• 80 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Web Comic Ideas

Three webcomic premises per press, each with its format and its beats.

Web Comic Ideas

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  1. Scrolling at bedtime4 panels, stacked. Beats: a face lit by a phone at eleven, at midnight, at one, then lit by sunrise at the window.
  2. The regulars who eat lunch in the school art roomSeries, 4 panels an episode. First strip: the door, the same four seats, a new face, a chair is pulled out.
  3. A corner store cat who believes it owns the blockSeries, 4 panels an episode. First strip: the morning round, a new dog, a long stare, the dog crosses the road.

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Gag a day 16

  • A cat who reviews one household object a day Daily strip, 3 panels. Beats: the object, the test (usually a shove), the one-line review written in the cat's balloon.
  • A dragon who runs a coffee cart and overheats the milk Daily strip, 4 panels. Beats: an order, a careful breath, a jet of flame, a customer holding a cup-shaped cinder.
  • A forecaster whose weather map shows moods Daily strip, 3 panels. Beats: 'A front of mild dread from the west', the map, 'clearing by lunch with scattered snacks'.
  • A ghost whose roommates never look up from their screens Daily strip, 3 panels. Beats: a grand haunting, zero reaction, the ghost tries again as a pop-up notification.
  • A goldfish with a new plan every strip, forgotten by the last panel Daily strip, 4 panels. Beats: the plan, the blueprint, the first step, 'What was I doing?'
  • A knight whose quest list is mostly errands Daily strip, 4 panels. Beats: a scroll unrolls, 'slay nothing, buy milk', a heroic ride to the shop, the wrong milk.
  • A lost-and-found box whose items argue about who was lost first Daily strip, 3 panels. Beats: a glove states its case, an umbrella objects, a very old sandwich wins.
  • A retired villain at a pottery class Daily strip, 4 panels. Beats: 'Make a simple bowl', the wheel spins, a scale model of a lair, the teacher's kind note.
  • A tiny dragon in a pencil case who helps with homework Daily strip, 3 panels. Beats: a hard question, a whispered answer from the case, a scorch mark where the answer goes.
  • A to-do list that negotiates Daily strip, 3 panels. Beats: the list offers to drop two items, the owner agrees, the list adds three smaller ones.
  • A wizard on the help desk for spells Daily strip, 3 panels. Beats: a caller describes the problem, the wizard says 'Un-cast it and cast it again', it works.
  • An alien exchange student files a report on one human habit a day Daily strip, 3 panels. Beats: the habit observed, the wrong conclusion, the report's confident title.
  • Monsters in a dungeon hold a Monday staff meeting Daily strip, 4 panels. Beats: an agenda item, a slime raises a point, the minotaur is lost again, tea.
  • Mythical creatures in a vet's waiting room Daily strip, 3 panels. Beats: a new patient arrives, the others shuffle along the bench, the desk asks 'Species?'
  • Two office plants who gossip about the staff Daily strip, 3 panels. Beats: a worker walks past, the fern leans to the cactus, the cactus gives the verdict.
  • Two pigeons who commentate the street like a sports match Daily strip, 3 panels. Beats: a passer-by drops a chip, the play-by-play, the slow-motion replay from a gutter.

Slice-of-life series 16

  • A corner store cat who believes it owns the block Series, 4 panels an episode. First strip: the morning round, a new dog, a long stare, the dog crosses the road.
  • A food truck crew through four seasons Series, one page an episode. First page: spring, a new menu board, the first customer orders what is no longer on it.
  • A grandparent and a grandchild who swap skills every week Series, one page an episode. First page: knitting for video editing. Both are bad at it and both come back.
  • A laundromat whose regulars only meet on Sundays Series, one page an episode. First page: four machines, four strangers, one odd sock that belongs to none of them.
  • A night bakery and the same five customers at four in the morning Series, one page an episode. First page: the shutter lifts, five regulars arrive in order, one is missing.
  • A repair cafe where each visitor brings a broken thing and its story Series, one page an episode. First page: a toaster, its owner, why it matters, the click.
  • A small-town radio station run by two volunteers Series, one page an episode. First page: the lost-and-found segment, a caller, and the item is in the studio.
  • A used bookshop where each chapter follows one book to its new owner Series, chapters of 3 pages. First chapter: a cookbook with notes in the margins.
  • An after-school club that has forgotten what it was founded to do Series, 4 panels an episode. First strip: a sign-up sheet, the teacher asks what they do, three different answers.
  • The depot break room after the final routes come in Series, 4 panels an episode. First strip: three drivers, three routes, one story each, the clock says go.
  • Every strip takes place in one elevator Series, 3 panels an episode. First strip: doors close on two neighbors, a long silence, 'Nice weather' as they open.
  • Four plots in a community garden and four gardeners who disagree Series, one page an episode. First page: one hose, four opinions, one giant shared pumpkin.
  • One rooftop and its neighbors through a hot summer Series, one page an episode. First page: a wading pool is carried up the stairs, and the whole block follows it.
  • The regulars who eat lunch in the school art room Series, 4 panels an episode. First strip: the door, the same four seats, a new face, a chair is pulled out.
  • Six ferry commuters who have never spoken, crossing by crossing Series, 4 panels an episode. First strip: six commuters, six fixed spots on deck, and the day someone stands elsewhere.
  • Three roommates and one shared fridge shelf Series, one page an episode. First page: a labeled yogurt, a second label on top, a house meeting, a treaty.

Fantasy and adventure serials 16

  • A baking tournament judged by a dragon Serial, 4 chapters. Beats: the qualifying round, a rival's perfect loaf, a burnt entry, the dragon asks for seconds.
  • A becalmed ship's company in search of the missing breeze Serial, 4 chapters. Beats: a becalmed harbor, an island of kites, a bottled gale, the cork.
  • A courier who carries letters between the four seasons Serial, 3 chapters. Beats: a late letter from Winter, a shortcut through Autumn, a reply that Spring will not accept.
  • A dungeon mapped by the people who clean it Serial, 3 chapters. Beats: a mop, a secret door that needs dusting, the heroes ask the cleaners for directions.
  • A giant robot steered by five cousins, one limb each Serial, 3 chapters. Beats: the first step takes an hour, a vote on which way to walk, the day they move as one.
  • A hero summoned to another world by mistake, whose only skill is tidying Serial, 4 chapters. Beats: the wrong hero, a messy castle, a sorted armory, a kingdom saved by labels.
  • A lost robot gardener tending a city of empty greenhouses Serial, 3 chapters. Beats: a daily round with no visitors, one footprint, a seed it has no record of.
  • A night market that appears on a different bridge each dusk Serial, 3 chapters. Beats: a vendor's child is left behind, a day on an ordinary bridge, the hunt for tonight's.
  • A sleeper train whose stops are stars Serial, 3 chapters. Beats: a new conductor's first shift, a passenger with no ticket and no star, the unscheduled stop.
  • A student who steps through the art-room mirror into a sketchbook school Serial, 4 chapters. Beats: pencil corridors, an eraser storm, a drawn friend, the way back.
  • A talking suit of armor that outranks the squire inside it Serial, 3 chapters. Beats: orders from the helmet, a quest neither wants, the day the squire answers back.
  • A transfer student at a school for weather spirits Serial, 4 chapters. Beats: the wrong uniform, a first failed drizzle, a rival made of hail, the school sports day storm.
  • An agency that finds lost household spirits Serial, 4 chapters. Beats: a missing sock spirit, a cold trail behind the dryer, a rival agency, a full drawer.
  • An apprentice at a broom repair shop Serial, 3 chapters. Beats: sweeping up, a broom that refuses its owner, a test flight that was not supposed to happen.
  • The field journal of a keeper who finds homes for misfit creatures Serial, 4 chapters. Beats: a creature too loud, one too shy, one too large, the house that fits all three.
  • The last lamplighter in a city where night is getting longer Serial, 3 chapters. Beats: one more lamp each evening, a lamp that will not catch, who has been pinching the dusk.

Journal comics 16

  • A dream retold before it fades 1 page, 6 panels. Beats: draw fast and out of order. Leave a panel blank where the dream skipped.
  • A floor plan of your day 1 page, 1 large panel. Beat: draw the rooms from above and trace your path through them as a dotted line with times.
  • A page made only of sounds 1 page, 8 panels. Beats: eight sound effects from one day, lettered large, each in an empty room or street.
  • A trio of desk objects, each with its short history 1 page, 3 panels. Beats: one object a panel, with a caption that tells its short history.
  • A year in twelve panels 1 page, 12 panels. Beats: one small scene a month. Choose by what you remember first, not by what mattered most.
  • An argument with your inner critic, drawn as a small creature 1 page, 4 panels. Beats: you draw, it sighs, you ask what it would do, it has no idea.
  • The contents of your bag, tipped out 1 page, 1 large panel. Beat: draw every item where it landed and label the three you cannot explain.
  • Everything you overheard today 1 page, 6 panels. Beats: six stray sentences in six balloons, each above the back of a head. No context is the point.
  • The last photo on your phone, redrawn 1 page, 2 panels. Beats: the photo as it is, then a wider panel of everything just outside its edges.
  • One panel for every hour you were awake 1 page, 12 to 16 panels. Beats: draw each panel on the hour and keep it rough. The dull hours belong in the comic too.
  • Today's small win 1 page, 3 panels. Beats: the problem, the moment it gave way, your face afterward. Keep it small enough to be true.
  • Today's stroll as one tall ribbon of path and sightings 1 page, 1 tall panel. Beat: a winding path from top to bottom with what you noticed drawn beside it, in order.
  • The view from the same window, five days running 1 page, 5 panels. Beats: one fixed frame, one panel a day, and a note of the one thing that changed.
  • The weather inside your head as a forecast 1 page, 4 panels. Beats: morning fog, a bright spell near lunch, an afternoon squall, a clear evening. You are the map.
  • What you rehearsed saying and what you said 1 page, 4 panels. Beats: the mirror speech, the walk over, the real moment, the three words that came out.
  • What your hands did today 1 page, 9 panels. Beats: nine close-ups of hands only: a kettle, keys, a pen, a door handle. Faces never appear.

Four panels down a phone screen 16

  • A drop of water falls through four panels onto a sleeping cat 4 panels, stacked. Beats: a faucet, the drop mid-air, still mid-air, the cat's nose. The scroll is the fall.
  • A fishing line that keeps going 4 panels, stacked. Beats: a rod on a pier, the bait, a fish ignoring it, a deep-sea sign that reads 'No fishing'.
  • A giraffe revealed from the head down 4 panels, stacked. Beats: a face in a bow tie, a long stretch of neck, more neck, roller skates.
  • A huge kite and the small proud dog at the far end of its string 4 panels, stacked. Beats: a huge kite, a long string, more string, and at the bottom a very small, very proud dog.
  • A paper boat goes over a waterfall 4 panels, stacked. Beats: the edge, the long drop, the spray, a soft landing in somebody's cup of tea.
  • A seedling and its roots 4 panels, stacked. Beats: a tiny sprout, roots, far more roots, and at the bottom the roots are running a small town.
  • A stack of boxes carried downstairs 4 panels, stacked. Beats: a wobbling pile on a landing, the next landing, the next, and the carrier is the bottom box.
  • A tall friend, a short friend and one hard-won hand slap 4 panels, stacked. Beats: a raised hand far above, the gap, a jump from below, a successful high five with the elbow.
  • A very tall cake and who is holding it up 4 panels, stacked. Beats: the top tier with a candle, two more tiers, more tiers, a pair of small trembling legs.
  • A yawn that travels down the panels 4 panels, stacked. Beats: a person yawns, the cat yawns, the goldfish yawns, and the last panel says 'You too.'
  • An elevator going down, floor by floor 4 panels, stacked. Beats: an office, a jungle, the sea bed, then a basement where all three floors share one party.
  • The countdown where the launch pad leaves 4 panels, stacked. Beats: three, two, one, and the ground drops out of the frame while the rocket stays put.
  • The iceberg and what is under it 4 panels, stacked. Beats: a penguin on the tip, the bulk below, more bulk, a whale reading in its shade.
  • Rain, top to bottom 4 panels, stacked. Beats: a cloud, the drops, an umbrella, and under it a duck who wanted to get wet.
  • Scrolling at bedtime 4 panels, stacked. Beats: a face lit by a phone at eleven, at midnight, at one, then lit by sunrise at the window.
  • The sock drawer in layers 4 panels, stacked. Beats: this week's socks, last winter's, a layer of odd ones, and at the bottom one baby sock.

How it works

A webcomic is a comic published online, and anyone can start one. What it needs is an idea that can come back tomorrow. These premises are sorted by format, from a gag a day to a serial told in chapters.

Read the full guide

Pick the format before the cast

A gag-a-day strip delivers a complete joke in every installment, so a reader can start anywhere. A serial carries one story across installments and rewards starting at the beginning. A slice-of-life series sits between them: ordinary days, the same faces, no plot required.

Manga comic ideas in four stacked panels

The four-panel manga strip stacks equal panels from top to bottom. The first sets the scene, the second develops it, the third springs something unforeseen and the fourth shows the result. A stack is also how a comic reads on a phone, so the last group is written for the scroll.

  • List ten strips a premise could carry. If the list stalls at four, the engine is too small.
  • Give each regular a shape that reads at thumbnail size: one tall, one round, one with a hat.

Questions and answers

What is a good idea for a web comic?

One with an engine: a place, a small cast and a situation that repeats with a twist. Two office plants who gossip about the staff can run for a year. So can an elevator in which every strip takes place.

Are there anime comic ideas here?

Yes, with no series named. The series and serials use setups that manga and anime share: a transfer student, a tournament, a school club, a hero summoned to another world by mistake. The names, the faces and the world are yours to invent.

How many panels does a webcomic strip have?

Three or four is the common strip. A comic on a web page is not held to the size of a printed one, so a serial can scroll as far as a scene needs. Each premise states its size first.

What is a journal comic?

A comic about your own day. The Journal comics group gives sixteen ways in, such as one panel for every hour you were awake, or a page that records only the sounds you heard.

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