Archive - Mar 2007
Lessons for Webcomics from Short Stories
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Joel Fagin discusses all of the many lessons webcomics can learn from short stories. Concepts such as effective beginnings, efficient storytelling, and showing not telling. All topped off with an examination of David Willis' reworked beginning to It's Walky. I could tell you more but why don't you click "read more" and I'll show you...
Head Trips
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This month Brigid Alverson talks to Evan Hayden and Ryan Sands, the proprietors of the blog Same Hat! Same Hat!! which features original webcomics as well as scanlations of some of the strangest manga you will ever see: gag manga that is more head-scratching than thigh-slapping and horror stories that turn everyday life inside out.
March 30th
Webcomics Do Greenfield
Submitted by moovok on March 30, 2007 - 16:23
Webcomics in Print has a brilliant line-up this week.
Comixpedia Update: Thanks, Links and Bucks
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on March 30, 2007 - 12:00
A quick shout-out to our current advertisers: the webcomic Life on the Fringe and the Learn To Draw the Human Figure drawing course. Also be sure to check out the Overman comic and Grant Thomas's website full of comics and music goodness. We also thank all of our Project Wonderful advertisers including current sponsors, the webcomics collective The Chemistry Set, the webcomic For The Hermits, and the awesome t-shirt company, Awesome T-Shirts.
Speaking of collectives, I neglected last month to highlight Kelly Cooper's features on webcomic communities from the archives. Check out parts one and two for a view of webcomic community from when Comixpedia just started in 2003.
Finally - I'll be traveling next week so my posting will be light. A bit of the April issue should go up this weekend but I'll have to regroup on it when I get back. We're still looking for new (or old) reviewers to... well review some webcomics. It's not much, but Comixpedia does pay $10 for a published review. Right now I am looking for reviews of science fiction webcomics (check out our archive of reviews for some examples of what Comixpedia has published in the past). If you're a potential reviewer be sure to email me (xerexes AT comixpedia DOT com) and we'll get you started.
Project Wonderful is NOT Webcomic Welfare
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on March 30, 2007 - 11:10
I've been seeing posts like this one lately -- griping about Project Wonderful in a way that really isn't constructive criticism or even very realistic.
March 29th
The Sad Lonely Life of Jon Arbuckle
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on March 29, 2007 - 13:34
I just rediscovered one of the more creative "remix" projects in webomics: Arbuckle. Essentially an effort to re-do all of the Garfield comics without Garfield's thought bubbles. Why?
In 1978, Jim Davis began a newspaper comic strip called "Garfield". For almost thirty years, this strip has endured, primarily because its inoffensive, storyless humour is immediately accessible. It is, if not quite the Lowest Common Denominator of the comic world, at least as close to it as one can get without being obviously mediocre.
The comic changes dramatically when one removes the thought bubbles.
"Garfield" changes from being a comic about a sassy, corpulent feline, and becomes a compelling picture of a lonely, pathetic, delusional man who talks to his pets. Consider that Jon, according to Garfield canon, cannot hear his cat's thoughts. This is the world as he sees it. This is his story.
Thursday Linkorama
Submitted by Erik Melander on March 29, 2007 - 07:58
Interviews
- Publishers' Weekly interviews Nicholas Gurewitch of Perry Bible Fellowship fame. Dark Horse, who seem to be keeping a close eye on webcomics lately, is publishing a hardcover collection slated for August with an initial print run of 10 000.
BUSINESS
- PW:The Beat has the pressrelease from IGN about their new venture selling downloadable comics from publisher Top Cow.
Pricing for Top Cow Comics on Direct2Drive will be similar to the volume pricing offered for Top Cow’s recent Compendium collections, as well as and other trade collections. Top Cow’s backlist will also be offered through Direct2Drive, with material up to a year old available for download.
REVELATION OF THE DAY
- I was rereading the Time's article on webcomics when I realized that Penny Arcade is now up to a staff of eight people, last figure I heard was five but that was a while ago. Not bad for a company whose core business is a three times a week comic strip and blog.
March 28th
Wednesday Link Roundup
Submitted by Erik Melander on March 28, 2007 - 05:11
INTERVIEWS
- Newsarama interviews Kean Soo, creator of Jellaby which started out as a webcomics, but is scheduled to be published in print by Disney's "Hyperion for Kids" impring.
- Comicsnob interviews Michael Poe and Hilary Hatch of Caffeine Angels Studio and Errant Story.
BUSINESS
- Zach Miller's Joe and Monkey has been picked up for online syndication by GoComics according to a recent news post.
- Have you checked out the trailer for the Penny Arcade game yet? In a news post Gabe talks about the game, hinting that it will sell for less than $20 and be a RPG/Adventure.
AWARDS
- Gene Yang's American Born Chinese continues to garner critical acclaim with a nomination for a Reuben awards.
March 27th
Appreciation and Analysis of Webcomic Artists
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on March 27, 2007 - 11:17
One of the types of features I'd like to run more of are the sort of appreciation and analysis of an artist/writer that Shaenon Garrity gave to Jason Shiga back in our February 2003 issue. Besides giving me an excuse to link to an article that is still a good read, I'd like to ask folks to suggest the names of creators who you'd like to see Comixpedia write up in this kind of a profile.
International Man Of Mystery: August Jessor
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on March 27, 2007 - 11:04
I've just discovered the new comic August Jessor from Finish creators Mikael Hed and Jaakko Sarno. It's about August Jessor, recent police school graduate who comes to a quirky small town to be the new sheriff. August is sort of a combination of good intentions, strict morals and minimal competence. The first storyline is a bit too predictable, but the art is amazing and really pulls you into the sense of being in a place where perhaps things work a bit... differently than normal life.
I'd recommend checking it out (short archives so far too so easy to get caught up on).
