Archive - Jul 2006
Claypool Goes Online
Submitted by Joey Manley on July 31, 2006 - 17:36
Struggling comic book publisher Claypool Comics is transitioning into something of a webcomics publisher, apparantly. Here are two tasty excerpts from The Beat:
After almost fourteen years and more than 300 issues  one of the longest runs in the history of independent comics  publisher Claypool Comics is telling the world of print, “Thank you and farewell.†After ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK #166 (shipping in February 2007), SOULSEARCHERS AND COMPANY #82 (also shipping in February), and DEADBEATS #82 (shipping in March), Claypool will cut back its line to DEADBEATS alone and put new adventures of that series’ vampire-haunted world on the Internet. Claypool’s trade-paperback comics collections (under the Boffin Books imprint) and back issues will remain available as long as supplies last.
Warren Ellis to Launch Free Webcomics Portal
Submitted by Joey Manley on July 31, 2006 - 15:21
I am working with Warren Ellis to launch a free webcomics portal using the new Webcomics Nation Collective Edition Engine. This latest addition to the Modern Tales family will be all free, all the time, and defined by "Warren Likes This Stuff." He'll be making a call for submissions soon. Gary Chaloner will be designing the site. This is the first new (as opposed to pre-existing) site to launch with the beta version of the WCN Collective Edition engine, soon to be a commercial product available to anybody who wants to launch a multi-creator webcomics portal (your own Keenspot or Modern Tales, in other words) inexpensively and with ease. The name of Warren's new site, and its URL, will be announced soon, probably at The Engine.
Lots of Webcomics Coverage in TCJ # 277
Submitted by Joey Manley on July 31, 2006 - 13:34
I just got my copy of TCJ # 277, the oversized 30th anniversary issue, and it has:
-- an interview with Chris Onstad (Achewood) on page 202
-- an interview with Fred Gallagher (MegaTokyo) on page 210
-- and an interview with the most pompous jerkoff from the webcomics world on page 258 (um, me).
I haven't read the whole issue yet (it's a big one), but am looking forward to it. As for my interview, I've apologized to Kurtz for what I said -- it was kind of silly and mean -- but I still mean what I said about Jon Rosenberg.
Piperka: Webmark Tracking and Bookmark Service
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on July 31, 2006 - 11:40
There's a lot of good webcomic tracking sites/services out there but today I want to flag the one I've been using this summer to catch up on many series I had slipped on reading.
It's called Piperka and it's pretty handy. Create an account there and check off the comics you want to watch and it tells you how many episodes of the comic you haven't read yet (you can tell it to start at the begining or end of the archives when you start). As comics update you see that you have more to read. If you're reading the archives you can tell the site where you stopped so you can pick up where you left off.
It doesn't have every webcomic listed of course, but anyone can submit a comic to it. (It will only take webcomics that have fully accessible archives though). It only takes a few seconds to submit something so go do it! (that way I don't have to submit as many of your webcomics myself!...)
The T-Shirt As Art: A NYTimes article on Small, Indy Clothing Brands
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on July 31, 2006 - 10:43
I read this NYTimes magazine article on small indy t-shirt makers and while it's long and the writer's hook is how these guys are the children of Andy Warhol, it seemed to me that this kind of coverage is a kind of validation of the way in which some webcomic creators have built a brand around their webcomics by selling t-shirts and other items.
("A kind of validation" doesn't mean that's the only way to be a successful webcomic creator either so let's hold off on the drama.)
July 30th
Acid Keg Back and Free
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on July 30, 2006 - 20:04
Haven't seen Steve Hogan much around Comixpedia this year so I'll just go ahead and plug his webcomic Acid Keg for him. Rock bands, secret agents and really cool artwork make this a very underrated project (as in - more people should know about it and read it). Hogan mentioned this month he was back to updating again so it might be a good time to check out the (relatively short) archives.
July 29th
Where Forsooth Be Da Gossamer Commons?
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on July 29, 2006 - 17:41
So my webcomics reading beyond a core list has become decidedly erratic this year with other commitments. I finally catch up on Eric Burns' Gossamer Commons only to discover it's in serious hiatus...
Did I miss an official "taking the summer of post" or something? Any buzz on when it's going to start up again?Â
July 28th
Comixpedia
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on July 28, 2006 - 13:01
A big thanks to our guest bloggers from Comicon: Gilead Pellaeon, and Darlene Alilain. Next week's guest blogger will be Joey Manley.
Thank you also to our current sponsors which include:
- Sahsha & Ray Andrade's webcomic Nekko and Joruba,
- Spike's webcomic Templar, Arizona,
- Speech Bubble Media: an advertising network soley for webcomics and online comics.
And next month's cover art - coincidentally enough - comes from recent Comic Book Challenge winner D.J. Coffman. Look for that to appear next week.
Finally - we've hit 66 members on the new Comixpedia toplist after two weeks. I'll have a fixed toplist box soon on Comixpedia.com and I'll be adding a few more widgets to the Comixpedia toplist site itself. All the more reason to sign up your webcomic for it.
