A great time was had by all at the Washington Webcomics Meetup last night. Chris, Phil, Jamie, Rob, Joey & Joe, T, and myself talked webcomics for a really long time. I heard a lot of interesting information, but these meetups are generally “off the record” (even webcomic journalists have some standards!) and I’ll have to check back on whether there’s anything I can report right now.
Bo Lindberg reports that the secret comics database continues to expand with the recent addition of Get Medieval. The “secret comics database” lets you search through the text of nine different web comics to find specific strips or characters. (Faciliatating the creation of text archives by the user (or fans) might be a nifty addition to the WebcomicsNation service.)
A new webcomics blog (link via Phil) called “Comics Rock” by Andrew Araki, looks like a good read. The most recent posts are on Fallen Angels, Used Books and Questionable Content.
Scott McCloud linked to someone writing about a bit of McCloud’s theory of comics but from that site I found David Lasky’s site with a small gallery of webcomics, including this adaption of a bit of Ulysses.
John Allison is almost done with the Scary Go Round deck of cards. I would like to own such a deck.
T Campbell and Eric Burns both have brief comments on Squidi’s announced departure from webcomics. I second Burns’ support for the very well thought out archive system employed by Squidi. (“Seasons” and thumbnail browsing might make nice additions to WebcomicsNation as well) But I take issue with Burns on Conrad. Joseph Conrad is the f&*kin’ sh1znit of novelists IMHO.
What? WHAT?! I can’t hear you…someone keeps shouting, “Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!”
I greet Squidi’s periodic “I quit!” announcements (4 now, to my memory, more rumored) the way I do news stories about cancer treatment breakthroughs. I think, “Gosh, that sounds hopeful and promising. We’ll have to wait a few years and see if it’s really true.”
Quoth xerexes:
As I recall it, this was on the future feature list at one point, with ties to the cast page functionality.
Still sour grapes over something that has happened over a year and a half ago?
The internet is indeed a serious business.
Whether this is directed at me or at Squidi, it’s a misuse of the phrase “sour grapes,” which means discounting the value of something you wanted but were denied.
But if I understand what you mean, my opinion of Squidi was hardly formed around one incident (one he has hyperrationalized over time; he plays the victim very, very well).
In fact, he was a total shit to just about everyone he met in webcomics at one time or another. It wasn’t just people who crossed his path, he took extra strides to seek others out and pick fights. He was as ugly as they come, he’s crazy as a shithouse rat, and I do hope he’s gone for good (though I don’t believe it).
I could sit down and list, off the top of my head, a hundred names of good people I like, respect, and admire in webcomics. I love my fellow creators. I’ve bumped heads with a few, I’ve disagreed with some, and I’ve been turned off by the way two or three of them have acted. But Squidi’s the only one I consider unredeemable. He’s a special case. May webcomics be cured of him.
Dude! I was not talking about you! I hardly know who you are to be completely honest.
I was referring to the whole PA/Squidi deal that the guy can’t seem to let go. In fact, I think he brings that up everytime he feels people are forgetting about it. I suppose it’s one way to keep one’s name in the news.
Okay, sorry. 🙂 Touchy subject for me, clearly.
It was one of the many things slowing down the launch. I was trying to come up with a great & perfect xml format for encapsulation of webcomic archive transcripts, which would be both comprehensive and easy-to-use — at some point, I just decided to launch without it and add it later. But, yes, this is still on the to-do list, albeit lower down than many other things.
Joey
http://www.moderntales.com