Penny Arcade
WCCA Awards Announced
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on July 10, 2003 - 10:00
Read the "Ceremonial" comic presentations here.
The winner of Best Comic is Nowhere Girl by Justine Shaw.
The winner of Best Newcomer is a tie between
Errant Story by Michael Poe, and
Anne Frank Conquers The Moon Nazis by Bill Mudron.
(Bill drew the cover for this month's Comixpedia issue)
And the winner of Best Gaming Comic is
Penny Arcade by Mike Krahulik & Jerry Holkins.
Measuring the Webcomic Audience: Version 0.2
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In May, Comixpedia published a "most-read" list based largely on information obtained through comparative traffic rankings from Alexa and Traffic Ranking. For July, we present version 0.2 of our audience measurement project. Remember that this project is still in beta mode, and that we welcome your feedback.
Reaction to McCloud's Micropayments Project
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on July 3, 2003 - 11:39
Several sites have posted reactions to Scott McCloud's use of a new micropayment system to sell Part 1 of The Right Number for a quarter.
Comic Book Resources has a short write up of Scott McCloud's press release.
Slashdot posted a short piece on it today and has generated a substantial number of replies already.
Penny Arcade and Goats have both posted more skeptical, sober reactions to the announcement.
I LOVE Comics, I HATE Comics
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I have a ruling reputation online as being outgoing and wacky. An online friend was once shocked to find out that my voice is not, in fact, at ALL chipmunky, despite the fact that I can yammer and pun and load on the sarcasm for paragraphs in chatrooms. But for some reason, around accomplished comic book people I'm a complete dimwit.
The Goods on Goats: Comixpedia Readers' Questions Answered
Our third community interview is with Jon Rosenberg, creator of Goats and Patent Pending (available on the Goats website with a subscription to Goats Premium). (We haven't forgotten about our second interview with Pete Abrams. We're negotiating with T-Shirt Guy Tom right now for Pete's answers.)
Jon published the first Goats strip on April 1, 1997 and is still going strong. Along with Phillip Karlsson, Jon has also carved out a niche as the creator of some truly funny website-parodies, including Brains4Zombies and Moistnap.
Piromania -- Leah Fitzgerald interviews MegaTokyo's Fred Gallagher
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MegaTokyo blew up almost immediately when it appeared on the webcomics scene three years ago. Fred Gallagher, the creator behind the strip, goes by Piro, a nickname he took only temporarily. A former architect, he now lives on the spoils of the site's merchandise.
WHY DO ONLINE COMICS
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Issue #11 - Tools of the Trade
A few months ago, I went out to my car to go pick up some lunch, and found a flat tire. I knew I had a spare, a jack, and a lug wrench, so I figured changing it wouldn't be that big of a deal (other than it being 115 degrees outside (ahh Phoenix in July)). So, first things first, I went to remove my hubcap. I should mention now that the vehicle in question is a 1997 Ford Crown Victoria. My previous vehicles have been an 86 Crown Vic Wagon, an 83 Buick Riviera, a 78 Pontiac Catalina/Bonneville mix, and a 1974 Buick Electra. I've change the tires on two of those vehicles with no incident. Yet after trying a crowbar, hammer, screwdriver, and various other prying tools, I could not get the hubcap off this wheel! Two hours and buckets of sweat later, I resorted to extremes and read the user manual. Apparently, these new-fangled cars come with a special key for the hubcaps, so people can't steal them. So I used the key (which was in my glove compartment, conveniently), and in about ten minutes the tire was changed and I was on my way to my local shop to get it repaired.
New tools for old jobs.
WHY DO ONLINE COMICS
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Issue #10 - We, the consumers...
When I go to a restaurant, I have certain expectations about the service I'm going to get. I want my food to come to me as I ordered it (what I ordered and how I ordered it prepared, and not pay more than what it is on the menu), I want my server to be polite and efficient (check in on me when needed, fill my glass when it is low (or if no free refills, ask before filling it), bring me my food and bill in a timely manner, etc.), and I want to be comfortable in the environment I'm eating in (non-smoking sections that actually have no smoke, no one pestering me at my table wanting to make balloon animals or sell me flowers or crafts, etc.). These aren't just things I would ideally like, they are actually my minimum expectations for my experience at that restaurant. The more of these that aren't met, the less likely I am to either a.) tip the server, b.) come back to the restaurant, and/or c.) recommend the restaurant to friends.
WHY DO ONLINE COMICS?
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Issue #0: And That's the Way It Was
In December of 1999 I started doing my first online strip, Modern Evil. My inspirations for starting it came mostly from listening to Scott McCloud speak about the subject of online comics at the 1999 San Diego Comic Con International, and then going home to see what others in the field were doing.
I had already researched the costs of getting a print book made and sent out to the masses, which are just ridiculous for a one-man shop to bear. Putting a comic on the internet, however, was quite cheap, relatively. My first website, http://www.modernevil.com (which I went into with a partner and ultimately handed control over to him), cost about $300 to set up and keep running for two years.
Advertising adds some to the cost, of course, but it's the same for print comics. Most website hosting services will charge you more if you become very popular (thousands or tens of thousands of visitors, depending on the service and how big your comics are in file size), but it is still nothing compared to the costs of getting that many people into comic book stores to buy your print comic.
Webby Awards Honors 2 Webcomics
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on June 9, 2003 - 12:34
The 7th Annual Webby Awards were recently announced. Two webcomics won awards this year, one awarded by a panel of judges and the other based on voting via the Internet. Get Your War On won for BEST HUMOR and Penny Arcade won the PEOPLE'S CHOICE for BEST NET ART.
