Penny Arcade
Webcomics.com
Submitted by Brad Guigar on October 22, 2008 - 18:05
My Halfpixel pals -- Scott, Kris and Dave -- and I have some exciting news: We've acquired the rights to Webcomics.com. This is the next logical step from our popular How To Make Webcomics book. We will use the site as a hub of for webcartoonists hungry to create the next generation of comics. It will be a repository of knowledge, advice, tips and tricks.
To The Webcomicmobile!
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on October 15, 2008 - 10:12
BUSINESS
I have been losing interest in tracking the latest Platinum Studios/WOWIO outrage but for what its worth FLEEN points to some recent links on creators allegedly still not getting paid. Journalista! links to Todd Allen's take on the current PLATINUM-ized WOWIO business and finds a lot to be pessimistic about. And Sean Kleefeld looks at some metrics that show a serious drop-off in WOWIO's traffic.
INTERVIEWS
Youth Radio has an interview with Lela Lee of Angry Little Asian Girl. (h/t Journalista!)
The Washington Post's Comic Riffs blog writes about the online comics category nominees at the recent Ignatz awards and has a mini-interview with nominee Tracy White of TRACED.
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
The same Washington Post blog is running a poll on what to replace Opus with now that Berke Breathed has vacated the funny pages again.
JUSTIFY MY HYPE
Prism Comics debuts its latest comic, Joe Carr’s The Catty Corner.
ComicMix discovers Rich Burlew's Order Of The Stick.
NOT QUITE WEBCOMICS
FLEEN also has a short, interesting bit on the intersection of videogames and webcomics. In particular there's a link to BRAID a new game that David Hellman, the artist from the too-short-lived A Lesson Is Learned But The Damage Is Irreversible, was the art director for. While FLEEN did note the Penny Arcade plug for BRAID, they didn't mention the all important endorsement from rapper Soulja Boy.
Most Read: Final Version
|
Back in 2003-2004, ComixTALK ran a series of articles under the banner of "Most Read" trying to work through how to measure the respective audience shares of various webcomics. More recently, T Campbell borrowed the idea to generate a list of such webcomics for the former version of webcomics.com.
I've pulled together one more Most Read list, this time relying fairly heavily on Project Wonderful data. Mostly though I went to the trouble of compiling this to point out how someone else could do a better job of it in the future.
Of Hipster Kings and Rabbit Detectives: An Interview with Ben Gamboa of Tweep
|
Ben Gamboa is the creator of Tweep, a comic he's been creating and posting to the web for over five years now. It's about a group of friends who the comic looks in on as they go about their day to day lives. I really like the description offered by Gilead Pellaeon in his review of the comic:
Tweep is a really sweet strip about friends who care about each other, relationships that make sense, and, of course, The Rabbit Detective. And I've gotta say, I'm loving it. It's not as edgy as Questionable Content, it's not as funny as PvP. It's definitely not as dramatic and emotionally charged as Megatokyo. While all of those strips qualify as relationship strips, in them the relationships are the vehicle by which the purpose of the strip is delivered, be it humor or drama. In Tweep, the relationships ARE the strip, and any drama or comedy that arises is simply the result of natural interaction between the characters.
And I don't think that description is intended to damn with faint praise. Tweep is often disarmingly aimless as its characters go about their day, and while the characters do stuff, it's much more about this small clique of characters and their interaction with each other than what they do.
I was really happy to get Ben to do the cover for ComixTALK this month and talk to him about Tweep.
This Day in ComixTALK
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on October 10, 2008 - 11:17
Hey what do you know - there are still 10 contenders left in the Daily Grind contest.
A look back at other things from the past:
2007
The Perry Bible Fellowship collection - The Trial of Colonel Sweeto - was publisher Dark Horse's third webcomic-to-print success (following Megatokyo and Penny Arcade ). Story here.
2006
A review of the well-received play based on the webcomic Get Your War On from the Washington Post.
2005
ComixTALK had an interview with Mike Rojas, creator of Natch Evil; a review of Jack, created by David Hopkins; and T Campbell discussed how to make action move in webcomics (Part One and Part Two).
Erik Melander's Through the Looking Back Glass column covered the recent events in webcomics:
September held a number of news items which are worth mentioning. First and foremost, the Webcomic Telethon collected an impressive amount of money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Penny Arcade Expo returned for its second year, this time bigger and with more media coverage. Keenspot is working towards fulfilling its plans announced at Comic-Con. Keen announced that they have signed with Fox Television to develop Owen Dunne's webcomic You Damn Kid! for television. And both Keenspot and Modern Tales are looking for advertising sales representatives.
2004
Comixtalk had an interview with Eric Milikin, creator of Fetus X.
You Hockey Puck!
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on October 3, 2008 - 14:20
TOOLS
Publishers Weekly has a story on an upgrade to the Sony e-book reader. Still expensive ($399) but better touch screen, a readling light and more storage capacty (also will play music!?).
CIVIC LESSONS
An interview with Tom Tomorrow who has a book collection out, called The Future's So Bright, I Can't Bear to Look.
An interview with Ted Rall who will be at SPX in Bethesda MD this weekend.
Kerry Edwards brings the pain.
An opera based on Dinosaur Comics -- not the first such cross-medium adaptation (Too Much Coffee Man probably claims that footnote in history) but still pretty unusual. It's tonight if you're interested in attending!
The Fundamentals of Webcomics Are Still Strong
Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on September 21, 2008 - 11:31
So after wandering the wilds of Arizona last week I thought I'd catch us all up on some things from webcomicland:
First off here's a post from DJ Coffman any creator looking to do the webcomic thing should read: "Host your own friggin' webcomic" shows how you can start up a webcomic for almost nothing.
INTERVIEWS
Last week there was a good interview with Gordon McAlpin, the talented creator of Multiplex and a co-host of the Triple Feature movie podcast. I've been reading Multiplex from day one so I don't really know if it's underrated or not -- either way if you're not reading it give it a look -- it's a great mix of actual story along with a big box of popcorn movie-related subjects.
BUSINESS
Chcuk Rozakis ask some good questions about how comics publishers will make use of the web. Is he right that a "perfect" e-reader will be a print-killer? Is DRM (i.e., copyright protection) going to slow down or stop fans migration to the publishers' web offerings?
El Santo takes a look at Marvel's announcement it's putting original material - comics based on the Hulk and Iron Man movies - up on the web.
CONVENTIONS
Here's an interview with aka Gabe and Tycho from this year's PAX about the Penny Arcade empire, including the location (BOSTON!) of next year's PAX EAST.
COLLECTIVES
The Eyeskream webcomic collective adds three new webcomics to its roster: Little Terrors, Gamer Candy, and Somewhere in SF.
CONTESTS
Roddenberry comics is giving away stuff: a 2009 Roddenberry Comics Calendar, featuring episodes from “Gene’s Journal’ and “Rod Barry,"; a pair of clocks of both “Gene’s Journal” and “Rod & Barry,” and a “Gene’s Journal” journal, ready to keep your most trusted thoughts and memories. Check out the site for contest details.
JUSTIFY MY HYPE
Check out the newest bit of robot-goodness: Lovesick Robot.
El Santo is on The Dish!
Submitted by El Santo on September 17, 2008 - 10:20
Webcomic Beacon #41 - Open Forum #4
Submitted by fesworks on September 12, 2008 - 19:13
Mark Savary joins Fes, Tanya, and Aaron as we just sit back a bit and shoot the breeze about webcomics. We also rag on The Gigcast a bit, but only because we love them!
