Business
Making money with webcomics. Seriously!
Ninth Art Revisits the Direct Market Comic Store
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on September 2, 2003 - 10:29
I've offered my own opinions on what constitutes the "mainstream" (i.e., superhero) market for offline comics. Ninth Art columnist Brent Keane revisits his own opinions on this dark corner of the universe.
UPDATE -
And now there's this piece from a "Pop Culture" store complaining that it's not fair that he has to compete with "mass market" chains. An actual pop culture store would be pretty cool I imagine. Most direct market shops don't qualify though.
Newsflash: Newspapers Continue to Strangle Comic Strips on Sunday Pages
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on August 28, 2003 - 10:14
From Journalista! comes a link to an Editor and Publisher story on the state of the Sunday Funnies.
ComicsUtopia is a new Webcomic Networking Site
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on August 27, 2003 - 13:53
ComicsUtopia is constructing a database of comics by creators who need help getting their work in the hands and minds of the thousands of potential readers, readers who are hungry for new comics and new ideas.
ComicsUtopia invites you to submit your book or webcomic to the database. All we ask in return is that you browse our database and purchase at least two titles from it, or read at least two webcomics. This ensures that everyone who joins ComicsUtopia gets the exposure they deserve and helps us help each other. All information and artwork posted to ComicsUtopia remains the property of the original author.
Buy Season 1 of Trunktown Through BitPass
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on August 26, 2003 - 10:26
Tom Hart and Shaenon Garrity's Trunktown recently finished it's first chapter at serializer.net. Now non-subscribers can read this webcomic without subscribing with the use of the Bitpass micropayments system.
Folks, it's a quarter. When's the last time you could buy a comic book for 25 cents? 1974?
Go.
Make Mine Micropayments (Gah, I'm Running Out of Micro-Puns)
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on August 19, 2003 - 12:52
This article in the Guardian looks at micropayments for the web generally. As further discussed on this Keenspot thread, folks are still talking about Mr. McCloud's experiment and R Stevens' essay.
Interesting Take on Wizard's Obsessive Coverage of the Long Underwear Crowd
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on August 15, 2003 - 12:04
In this edition of Permanent Damage, we get a breakdown of the Marvel/DC market share and how Wizard cannot and should not rely on that market share to justify it's almost exclusive coverage of Marvel/DC to the exclusion of all other publishers.
Death of A Comics Syndicate Salesman
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on August 1, 2003 - 09:54
Okay not death exactly, but the slow, painfully analog rituals of the newspaper feature syndicate sales market. An interesting story about selling comics to newspapers caught by Dirk Deppey today.
Purchase Circle Weave Preview Art Through BitPass Micropayments
Submitted by Indigo Kelleigh on July 28, 2003 - 16:28
Starting this week, anxious readers can purchase access to a new desktop picture featuring the artwork to the upcoming fourth chapter of The Circle Weave. The artwork for the new cover features a mysteriously glowing image of Rowan, sword raised in preparation for battle. Behind him can be seen the image of a large, tangled mass emerging from the misty wood.
The new picture is available at http://www.circleweave.com/bricabrac/desktops.shtml, but unlike the other desktop pictures there, this one is not available for free. Series creator Indigo Kelleigh has chosen to make the download for each individual screen resolution available for the cost of a five-cent 'donation', made possible thanks to the new micropayment solution called BitPass (http://www.bitpass.com).
The principal effect of webcomics is Mass Amateurization
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on July 25, 2003 - 14:36
In this essay on the disruptive effect of weblogs on the publishing industry, Clay Shirky doesn't mention comics or webcomics at all, but to the extent he is right, it's hard to see how his insights do not apply to comics as a subset of publishing generally.
Circle of Confusion To Develop Komikwerks Properties
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on July 23, 2003 - 23:01
Komikwerks, a leader in digital distribution of creator-owned comics, and Circle of Confusion, a management and production company, have announced a strategic alliance to manage, co-produce and develop comic-book properties to film, TV, video games.
Circle of Confusion manages such diverse talent as the Wachowski Bros., the Reign of Fire writers Gregg Chabot and Kevin Peterka, and comic-book creator Brian Michael Bendis. Under the terms, Circle of Confusion will represent Komikwerks and its contributors in a management capacity, as well as a producing partner on some selected ventures.
“Circle of Confusion has an impressive roster of clients, and a track record of working with great comic talent; it’s an honor to be working with them,†says Komikwerks co-founder Shannon Denton.
“This arrangement continues to extend our original goal as a publisher, which is to allow independent creators access to resources that are usually only available to the larger publishers. We’re thrilled about this partnership,†added Komikwerks co-founder Patrick Coyle.
