The Ragbox is a comic written by Dave Kender and drawn by three artists: Mark Hamilton, Braden Lamb, and Matthew Reinke (each artist handling one of the three chapters). Kender is the founder of the Boston Roundtable group. This is a short book — the pleasures in reading it are not really for the plot so there will be spoilers ahead. (It's also available as a webcomic here; you can buy the book at the store here.)
It looks like the current creators of Hi and Lois are the latest to be afflicted by Wiley Miller disease ("an irrational hatred of webcomics") – check out their current comic which slams webcomics (Oh… it’s on. So on…). I would have cried from reading the cuttting humor deployed by the current creative team of this 45 year old comic strip (which btw are the sons of the original creative team, Brian and Greg Walker and Robert "Chance" Browne), but I was comforted by the touching thoughts of the Comics Curmudgeon.
FLEEN notes that most of the audience for Hi and Lois probably has never heard of "webcomics". Maybe Jay Leno can explain it to them…
Comicspace co-CEO Joey Manley writes a lengthy blog post about the growth of comics on the iPhone platform this year, focusing a lot on the messiness of where comics are on the iPhone apps store (apparently they're all over: music, tv, books, specialized apps, etc). I don't think Comicspace itself has done anything with the iPhone yet — Manley's comments on what he actually thinks of the smaller screen format vs a traditional computer screen may have had something to do with that.
Jamie Tanner, the creator of Eisner-niminated The Aviary, is using Kickstarter to run a fund-raising drive — enough money gets pledged, money gets collected and Tanner does his next graphic novel. (h/t Journalista!) He has over $2000 pledged with a goal of $5000.
Not new necessarily but interesting that this type of web-facilitated tool is being used for non-webcomic comic projects. Plus Kickstarter itself looks like a handy way to do this kind of approach.
UPDATE: Don’t know how I missed this but Gordon McAlpin is using Kickstarter to raise funds for a print collection of his webcomic Multiplex. McAlpin is trying to raise $7500 towards finishing the work necessary to complete the book.
Wow — not a lot to report on this morning, but John Allison does have a comic up about thinking up a new comic. Maybe a little bit insider-y but very funny!
Also an interview with Keith Pille, of the webcomic Nowhere Band. Pille is also in the real life band Derailleur. So there ya go!
JUSTIFY MY HYPE
The most recent storyline of Rocket Roadtrip incorporates noted sci-fi author John Scalzi in it. Scalzi was good-natured enough to link to it on his blog recently.
Gina Biggs let me know that her webcomic Red String had reached the 1,000th page milestone. Congratulations – if you’re not a fan, go check out this "romantic tale of destiny and self-discovery". It’s been publishing online since May 1, 2003
Also you can now get Volume Four of the print series of the comic through Haven Distributors under the order code: REDSSTRT04.
The SPX Convention is coming this month! There will be a pretty interesting group of webcomic types exhibiting at this year’s Saturday and Sunday show in Bethesda. More details at the website — I am overbooked this year, but hope to be there Sunday afternoon.
INTERVIEWS
Lucy Knisley, author of French Milk, and Erika Moen, creator of DAR: A Super-Girly Top-Secret Comic Diary, join Words & Pictures’ S.W. Conser to discuss cartoon travelogues, online journaling, collaborative art-making, and the fine line between Renaissance iconography and porn. Warning: explicit content. Click here for the podcast.
And another podcast interview — this one with webcomic creator Paul Taylor of Wapsi Square.
A new trailer for Gordon McAlpin’s Multiplex comic. Pretty cool – I think easier to do (but not all that easy!) because Multiplex uses vector artwork. Any other comics you think you’d like to see try a promo piece like this? Anything already out there from another webcomic I should add to this post?
This day in ComixTalk:
2008
Faith Erin Hicks blogged about internal narration in comics; Platinum’s purchase of Wowio was still shaking out in the news (a year later and there’s still no evidence that Wowio has paid off all of its debts to creators and publishers.)
2007
Platinum Studios filed for an IPO; and Phil Kahn posted video of numerous interviews he did at Connecticon with creators such as Chris Hastings and Kent Archer of Dr. McNinja and Rob Balder and Jami Noguchi of ErfWorld.
2006
Jim Zubkavich announced the print version of his webcomic Makeshift Miracle.
2005
Another update to Kris Straub’s meta-meta-meta webcomic Modern Humor Authority; an interview with Maritza Campos of CRFH!!!; a review of School Spirit.
Also from the forums, RanJado wondered about how to draw distinctions between comics’ readerships;
2004
Jamie Robertson announced that he would stop working on his webcomic Clan of the Cats. I’m not sure of the ends and outs of Robertson’s work status on the comic every year since than, but I’m happy to report that right now he is working on the strip (there’s an update today) and I think his work has gotten better every year. Great strip full of of supernatural elements, adventure and relationships, all with really strong artwork.
2003
James Kochalka won best online comic at the Ignatzs for American Elf. He, however, did not accept his award in a gorilla suit.
Just to lead off – PAX pox is on the loose… and in a funny guest Penny Arcade comic from Fox Trot cartoonist Bill Amend.
MILESTONES
Farewell Scary Go Round! A longer goodbye message from creator John Allison on his blog here. After reading the actual ending, I have no idea what’s in store in his next comic — which happily, I believe, kicks off on Monday.
DEAD TREES
Randall Munroe has a book coming out! xkcd: volume 0 will be released in the xkcd store next week. And Munroe will be on a limited book tour to support it. (Also today’s xkcd? I wonder how you’d have to tweak Ender’s Game in the blog/tweet/etc world of today? I mean part of its storyline basically reads "1. Blog; 2. ????; 3. World Domination!" Anyhow – another brilliant comic from Munroe.)
REVIEWS
Webcomic Week reviewed Chris Flick’s Capes N Babes recently and Derik Badman reviews Kramer’s Ergot 7.
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BLOGS
Art Patient rounds up lots of webcomic reviews and interviews here.
COMICS CULTURE
Saw this on Sean Kleefeld’s site – a video about fan culture with a whole lot of interviews of interesting folks including Scott Kurtz, Jerry Holkins, Mike Krahulik, Ryan Sohmer, and Lar deSouza.
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