I love webcomics. You can’t make this stuff up.

JMG Comics’ new robot Bible epic, Mecha Manga Bible Heroes, has changed artists after just one issue. The new artist will be Josh Alves, who previously caught our attention in the Zuda Comics competition with his entry, The Arachnid Kid.

Much as I said back when we ran that Zuda Watch, the art on Arachnid Kid has some rough edges, but an up-and-coming comic book like MMBH is the perfect place for Alves to work out any minor kinks in his style. The same could be said for the series’ previous artist, Thom Pratt, but who knows? We could be seeing his name on an upcoming Zuda Watch!

So good luck to Josh on this epic endeavor and check out the Good Comics for Kids blog, for which Brigid and I both write, for more on Mecha Manga Bible Heroes!

I have to take a quick break from a busy night of editing the next episode of Digital Strips, working on my Nanowrimo for this year, dealing with what historians will surly refer to as the great video game glut of 08 and trying to decide how to vote tomorrow to bring you some sad news. Wes Molebash has decided to call it quits on his popular and polished strip “You’ll Have That.”

According to a post he made one his blog today, Wes said that he is planning to have YHT wrapped up by January 2^nd. At least we’ll have one more Christmas with our friends. A new strip is planned to take off in February.

This is especially sad for me as YHT has been a daily (or thrice weekly) part of my life almost since I got into web comics year ago. The squeaky clean adventures of Andy and Katie have been the comics that I’ve most often shared with my wife because it’s one of the most accessible strips on the Net.

I guess this means that for at least the month on January 2009 the position of “Nicest Guy in Web Comics” will be up for grabs. If you’re interested, send me some brownies, I’ll spread your name around a bit.

Bomb Shelter Comics is proud to present the 2008 Webcomic Idol contest! The winner gets a shot at a spot on the BSC roster which brings an increased spotlight on his/her strip plus a community of creators from whom to pull (steal?) ideas from!

Make sure to stop by the Idol site and cast your vote for your least favorite! Remember, it’s more like Survivor, where you vote someone off, not American Idol, where you vote for your favorite contestant. See, it’s like golf; in the end, you want the lowest percentage of votes. The lower your numbers, the better your chances. If you get a vote, that means someone didn’t dig your strip. Vote for = bad. Do not vote for your favorite. They will not appreciate that.

Got it? Are we clear?

And here’s the list of this year’s ten lucky nominees!

• The Book of Biff
• Calamities of Nature
• Lawn Darts
• Marooned
• Newspaper Comic Strip
• Shi Long Pang
• Simulated Comic Product
• Soul Driver
• The Superfogeys
• Xylia

Continue reading →

Sean Kleefeld notices a Zuda comic that moved to another site after the contest and wonders what happened to the other non-winners. David Gallaher drops in in comments to point to quite a few that have found new homes. In face, I think the losers can be winners with Zuda, because they can attract a following and then go off on their own, unencumbered by contracts. Also, Zuda keeps all the old comics, winners and losers alike, up on their site.

New webcomic alert: Be the first one to jump on the bandwagon for Kitty Hawk, a nice action comic set in 1933 and starring a female pilot and some very sharp alternative aviation designs. It’s by Braden Lamb and Vincent LaBate and has an interesting, mostly realistic style.

If hot babes in classic planes isn’t your thing, how about some graphic design humor? 1PtRule is a new webcomic about the hilarious things that happen to those who toil in the trenches of Quark. Unfortunately, the webcomic is difficult to navigate as the designers have dispensed with the bourgeois conventions of “first,” “next,” “back,” and “archive” directionals. Ironic, no?

Also, in case you were missing it, Continue reading →

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!

Shadowline recently launched a webcomics page, and I visited it with great curiousity. At Comics Worth Reading, Johanna Draper Carlson commented that there wasn’t a lot of novelty to it:

On the one hand, using creators with some experience means the publisher and readers can have faith that they know how to meet promised deadlines and their work will have a certain level of quality. On the other, this looks kind of like leftovers. But then again, why shouldn’t they reuse the material if it means reaching a new audience? Maybe because it diverts traffic and Google juice between two sites?

Well, as someone who regards leftovers as a tasty, no-prep lunch, I’m pretty much on board with this. Seriously, I sampled the comics on this page and liked most of them. I had seen Finder before—it’s hard to avoid, even for someone like me whose interests are pretty specialized—and I had heard of a few of the others, but having them gathered on a single, easily bookmarked page is mighty convenient.

At Publishers Weekly Comics Week, Todd Allen agrees that the lineup is solid but asks: Where’s the money?

There are no ads in the Flash-based Web comics player. There is no merchandise to buy. There are no links to other sites. This is odd, Continue reading →

Gary Tyrrell tackles a loaded question: How do you gauge the popularity of a webcomic?

It has been just about a year since Marvel Comics launched their digital comics site, and now they are moving in a slightly new direction with some online-only titles based on their characters. Johanna Draper Carlson has some observations and a poll at Comics Worth Reading.

How much of a High Moon fan are you? Would you dress up as a character from High Moon and take a picture of yourself in order to get some High Moon paraphernalia? That is a question that each of us must answer in our hearts, but if you think it’s going to be a yes, do it by November 1.

After a ten-year hiatus, The Mighty Tubularman is back!

The implosion of Platinum Studios has been a topic of conversation all over the blogosphere. If you’re just emerging from your cave, Continue reading →