What are webcomics?
Well, they are pretty much what
the name says – comics
published on the Internet. Some
webcomics get a printed version too, but the fact they are made for
Internet audience gives their authors a lot more artistic freedom and
it is what makes them different.
While most webcomics have a
format similar to the their traditional predecessors, their style can
be very varied – from stick figures to fully painted pages. Some
webcomics are made with the use of photographs and others
have some of the strips made as
gifs, some are even accompanied by animation shorts made by fans or
authors themselves – a thing which would be rather difficult to
achieve with a printed version.
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What are they about?
Some
webcomics are full-fledged stories, visual novels where authors
create a whole world (fantasy or not), with all its background and
interesting details. Unsounded
and The Meek
is a great example of this, it even has wiki pages
about the characters. Others are satires that play around with
certain subject, like for example Awkward
Zombie which makes
fun of video games (mostly) or Order
of the Stick which is a
parody of tabletop rpgs. Some webcomics can be very controversial
because censorship barely
exists on the Internet.
As I mentioned earlier, there are webcomics that get a printed version. It usually can be bought in the author's online store which, apart from paper version, often sells franchisee goodies to support the cause. This includes t-shirts, badges, stickers, postcards, art prints, cups and other gadgets often related in some way to the plot of the comic.
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| Ava's Demon printed book version |
Another
way
of reaching that goal is by crowdfunding. That is how for example
Konrad Okoński, also known as Koko, prints his comic.
When a chapter ends online, readers can donate money through
wspieram.to (Polish crowdfunding platform) for the purpose of
printing the comic book. Of course when you donate, you get one piece
with an autograph for yourself. In the case of Koko, you can receive
the comic through the
postal service or collect it
personally during a convention that he attends.
There are probably hundreds of
webcomics and it's impossible to know and follow them all as you
would have to give up
your life completely to do that.
Fortunately there are lists and rankings, like Top
Webcomics, that can help you
find something interesting.
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| Source |
While doing this presentation I
re-discovered and found a few new webcomics which I'll probably check
later in my free time. How about you, do you follow any webcomics? Would
you like to share them with us?
Webcomics I recommend checking:
- Unsounded – compelling story and nicely drawn full-color pages, updated regularly
- The Oatmeal – comics that often look more like infographics, but very funny ones!
- Kij w Dupie – I hope nobody gets offended by the title. It is a Polish comic in a form of short strips, uploaded usually three times a week. An amusing story packed with humour.
- Ava's Demon – because it is just beautiful.
- Lackadaisy
Sources:
Comments
When it comes to Internet... Sometimes I read these funny, small comics posted around the web, like Polandball and so on, but I didn't know that something like webcomics exists and is more serious. Is it already monetized? Do authors earn on selling them?
I always wondered, what make those people continue their work as web comic artists. It don't look very profitable, but it should be quite possible to make a decent living on this form of art, average salary is not this impossibly high.
I've read many web comics in my life. For sure more than regular comics.
Unfortunately I read most of them in one run and forget their names or when to find them.
But I'll never forgot 'Gone with the Blastwave' - http://www.blastwave-comic.com/index.php - old but gold.
Another problem is that I really, really don't like (gently said) the whole anime/manga esthetic and I mostly see internet comics and stuff in that style. I know that most people here probably like it but it's just not my thing. I see you posted comics in different styles so maybe I will check them out later.
Some of the comics I like are:
The Adventures of Business Cat
Cyanide and Happiness
xkcd
Rotflpg
As Paulina, I reallllyyyyyy don't like manga esthetics. The only comic in that aesthetics I actually like is this one (it's a horror, so watch it in the evening if you want some chills ^^)
I'm an occasional reader and most of the internet comics I see have nothing to do with manga, but that may be because I instinctively avoid them. ;) I was into anime culture when I was in high school, but after that I lost my interest really quickly.
If you're interested, you can check the Patreon page of Tracy Butler (creator of Lackadaisy) and see how much people are willing to donate.
Thanks a lot for the links! I like The Adventures of Business Cat. Until now I saw only individual strips of this comic scattered around the web. I'll bookmark the site and check it later. :)
In the past I used to read Humon Comics which were somewhat similar to countryballs only the countries were presented as people and it had a little bit different kind of humour. Sadly I haven't seen her draw countries related comics in a while.
is Donald Duck, but as someone in the earlier comments mentioned, this series was famous mainly for bonus toys so I guess It's no comparison.
- Andrzej Mleczko (http://mleczko.pl)
- Jaroński (http://jaronski.pl)
- Andrzej Rysuje (http://www.andrzejrysuje.pl)
or non sarcastic Liz Climo (https://m.facebook.com/LizClimo/) or Bissiness Cat (http://www.businesscat.happyjar.com). The form of these comics is very simple but they are very eloquent and directly get to the recipient. The cool concept are drawings of Jaroński which are intelligent form of humor where the reader has to think about something what he see and associate how it relates to the signature.
How much does it take to draw such comic?
I have never been a fan of comic, not important if it was a web or traditional comic. When I was small my older brother collected comic with Donald Duck, Tytus Romek I atomek, etc. I rather read book like some biographies or essays. I’m glad that websites like wspieram.to exist, so some artists can find their place in the market.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-Punch_Man
So I'd like to read some webcomics recommended by you.
Personally, I prefer the traditional comics. I'm also a supporter of "printed” books rather than e-books. Digital comics don't have the "climate" as traditional. on the other hand, webcomics are a very good way to promote work/art for free. The artist can share new episodes as soon as he creates it. Readers don’t have to wait a week a month or more time. This is undoubtedly an advantage. Moreover readers can’t pay for follow story of their hero.if they don’t have to take out a subscription.
And damn, I do hope Ava wont kill this second-in-command-Titan-officer-girl, but chances are very thin.
http://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/erinyes/list?title_no=7971
Another thing is that I preffer animation over comic, for example I love Bee and Puppycat:
http://beeandpuppycat.cartoonhangover.com/
I think I automatically feel more enegaged than I would with a comic when the images move - for example, when I was younger I really liked some anime, but never felt like reading any manga.
http://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/erinyes/list?title_no=7971
Another thing is that I preffer animation over comic, for example I love Bee and Puppycat:
http://beeandpuppycat.cartoonhangover.com/
I think I automatically feel more enegaged than I would with a comic when the images move - for example, when I was younger I really liked some anime, but never felt like reading any manga.