Webcomics

Comics were not able to avoid the inevitable changes that were in store with the oncoming of the internet. Along with the music industry, magazines, newspapers, and movies, comics took a beating in terms of revenue and threw aspiring comic creators into a new world where circulation is a whole new animal.

Webcomics have been the answer to these new set of digital rules. What I find interesting about them is that the drive for revenue is gone. If you want to succeed in comics, creation comes first and monetary rewards come as a small afterthought.

I feel like this absence of this reward has really created a strong group of artists who really do it purely out of passion. Don't get me wrong, I am completely aware that this was the same for traditional comics. But I feel that there is something very strong behind the ability to instantly update and share a new strip with the world; to see reactions and see your fans take it in first hand.

Tiny Kitten Teeth was one of those web-comics that really hooked me. Yes, there are many web-comics that don't necessarily have an emphasis on artistic vision and embrace this "daily update" feel in the art-form, but this one doesn't skimp out. I get a true sense of graphic narrative and it is a beautiful marriage of what was then and what is now. I love how each post even reads very narratively - some panels are single, while others blend together and contain many ideas.

Its also interesting how the way we process comics as a whole changed with webcomics. Instead of waiting for a volume or book to come out, now we are waiting around every Thursday or so for a new panel. The feed seems to be more chopped up, but the way the artists addresses this, it seems to flow flawlessly.