Welcome to Topical Tuesday, everyone! Today, I’ll be discussing a specific program I use quite frequently. For example, it’s what I used for all my graphics here! Yup, that’s right- today’s topic is Manga Maker ComiPo!
If you’ve never heard of ComiPo- well, don’t worry. A lot of people haven’t. What ComiPo is is an art tool intended to make comics and manga. It uses 3D models and 2D assets to help those who can’t draw (like me) make scenes and stories in a different medium. Now, some comic artists rebuke those of us who work with ComiPo- they think it’s cheating, I guess. The thing is, to really make something good, even in ComiPo, it takes a lot of effort, thought and time. And ComiPo definitely does make you do that.
I’ve been using ComiPo for many years now. It’s grown a lot over the years, but I have hope it’s still growing. I’ve seen it start as simple as can be and slowly moved to things like adding your own models and 2D assets to further customize your work. It’s grown to let you transform the angle of 2D assets, change the size of heads, and even make short animations using it! ComiPo has a versatile area of things it can be used for. That said… Let’s focus on my uses for now, shall we?
I use ComiPo in a lot of facets of my life. I’ve often used it to make cards for my relatives; I’ve got plans to use it in the magazine I work for and have done so before; I use it for pure fun; and finally, I use it hoping to be able to make a sellable comic one day.
For reference, here is some more of my work using ComiPo:
Of course, even a program I love has to have a bad side. For me, that’s mostly its tendency to hate me and freeze up when I ask it to do something. This was an intermittent issue until recently- so I hope it’ll be an easy fix. But there are other little things that bother me about ComiPo. There’s a limit to the type of items you can import; some of its own backgrounds don’t fit the art style of the characters (which I guess some people like, but???); and, just in general, you have to buy a LOT of add-on packs to an already expensive product to vary your character models more. I’ve also had some bad luck with tech support- but I have hope it’s going to get better!
Overall, was ComiPo worth the price? To me, definitely- but it’s even better if you can get it on sale. ComiPo can be used to make all sorts of artistic things, not just comics- that alone makes it worth it to me. Although it’s bad for the wallet in the long run, if you use it right, you might be able to make some money using it.
Please note that the original PC version is has totally been dropped. Steam is the only real method to get it anymore. If you’re interested in ComiPo, please look at their website, as well as their page in the Steam store.
That’s all for today. Take care guys!