Make your pictures matter.

The most obvious sign between a novice comicker and a professional is the use of art. Comics are a mix of words and pictures. Both parts should be doing work. They should also be doing the thing that the other cannot.

The art shows location, position, action, and emotion. The words show dialogue and thought. The problem that novices have with art coincides with a similar problem with writing. These comics (usually strips) have two or three people having a conversation. They are sitting down next to each other (or facing each other) and speak back and forth, eventually ending with a punchline. Because there is no action going on, the people don't move. In fact, the pictures are copied and pasted for all of the panels. The only thing that changes is the facial expressions.

There is nothing more painful to watch than the same picture next to itself 4 times over. Are you writing a comic or are you writing a story? When you use the same pictures over and over again, they are merely place holders. All they do is show you who is talking. You could write a script or a play and get the same results. If you're going to write a comic, make your pictures matter.

The face expresses a lot of emotion, but it is not the only thing. Make a whole person's body show how they feel. If they're bored, why are they even looking at the speaker? Make them look away, read a magazine, play a GameBoy. If they're excited, have them leaning forward, grabbing the edge of their seats. Don't feel like you need to make your poses melodramatic to get the point across. In fact, the more realistic they are, the more the audience can connect with it.

Be efficient with your pictures. Novice strips use one picture for several panels because they are dragging out the scene. If one character has a big speech, give them a panel with just that character talking. If two people have a snappy back and forth, you can fit several quick sentences back and forth in one panel. That way you don't have to reuse one scene over and over.

The fastest thing in the universe is light. The first thing we do with a comic is see it. Do your audience (and yourself) a favor and make your comic something worth looking at.