I come to you all, a man with no name. At least, as I write this, I have no name. The gods Zampzon and Daku may see fit to grant me one before this makes it’s way magically from my laptop to the Internet. As I see nothing myself, however, I shall simply start with an introduction to what I hope to contribute to the team.

Webcomics are such a different beast than anything else we’ve ever seen in the artistic world. They take every medium you could possibly think of and throw them all into the same pot, just waiting to be stirred up and served. And yet somehow, each bite tastes different. Much like their surname suggests, there is something for everyone. Infinite canvas, payment-based, weekly, daily, monthly, superstar-level, grade-school level; it’s all there, and all at the speed of a click.

And yet, with all this variety and quantity, it seems that no one ever gets full. The public eats and eats, spending their money here and there for the stuff they REALLY like, but are they ever satiated? No. And why not? Because the portions are so small, it’s hard to be satisfied for more than a minute, maybe even less. Sure, some of those bites are delectable, enough to keep everyone coming back for more, but ultimately it takes a much longer commitment, from both author and reader, to find something more meaningful.

It’s these lucky few who are able to form a bond with the audience, something that goes beyond mere enjoyment and quickly into the realm of worship. Comic books creators have their followers too, each more rabid and loyal than the next, but there is such a breadth of titles and styles that each camp is provided PLENTY of room to breathe. Meanwhile, in Webcomic Land, you’ve got the Kurtzians and the PA Heads ready to slaughter the entirety of McCloudvania IN THEIR SLEEP. Is there a certain catch that we’re all missing out on, something that the folks over in Comic Book City have figured out and thusly live in peace and harmony? Or is it something as simple as the passage of time?

Maybe that’s what webcomics need: time. Maybe they just need time to be recognized as a legitimate form of art. Maybe they just need time to develop that variety and quality of other, more consistently successful artistic ventures. Then again, maybe time will provide nothing, and after years we’ll all find that’s it’s nothing more than (with a few notable exceptions) a hobby, meant to kill time and provide a few laughs, maybe even a little passive introspection. The point is that none of us know. We don’t know a sure-fire business method for making money off a strip; we don’t know how long this whole magical ride might last; what we DO know is what we think. And so, I shall bring you my opinions and nothing more on the state of webcomics as I see them. My only hope is that some of you like what you read.

My name is 5. And I’m an attention WHORE.