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Dumbrella

The 2009 State of Webcomics Address

It’s been said that kids say the darndest things. It’s been said in many different ways by many different people. In fact, that’s essentially the lesson of the fable “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. All the adults who praise the emperor’s threads without actually seeing them fear the consequences of calling him out on them – but the kid who points out that the emperor is, in fact, buck naked doesn’t know any better, can’t grasp the consequences that the adults fear might befall him for saying such a thing.

Webcomics Weekend 2009

Have you heard the news? Have you heard it?

There is a weekend coming up, and it is a weekend of webcomics. A “webcomics weekend”, if you will. The idea is a simple one: lots of people who are good at webcomics—reading them, writing them, drawing them, etc.—plan to convene in western Massachusetts from March 20-22. The place is western Massachusetts because it’s the home of Dumbrella, TopatoCo, and Octopus Pie, the folks who are graciously hosting this little festival.

Cameo Content

I think Jacques has a crush on Dumbrella...

It's Friday! Oh Thank Gawd...

This is the doggiest day of the doggiest month for me.  And almost all of the over-committed; under-performed threads of my life seem to be getting their equal short share of me.  Sigh...

I'll be on vacation the month of August 17th.  If you've ever had an interest in playing a "world famous" webcomics blogger/cub reporter on the Intertubes for a week shoot me an email (xerexes AT gmail DOT com) and maybe we can arrange for me to hand you the keys to the site for the week.  (Note - those were super-pretentious, self-mocking air quotes around the words "world famous")

TOOLS
Comics Worth Reading has a nice review of How To Make Webcomics.  I still haven't read this but the reviews seem to have all been positive.

JUSTIFY MY HYPE
Overcompensating meets Sweeney Todd = Jeffrey Todd.  Pretty cool.

CBR covers Gunnerkrigg Court, calling it the Harry Potter of webcomics.

MILESTONES
Congrats to Jeffbot on its first year anniversary.  I only found this comic recently but am enjoying it.

Congrats to the Chemistry Set collective on its second year anniversary.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BLOGS
Webcomics-savvy journalist Rick Marshall and ComicsMix are parting ways.  One, this apparently is part of the end of news at ComicsMix.   Two, I wish there was more money in comics journalism to keep good writers fully employed.

LA Times has an article up about Zuda -- DC's monthly webcomics contest.

Booth 1330! Come See Me!

If you’re coming to Comic-Con and you want to find me, Come through door B1/B2, head straight back through the rows of comic-book collector booths into the 1300 aisle, and look for the color orange on your right.

Blank Label Comics booth as of Tuesday afternoon...

If you find yourself looking at orange and black pumpkins, you looked to the left. We’re behind you now. Turn around.

So... Comic-Con is Around the Corner

Comic-Con 2008 kicks off in San Diego soon -- July 24-27 -- and the web/indy/whatever--comic presence seems to grow bigger each year.  If you're going you're already set b/c this thing, as a practical matter, sold out long ago (I think you can still get a hotel room in the next state over...).

Some awesome panels this year include:

Color or Black-and-White? Your Choice!

There's no doubt in my mind that Ed Ryzowski's effect on Evil Inc has been a positive one. His colors have added a depth to this comic that is nothing short of phenomenal. Just look at what his touch added to the last few weeks to see what I mean.

Still, I've gotten a substantial amount of e-mail from readers who miss the look of the black-and-white strip. Well, thanks to Dumbrella's Phillip Karlsson, you now have a choice! Look right below the comic and you'll see two buttons: Color and Black-and-White.

ComixTalk's People Of Webcomics List For 2007

And now... the fourth annual People Of Webcomics list! I'll be the first to admit that this list gets harder and harder to compile as the lines between "webcomics" and just plain "comics" blurs harder than a greasy windshield in the middle of a West Texas downpour. Plus as publishing comics on the web and other digital formats becomes more commonplace it gets harder and harder to find those "firsts" that take comics in new directions whether artistic, technical or businesss-oriented.

Looking Back Through 2007

In years past (2004, 2005) we undertook the monumental chore of picking out the biggest headlines of the year. This year, I took another swing at it. So without further adu, here's the biggest webcomic headlines of 2007.

If I missed a story you think was key to this year, please post it in the comments to this article.

Updates On Entries in the Ill-Fated Webcomic Directory Project?

I built a "library" of webcomics and creators back in the fall of 2005 which I put into beta before realizing it was too much editorial work to deal with and the same information could be better provided through the community edited webcomic wiki - COMIXPEDIA.

Nevertheless looking back on the assortment of names collected (some from me, some sent in from you) I wonder if anyone has any significant updates on these creators 18 months later. Maybe we should interview some of them?