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From DigitalRhetoricCollaborative

Revision as of 18:51, 19 April 2015

Webcomics, or digital comics, is the name given to comics posted on the internet. A portion of webcomics are simply a remediation, or digital version, of a preexisting comic. Companies like Marvel and DC often offer their printed comics online to consumers. Other webcomics are made solely with the web in mind. Some may be made using more traditional materials, such as pen and ink, and then uploaded online. Others are created digitally and found exclusively on the web. This digital format gives more freedom to creators and allows them to experiment with unconventional styles and forms that would otherwise be impossible in a physical format. Unlike print comics, almost anyone can create a webcomic. The creators rarely have to worry about obstacles such as publishers or censorship due to the more democratic nature of the internet. If the webcomic enjoys enough success, the creators may offer a print version of these comics in order to make a profit. Most webcomics do not get this popular.

History

Print comics

The webcomic was preceded by and greatly influenced by the print comic. Many of the conventions of comics are credited to the Swiss Rodolphe Töpffer, who created what were known as some of the earliest European comics in the mid 1800s and is known as "the father of the modern comic".^[1] He is particularly well known for his 1837 Histoire de M. Vieux Bois, published in English as The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck, which may be called the first comic book. Many of his publications, including Histoire de M. Vieux Bois, featured pages full of captioned panels. Each page would contain between one and six sequential panels coupled with text that would tell a story. This form would later become the standard for the more familiar modern print comic.

Moving forward in time and publishing the comic book, starting in the year of 1938, in the United States, was when comics became popular with society, particularly the superhero. The idea of the superhero came from this masked or goggled view of events that are witnessed throughout our culture (Spurgeon 1). Expansion of the comic book came after the Second World War with many different genres coming out to the public (Duncan 40).

During this timeline, it is easy to see how through the invention of technology that comic books have progressed throughout many different cultures and periods. Looking at today’s era, people are now faced with publishing comics on the web. Whether through publishing comics that have been previously published in other media, or creating comics strictly published for the web, the amount of attention that has been given to this genre of literature because of this change in publishing is exciting.

Early webcomics

Eric Millikin distributed the first known webcomic Witches and Stitches, a parody of the Wizard of Oz, in 1985 through CompuServe, the first major online service provider in the United States.^[2] The limited nature of the internet at the time made the audience small and hindered its distribution.^[3]

In 1991 Hans Bjordahl published Where the Buffalo Roam on USENET and FTP and touted it as the “First Comic on the Internet”.^[4] The comic originally started in a school newspaper in 1987 and was based on Bjordahl's college life at the The University of Colorado at Boulder.^[5] It migrated to the Web in 1993 after the advent of the Mosaic browser and ran until 1995.

Doctor Fun by David Farley was the first comic published on the Web.^[6] It was made up of a series of one-panel gags that ran from September 24, 1993 to June 9, 2006. The comic gained enough popularity that it was acknowledged by the Mosaic web browser creators as "a major breakthrough for the Web".^[7]

Notable webcomics

Another web comic that grabs the audience’s attention is that of Penny Arcade, which first started off in 1998 being posted on another website before branching off and becoming its own thing. People think of today, as in the later 2000’s when comic artists would be putting their works out on to the web or creating on the web, but the artists, Holkins and Krahulik, started their work earlier than people have thought. Again, like Randall Munroe, they are one of a few who are able to truly successful with the work that they have created from Penny Arcade. As of 2010, they had an audience of 3.5 million for the comic, and have able to move on strictly from just the web comic, going so far as creating video games from their web comics and even a television series based off the comic. Their publishing rights and all that they publish had definitely grown from the year of 1998, when the internet was just beginning to be pushed wide open.

For instance, taking a look at the web comic of XKCD, by Randall Munroe, his strips of cartooning simply started as him scanning his old doodles from his school notebook and these scans took off to be turned into a very unique website that has caught the attention of a huge audience and has continued to progress throughout web culture. Interestingly enough, since this website has begun, Munroe is one of only a few professional web comic artists.

Something to take in to consideration is that this idea of creating comics specifically for the web or publishing older works on to the web is very new to society; people are very much used to comics coming in other forms of media. So while there are some progressive artists out there creating new and interesting web comics, they have to realize that their audience has yet to catch up with their broad-minded thinking. As is the case for Randall Munroe, he has actually published a certain amount of his comics from his website into an actual book, another form or media in order to spread awareness of his work rather than strictly staying within the boundaries of the internet. This is attention-grabbing, as it almost seems like a step backwards from what humanity is attempting now.

After seeing a small history of how comics came to be and where this type of literature began to really explode in America, it is fascinating to see where this works is progressing to in today’s era. The idea of publishing strictly on the web is still new and many artists are hesitant to try as only a few are truly successful with their works. It seems that mostly other forms of media for comics still has a strong grip on comics.

Formats and styles

A portion of comics found on the web are simply a remediation of print comics. Major comic book publishers, such as Marvel and DC Comics, often host their issues online. Access is generally granted after buying individual issues or paying for a subscription. The jump to digital formats by major publishing companies occurred after other sites, such as Newsarama and ComicMix, showed success. Marvel, for example, did not being producing digital subscriptions until November 13, 2007. ^[8]

Webcomics may follow more traditional styles, such as the one-panel gag, editorial cartoon, newspaper strip, or comic page. Many still adhere to such standards. These formats make the transition from digital to print much easier for creators who decide to publish and sell collections of their work. Those published in a nonstandard format may experience trouble when transferring the comic onto a page.

The digital format also allows for nontraditional styles and experiments. The internet allows creators to move away from pagination onto what Scott McCloud calls the “infinite canvas”. ^[9] With the infinite canvas, online comics can theoretically extend indefinitely without running into the constraints of page sizes that print comics must adhere to and face. Some digital comics make full use of this idea, such as XKCD’s “Click and Drag”. Munroe’s comic likewise demonstrates how digital comics might utilize user-directed nonlinear storytelling.

Multimedia forms have emerged that make full use of the possibilities offered by the web. Comics may integrate or add extra material including audio files, videos, bios, and gifs alongside the graphics. These forms may greatly increase the amount information and user interactivity, but may also run the “risk of distracting [readers] from their immersive involvement with the main narrative”. ^[10]

The increasing use of multimedia and nontraditional forms in webcomics has caused some debate about what exactly distinguishes a comic from other media, such as videos or animation. Writer Daniel Goodbrey suggests that it is the reader’s active role, their control in pacing the story, which makes the difference.

Success and publishing

The internet had democratized and globalized comic creation, allowing almost anyone to post their creations online. Writers are not as constrained by publishers, printing, or commissioners on the web as they are offline. Production is usually low-cost and free of censorship, and access to the comics is easily obtainable. However, few ever enjoy financial success.

Comic creators may try to make a profit by offering subscription-based services. They may also use crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter to fund their projects and goals. If the comic enjoys enough success, the writer may offer a print collection. Even if the full comic is available online for free, “plenty of readers still want to own it in a tangible printed edition” ^[11].

External Links

References

1. ↑ McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: HarperPerennial, 1994. Print.
2. ↑ Garrity, Shaenon. “The History of Webcomics | The Comics Journal.” http://www.tcj.com/the-history-of-webcomics/ Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
3. ↑ Booker, M. Keith. Comics through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
4. ↑ Bjordahl, Hans.“Where the Buffalo Roam | The Internet’s First Comic Strip | First What?” http://www.shadowculture.com/wtbr/site.html Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
5. ↑ Booker, M. Keith. Comics through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
6. ↑ Garrity, Shaenon. “The History of Webcomics | The Comics Journal.” http://www.tcj.com/the-history-of-webcomics/ Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
7. ↑ “What’s New! September 1993.” N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
8. ↑ Wershler, Darren. “Digital Comics, Circulation, and the Importance of Being Eric Sluis.” Cinema Journal 50.3 (2011): 127–134. Print.
9. ↑ McCloud, Scott. Reinventing Comics:. New York: Perennial, 2000. Print.
10. ↑ Gravett, Paul. Comics Art. New Haven, CT: Yale UP, 2013. Print.
11. ↑ Gravett, Paul. Comics Art. New Haven, CT: Yale UP, 2013. Print.