There’s been some suggestion in the webcomics community about getting rid of the term “webcomics.†After all, almost everything is on the “web†nowadays, comics included, and the term is starting to seem redundant or even a little dated, like how people in the 50s stuck “electro-†in front of everything. But there’s one good reason to keep the term “webcomics†for a while yet: positive branding. Webcomics are on their way up. They’re associated with young, energetic trademarks like Penny Arcade and Girl Genius. Comics by contrast are associated with two things: 1) the fast-dying newspaper strips, which have been a laughingstock since the nineties and which are tethered to a doomed industry, and 2) the insular and distasteful world of the superhero floppies, which are increasingly regarded as the province of middle-aged male collectors with deeply troubling attitudes toward women.
Purely from a branding standpoint, there doesn’t seem to be any benefit to dropping “web†just yet.
Agreed. As long as non-web comics exist, I think “webcomics” should stay. We’re still calling it “e-mail” and not “mail” and that’s a lot more common than webcomics.
Your analysis of comics might be correct for the U.S. mainstream, but there is a broad spectrum of other comics in the international theatre. I don´t talk about Manga here. Think of comic novels like “Maus”, or the french/belgium album scene ranging from Godfather Hergé to geniuses like Franquin or Moebius, series like “Storm”; “Lucky Luke” or “Valerian and Veronique”, incredible adaptions of “the hobbit” or even american super heroe novels like Frank Millars “the dark knight returns”. Might be quite difficult to publish such epic novelisations in web format, although your own novel shows it is possible. But I suppose you must be willing to adapt a certain strip-like pace of spinning your yarn or take the risk your novel is just not working in web format, thus not making the customer buy the hard-copy.
Insofar I see the label “web-comic” strongly connected with a structure that takes into account the publishing in small bites.
That’s hurtful and rude. Traditional American Comics are fun and enjoyed by readers both young and old who do not have dysfunctional attitudes/relationships with their fellow human beings of any gender. As for insular, well I haven’t tried to break into the industry, so I don’t know, but I have seen plenty of started-purely-web comics going print.
That said, “comic” is a supertype in my mind, that includes comic strips (newpaper), comic books (superman punching aliens), webcomics (everything on the web), Manga (desudesudesu!), and everything else in sequential art format. But control of language and nomenclature is part of the complicated dance with which we both define and change the aetheric and mellifluous ideas and feelings that float in our heads.
@Roland: Frank Miller’s everything includes “middle-aged males” and “deeply troubling attitudes towards women”. Google “shortpacked Frank Miller” for a snide but accurate commentary on him.
@boring7 I have my problems with Millers “300” and “Sin City”. Yet he took artistic expression to new horizons with his work and has had great influence with this. Expecially aforementioned”dark knight” was very unique, using graphic as well as narrative abstraction to the extreme in some panels. You haven´t read Miller, have you? Do it. His art is outstanding. And I see more than one parallel to this graphic novel here.
– By the way, Kyle, I am a great fan of your art. Kind of a lurker concerning comments, but following the story for a while now. Sadly for us both, I am quite broke, so I suppose we will not have the pleasure of me ordering a hardcopy to Europe. But that is something other I apreciate in webcomics: the chance of cultural participation for people living in poverty. I don´t even know when I last time bought a book or went to an art gallery. Thank you so much for sharing!
I have indeed read much of Frank Miller. That is all I will say on the matter.
Moving on, I like how Anthem is taking charge.