Happy New Year everybody. Hope you and yours are doing well. I for one am looking forward to another year of great Web comicy goodness here at Digital Strips.
Here's something that I thought was worth a gander. Stephen Schleicher, a writer over at Major Spoilers, one of the bigger comic book blogs, has started listing his 57 top Web comics. He's three days into the endeavor and up to 21 with another two (I assume) updates coming.
The list is pretty good so far. I'm surprised on a few of the entries but you have to remember the source as several of the comics listed have a comic book slant to them. Also some of the strips I've never even heard of, but personally I like that. It gives me a chance to read some new strips as Schleicher provided links to them.
It's important to remember that this list is just one person's opinion, every once in a while people will point to a list like this as if it were decided by some scientifically verifiable method. It's not. It's not even done by a committee of Web comics experts (can anyone even really call themselves that?). One guys, one list. Just keep that in mind should you or your favorite comic get overlooked.
Ok, generic 'Don't be a doofus' disclaimer aside, go check out the list. See something you don't agree with, let us know.
I’d LOVE to! Got a link?
What are you talking about? There are links there.
Thanks for the catch Midnight. Fixed.
I don’t like the list at all. There are too many comics on it that take regular hiatuses, which sort of spoils it. I dunno, maybe I’m just becoming bitter that I publish 5 days a week and still have minimal readership and zero attention. Personally, people like ButterNutSquash and Loserz… good comics, but really haphazard schedules.
For my money, the quality of the strip trumps the regularity of updates. Yes, it gets annoying when strips come and go, but creators should be working for the ages and not for the instant-gratification needs of the Internet public. Bill Watterson took a lengthy hiatus (or two) during which the syndicates re-ran old Calvin and Hobbes strips, but now going through the old collections, I don’t think about that…I just look at a boy and his tiger and I’m happy.
Of course, if there’s an advertising agreement or subscription arrangement, that’s different. That’s when commerce and creativity both have to give a little to accommodate one another.
My point is that as long as their work (that you’re not advertising on or paying for) is good, remember that they’re making it for everyone from now on, not just the online comics junkie refreshing the site every half an hour, greedy for more content. Besides, from a behind-the-scenes perspective, I’d bet a nice chunk of change that each Butternut Squash strip takes longer to create than an 8 1/2 by 11 strip does. So maybe Ramon requires more downtime. It’s all about balance.
Lucas, if you have readership at all, be happy with that. 8 1/2 by 11 is a good strip. Take heart in the fact you’re providing the best content you feel you can. And if you’re not, figure out what’s missing and whether or not a 5-day-a-week schedule really is the best thing for it.
Long story short: comics are about art, not schedule.
b
Yeah, I know. As I said, I was just being bitter. It’s snowing and I’m feeling miserly. *lowers eyebrows*
If nothing else, I envy you your snow. It’s been in the 60s here as recently as last week and I’m a firm believer in the old saying “it’s winter, dang it, where’s my snow?!” That’s not an old saying, per se, but I said it and, compared to some, I am old.
b
i live in Vancouver. it ain’t supposed to snow here. It’s snowed for the past 2 months. Climate change baby! Meanwhile, in the rest of Canada, they had no snow until just this week.
Global warming is scary.