Why We Built Fables: A Home for Indie Comic Creators

We Needed a Home

October 21, 2026

If anything is true, it is that we are all searching for a place to belong.

We didn't create Fables because the world needed another webcomic platform.

We created Fables because we believed independent creators deserved better.

And for me, that belief came from personal experience.

I wasn't simply watching independent creators being promised the world, only to be pushed aside once they were no longer needed. I WAS ONE OF THEM

As an independent creator, I experienced firsthand what it was like to put years of work into developing a series, building an audience, and trusting platforms that promised to help creators grow.

We were encouraged to bring our stories, our readers, and our communities to these platforms...

And we did.
They grew because of us.

But as those platforms became established, their priorities shifted.

Independent creators like me, who had helped build those audiences, suddenly found themselves competing against the platform's own professionally produced titles.

Discovery became increasingly difficult. Where our comics once received tens or even hundreds of thousands of views, we suddenly struggled to reach a few hundred readers. The algorithms increasingly favored the platforms' own productions, even among audiences we had worked to bring.

The promises that originally attracted independent creators seemed to fade as corporate publishing interests took priority.

I know how frustrating that feels because I lived it.

And I know I'm not alone.

That's why we built Fables. Not because we wanted to become another publishing giant. But because we believed creators deserved a platform that wouldn't forget who helped build it.

WHEN CORPORATE PRIORITIES REPLACE COMMUNITY

Many of the industry's largest publishing platforms operate within enormous corporate structures, backed by investors and shareholders whose priorities are understandably financial.

There's nothing inherently wrong with a business needing to make money.

But there's a fundamental difference between building a profitable business by serving a community and treating that community as expendable when financial priorities change.

Tapas is a perfect example of the risks involved.

After years of encouraging creators to build their audiences on its platform, its parent company, Kakao Entertainment, announced that Tapas would shut down in March 2027.

For many independent creators, the frustration with Tapas began long before Kakao Entertainment acquired the platform.

But still, think about what that means for the independent creators who invested years building their audiences there.

The subscribers. The comments. The community. The countless hours spent encouraging readers to follow their work.

For some creators, it housed their entire history.

Then what happens to all of that when a corporation decides the platform no longer fits its business strategy?

Thousands of creators and readers are now facing the consequences of a corporate decision they had absolutely no say in.

Creators deserve better than having their futures determined entirely by decisions made in corporate boardrooms.

WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR OVER 20 YEARS

Long before Fables existed, we created TopWebComics.

For more than two decades, TopWebComics has supported independent creators by helping them promote their work and reach new readers.

That commitment didn't begin because independent comics suddenly became a profitable market.

It began because we believed independent creators like ourselves deserved opportunities to be discovered.

To this day, that belief hasn't changed.

Fables is the natural evolution of that commitment.

We're privately owned, and our direction isn't dictated by outside shareholders or a corporate publishing division.

We've invested heavily in building a platform where creators of every size can maintain control over their work, their presentation, and how they share their stories with readers.

We want creators to enjoy the freedom and individuality of having their own websites, combined with the easy-to-use publishing tools, discoverability, and community advantages of a shared platform.

Your comic should belong to you. Your identity should remain yours. And your creative freedom should never depend on how profitable your series is to someone else.

GIVE US A CHANCE AND YOU WILL FIND A HOME WITH FABLES

We know independent creators have heard promises before.

We know many have grown skeptical.

And frankly, we understand why.

But we're not asking creators to believe in Fables simply because we say we're different.

We're asking them to look at what we've built.

Look at the publishing tools we've developed. Look at the creative freedom we've introduced. Look at the commitments we've fulfilled over the past two years.

And look at more than 20 years we've spent supporting independent creators through TopWebComics.

Our commitment to this community didn't begin with Fables, and it won't end when the industry moves on to its next big trend.

We're not here to dictate what creators should publish or how their stories should be presented.

We're here to give them the tools, the freedom, and the opportunities to build their own identities and reach their audiences.

Because independent creators shouldn't have to surrender their independence just to find an audience.

We built Fables for creators and those who wish to support them.

WELCOME HOME!

~ Marty Basto - Fables Founder

Founder's Blog

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We Needed a Home

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