These Are The Guys You Can Hate For Your Webcomic ~NOT~ Getting Any Eisner Nominations

As Brigid reported the other day, the Eisner noms have been announced and the list of digital comics (hey, they’re webcomics to those of us in the know) is fairly sparse with regards to those we’ve come to know and love.

First, let me refresh your memories (with appropriate pauses to accentuate applause that, as with any other nomination announcement, is strangely absent):

Best Digital Comic

The Abominable Charles Christopher, by Karl Kerschl

Billy Dogma, Immortal, by Dean Haspiel

The Process, by Joe Infurnari

Act-I-Vate LogoPX!, By Manny Trembley and Eric A. Anderson

Sugarshock!, by Joss Whedon and Fabio Moon

No Kurtz, no Onstad, no Gurewitch, this year’s Eisner list is dominated, gloves up, man-on-man, by the comic book guys who play in that sandbox of graphic novelism and typically leave alone the gag strip mentality so many webcomickers employ. Also, it should be noted that this is the awards where they actually give things out and request that you wear a suit when you pick it up.

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Digital Strips 132 – Review: Chronicle

Have you ever had the feeling that you posted the latest exciting episode of Digital Strips only to realize right before bed two days later that you hadn’t? If you have let me know. We probably have a lot of other things in common and should hang out.

This show is old school Digital Strips. In a throw back to the good old days of yore, we offer you a review with a lot of dissenting opinions, vicious rants and personal attacks. It’s as if nothing has changed at all. This week we take on Chronicle by Josh Way. While we all found things that we liked and disliked about the stretch, I don’t think there was a single issue that we all agreed on.

Still, good times are had, laughs are shared and we all feel closer to one another, and that we’re right and the other two are idiots when they disagree with us. You to can take part in these feelings of togetherness. Just plug in your earphones and listen in.

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Innovations In Webcomics ~FEATURING~ Ctrl-Alt-Del and PvP: UPDATED

If there’s one motion in webcomics that I can wholeheartedly throw my hat in the ring for, it’s actually utilizing the web real estate to make a comic something more than it could ever be in print. AD: After the Deluge brings links and a multimedia experience to the table to enhance the reader’s enjoyment and I Am a Rocket Builder provides an interactive comic book that finally makes good on the promises of underwater bubble cities and flying cars made years ago.

Now, two mucho popular webcomics are forging a new path with two methods that are intriguing to say the very least.

CAD panels

Check ’em both out, after the jump!

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Shuster awards: Transmission X dominates other signals

The list of nominees has been released for the 2008 Joe Shuster Awards, which honor the best Canadian comics creators of the year, and the webcomics list includes several Digital Strips favorites. Here’s the lineup:

Michael Cho for Papercuts
Scott Hepburn for The Port
Karl Kerschl for The Abominable Charles Christopher
Gisele Legace for Penny and Aggie
Ramon Perez for Kikuburi and Butternut Squash with Rob Coughler
Scott Ramsoomair for VG Cats
Ryan Sohmer and Lar De Souza for Least I Could Do and Looking for Group
Cameron Stewart for Sin Titulo

That’s some good reading, right there. It’s interesting to note that at five of the nominees are affiliated with the Transmission X collective: Papercuts, The Port, The Abominable Charles Christopher, Kukuburi, and Sin Titulo. If you haven’t already, I suggest you check out this superb website, which presents an eclectic variety of comics with a polished, simple interface.

Also, there’s a change in the way they do things chez Shuster this time around: The winners will be selected by a jury, not a public vote as in previous years.

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Weekend reading

The third episode of that Cloverfield web manga is up and has been translated into English, perhaps in violation of copyright laws.

John Jakala discusses Franken Fran, a scanlation he is really enjoying:

I’d describe it as an amped up Tales From The Crypt for the new generation. (Imagine that there’d been no comic code to worry about so EC could have shown disembowelments and other gruesome fates in graphic detail.) Still, despite the gore, the series does have a heart… even if that heart is frequently ripped out and stepped on at the very end.

Afghanisu-tanAlso, this is getting linked all over but in case you missed it, here is a moe explanation of the war on terror—well, it’s mostly about Afghanistan, really. If you don’t know what moe is… that’s some right there on the right.

In non-manga news, big ups to our own Jason Sigler, whose Amazing Super Zeroes passed the 200th-episode milestone a few weeks back. Nice work, Jason, and keep on writin’ and drawin’!

MassLive.com talks to webcomicker and Fleen columnist Anne Thalheimer about the place of webcomics in the world and the unique possibilities of comics as a storytelling medium. Good stuff.

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Let’s Watch Other People Talk About Things ~THE~ Zuda Is Broken Edition

I’m so glad we don’t have any backing from DC Comics. Otherwise, posts like this following one probably wouldn’t be possible.Zuda Sweating image

Ever since we started our Zuda Watch feature on the site (WAY back in March of the ’08) I’ve developed a more personal bond to the fledgling webcomics competition. When someone has a problem with either the site or the content, I now stop to check their words before moving on with my life (before, I would have just moved on with my life). With that in mind, I discovered a write-up over on The Scienteers website (via Journalista) where blogger hpkomic (don’t you just love the Internet?) lays into the Zuda service in a number of ways.

First up, hpkomic’s summation of his argument:

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God Is Angry ~AT~ Scott Kurtz, How To Make Webcomics

You know what book I’d love to review someday soon? How To Make Webcomics, the all-in-one, do-it-yourself tome put together by the fellas on the Halfpixel Brodeo and Jamboree. You know what I can’t review?

Yep, you’re good guessers. It seems that someone very powerful and very angry has decided to put a stop on anything and everything Scott Kurtz attempts to accomplish. Sure, a few PvP strips have made it out unscathed since a week long plague hit ol’ Kurtzie, an event he cataloged with a few guest strips and a post:

I Can Haz Cheezburger Sick image

Just a quick notice on outstanding orders in the PvP store.

I’ve been home sick for almost two weeks and because of that, the orders have piled up at the office. We’ve sent out a bunch of stuff yesterday but we have a long way to go. Especially orders for How to Make Webcomics. So please bear with me as we get out from under the pile of orders. We’re going to kick them out as fast as we can and make up for lost time.

Know that orders are going to be going out all week, just as fast as we can sketch, sign, stuff and stamp.

Management greatly appreciates your patience in this matter.

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Sunday (Monday) Sitdown ~WITH~ Cameron Stewart, Part 2

Yesterday, my conversation with Sin Titulo creator, Cameron Stewart, turned into a breakdown of the artist’s workshop, including techniques, processes, and inspiration. While this was fascinating to me, it’s not the meat-and-potatoes of the interview I meant to conduct.It was, however, integral to the understanding of ST, and so there’s a bit more of it here.Sin Titulo logo

But in addition, in this second half I finally get Cameron to crack on the intent of the strip, including his drive to do the strip (hint: it’s not as sci-fi/mystically focused as you might think) and the personal investment an artist should put into his, or her work. Again, the dude’s a pro, so I basically just asked a question or two and let him run wild. Containment was not my intent and I think a very interesting explanation of the strip followed as a result.

Delve into the mystery with me, after the break!

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Sunday Sitdown ~WITH~ Cameron Stewart, Part 1

Weeks back, the DS Review Crew took on the Transmission X Sunday treat, Sin Titulo. It was universally agreed that this was a mysterious joy to read and that we would all be checking back regularly on this, the Lord’s day. We also unanimously decreed that we had a lot of questions about the strip, questions we wanted answered. Immediately.Sin Titulo logo

So I got on the stick and started chatting with creator Cameron Stewart. Contained in this update is the first half of that conversation, with the second to follow on Monday. Disclaimer: After realizing that this is the Cameron Stewart who has numerous comic book projects under his belt, including some with the biggest names in the business, I kind of lose my footing and just give the rest of the interview away. Luckily, Cameron is a pro and takes up the slack aptly and readily.

Start the takeover after the break!

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12 on the brain

12 hour comic challenge4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42. All numbers some of us know well, but Ryan Estrada is mainly obsessed with just one number, the number 12. You see the Cartoon Commune is setting up its first major event set around the number twelve

On Saturday 12th April, artists around the world will be taking 12 hours to create a 12 page comic that they’ll publish either for themselves, online or just for their own amusement.

Ryan Estrada, organiser of this event, has been wanting to do a comic for a while since most of the stuff he’s worked on has been for the Cartoon Commune. “I’m always so backed up on paid work, I don’t have time to do my own stuff. And it’s been a while since I’ve done a good challenge comic.”

“I just knew that I don’t have time this month for a 24 hour comic, and plus I’ve done them to death…… Plus, shorter comics are actually harder, because it takes a while to get into a groove and get caught up.”

So set your calendars for the 12th April and get thinking, 12 pages in 12 hours. Think you have 12 on the brain?

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