A lot can happen in a few days, and this causes some stories to fall through the cracks. Luckily, the Interest Piquers Mid-Week News Slam is there to catch those stories for a segment I like to call…The Interest Piquers Mid-Week News Slam!
Nothing as exciting as huge purchases of webcomic collectives by up-and-coming development studios, but some notable anniversaries to…uh, note, and a couple gaming webcomic bits of news to report. No use wastin’ any more time…
Apologies for showing my face so much today, but there’s one more bit that just caught my eye that I have to relay to you. The continuation of Wizard’s interviews with webcomic luminaries sees Dave Kellett, creator of Sheldon, under the hot, bright lights.
Most interesting about this one is Kellett’s reveal that he’ll be breaking away from United Media, going independent once again and hoping to find even more success without the flailing support of the sagging syndicate. He’s also got some thoughts on the future of the biz and why he thinks the Web will be host to more great comics than anywhere else in the very near future. It’s a definite must-read.
You can’t say webcomics never gave you anything in return. Ryan Sohmer and Lar DeSouza (webcomic friend!) are running a genius marketing ploy over at Least I Could Do. Check the site for the full details of how you can enter to win such prizes as an X-Box 360 or a Macbook Pro, but here’s the short and skinny.
Basically, the guys are gearing up for their annual advertising push. The numbers LICD pull in daily are greater than most webcomic artists could ever hope for, so this particular surge is taking a chance and targeting something different. You’ve no doubt heard of street teams and know of their goals; to quickly assemble and spread the word about whatever product they’ve chosen to support. This tried-and-true formula is now being applied to webcomics.
When I was introduced to webcomics about four years ago, it was Penny Arcade, PvP, and Sinfest. Now, hip-deep in the best and brightest the web has to offer, those three are still on my daily pull-list, with PA being the only one I ROTFLOL at every single time.
So it’s only fitting that, with all the other news already reported, I give Gabe and Tycho their due with a mention of the additions (updates?) to their repertoire. If you’d like to glimpse all the other news items of the week, check my previous post for the News Slam. Copyright soon to follow.
To paraphrase the world-famous slacker, Ferris Bueller, “The world of webcomics moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once and a while, you could miss it.” With that in mind, I present you the news items submitted to us over the last few days. No particular order, no one story means more than the last. Here we go!
Some really big news this week, with Drunk Duck being acquired in a huge (catastrophic?) move by Platinum Studios, more webcomic interview goodness from Wizard, and more!
Oh, and with regards to the eagerly anticipated, universally panned review of A History Of Webcomics, I shall simply quote You’ll Have That’s Wes Molebash:
There’s a lot of drama in webcomics, and I think it’s funny.
Couldn’t have said it better, Wes. I will indeed have that. Now listen up, and listen good, because I’m only gonna say this once.
At last, the long-awaited, eagerly anticipated Digital Strips review of T Campbell’s A History Of Webcomics V.1! And the question on everybody’s mind: Will he hate it? Or will he gush with praise of a work so ahead of its time, it should be another ten to twenty years before it’s actually published?
If you can’t tell from that last sentence where I’ll be taking this, let me ask you this question: Who do you feel the intended audience should be for a work such as this? The webcomic community? Or those we would like to educate about our young medium? If you marked through the first selection on your test sheet, then it would be best if you sat down your pencil and left the classroom now. This review isn’t for you. Continue reading
Well, there it goes. Another whirlwind week come and gone, with nothing more to remember than a few blog posts which commemorate each event.
Oh wait! There’s also Interest Piquers! Ha HA! This week, I found a new favorite strip (gotta be, like, 40 now) in Sheldon the Pig, another of our number was interviewed over at WizardUniverse.com, I started and finished Penny Arcade’s second volume of snarky goodness, and found victory in my efforts to start a small, albeit costly, war with the fine folks at Fleen. Really, they’re the vilest, most evil entity ever to be known on our beloved Interweb, but you know what they say: Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Here we go! Continue reading
It’s time to help out another webcomic creator, folks. Paul Taylor, member of Blank Label Comics and creator of Wapsi Square, needs your help.
He and his wife have experienced a premature birth of their first child and the increasing (and continuing) hospital bills have created a growing debt. To help, the guys over at BLC have joined forces to bring you original artwork and special extras to be auctioned off to help the Taylors with their immediate needs. The link to the BLC post can be found below; open your pocketbooks, messenger bags, whatever it is you’ve got so you can help and pick up some nifty artwork as your karmic reward.