I read a ridiculous amount of webcomics, most of which are run serially in some fashion, but I never once stopped to compare that storytelling method to the serial-yet-collected editions that arrive in comic shops every Wednesday.

Now, CBR has changed that, with an editorial debating the pros and cons of the current delivery methods for comic books, those being weekly/monthly and collected in story arcs with trade paperbacks. Though the focus of the post is on print media, writer Timothy Callahan gives webcomics a turn as well, wondering if the daily or semi-daily portions are too much to really make an impact on readers. This quote in particular is interesting:

It works like this: “oh, yeah, I haven’t checked that webcomic in a while, what’s new? Oh, wait, did I read this part yet? Where did I leave off?”

So does that happen to you, even with your most favoritest webcomics? Or is this digital dish just the right size?

When that subject line came across the Google News Alert wire, I thought it was simply another link to John Solomon’s Your Webcomic Is Bad and You Should Feel Bad blog, so I ignored it.

Then, while digging through the latest stories and blurbs for something to write about, I noticed that the excerpt from this archived ComixTalk link didn’t seem to have anything to do with the blog at all. Clicking through, I found one of the most open, personal, refreshing things I’ve read in webcomics.

In this article, David Wright, creator of Todd and Penguin offers a detailed analysis of why he feels his webcomic isn’t up to par. The write-up is more of a how-to on rolling, and working, with the various criticisms webcomics creators might receive on their work, but throughout the tips and tricks, Wright is surprisingly candid about what doesn’t work in his own comic.

As someone who did a guest strip for Wright back in November of 2006 (after this article was posted), I can say that his strip isn’t as bad as he makes it out to be. Just the same, however, his openness as to his shortcomings and readiness to change rather than flame represent a great step that all webcomickers should take towards a healthier, creative attitude.

It goes without saying that explaining the new media genre of webcomics to a newbie will inevitably involve a mention of Penny Arcade, one of the first, and easily the best, gaming comic out there today. 

Today Gabe, Tycho, and the whole crew (it’s basically a company now, with conventions, plural, a children’s charity, and other brands under its umbrella) celebrate the big 1-0 and you can bet the congratulations are going to flow like wine throughout the day. Speaking of wine, how might the enigmatic duo be commemorating the milestone? In Gabe’s own words:

We’re going to the Olive Garden!

Talk about a celebration! Congratulations to everyone at Penny Arcade and thanks for the memories thus far! PA and PvP were the first webcomics I was introduced to back in college, so it’s fitting that this… celebratory image comes to us from Scott Kurtz, a long-time supporter of the PA crew.

While this is a weekly event, it’s worth noting due to the quality of the finalists in this competition. This time around, it was Lawn Darts on the chopping block, a strip that we here at Digital Strips universally agreed was well worth keeping an eye on.

According to the official Bomb Shelter Comics blog, the comic will be going on indefinite hiatus soon, and we wish the creators good luck and a speedy return to the Interwebs!

I knew our government was lying to us! (Copyright 2008 Justin Bingham and Amy Watson)

Everyone’s yelling about DJ Coffman again, but we’re not going there. Instead, here’s some alternative webcomics news.

The first print editions of Zuda comics have been announced: Bayou and High Moon got the nod. Actually, I got a print sampler of Zuda comics at NYCC, with a rather odd horizontal format. It will be interesting to see if they reformat the webcomics to fit the standard vertical page.

If you listen to the podcast, you know I’m a fan of Hereville, by Barry Deutsch. He recently signed a print contract with Abrams (publishers of Diary of a Wimpy Kid), which gave me an excuse to chat with him at PWCW.

At Comic Book Resources, Timothy Callahan interviews Kevin Colden about Fishtown, which is also about to make the move to dead tree media.

Meanwhile, CBR’s Shaun Manning talks to Marvel’s John Cerilli about Marvel’s Digital Comics Universe as we approach the anniversary of its launch.

Continue reading →

Xavier Xerexes, the xexiest of all xylophone players in the Xenoverse, is working on a list of the best webcomics of all-time and he needs your help! Stop by the ComixTalk post and voice your opinion!

Or, just use it like we do, as yet another list to cull possible reviews from. Either way, yay webcomics lists!

Al Kratina has taken the time to give some outsider insight into webcomics, and he gets so many things right, it’s an article well worth taking a look at.

Scope the article and then think about these questions the article raises:

– Who will ultimately prove the victor in this brave, new world? DC, with their create-to-compete approach, Dark Horse, who has hitched their wagon to a flash-in-the-pan fad, or Marvel, who falls somewhere in between with original comics coming soon to their online-only service?

– Regardless of whether you’re just a fan or a tried-in-the-fire creator, which approach to webcomics do you tend towards? The infinite canvas style, popularized and categorized by Scott McCloud, or as a means of broadcasting a work to the world at very little cost and risk to the creator?

For me, that last one especially is worthy of at least a day-long discussion, so I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts!

The first round of Webcomic Idol has come and gone and with it, half of the contenders! Join me in wishing the best to all of these deserving strips:

The Book of Biff
Calamities of Nature
Newspaper Comic Strip
Superfogeys 
Xylia

The remaining contestants are strong representatives of various genres, so make sure to stop by the site and vote for the strip you like the least! We may have a new President-elect, but the negative politicking is just starting! Also, we’ll have a Q&A with the creator of Newspaper Comic Strip up shortly, so if anyone else wants to say their piece, hit us up at digital.strips@gmail.com and we’ll come up with some appropriate inquiries!