I’ve been writing a graphic novel for a couple years now but I’ve been wondering, what’s the biggest turn off for you guys in a story? What puts the nail in the coffin and immediately pushes you away from a comic, show, movie, etc.
It is hard to pick any specific one thing. For me, I specifically pay attention to exposition. How does the writer have the characters pass important information to the reader? Is it realistic? Is the writer assuming the reader is dumb and explaining every little detail? I see this as the cause of lots of bad character dialog. Exposition is such a key element to any story. If it is handled badly, forget it. Takes me right out of the story.
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Character development is the main thing. Do you have characters that are multi-dimensional rather than caricatures? Do they have strengths and flaws that are more than just dealing with physical ability? Do their actions make sense and are they consistent with their beliefs and motivations?
A good character, I believe, needs to have depth and both strengths and flaws – though you want to be careful not to fall into stereotypes. Most of all, whatever their beliefs and motivations are, their actions need to relate to them. Any action they take that doesn’t fall in line with their beliefs doesn’t make characters believable.
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Visually for a graphic novel it’s bad lettering and very poor layout.
Story wise it’s poorly developed characters that are one dimensional and plots with holes. It’s not easy to write a 100 percent developed characters because I believe that part if the writing process is to discover your character. But its important to avoid Mary-sue’s .
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Honestly for me it comes down to the art. It can have a great plot and dialogue but some art styles I hate. I like realistic and detailed artwork.
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