Webcomics.com

Ten resolutions for a better 2025

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com We all make resolutions this time of year. Sure, most of us forget about...

ComicLab Ep 368 — 2024 in Review

At the beginning of the year, Dave and Brad made a series of predictions and set some personal goals for...

January To-Do List

This is the perfect time to get organized for a successful year in webcomics. The content you are trying to...

Comicraft’s New Year’s Day Sale

If you want to build out your comics-font library, mark this on your calendar. Comicraft traditionally holds a sale on Jan...

Webcomics Confidential: There’s no such thing as a “failed” Kickstarter

Steven Spielberg was rejected TWICE by the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Walt Disney’s newspaper editor told...

ComicLab Ep 367 — How can comics reach kids?

A father is concerned that comics no longer reach kids, suggesting that video games are the better value measured by...

Planning out the new year

This is a time when many of us start daydreaming about the coming year. We have hopes, plans, goals, and...

Should you do a 2025 calendar?

As we head into December, you may be considering a 2025 calendar to sell to your audience. We'll talk about...

Webcomics Confidential: Understanding Writer’s Block

How often are we presented with the image of tortured creative souls, staring plaintively at the tools of their craft,...

ComicLab Ep 365 — Maybe You’re Not Funny

In this episode, Brad Guigar and Dave Kellett share insights on the creative process of writing humor, emphasizing that humor...

This summer, I was asked to make a fictional pitch to the Big Two comics publishers. Instead of asking to be involved in their print projects, I encouraged them to put a greater effort into their Web presence.

Brad Guigar, who publishes the corporate supervillain webcomic Evil Inc., recommends that daily webcomics be the focal point of Marvel and DC’s websites. After all, webcartoonists have a proven track record of updating their sites with regular content and attracting a large, consistent audience. And the webcomics could be paired with digital downloads, giving readers the opportunity to buy comics as they stop in for their daily dose of free fun.

So I listened with keen interest when Jim Demonakos approached me a few weeks later and asked me if I’d be interested in working on a comic that would be used on the Web site for his comic convention, Emerald City Comicon.
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by Brad Guigar on December 27, 2011

Posted In: Business

Comment

You Deserve a Break

It’s been one of the immutable expectations of webcomics: Never break your schedule. Most of us, as webcartoonists, strive to foster a habit of daily Web-site visits in our readers. And “going dark” — and/or missing updates — threaten to break those habits.

But it may be time to re-think this one — especially when it comes to the holidays.
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by Brad Guigar on December 26, 2011

Posted In: Business

└ Tags: holiday, time management

22 Comments

Yes, We’re Serious, Part Two

So, earlier this week, Scott and I posted an reaction on the PVP site to a contest in which the Grand Prize was placement on GoComics.com (and all of the ad revenue generated there) and an electronic-book-publishing contract. Our message included an offer to work in a consultation capacity with any syndicate or syndicated cartoonist if they’d like to bring their Web strategy up-to-date.

I have to admit, the response caught me off-guard. The focus seemed to be fixed, laser-like, on the tone of the piece, and not on the message that was being delivered. Real business was not done in such a manner, we were scolded. Scott’s being an a-hole, said others. He’s gloating over the decline of print comics.
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by Brad Guigar on December 22, 2011

Posted In: Print publishing

└ Tags: syndicated cartoons

28 Comments

Google Analytics: Real Time stats

Recently, Google Analytics has begun rolling out a new functionality: Real Time stats.

If you don’t see it as part of your Analytics package, don’t panic. This is a beta function, so all publishers may not be set up yet.

If you do have it, you’ll attest that it’s breathtaking.
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by Brad Guigar on December 22, 2011

Posted In: Web site

└ Tags: Google Analytics, Web traffic

1 Comment

The Great Prognosticator? Not Quite

At the beginning of the year, I made a few predictions. Let’s see how close I came.
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by Brad Guigar on December 21, 2011

Posted In: Site News

3 Comments

Using QR Codes without a smartphone?

I received the following e-mail last week from Regina, a Webcomics.com member:

I just wanted to send a quick thanks for the bar code information I came across on your page. I am a high school science technology teacher and was able to incorporate some of the helpful information from your page into a brief class lesson i recently taught on QR codes. I knew my students would appreciate and take interest in the QR codes because three-quarters of them own smartphones! Haha, crazy right?

I’m going to pass along another piece of QR Code material you might want to take a look at!
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by Brad Guigar on December 20, 2011

Posted In: Tech

└ Tags: QR codes

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Doing it wrong to get it right

Every now and again, I think a cartoonist has to make a very strange choice between getting a point across and being, well, accurate.

I had one of those issues last week, doing the Courting Disaster cartoon.
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by Brad Guigar on December 19, 2011

Posted In: Art

└ Tags: illustration

20 Comments

Webcomics.com: The Year in Review

It was an amazing year at Webcomics.com. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:

January

The Webcomics.com Awards were announced

When Howard Tayler received cease-and-desist for his “Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates” comic (and accompanying merchandise), he sat with Webcomics.com for a Q&A of his handling of the issue.

Are you a spammer? Here’s how to tell.

A member shared information on reducing your comic’s load time.

February

Scott Kurtz shared some thoughts on how he’s approached improving his writing

Great strategies for using QR codes

Noting air fare increases since Dec. 2010, Webcomics.com advised members to book their convention travel as soon as possible to lock in prices that were bound to increase over the course of the year.

Tax tips from the IRS

March

Penny Arcade’s Robert Khoo fielded every last question that members threw at him. (Part Two) (Part Three)

Brainstorming gags

Dave Kellett’s address at the Festival of Cartoon Arts

The Random Punchline Hot Seat

April

When good readers go bad

Accessing brick-and-mortar opportunities

Working with a walk cycle to improve your figure drawing

What to do when you’re dead

Luggage guidelines for all major airlines

May

We debated Nina Paley’s ascertation that copying is not theft

The pre-Square guide to accepting credit-cards at conventions

Kickstarter pros and cons

T-shirt tutorial: From spot colors to percentages of each size to order.

Blogging Dos and DON’Ts

You asked Scott Kurtz anything. And he answered.

June

My story about not listening to well-intentioned advice: “Enjoy Obscurity.”

Adobe InDesign Preflight tutorial

When are the best times to tweet?

“I just want to draw comics.”

Adobe InDesign tutorial: Making PDFs for print

Comic Scrapers: Threat or Menace?

Will Disney/Marvel merger change comic-con commissioned sketch culture?

Art 101: Draw large and reduce

Comic-Con Checklist

How to share a convention booth

July

Using Square for credit-card transactions

Making the leap from POD to offset

Disadvantages of a Sole Proprietorship

The Hitch It / Ditch It critiques rewarded each participant for something they’re doing right, and pointed out one area of improvement

Scott Kurtz, Robert Khoo and I announced a special meet-up after hours at Comic-Con.

Empire City Marketing announced its services to help cartoonists with marketing and PR, offering such things as access to Zuda (which had closed shop months earlier) and Act-I-Vate (whose founder had never heard of them).