Web comic
Web comics are comics that are published only on the web. Many web comics are little different from traditional paper comics, but a few web comics artists have taken advantage of the web's unique abilities. Scott McCloud has pioneered the idea of the infinite canvas, the idea that web comics should be free to spread out in every direction indefinetly, rather than confining themselves to dimensions that would fit on a piece of paper. A prime example of this principal would be the latter-day installments of T. Campbell's Fans. Other artists have experimented with the incorporation of animation into their comics (although purists may believe animation has no place in comics).The web has, at least potentially, several advantages over the conventional form of publishing. It has removed many of the traditional barriers that prevent an independent comics artist from having his work published (in this sense, web comics are a continuation of the independent comics movement that began with underground comics, and later alternative comics). As stated above, the restrictions of the usual comic format are lifted, though for functional reasons most still follow it. While newspaper comic strips have to be comprehensible to the average reader, the huge potential audience provided by the Internet allows much more specialization, as can be seen in the rise of video game-oriented comics and the Transsexual Webcomic Alliance ("Laughing At Our Pain Since 2000"). Much deeper plotlines and characterization are also made possible. And, of course, some (such as Eric Millikin's Fetus-X) delight in the fact that very few things short of blatant breaching of international law will lead to censorship.
To the criticism of many (especially established cartoonists) computer technology has made it no longer necessary for a webcomic artist to actually be a skilled artist. This has allowed for many rather crudely-drawn comics to be successful, "on the writing alone" as the authors would likely state. One popular form of web comics for the untalented arist are sprite comics, in which existing images of video game characters are pasted into panels and dialogue is added in the form of speech balloons.
Some of the most currently popular webcomics include PvP, Penny Arcade, User Friendly, and Megatokyo. It is interesting to note that all of these comics deal with video game / technology sub culture in some form. The biggest audience for webcomics at the moment appears to still be young, single, white males.
Some successful web comics have subsequently been reprinted in book-length collections, just as a successful print comic might be.
Primary sites for web comics are Modern Tales, Serializer, Keenspot and KeenSpace.
See also: List of web comics
Related topics
External links