Teel, Madelyn D.
From DigitalRhetoricCollaborative
Webcomics, or digital comics, are comics posted on the internet. Many are created and found exclusively on the web, but the creator may offer a print version as well. Some are simply a remediation, or digital version, of a preexisting print comic. The 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.
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History
Print comics
In dealing with comics and publishing which will ultimately lead to publishing comics on the web, it is first good to look at a small history of how comics publishing first came to be. No one can truly admit when and where comics originated on the timeline of history (McCloud 15). Throughout time, readers of comics have come to see that this particular media has gone through a lot of critical examination (McCloud 6). Only through the invention of printing did the sophistication of comics come into play for people around the world (McCloud 16). Looking to see when what is to be considered modern comics; the creation of panels, the idea of cartooning, and bringing together words and pictures, came into action believed to be around the mid 1800’s, historians believe that Rodolph Topffer was the father of such action (McCloud 17). 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 (Garrity).
In 1991 Hans Bjordahl published Where the Buffalo Roam on usenet and FTP and touted it as the “First Comic on the Internet” (Bjordahl). The comic originally started in a school newspaper in 1987. It migrated to the Web in 1993 after the advent of the Mosaic browser.
Doctor Fun by David Farley was the first comic published on the Web. 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" (What’s new).
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.
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.
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 (Wershler).
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” (reinventing comics). 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” (Gravett).
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” (Gravett).
