may she reign!

ah yes...

"plot"

And "backstory"

@Danund81: Is like Jo doesn't draw "one day jokes" for months and doesn't know, how many "one day viewers" didn't stick around.

How does getting three times as many readers work, wouldn't people have to "read" it already to know if it is a dota strip or not?

@doujinflip
Maybe plot -> plot of land -> tract of land -> huuuuuge tracts of land?

As I don't play MOBA's anymore, and I only played Dota 2 casually, I basically don't get most of those jokes. More TF2 is good though ^o^

Indeed, as people are saying below, by catering to a specific genre, you are likely to get mentioned on websites dedicated to that game (Most prominent example being reddit). Dota2 themed ones usually hit the front page of that sub, and with ~225k viewers there, a good number will click through.

I get the "plot" and "backstory" for panel 2, but panel 1 is just pure smut.

Hey why pen isn't glowing?

That's sad you don't make money off strips like these, ignoring the fact that I'm not a dota player. These are really cool in my opinion.

I feel that I am unable to comment on Anne-Marie's artistic talent.

Love the double beret

That's too bad, I like this plot and backstory quite a lot.

I started to read these comics because of the TF2 stuff that I understood and knew all too well, but I'll read all of them, even if I don't play Dota and understand most of the references from them. Just keep on drawing Jo :)

Entendo que você quer dizer Jo. Ser o cara das tirinhas "TF2", ou qualquer outro jogo famoso deve cansar as vezes, então é bom tentar algo novo, pelo menos para aliviar a mente. :)

Forget the plebs, Evolution's "changing meta" arc was one of your best ones. They simply lack intelligence stat and will fall off lategame. Simple "laugh of a day" strips will come and go, and meaningful strips will stay for years.

It may be because game specific comics are more likely to be linked in those games own forums/discussion groups so they pull in a temporary wave of non-regulars. e.g. I saw the hearthstone comics linked in the hearthstone reddit.

Mb you will draw 2 comics? For money, and for fun!

To be honest, I like this arc more than the DOTA2 arc, mostly because it doesn't require any knowledge of the various heroes/Skills/metagaming...
Still, I will ALWAYS return daily to read Nerf Now, as it's my favorite webcomic. Brings me a smile everytime.

@Danund81: I'd say it depends on your financial situation. If Jo has enough money that he can just draw whatever he feels like, great. But if not, then I can't blame him for making strips about what's most popular to get the most views and the most revenue.

@Matt Poxson (Syntic): I guess people who don't read the comic every day aren't familiar with the girls or TentaJo, but they ARE familiar with the heroes in Dota. E.g., you know why Anne is wearing two berets and I know why, but if this is the first strip somebody sees they will be confused by that.

I'd watch a regular second comic full of stuff not related to DotA and TF2, just the girls with some occasional fanservice obviously.

I don't get why they aren't as popular as your other strips. It's a chance to highlight how the main characters view the world instead of just doing a moba reference that I barely understand because I don't play mobas.

Ah, those european "art movies"

The thing is, your audience will probably burn out on just TF2 and Dota stuff, so its good to have variety so things stay fresh and ideas are distributed.

Long term strategy!

Jo, not everything is going to be a smash hit. It's okay to just have a 'nice' strip rather than something that causes the views to double for a day. It's almost like nutrition, yes junk food comics give you a lot of views, but the question is how many would stick around? The answer is not many.

That was me who posted the last HS comic on Reddit, hope you don't mind :3

NOT enough Plot and Backstory for me :V

Sorry for breaking it to you @Nya-chan, but people actually know him for his comics, regardless of format. I came for the TF2 comics, I stayed for ALL the comics. I question anybody who says they're a "fan" if they stop reading when he covers other games. It's his comic, he can do what he likes.

Sorry for breaking it to you, Jo, but you are already known for TF2 (and recently LoL / DotA 2) only, pretty much. People can relate to them more easily, because they expect them and understand them, which means more readers.

Someone yesterday predicted this was going to happen.