Archive - May 9, 2005
Goodbye Jeremy!
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on May 9, 2005 - 17:23
It hardly seems fair to call the cuddliest stitched-together golem-boy on the web, Jeremy, a horror webcomic. Jon Morris' creation has always been one of the most enjoyable reads of webcomics. Morris recently announced he will no longer regularly update Jeremy although I hope he finds a way to return once again to this work whether on the web or in print.
Incidently, the last webcomic up at Morris' Jeremy site is a guest episode from Neil von Flue who not only ended his webcomics projects but washed his hands of comics entirely (well at least for awhile... it already sounds to me like von Flue will return to comics on his terms when he's ready).
John Allison Observations on American Politics
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on May 9, 2005 - 11:10
I had no idea John Allison was such an astute observor of the American political scene.
10 Weeks to Comicon in San Diego
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on May 9, 2005 - 11:03
Time to pack your bags and save your pennies: 10 weeks to San Diego's Comicon. A good guide to Comicon is Tom Spurgeon's post on planning for and enjoying the Comicon weekend.
Appreciation for Webcomics Day And Other Webcomics Traditions
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on May 9, 2005 - 10:49
Eric Burns has a good post on the annual Webcomics Appreciation Day. I don't happen to completely agree with it because I think the shared events of webcomicdom for the most part have been a happy experience for all involved and have actually served to introduce some folks to each other that wouldn't have met otherwise. Still it's a lot of work to make these "events" happen and the older ones don't seem to have the "pop" they used to.
I think "events" can be a great experience if they're fun and planned well. The recent 24 hour day event is a great one (although not all such events need to be so physically exhausting). What events would you keep on a "webcomic events calendar"?
PLUG ALERT: You can still play in the May Day event at Comixpedia. Some great artists have come up with single panels featuring the explorer Mayfair Day and every week you can submit your version of how he gets from Panel A to B. All entries get linked to at Comixpedia.
Do Cross-Overs Right!
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on May 9, 2005 - 10:35
A great post at Ping Teo's Webcomic Finds on that timeless comic convention, the cross-over. This bit should be mandatory:
Proper introductions. Don't assume we automatically know who the other party is. Chanting their names to each other in two panels does not count either. Introduce the personalities of the other party to the audience.
First Week of the May Issue of Comixpedia
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on May 9, 2005 - 00:30
The first week of our collaboration issue is up at Comixpedia.com. Erik Melander takes a look at recent collaborations in the news in his column, Through the Looking Back Glass and webcomics creator, Mark Mekkes writes about collaboration in webcomics in an Open Soapbox called "The Parts of the Sum - The Art of Collaboration".
Al Schroeder interviews the Apple Geeks and Kristofer Straub delivers the third installment of the Modern Humor Authority webcomic.
Last but not least the Brothers Duncan bring us a collaborative cover for this month's issue.
Through the Looking Back Glass by Erik Melander
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To solo or not to solo is not a question that many webcomics creators even bother to ask themselves. Most webcomics seem to be solo efforts by a single creator handling both the art and the writing. If this is in fact true it is no surprise, as both webcomics and small press print comics are generally thought of as a means for a creator to develop his or her own ideas without interference or outside pressure to craft a certain type of comic. It is in fact one of the wonderful things about comics, that the medium has such respect for the the lone creator speaking his or her voice through a comic.
Having said that, however, there's no question collaboration has played an important part in webcomics.
Meet the Apple Geeks (Webcomics Not Computers)
One of the most popular comics these days is a webcomic called Applegeeks by Mohammad F. Haque and Ananth Panagariya, which has, among other things, a female robot named Eve (who destroys alternative/inferior OS) and a main character who talks to squirrels. Graced with beautiful art and excellent writing, it's an example of collaboration at its finest. The two creators were kind enough to grant us an interview.
Modern Humor Authority #3
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Collaboration is everywhere, even at that other webcomics magazine. Kristofer Straub brings us a behind the scenes look at Modern Humor Authority.
Open Soapbox by Mark Mekkes
The Parts of the Sum - The Art of Collaboration
Artists are notoriously temperamental and unstable creatures. So it's inevitable that when two of them come together the explosive reaction is going to be comparable to matter and antimatter interacting. However, its up to the skills and control of the artists involved to determine if that explosion is a cheer-inspiring pyrotechnic fireworks show or an horrific explosive force that destroys them both.
