"When you're an online author, you take down a barrier that can be in a book or magazine. [Publishing online] creates a sense of knowing and community around a piece of work because of access to the author and access to the readers."
-Kate Beaton
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Remember the days when the only places a kid could go to find comics were either the newspaper or a bookstore's Graphic Novels section? Entertainment came in the form of Garfield's lazy Monday apathy, Linus's safety blanket, Dogbert's less-than-practically-viable plans to take over the world, or thelatest special-edition issue of X-Men.
Fast-forward to now.
The world of comics is rapidly changing in terms of both content and form. No need to scan the last page of Datebook for yesterday's Mutts -- checking online is quicker anyway. Can't remember the line you wanted to quote from Pearls Before Swine two weeks ago? Problem solved. "Ctrl + F" in the archives and there it is! Comic #984. The thing is, it's not just digital reproductions of newspapers and comic books that can be found online anymore.
Introducing the webcomic: this "new generation" of online-only comic strips is quickly gaining popularity in teen culture, due to its accessibility and variation. The huge variety of available webcomic genres is probably its greatest aspect, ranging from the immense nerdiness of xkcd(1) and Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal(2) to the alluring romantic-comedy drama of Questionable Content(3). Gaming geeks can find solace in Dueling Analogs(4) or VG Cats(5), while only post-grad students can really relate to the stressing truths of PhD Comics(6).
1) xkcd
3) Questionable Content
4) Dueling Analogs
5) VG Cats
6) PhD Comics
Like any comic strip, however, reader interest is drawn as much from the artwork and presentation style as the genre. While the graphic art of Wolfen(7) mimics the look and feel of a traditional Japanese manga (comic) and the stick figures of Cyanide and Happiness(8) are about as generic as the typical comic strip goes, webcomics such as A Softer World(9) and Dinosaur Comics(10) have more unique takes on how comics should look.
7) Wolfen
8) Cyanide and Happiness
9) A Softer World
10) Dinosaur Comics
Yet, the most unique feature of having comics online is that they can take advantage of the fact that readers are using the internet. And with the internet comes all those neat little benefits such as rollover text (or "alt-text"), RSS feeds, the ability to archive and search comic transcriptions, having online stores, receiving donations, a lack of middle-man interference, instant feedback, and a nearly unlimited audience pool. "The Rise of the Webcomic," an article by Jon Thompson, manages to summarize these benefits pretty well.
For those of us who have never tried our hand at starting a comic, it seems almost silly to imagine supporting yourself through webcomics alone. Some see webcomics as a hobby, and indeed, most of them start off as occasional weekend side-job, just-for-fun hobbies. However, online popularity and a dedicated readership can transform what was originally a hobby into a full-time job.
"If you have a quality audience that likes what you do and wants to see you keep doing it, they'll even throw a couple of bucks at you once in a while," says Spike of Templar, AZ.
However, finding a home in the land of the Internet is a double-edged sword; while immense support and praising fans are easy to gain through the power of social networking and word-of-text, even a comic's biggest fans can easily turn their backs on an artist that fails to update regularly or goes into hiatus unexpectedly, whatever the reason.
To be a dedicated webcomic artist requires constant attention to consistent updates, production of the merchandise that may provide your only source of income, answering invitations to conferences at which fans expect you to be, and most importantly, remaining inspired and interested in what you do.
And that's something that goes to all artists out there. Finding the motivation to do what you love doing is probably the hardest part of being an artist, webcomic or otherwise.
But that's the beauty of it all, because motivation is really the only determining factor of online success.
In the words of Matt Melvin (Cyanide and Happiness): "We are our own bosses. The only people censoring us is ourselves."
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Like what you see? Have some more. Read Sequential Art, Anders Loves Maria, Basic Instructions, Toothpaste for Dinner, Minus, Sinfest, Buttersafe, Savage Chickens, Chainsawsuit, and Cheer Up, Emo Kid.
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