I just popped in to check on Tokyopop’s Manga Pilots, which caused an uproar in the blogosphere a few months ago. Despite all the arguing, nobody really seemed to read the comics, and I wanted to do that, so I took a look at a few. When I got to The God Shop, I noticed something interesting: The creators must think this is Zuda, because they have a blog of their own and are promoting the comic on it. They even have a link to the comic, which is good because there is no indication on the Tokyopop home page that the Manga Pilots even exist. Anyway, on this standard Tokyopop page you get the same web interface that has been there from the beginning: Click on the cover image and Tokyopop’s manga viewer, which is not bad but a bit small for my eyes, opens up in a separate window.

But Tokyopop has been looking to improve their website, and it turns out the webcomic interface in their beta version is a lot different. Take a look at The God Shop here. Does that remind you of anything? Hmmm?

That beta site still needs help; it has way too many scroll bars, for one thing. But my biggest criticism would be the webcomic itself, which is too small to be legible when it is embedded in the page. Problem is, their “full screen” version isn’t really full-screen—it’s the same size as their existing manga viewer, just set on a black background that fills the rest of the screen.

I would say more tinkering is in order.

Months ago, Steve (The Geek) and I came across Rice Boy, and we instantly entranced by its subtle beauty and epic adventureness.  The full-color tale about a chosen boy who might someday bring balance to the universe is certainly not fresh by any stretch of the imagination, yet Evan Dahm, the strip’s creator, was somehow able to make it just that.

Now, with Rice Boy having wrapped up, Dahm brings us Order of Tales, a new tale set in the same world of Overside and though the use of black and white instead of color is jarring after having enjoyed the pop-off-the-page work in Rice Boy, I’ll be along for the ride to hear yet another story set in this fantastic place.

You should do the same, and also check out the Rice Boy collected edition, which has 468 pages of Oversidey goodness, including the entire Rice Boy story, a map of the world, and other little tidbits to answer all of your Overworld questions.

Maybe I missed my calling as a travel agent?

Publisher’s Weekly Comics Week talks to DC honcho Paul Levitz about digital comics, and he demonstrates that he gets it where a lot of others don’t:

I don’t think if you create a comic flat for print that it’s likely to be the perfect thing for a digital world. I enjoy having The Complete New Yorker on my bookshelf in digital form, but I don’t look at it very often. I think in the end the great success is when you’re creating for the dynamic of the medium you’re in.

Maybe that’s why Zuda is the one webcomic distributed by a publisher that actually fits on my computer screen. However, I have to say that the idea of the limited-animation version of Watchmen fills me with horror. I have yet to see an animated comic that impressed me.

Although Levitz is right about fitting the comic to the medium, there’s nothing wrong with scanning in a vintage comic if the material merits it. I’m thinking of Tops in Pops, a 1964 story from Archie’s Mad House, now playing at I’m Learning to Share. It’s the tale of two deejays, one a swingin’ sixties guy and the other a determined square, locked in an escalating battle of publicity stunts, and the Archie tendency toward bad hipster talk actually kind of works in this one.

Dan Hess has a new comic, Weesh, an all-ages strip about a licorice-eating bunny who grants wishes to the kids he live with. The humor is dry enough for adults to appreciate, especially the recently concluded arc about the little girl who brings her stuffed animals to life. Dan is the creator of Angel Moxie and Realms of Ishikaze, so his webcomic credentials are in good order.

How’s the new Wowio thing going? Continue reading →

Let this be a lesson to you fanciful artist types out there. Just because you strike a two-hit combo of Ctrl and S, don’t think that somehow, magically, your file has been saved for all eternity. It’s always, always, ALWAYS a great idea to keep at least one backup of your file(s) in case of freak emergencies. As our unfortunate volunteer example, Tom Brazleton of Theater Hopper, will attest to.

He, too, has experienced that moment when you boot up the ol’ hard drive only to hear or see something not at all common. Smoke, clicking sounds, small imp-like creatures, these are just some of the oddities that seem to affect random hard drives around the globe. The problem is, you never know when one might strike next. It’s an unproven science: I could pour water in my hard drive, let it dry out for a few days, put it back in the PC and see no change in performance.

Continue reading →

The folks at Tokoyopop have at treat for Star Trek fans right now: They have put up all three volumes of their Star Trek global manga online for free. Each manga contains four or five chapters by different writers and artists, and all the stories are based on the original Star Trek series.

The ostensible reason for this generosity is so that readers can vote for which story they want reproduced in color for the upcoming Star Trek Ultimate Edition, which will collect all three volumes in a single hardcover volume. However, it’s a good opportunity to check out short stories on a common theme by some talented artists. Many of the creators who worked on these stories have also done global manga for Tokyopop, and their work is pretty good, so the books are worth a look. And check them out now, because although there is no end date on this thing, I doubt the books are up there permanently.

For those with different tastes, Tokyopop is also previewing most of Dark Metro, and they will start posting The Mysterians one chapter at a time on August 15.

Continue reading →

I’m reposting in case you all were getting ready for SDCC and missed this: We’re giving away two limited-edition copies of The Lost Ones, the online graphic novel written by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) and illustrated by Dr. Revolt, Gary Panter, Kime Buzzelli and Morning Breath. The webcomic is sponsored by Zune Arts, which, yes, has something to do with Microsoft’s MP3 player of the same name. They’re sponsoring emerging artists, and the program has been getting some good buzz.

To enter, just comment to this post, or the previous one, with a suggestion for a webcomic for us to review. Yes, you can even propose your own. Give us some fresh content for our podcasts, and you may have a chance to win these lovely limited-edition graphic novels, complete with poster. But act now! The contest ends on August 5.

Viewed from a distance, the San Diego Comic-Con is something of a dinosaur; people seemed to spend a lot of time getting excited about print comics about guys in tights. But webcomics were there, and they popped up in some surprising places. Like Marvel announcing that they are teaming up with Steven King to do an animated webcomic. Go figure.

Rich Marshall, whose interviews with webcomics creators are on my must-read list, has a webcomics-leaning overview of the con as a whole at ComicMix. He tracked down quite a few artists and writers, so it’s well worth a click.

Over at Fleen, Gary Tyrell did some good coverage-at-a-distance, picking up on video of the Dumbrella panel, Wired‘s interview with R. Stevens, and Wil Wheaton’s video interview.

Continue reading →

Yes, the official definition of webcomics is obviously vague enough that comic books online can be seen as digital comics.  And yes, I’m probably one of the only people to even care about such frivolities.

But Brigid, Steve, and I did a podcast on this very subject and so my mind has already been made up.  And the verdict?  Any comic deserves to win that wasn’t created by Joss Whedon and hosted on MySpace.com.  So… let the winner stand up!  Not so fast, Billy Dogma…

No, it looks like no one listened to our Eisners 2008 podcast from a few week’s back where we all agreed, unequivocably, that we would be fine with The Abominable Charles Christopher, PandaeXpress!, Billy Dogma, or The Process winning Best Digital Comic, so long as the comic book-in-disguise, Sugarshock, didn’t even dream of approaching the podium.

Now, get ready for some feedback, because this just plain sucks.

I’ll be the first to defend anything Joss Whedon works on, and the comic itself is certainly a quality one.  But the manner in which it’s been translated to the web (re: poorly) and the company it has chosen to keep (MySpace carries diseases, you know) make it about five evolutionary steps backwards for webcomics.

And A.D. wasn’t even nominated!

Steve?  Brigid?  Care to elaborate?

You need proof?  I, The Midnight Cartooner, known to the non-webcomics world as Jason Sigler, am a Kansan.  And I have never been prouder of my Great Plains heritage than I was when I discovered this.

The above link will take you to the website of one Sean Tevis, an information architect in Kansas who is now running for State Representative.  To appeal to the Web-masses, Tevis has chosen to convey his message the only way everyone on the Internet could understand it; in the form of an XKCD homage.

The tribute was obviously made in MS Paint and not with hand-drawn stickies, as XKCD is, but the style of nerdly dry humor is certainly present and the overall effect is one of hipness flavored with just the right amount of street cred.

For too long, the children of the land of Oz have lain dormant in this nation.  it is time to show that we are better than you ever gave us credit for.  And we shall start with a State Representative.

His name is Sean Tevis.  And he is our leader to greater fortunes.

Ladies, you know as well as I, comics has historically been a male-dominated profession, yes?  And you’re changing that with webcomics, completely destroying that barrier that says, “This is sharp writing, but you’re a lady, and ladies can’t write comic books”?

Yeah, we’re not cool with that.

Kidding, all a joke, of course.  There are countless creators out there of the XX persuasion, and many of them are the more successful creators of our day: Danielle Corsetto (work pictured, right), Charlie Trotman, Jennie Breeden, Lea Hernandez, Corey Marie Parkhill, Meredith Gran, and many, many others are kicking butt, taking names, and chewing gum.  That’s right, they even have bubble gum.

Sean Kleefeld of Kleefeld on Comics made a quick post about this very subject, specifically how the “go anywhere, do anything” style of the Web has opened the doors to creators from all walks of life who might not have gotten the chance to break out and really show their stuff with a syndicate or major publisher.  It’s an interesting take on why the freedom the Internet offers might be the best thing to ever happen to the artform, as well as yet another place to pick up some more links for strips you might not know about yet.