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Wapsi Square

Thomas Dolby Notes Wapsi Square Lyric Use

Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on September 5, 2006 - 13:29

Thomas Dolby described a recent Wapsi Square comic as "appropriat[ed] material" as it quotes from his She Blinded Me With Science song. It's hard to judge from Dolby's comments how seriously he meant his comment and there doesn't appear to be any follow up on his blog.

But it may be an area where independent comic creators need to learn a bit about copyright law to avoid problems. Wapsi Square creator Paul Taylor has had his characters quote song lyrics before (here and here) and I'm actually not sure offhand what the standard for this situation is so I'm not assuming Wapsi Square has done anything wrong.

But I do recall that on at least one time in the past it's been a problem. Pete Abrams decided to remove some song lyrics from a Sluggy Freelance storyline called "Fire and Rain" due to concerns over possible copyright issues.

Comicon Friday - Blank Label Comics Panel

Submitted by GileadPellaeon on July 22, 2006 - 04:00

So, after missing the Webcomics 101 panel on Thursday, I was determined not to miss a single panel on Friday (except due to conflict, of course. After all, there is more than just webcomics at this con). So the first thing on the docket for Friday was to get up bright and early to attend the Blank Label Comics panel.

The panel included every member of Blank Label Comics except Greg Dean (Real Life) and Paul Southworth (Ugly Hill). At the end of the panel, the crowd got all the panelists to get together for a group picture, resulting in this fine photo (as always, click on photos for higher res versions):

ComiCon San Diego

Comicon is almost here. Gilead and Darlene will be guest blogging for Comixpedia. Lots of panel info after the jump.

Hey! Wapsi Square Book!

Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on June 21, 2006 - 13:15

I'm supposed to be gone for awhile right?

Nevertheless I'm very excited - and wanted to post that Paul Taylor has a book out collecting several years of Wapsi Square. (With a foreward for the book from fellow BLC'er Dave Kellett).

2006 Web Cartoonists' Choice Award Final Nominees

Submitted by Mark Mekkes on June 11, 2006 - 21:39

They're here! The final nominees for the 2006 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards are announced!

Although the final voting system isn't quite ready yet, this is your opportunity to check out all of the nominees and start discussing them. Then, once the final polls are open, you'll be ready to make informed and researched decisions that guarantee that the best comics will win.

Livin' For the Webcomics

Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on March 16, 2006 - 10:56

Yirmumah tackles the most important issue facing America today: the next American Idol.  (I'm rooting for crazy grey-haired guy too)

And apparently, the nasty feud between west coast toonist Boxjam and east coast toonist Case Yorke has ended.  Peace out y'all!

And lots more webcomics news after the jump!

Nudity & Webcomics (NSFW)

Submitted by Altercator on March 10, 2006 - 01:32

Care to revive the discussion of nudity and webcomics?

Is Change Good? O_O?

Submitted by Halley on February 15, 2006 - 23:16

Okay... I've been doing my comic since August 2005 and lately it's actually been starting to get more and more linkage from people who independently just link my comic... which means I’m getting more hit... which is great for a webcomic... right?
Well... here's the thing…

Right now I have a lot of homework and such piling up... and my comic is not one that's very quick to make, it's generally about 4 to 5 hours per strip. In general I do most things very fast... but for some reason with this comic it just does go that way... and the sad thing is that i don't think it even looks like it takes that long. I've tried to use differnt methods to make it quick... but it turns out to either make it just take even longer or just look really bad.

So lately I've been thinking about perhaps taking a little hiatus from the comic perhaps until this quarter is done or maybe longer... and experiment with some other styles and maybe even other premises for a while I’ve been thinking about the "4-koma" set up and just how not many comic use it well except for maybe Sexy Losers and it really seems like it could have a lot of potential and give a lot of freedom if used right. And also I was thinking about having more of a cast of characters since people can connect with a comic a lot better if there's a real cast... if so the comic would be very different... of course i MIGHT just keep doing it the same... I'm not sure.

But I know that the Rule #1 for webcomics is to keep your webcomic updated regularly and on time. And the comic is JUST starting to get really noticed. Is this a good idea? I was thinking of going up until 50 and then give it a rest... or maybe ever right now... i don't know... i'd hate for people's first impression of the comic to be "no new comics for a while" though...

I dunno... What do you guys think? Should I change it to be simpler, or a different format, or different set up? Should I give it a rest? or WHAT?

Thanks in advance!! ^_^

(gaahhhh!! I should be doing homework know >_<)

Blank Label Comics Promotes New Books In New York

Submitted by Brad Guigar on January 24, 2006 - 00:20

It seems like BLC has books popping up everywhere... even on TV! Viewers of the CBS hit comedy How I Met Your Mother may have even noticed Alyson Hannigan with her copy of “Pure Ducky Goodness” in last night’s episode.

Different Fonts for Different Characters?

Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on January 19, 2006 - 11:28

Another thread I'm cutting up and hoping to restart: what do you think about using different fonts throughout a comic - I recall of the top that Howard Tayler did this with Schlock Mercenary. It obviously can be used to help define different characters (In the case of Schlock it distinguishes the many types of aliens littered throughout the story) but it could also be used to capture emotional or other differences in the state of a single character.

Or maybe it's all too distracting?