Friday, September 30, 2005

New Webcomic Examiner

Hooray! Huzzah!

A new issue of the Webcomic Examiner is up!

My own contribution to this issue is a look at the use of music in webcomics. Click the link on the front page after you see what else is there:

September 30, 2005-- In celebration of the tenth anniversary of webcomics as an artform, The Webcomics Examiner is conducting a roundtable on the Artistic History of Webcomics. In part one of a two-part series, T Campbell, Eric Millikin, Shaenon Garrity, William G., Mike Meginnis, Bob Stevenson, Eric Burns, Wednesday White, A. G. Hopkins and Rob Balder join moderator Joe Zabel in exploring the medium's creative evolution, with profiles of Charley Parker, Pete Abrams, Scott McCloud, and many others, in the latest issue of The Webcomics Examiner.

The Webcomics Examiner is a quarterly forum of reviews, interviews, and critical articles evaluating webcomics as a fine art. The free-access website is at http://webcomicsreview.com.

This issue also headlines a major interview with Dinosaur Comics creator Ryan North. In a conversation with Mike Meginnis, North describes the origins of his unique, graphically-arrested series, and explores issues of art and language with remarkable candor and sophistication.

Also this issue:

* Cartoon Art Museum curator Andrew Farago speculates on the role of museums in preserving webcomics culture in "Curating Webcomics."

* Tim Godek hears the sound of music in comics, spotlighting Cat Garza, Neal Von Flue, and Kean Soo in "Click to the Beat."

* Andrew Wade chronicles the creation of a webcomic in "Diary of a Web Artist, by Someone Who Isn't."

* Alexander Danner reviews Steven Charles Manale's series Superslackers.

This issue's cover is by webcomics legend Cat Garza, creator of the critically-acclaimed Magic Inkwell series. The cover is accompanied by a soundtrack by Squarepegz, featuring Zen Boodamasta and Unknown Souljah.

Sunday, September 18, 2005

Am I Still Here?

Are you?

It seems to me lot of blogs are like the detritus of the web. Online public diaries filled with boring minutia and self indulgent complaining. There's a voyeuristic kick to reading these blogs - peeking in on someone else's life - but it wears off quickly. A lot of bitching is what it usually is. And usually bitching about nothing.

Not to say that there aren't blogs that are interesting or even useful . Ther are interesting people out there and people whose opinions have some kind of merit (did you think I was talking about your blog up there? No, no. I love your blog). Generally it seems that these kinds have some kind of focus, though, other than on themselves. It seems these blogs have some kind of purpose.

I wonder, lately, about the purpose of this blog. I started this blog for webcomics stuff. I opened it to comment in someone else's blog. I used it to try my hand at the composition of reviews. I announce my infrequent projects in it. I had hoped that it would be a way to keep my hand in the community, somehow - keep a more regular presence on the web.

It's been nearly a month since my last post here. Is this blog really necessary? There are outlets to say what I want to say about webcomics in forums and other peoples blogs. I continue to write for the Examiner and Comixpedia is still an option as well. I've released just one short comic since June (when my baby was born). I have little time to spare daily. Ideally that time should go more to actually making comics than just trying to participate in the culture.

Webcomics is something I've come to care about quite a bit in the last year or so. I enjoy feeling like I am contributing to the community (as it is), and I definitely have a lot of opinions on webcomic matters. But this blog has deteriorated to a slow trickle of nothings. I don't have time for anything else. I barely have time to read webcomics anymore. I don't want to worry about updating this blog just for the sake of updating.

I'm leaving it open for now. I'll finish my process on the book cover (though I'm not sure if anyone cares) and I'll announce my occasional comics releases (though I'm not sure if anyone cares). I'm not ready to let go of this outlet, though it seems less and less likely anyone will read it and less and less likely I'll even get the chance to use it.

But I wonder if I'm just contributing to the flood of worthless trash out there.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just bitching about nothing...