History GrowingTheBeard / WebComics

* When ''Webcomic/TheWayOfTheMetagamer'' started, it was a shameless ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' ripoff, with one-dimensional characters and lacking originality or humour. The creator realized this and put in a scheduled SeriesHiatus while he improved his skills. After the hiatus, the plot (yes, there was one in the beginning) picked up, the readers get some idea of what is going on, there is an [[MundaneMadeAwesome epic]] showdown between [[HeroicComedicSociopath Jane]] and CaptainObvious, and the series steadily became more Troperiffic, to the point where JustForFun/{{Tropetan}} herself appears and then the story goes OffTheRails. However, after the time travel arc, the series has [[InvertedTrope shaved its beard off]], as the story came to a screeching halt.

* When ''Webcomic/TheWayOfTheMetagamer'' started, it was a shameless ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' ripoff, with one-dimensional characters and lacking originality or humour. The creator realized this and put in a scheduled SeriesHiatus while he improved his skills. After the hiatus, the plot (yes, there was one in the beginning) picked up, the readers get some idea of what is going on, there is an [[MundaneMadeAwesome epic]] showdown between [[HeroicComedicSociopath Jane]] and CaptainObvious, and the series steadily became more Troperiffic, to the point where JustForFun/{{Tropetan}} herself appears and then the story goes OffTheRails. However, after the time travel arc, one can argue that the series has [[InvertedTrope shaved its beard off]], as the story came to a screeching halt.

* ''Webcomic/ALoonaticsTale'' began in 2007 as a comic the artist/co-writer drew in her spare time at school, with poor art and writing and awkward layouts that culminated in a style switch (including dropping colour from the pages) halfway through the third storyline. Then the comic went on a several-month hiatus during which the artist entered a few Original Character Tournaments, started attending art college, and generally worked on improving her craft. Now the comic is back in full colour, and both writing and art have greatly improved in quality.

* The first 73 strips of ''Webcomic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'' was a heavily disjointed affair with arcs that pretty much involved whatever the author felt like spoofing at the moment. The comic then went on a break for a year and returned with [[ArtEvolution improved art quality]], more distinctions in the characters' personalities, improved world-building, and a start of what at least somewhat resembled an actual plot.
** A second case of this trope happened around strip 676. at which point many of the earlier goofier elements of the comic was [[CerebusSyndrome phased out]] and the plot started taking itself more seriously.
* ''WebComic/DeadOfSummer'' grew its beard around the halfway point of Book 1, as they focused less on the LudicrousGibs and more on CharacterDevelopment. The ArtEvolution happened around that time too, resulting in more detailed, clearer drawings. The beard was fully grown by the time Book 2 rolled around; things soon became ''very'' character-driven. [[spoiler: And then Music/TheProtomen show up.]]

* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' started out kind of shaky and awkward, as none of the characters really settled into their grooves. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/05/28/episode-035-there-can-be-only-one-plus-three/ This is the earliest comic where the writing started picking up, with more original character-based humour.]] The art improves ''massively'' over the Garland arc.
** By the time the party gets to Elfland and the comic began to play up [[ScrewYouElves Elven sociopathy,]] it started to really find [[SadistShow its tone of humour.]]
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' started to grow the beard with the ''Sister'' arc and finished at the end of ''Grace's Birthday Party''. During this time, ''El Goonish Shive'' found the mix of character drama, SF/fantasy, and humour that would define later arcs. By the end of ''Grace's Birthday Party'', the artwork had been tremendously improved as well.

* ''Webcomic/OneOverZero'' had no point save getting a girlfriend when it started, nor did Tailsteak have any art experience, and it shows. The reason there was NoFourthWall was that Tailsteak never bothered to put one in, and found he couldn't do much in the way of jokes with one. Then he started taking ''real'' advantage of its absence, using it for creative character interactions. Then said characters started spiralling out of control in ''just'' the right ways.

* Webcomic/{{Zap}} starts out as a classic Space Opera Amnesic protagonist origin story and slowly becomes an epic tale of mind-control backstabbing and various alien factions.

* ''Webcomic/ALoonaticsTale'' began in 2007 as a comic the artist/co-writer drew in her spare time at school, with poor art and writing and awkward layouts that culminated in a style switch (including dropping colour from the pages) halfway through the third storyline. Then the comic went on a several-month hiatus during which the artist entered a few Original Character Tournaments, started attending art college and generally worked on improving her craft. Now the comic is back in full colour, and both writing and art have greatly improved in quality.

* ''Webcomic/{{Bug Martini}}'' started off as a slightly funny gag-a-day web comic. Then [[http://www.bugmartini.com/comics/2010-preview-pt-2/ Part 2 of the 2010 previews]] set up the style of [[RapidFireComedy a joke on each panel,]] marking the point when it became truly hilarious.

** The second time was the events on the pony ranch, finally finding a balance of character interaction, bondage play and exposition that the previous arc was criticised for lacking.
* The first 73 strips of ''Webcomic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'' was a heavily disjointed affair with arcs that pretty much involved whatever the author felt like spoofing at the moment. The comic then went on a break for a year and returned with [[ArtEvolution improved art quality]], more distinctions in the characters personalities, improved world building and a start of what at least somewhat resembled an actual plot.
** a second case of this trope happened around strip 676. at which point many of the earlier goofier elements of the comic was [[CerebusSyndrome phased out]] and the plot started taking itself more seriously.

* ''Webcomic/MSPaintMasterPieces'' began pretty much as a standard Mega Man sprite comic. Around the attack of Wily, it began to take itself seriously, and became a full blown story.

* ''Webcomic/TwistedKaijuTheater'' started as a small time comic strip with endless toilet humour. It ended up becoming one of the longest running web comics ever and dealing with many dark, mature themes while never losing it's comedic value.

* When ''Webcomic/TheWayOfTheMetagamer'' started, it was a shameless ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' ripoff, with one-dimensional characters and lacking originality or humour. The creator realized this, and put in a scheduled SeriesHiatus while he improved his skills. After the hiatus, the plot (yes, there was one in the beginning) picked up, the readers get some idea of what is going on, there is an [[MundaneMadeAwesome epic]] showdown between [[HeroicComedicSociopath Jane]] and CaptainObvious, and the series steadily became more Troperiffic, to the point where JustForFun/{{Tropetan}} herself appears and then the story goes OffTheRails. However, after the time travel arc, one can argue that the series has [[InvertedTrope shaved its beard off]], as the story came to a screeching halt.

* Though it took off quickly, the first few storylines of ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' were rather different than the current blend of awesome and funny it is today. Chris Hastings himself advises new readers not to start with the first, Donald [=McBonald=]-centric story. The next two stories, while well-done and humorous, were essentially setting up the character and playing off a tired "pirates vs. ninjas" theme. The comic really hit its CoolVersusAwesome-plus-funny stride in the 4th story arc. Specifically on [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/3p13 this page]].

* Though it took off quickly, the first few storylines of ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' were rather different than the current blend of awesome and funny it is today. Chris Hastings himself advises new readers not to start with the first, Donald McBonald-centric story. The next two stories, while well-done and humorous, were essentially setting up the character and playing off a tired "pirates vs. ninjas" theme. The comic really hit its CoolVersusAwesome-plus-funny stride in the 4th story arc. Specifically on [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/3p13 this page]].

* Though it took off quickly, the first few storylines of ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' were rather different than the current blend of awesome and funny it is today. Chris Hastings himself advises new readers not to start with the first, Ronald [=McDonald=]-centric story. The next two stories, while well-done and humorous, were essentially setting up the character and playing off a tired "pirates vs. ninjas" theme. The comic really hit its CoolVersusAwesome-plus-funny stride in the 4th story arc. Specifically on [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/3p13 this page]].

* ''Webcomic/BoxerHockey'' started off with sub-par to decent art, had a cast of generally cliche characters[[note]]A dumb character, who shared a nickname with the author, the jerk, TheBigGuy, the OnlySaneMan, and their coach.[[/note]], and sometimes relied on BlackComedy and gay jokes. During the strip's four-year life, Tyson Hesse, the author, attended college. Over the years, it resulted in the cast having heavy [[CharacterDevelopment development]], well thought-out jokes, and absolutely '''beautiful''' art. Tyson Hesse is now considered a professional artist, and is doing freelance jobs for [[VideoGame/SkullGirls Reverge Labs]] and Creator/DarkHorseComics.

* The beginning of ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'' is all but a mess. Random filler strips, jokes that don't quite take off, and the occasional hint that, at some point, there would be a drawn webcomic with Bob and George. Once the last part was completely eliminated and the "Just Another Day" arc started, it finally got into its true plot and humor.

** The second time was the events on the pony ranch, finally finding a balance of character interaction, bondage play and exposition that the previous arc was criticized for lacking.

** By the time the party gets to Elfland and the comic began to play up [[ScrewYouElves Elven sociopathy,]] it started to really find [[SadistShow its tone of humor.]]
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' started to grow the beard with the ''Sister'' arc and finished at the end of ''Grace's Birthday Party''. During this time, ''El Goonish Shive'' found the mix of character drama, sci-fi/fantasy, and humor that would define later arcs. By the end of ''Grace's Birthday Party'', the artwork had been tremendously improved as well.
* ''Webcomic/GoGetARoomie'' begins as a light hearted gag-strip with some cheap humor centering around a polyamorous protagonist. The series then gains a {{Deuteragonist}} as a direct personality counter and the series takes off from there.

* ''Webcomic/{{Megatokyo}}'' starts off as a fairly standard 4-panel comic with two video game guys getting into hijinks. It takes about fifty strips before it gets into the ridiculous multi-person romance and off-the-wall zombie-robot-Godzilla adventures at the same time.
* ''Webcomic/OneOverZero'' had no point save getting a girlfriend when it started, nor did Tailsteak have any art experience, and it shows. The reason there was NoFourthWall was that Tailsteak never bothered to put one in, and found he couldn't do much in the way of jokes with one. Then he started taking ''real'' advantage of its absence, using it for creative character interactions. Then said characters started spiraling out of control in ''just'' the right ways.

* Although ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'' was pretty funny when it started out, the gradual ArtShift, combined with the accumulation of parody SolveTheSoupCans puzzles (each [[SerialEscalation more impenetrably complex than the last]]), strange characters, downright [[GuideDangIt bizzare game mechanics]], [[LampshadeHanging Lampshades]], {{Chekhovs Gun}}s and [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Crowning Moments]] eventually elevated the series to [[{{Troperiffic}} absurd levels of]] ''[[{{Troperiffic}} awesomeness]]'' by the time the [[FinalBoss Final Boss Battle]] rolled around.

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'', While funny from the get-go, was plagued by it's mediocre artwork and short story arcs which did little to advance the overall plot. Then came book three, which introduced Ceeta, established General Xinchub as a popular recurring villain, saw a significant improvement in the artwork and character depth, and far longer and more developed story arcs.
* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' grew a beard with the Vampires arc, [[CerebusSyndrome the first truly serious one in the series]], and while it still maintained the humor that was popular with fans, it also showed that it was able to sustain drama and tension.

* ''Webcomic/TwistedKaijuTheater'' started as a small time comic strip with endless toliet humor. It ended up becoming one of the longest running web comics ever and dealing with many dark, mature themes while never losing it's comedic value.

* When ''Webcomic/TheWayOfTheMetagamer'' started, it was a shameless ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' ripoff, with one-dimensional characters and lacking originality or humor. The creator realized this, and put in a scheduled SeriesHiatus while he improved his skills. After the hiatus, the plot (yes, there was one in the beginning) picked up, the readers get some idea of what is going on, there is an [[MundaneMadeAwesome epic]] showdown between [[HeroicComedicSociopath Jane]] and CaptainObvious, and the series steadily became more Troperiffic, to the point where JustForFun/{{Tropetan}} herself appears and then the story goes OffTheRails. However, after the time-travel arc, one can argue that the series has [[InvertedTrope shaved its beard off]], as the story came to a screeching halt.

* ''Webcomic/BoxerHockey'' started off with sub-par to decent art, had a cast of generally cliche characters[[note]]A dumb character, who shared a nickname with the author, the jerk, TheBigGuy, the OnlySaneMan, and their coach.[[/note]], and sometimes relied on BlackComedy and gay jokes. During the strip's four-year life, Tyson Hesse, the author, attended college. Over the years, it resulted in the cast having heavy [[CharacterDevelopment development]], well thought-out jokes, and absolutely '''beautiful''' art. Tyson Hesse is now considered a professional artist, and is doing freelance jobs for [[VideoGame/SkullGirls Reverge Labs]] and Creator/DarkHorseComics. In short, it went from [[http://boxerhockey.fireball20xl.com/?id=2 this]], to [[http://boxerhockey.fireball20xl.com/?id=60 this]], then finally to [[http://boxerhockey.fireball20xl.com/?id=156 this,]] and improves every day.

* The beginning of ''Webcomic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'', to be frank, absolutely sucked. Then the author resumed updating after a year's absence, at which point [[ArtEvolution the art quality massively improved]], the characters' personalities became more distinct, the plot picked up, the worldbuilding started to improve, the separate species were introduced... In general, it just, very abruptly, became worth reading.

* ''Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily'' stars various Nintendo characters in wacky situations, such as [[VideoGame/{{Kirby}} King Dedede]] in a parody of ''Literature/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas''. It started out as one-trick pony sketches on GameFAQs about Kirby eating things.

** Something similar happens in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' (see its entry in ItGetsBetter). The start of the story deliberately had a slow pace, involving a boy trying to handle his InventoryManagementPuzzle. And then suddenly there's reality-altering video games. And then there's meteors. [[MindScrew And then things get weird]].
*** The definite beginning of the comic's "beard" is the end of Act 3, when "[S]: Enter" displays just how incredible the flash format could be.

* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' started to grow the beard with the ''Sister'' arc and finished at the end of ''Grace's Birthday Party''.

* Although ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'' was pretty funny when it started out, the gradual ArtShift, combined with the accumulation of parody SolveTheSoupCans puzzles (each [[SerialEscalation more impenetrably complex than the last]]), strange characters, downright [[GuideDangIt bizzare game mechanics]], [[LampshadeHanging Lampshades]], {{Chekhovs Gun}}s and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Crowning Moments]] eventually elevated the series to [[{{Troperiffic}} absurd levels of]] ''[[{{Troperiffic}} awesomeness]]'' by the time the [[FinalBoss Final Boss Battle]] rolled around.

* Some fans would state that ''Webcomic/SlightlyDamned'' grew the beard when [[spoiler: Rhea and Buwaro escape from the Ring of the Slightly Damned and meet Kieri]]. This is not only when the storyline really picks up, but when [[ArtEvolution the improvement of the artwork]] starts becoming more noticable.

* ''Twisted Kaiju Theater'' started as a small time comic strip with endless toliet humor. It ended up becoming one of the longest running web comics ever and dealing with many dark, mature themes while never losing it's comedic value.

* Zap! Starts out as a classic Space Opera Amnesic protagonist origin story and slowly becomes an epic tale of mind-control backstabbing and various alien factions.

* ALoonaticsTale began in 2007 as a comic the artist/co-writer drew in her spare time at school, with poor art and writing and awkward layouts that culminated in a style switch (including dropping colour from the pages) halfway through the third storyline. Then the comic went on a several-month hiatus during which the artist entered a few Original Character Tournaments, started attending art college and generally worked on improving her craft. Now the comic is back in full colour, and both writing and art have greatly improved in quality.

* ''[[Webcomic/OneOverZero 1/0]]'' had no point save getting a girlfriend when it started, nor did Tailsteak have any art experience, and it shows. The reason there was NoFourthWall was that Tailsteak never bothered to put one in, and found he couldn't do much in the way of jokes with one. Then he started taking ''real'' advantage of its absence, using it for creative character interactions. Then said characters started spiraling out of control in ''just'' the right ways.

* BlackAdventures really got its act together in the third chapter when the story became more tied in with the games and the writing got more consistent.
* The beginning of ''BobAndGeorge'' is all but a mess. Random filler strips, jokes that don't quite take off, and the occasional hint that, at some point, there would be a drawn webcomic with Bob and George. Once the last part was completely eliminated and the "Just Another Day" arc started, it finally got into its true plot and humor.
* BoxerHockey started off with sub-par to decent art, had a cast of generally cliche characters[[note]]A dumb character, who shared a nickname with the author, the jerk, TheBigGuy, the OnlySaneMan, and their coach.[[/note]], and sometimes relied on BlackComedy and gay jokes. During the strip's four-year life, Tyson Hesse, the author, attended college. Over the years, it resulted in the cast having heavy [[CharacterDevelopment development]], well thought-out jokes, and absolutely '''beautiful''' art. Tyson Hesse is now considered a professional artist, and is doing freelance jobs for [[VideoGame/SkullGirls Reverge Labs]] and Creator/DarkHorseComics. In short, it went from [[http://boxerhockey.fireball20xl.com/?id=2 this]], to [[http://boxerhockey.fireball20xl.com/?id=60 this]], then finally to [[http://boxerhockey.fireball20xl.com/?id=156 this,]] and improves every day.

* The beginning of ''DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'', to be frank, absolutely sucked. Then the author resumed updating after a year's absence, at which point [[ArtEvolution the art quality massively improved]], the characters' personalities became more distinct, the plot picked up, the worldbuilding started to improve, the separate species were introduced... In general, it just, very abruptly, became worth reading.

* ''TheDragonDoctors'': The strip began as a one-shot for a group of TF [[strike:fetishists]] [[IReadItForTheArticles fans]], and the apparent hasty writing of the first half of the first chapter reflects this. As the author begins fleshing out the world, the comic gets much more interesting.

* ''{{Megatokyo}}'' starts off as a fairly standard 4-panel comic with two video game guys getting into hijinks. It takes about fifty strips before it gets into the ridiculous multi-person romance and off-the-wall zombie-robot-Godzilla adventures at the same time.
* ''[[OneOverZero 1/0]]'' had no point save getting a girlfriend when it started, nor did Tailsteak have any art experience, and it shows. The reason there was NoFourthWall was that Tailsteak never bothered to put one in, and found he couldn't do much in the way of jokes with one. Then he started taking ''real'' advantage of its absence, using it for creative character interactions. Then said characters started spiraling out of control in ''just'' the right ways.

* ''OurLittleAdventure'', about 80 or so pages in. The characters look less wonky and the story starts to seriously move.
* The exact moment ''PennyArcade'' started being funny can be narrowed down somewhat definitively to [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/06/19/ "Claw Shrimp."]] It's definitely the oldest strip you'll hear ''referenced.''

* Although ''ProblemSleuth'' was pretty funny when it started out, the gradual ArtShift, combined with the accumulation of parody SolveTheSoupCans puzzles (each [[SerialEscalation more impenetrably complex than the last]]), strange characters, downright [[GuideDangIt bizzare game mechanics]], [[LampshadeHanging Lampshades]], {{Chekhovs Gun}}s and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Crowning Moments]] eventually elevated the series to [[{{Troperiffic}} absurd levels of]] ''[[{{Troperiffic}} awesomeness]]'' by the time the [[FinalBoss Final Boss Battle]] rolled around.

* The [[http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=500 500th strip]] of ''QuestionableContent'' is universally recognized as a turning point, when the strip began focusing less on one-off gags and introduced some real character development and plot arcs. The art was also steadily improving throughout the series.
* Some fans would state that SlightlyDamned grew the beard when [[spoiler: Rhea and Buwaro escape from the Ring of the Slightly Damned and meet Kieri]]. This is not only when the storyline really picks up, but when [[ArtEvolution the improvement of the artwork]] starts becoming more noticable.
* ''{{Schlock Mercenary}}'', While funny from the get-go, was plagued by it's mediocre artwork and short story arcs which did little to advance the overall plot. Then came book three, which introduced Ceeta, established General Xinchub as a popular recurring villain, saw a significant improvement in the artwork and character depth, and far longer and more developed story arcs.

* {{Achewood}} began life as a hit-and-miss gag strip about a house full of "alive stuffed animals," but with [[http://achewood.com/index.php?date=03122002 The Party arc]] it began to develop into a complex, layered, plot-and-character-driven slacker epic.

* When ''Webcomic/TheWayOfTheMetagamer'' started, it was a shameless ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' ripoff, with one-dimensional characters and lacking originality or humor. The creator realized this, and put in a scheduled SeriesHiatus while he improved his skills. After the hiatus, the plot (yes, there was one in the beginning) picked up, the readers get some idea of what is going on, there is an [[MundaneMadeAwesome epic]] showdown between [[HeroicComedicSociopath Jane]] and CaptainObvious, and the series steadily became more Troperiffic, to the point where JustForFun/{{Tropetan}} herself appears and then the story goes OffTheRails. However, after the time-travel arc, one can argue that the series has [[InvertedTrope shaved its beard off]], as the story came to a screeching halt while the author showed just how much of a weeaboo he is.

* ''Webcomic/Schlock Mercenary'', While funny from the get-go, was plagued by it's mediocre artwork and short story arcs which did little to advance the overall plot. Then came book three, which introduced Ceeta, established General Xinchub as a popular recurring villain, saw a significant improvement in the artwork and character depth, and far longer and more developed story arcs.