Fleen: The Awkward Christmas Dinner Of Our Obligation To Existence

Webcomics Learnin’

Two things that could be of interest to capital-W Webcomics.

First up, the long-memoried among you may recall that most of year ago, we at Fleen tried to answer the question, How many readers do you need to make a living? We never got enough offers of data to do a proper analysis, but that hasn’t made the question go away. Fortunately, somebody else is taking a stab at answering it. I give you Jan Jaap Sandee, webcomicker and business student:

I have to write a business plan for a business. I chose to write a business plan for a webcomic and making a living off of this.

However to do this I have to do a viability test. For this purpose one of the things I have is a survey. To clarify the survey is about 5 to 10 minutes, and there’s no veiled advertising.

Eventually the entire research will result in an interesting document regarding living off of a webcomic. I have no problems sharing this document and/or relevant information.

Jan, we’re taking you up on the offer — send us a copy of the business case when you’ve got it done, and we’re sending you as many survey respondants as possible.

As to the other thing that may have some bearing on capital-W Webcomics, we mentioned way back in July that the Halfpixel Duo of Straub & Kurtz (makes them sound like a hero team … I’ll let them worry about which one is the sidekick) are working on a book about how to make them (webcomics, that is … stay with me, son), due in January from Image. Turns out that Straub and Kurtz aren’t making that book anymore.

That’s because the book will be made by Straub and Kurtz and Kellett and Guigar. Since the Webcomics Weekly podcast produced by the four of them is all about how to make webcomics, it makes perfect sense that all four ‘casters be in on the book. I was interested in the book before, but now I’m counting days; between those four guys you’ve only got about 30 years of webcomics experience. If you’re trying to make a webcomic, or trying to make one better, this book could be the online equivalent to Comics & Sequential Art.

I’m extremely curious with the results of the survey in question, pending it receives enough participants.

However, I wonder about potential bias that could exist with the results. Perhaps the majority of individuals filling out the survey might participate due to their “advanced” interest in webcomics, whereas an everyday reader with a “normal” level of interest might not be as inclined to complete the survey?

Regardless, it’s an interesting project. Hope there’s a clear follow up on this!

Does anyone know if this is the final cover of the book? I wonder how it’s going to fare in comics stores — at first glance, it sort of looks like a cereal box.

Still looking forward to it, though! Maybe I can contribute a chapter called “What not to do.” ;)

A dead tree book about making WEBcomics? Irony can be so ironic sometimes. Will it be available for download? Oh, Image. I guess not.

I’m already tired of capital-W Webcomics talk.

I won’t compare it to”Comics & Sequential Art” … I am sure it will good, but most likely show stuff already in other books.

The one post makes a point about a book on web comics that you can only get through print … anyway, if they made it a PDF for sale they would make nothing because someone would find a way to copy it.

I will still buy one, I like their web weekly cast … even though they can get of track sometimes and Chris does fully answer the given questions when the others do.

Dave

Can’t wait to read the book, but that cover makes me think it is about “how to squeeze sour grapes!”

Webcomics are not a zero sum game like print can be- the cover should reflect the optimism of our medium, not snark at other facets of comics.

God, I’m really proud of that cover.

I should send you the remix I made when I saw it!

“anyway, if they made it a PDF for sale they would make nothing because someone would find a way to copy it.”

Using that logic iTunes should have been bankrupt a long time ago. And SLG wouldn’t sell comic downloads. Even Netflix lets you download movies now. Why sell anything on the internet in a format that can be downloaded and copied if it’s just going to get stolen?

There are plenty of people who will pay for something of value rather than steal it. Getting the right price point is what makes it work.

Are you guys really debating the validity of printing a book?

You can kill a spider with a book.

Also: http://www.scarygoround.com/shop-tshirts.php#booksrule

It’s not print vs. bits, it’s print AND bits. I’m pointing out the validity of having both – print and download. It’s a book about webcomics… WEBcomics. Shouldn’t it be available online also just on principle?

Personally I’d rather have a book because it’s more portable. (and the spider thing.) Some people would rather read it on their computer. Why shut out an entire market? Especially a market that is growing.

Maybe we’ll offer it as an audiobook on itunes.

We’ll also be offering in cartridge form for the Super NES.

I will be reading the book aloud round the clock at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park in London.

And there’s skywriting. You could get a giant laser and carve it into the moon. Wonder what Marshall McLuhan would think of that?

The full text of McLuhan’s first webcomic:

“Webcomic.”

[…] Guigar: Dave Kellett, Kris Straub, and I will be leaving to form a new Halfpixel group with Scott Kurtz. The new Halfpixel will be much like the current Halfpixelâ€”a place for collaborative efforts among the member artistsâ€”but with an added emphasis on comic-convention appearances and our joint projects like the Webcomics Weekly Podcast and the How to Make Webcomics book. […]

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