I mean, is there a bigger headline in all of webcomics? Mike and Jerry at the Penny Arcade decide that, when the rights for the domain Webcomics.com lapses, they want to snatch it up. Upon doing so, the site chores are handed over to the Halfpixel crew.

With this new domain, Scott Kurtz, Kris Straub, Dave Kellett, and Brad Guigar hope to foster a better webcomics community, not rampant with drama and in-fighting, but full of love, support, and camaraderie. Kurtz posts on the site:

Webcomics.com [Emphasis mine. – Ed.] is a virtual water-cooler for cartoonists to discuss, learn, exchange ideas and help each other as best we can to succeed. It’s a place to work on problems and try to find new and better ways to open new markets, expand existing ones and think more out of the box. It’s an anchor for those of us that chose a profession with no office building, cubicles, co-workers or meetings. It’s a place where we can feel less solitary about what we do, and support each other in our endeavors.

At least, that’s the hope. That’s our goal.

Here’s hoping it’s successful, and congrats to all parties involved on sewing up the deed to the kingdom. Webcomics denizens, I give you… your new leaders!

With PC Weenies getting on in years, Krishna Sadasivam decided it was time to try something new. That something is another in a growing list of comics-on-commission sites, this one focusing on the soulless and mechanical members of our society.

No, not John McCain. (ZING!)

For some amount of money, Krishna will draw you a robot. $25 gets you a black-and-white signed print, while $50 will turn that print into color. Spend $100 with Draw Me A Robot and you will be the proud owner of a custom-made robot. I just might have $25 dollars lying around here somewhere…

Stay tuned for Digital Strips’ own comics-for-hire endeavor, “Draw Me A Comic Strip That Someone Else Already Drew!”, where I will trace over a previously published comic strip, sign, and mail it to you!

(Copyrightandtrademarkpendingbecausethereisnowaythiswilleverwork)

Earlier this week, ComixTalk linked to an article written by the ever-visible DJ Coffman about Flash and how it should be used in webcomics.

It’s a big issue right now as more sites seem to be embracing this visually rich yet unrewarding method of displaying their comics online. Zuda Comics, who DS has been following for a while now, employs this method for their reader and I believe I can speak for all of us when we say it’s an unnecessary trick to make people think something is better than it actually is.

Coffman brings up some very good points, so go read the entire article. He mentions the inability, at least thus far, to read Flash comics on iPhones, and the increased load times for sites using this functionality (or lack thereof). There are many other points, all valid, that must be considered when choosing how to present a comic work.

If you have a comic online or plan on posting one soon, do us a favor: 1) Peer review it first to make sure it’s decent, and 2) Read Coffman’s article on Flash comics and why they shouldn’t be allowed. Ever.

Not too much going on today that Brigid hasn’t already tied up with a nice, big bow, so let’s talk webcomics and Twitter for a bit.

Shortpacked! is a great strip about toy retailers and the lives they lead. The characters are well developed and really help to take the storytelling to the next level in terms of connecting with them on something higher than a superficial (gimmicky) level.

One such character is Galasso (pictured right, as drawn by creator David Willis, not me), the hot-headed, J. Jonah Jamesonian boss of the toy store in which the strip is set. Recently, it was posited by Willis that an upcoming strip would reference Galasso’s favorite TV show and that one lucky Twitterer would win the right to establish that program.

Remember when creators would run mail contests or use 800 numbers for such contests? Isn’t technology amazing? Willis, after using Paul Southworth’s suggestion of “Say Yes To The Dress”, qualifies the winner, even getting in a quick jab at Southworth’s own viewing habits:

I had never heard of the show, since I am straight, but when I Googled it up, I decided it was the most hilarious answer possible.

So make sure to add your favorite creator’s Twitter feeds to your list, because you never know when the chance to be immortalized in digital form for all time could sneak up next!

The folks over at Frumph decided we didn’t have enough webcomics award shows/ceremonies, so they decided to create the WCRCAs (Webcomic Readers Choice Awards), not to be confused with the WCCAs (Webcomic Choice Awards).

Among the categories are simple ones like Best Art, Writing, Design, Author Congeniality (how well the creator tends to interact with the readers), Protagonist and Antagonist (separate categories), Supporting Character, and New Comic. Actually, that’s all the categories; you can bet that more will be added if the awards are popular. 

In terms of who won what, it’s a good smattering of strips you may not have heard of or strips that you’ve heard of but never checked out for whatever reason (new category: Best Strip You Meant To Check Out But Something Came Up). The categories were voted on by the fans, the weightiest aspect of the entire tabulation process, and then discussed and deliberated by a panel of qualified judges.

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Much like the once shrouded-in-mystery world of male modeling has its walk-offs, held in abandoned warehouses to determine the cream of the crop, so too, apparently, do cartoonists and illustrators have cartoon-offs.

Now, this might just be because it comes from The New Yorker, a publication famous for feeling elitist and making you feel not so elitist, but this phenomenon has gone completely unnoticed by me, a cartoonist/illustrator by trade. Regardless, it happens, it involves XKCD creator Randall Munroe and Farley Katz, writer for The New Yorker, and it’s awesome.

Surprisingly, the article itself is amusing and includes a nice Q&A with Munroe at the end. My favorite part is when Munroe is clearly the winner of the event; it’s like this was actually a pitch for him to work for The New Yorker which Katz decided to post live for everyone to see. Click through and enjoy the fun.

It’s official: Zuda Comics is the fairly wide-open door to success that so many webcomickers have been yearning for.

CBR reports that Cartoon Network, yes that Cartoon Network, is fast tracking several Zuda comics, specifically those that won in the first stretch of the contest, to be animated projects in as little as 18 months.

As a co-content provider for the Internet’s leading Zuda critique brigade (official name pending), I can speak to the quality (and not-so-quality) of the Zuda crop and this move is definitely a great thing for all those hopefuls who have already submitted their works or want to someday. Now, you’ve got a possible animated deal mixed in with an increased online presence and possible comic book deals to yearn for!.

Let’s see… the markets are failing… economy’s in a never-ending spiral… the political landscape is inspiring hope in no one…

Steve! Skype me! We gotta fast track this Zuda script of ours, pronto!

It’s starting to become one of my favorite pastimes, this idea of ordering webcomic collections with my DS money and then reviewing them. Especially since they are, by and large, collections I know I love and so can be based mostly on what the book offers that the webcomic cannot.

Of course, if you’ve got a new collection coming out that you want publicized, shoot us a copy (e-mail digital.strips@gmail.com for mailing address) and we’ll be happy to review it as well!

As a webcomic, Wondermark displays the dry, Monty Python-esque humor of creator David Malki! quite well, relying almost solely on his writing chops as the art is typically little more than clip art from the Victorian age. As a book, The Annotated Wondermark, the first collection of the Wondermark webcomic, is a much more varied example of the humor at play in the strip, as well as a better representation of how funny this guy can be even when he’s not making webcomics.

Needless to say, if your sense of humor is not of the driest, least saturated, most H20-deprived nature, most of Wondermark’s jokes will fail on every atttempt. On the other hand, if you’re the guy going around the office quoting Monty Python and the Holy Grail to whoever might listen, stop doing that and pick up this book!

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First up, I love RSS feeds. It’s the next generation of opening the Sunday funnies, but funnier, and even more convenient. And you can do it every DAY.

Second, I love Sinfest, a proud member of my daily RSS picks. There are many strips in the span of a month that are really poignant looks at different aspects of our society, and today’s full-color update is one of the best.

The strip’s creator, Tatsuya Ishida, has taken the banking industry to task for the better part of this week and the whole thing is capped off with a strip featuring no less than Uncle Moneybags (Monopoly), Scrooge McDuck (DuckTales) and Montgomery Burns (The Simpsons).

Oh, and the whole thing is set to the tune of the Geto Boys’ “Damn It Feels Good To Be a Gangsta” (link to NSFW version, beware!). Enjoy!

Comic book awards are typically given, like those of television and film, in an annual manner because they reflect the works of art in those particular genres that were presented in the time span before the awards are… well, awarded.

TheHarvey Award for Best On-Line Comic, however, is up for grabs, regardless of the time in which it was produced. Just started last week? I like what I see, here’s a nomination. Haven’t updated in at least six months? Have a nom. Whipped up a collected edition in book form, but put NOTHING online in the time period prefacing the awards? I think that’s good enough for a Harvey.

And this isn’t bitterness because mine didn’t win, I wasn’t nominated. It’s just that the winner, the Perry Bible Fellowship, while a great comic strip in nearly every aspect of the term, has been lingering in limbo for about the last year while a collected edition was produced by Dark Horse Books. It’s no secret how diverse and hilariously, uproariously funny PBF is, but the category even says it: Best On-Line Comic. Perry Bible Fellowship has been officially on hiatus since February of this year, and therefore, not on-line.

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