CoyoteLongshot wrote:

Just dropping by with some news that my comic, Dawnbringer, will be turning 25 pages this weekend, and to celebrate I’m posting a shiny new cover page that I worked ever so hard on.

You don’t want all his hard work to go to waste, do you? DO YOU?

Also at 25 pages is leaderofstars’s random ass friday comics! It turned 25 on the 27th though and that was a Wednesday? But isn’t it called ‘Friday’ comics…? :3

Avatar of Fire by mattwandcow (what’s a ‘wandcow’?) has reached 100 pages! Awesome!

Don’t forget about the On Demand threads!
Quote:

New stuff going on in the Networking and Community forum! There are now several ‘On Demand‘ threads where people can advertise their skills and services, and basically get on a list of people with various skills who are willing to offer their assistance on a voluntary and/or paid basis! For example, someone who is looking to write sci-fi stories can put themselves on the Writers on Demand list, and then if an artist comes along and wants someone to write a sci-fi story for them… tada! These aren’t Help Wanted threads though- these are the threads where the Help Wanted people should check first. So, there’s Writers On Demand, Artists on Demand, and
Audio On Demand! Check them out and advertise yourself for free! These aren’t just for comics either- it can be for any creative project! Eventually the scope of these threads may extend on to other artistic and creative sites, so come get yer pancakes while they’re hot! (Did that metaphor make any sense?)

Thanks for sharing Skoolmunkee!

Comicology is a blog run by the creator of Draw. Write. Play. and it features a number of tutorials and observations about webcomics and creating them.

Be sure to bookmark it and read up on installing comicpress for your webcomic. It’s what we here at the Scienteers use, and Caroline gives a good rundown of how to get it going on your server-space.

Also on the more viral side of the internet…

Damn it XKCD.

Just…

Damn it.

Yes, we’re accepting donations to help maintain the cost of the site. We’re planning something special for people who donate five dollars or more.

When you make a donation to the site of an amount over five dollars, we’ll be listing you and your site on the new Sponsor Wall. Not only that, but the more you donate, the more attention your slot on the list gets! So you could potentially be the biggest, baddest person on the wall with a few donations.

The donation button can be found on the sidebar to the right, right below the project-wonderful ad with the Scienteer button on top. No minimum amount for the donation, even a buck is appreciated, but only amounts over five dollars get you on the sponsor wall!

And remember, we could use the money to pay site costs, so please consider donating.

I want to get in a lot more sketching practice. So please suggest something for me to draw and post here.There are only ten slots open right now. Just about anything goes (within reason). So comment on this post, one request per comment, one request per person. I will be able to view IPs, so no cheating, neh?

There are ten additional slots at my DeviantART page. This will give me a grand-total of twenty sketches.

That was a couple of days ago, meaning there is one slot left on my site if someone wishes to take it. I’ll be posting the sketches on my site and on my dA, so keep an eye out!

Yes, that was quite a shameless plug on my part, but I think that’s perfectly fair.

Who says Mondays are all bad? We have two new webcomic debuts today (That is, March 3, 2008)

First up, My Name Is Might Have Been, a fantasy tale about the ruins of a city and the Angels that reside within it. And one man’s quest to out-do his father’s accomplishments where they are concerned. Co-written by World Fantasy Award nominee Catherynne M. Valente (Orphan’s Tales series) + Ferrett Steinmetz (late of Home on the Strange), and drawn by a debut webcomic artist, Avery A. Liell-Kok, this promises to be an interesting read.

Also debuting, is, well, my own work. The Grave is a political tale set in a prison for supervillains. The characters may seem familiar, but the situation that the inmates of The Grave find themselves in, sadly, SHOULD also be familiar as well. Written by myself (Geoffrey D. Wessel) and drawn by another debuting artist, Michael Bramley, I HOPE this series is half as good to you as we think it is to ourselves.

Check ‘em out.

Its about superheroes. Read it.

 I was tempted to leave my review of Magellan at that, but I feel it needs a little more explaining. In particular Magellan is mainly about trainee superheroes of Force Magellan, an international superhero organisation. The new group of interns has a selection of great set of characters, from the “normal” Kaycee Jones, to the almost overpowered Charisma. Alot of backstory has gone into these characters although Kaycee is regularly the main character. She deals with being a “normal” someone without superpowers in a superheroes world, the trauma of being a rescuee and the classes set for new recruits.

 The art style is outstanding from the first page to the latest, reminding me of superhero comics that I once read. However there is two not-safe-for-work picture, but other than that the comic is safe (one in volume 1, one in volume 4). Overall however the story and art make the comic feel true to its origins without copying any particular superhero comic.

Its about superheroes. Read it.

Recently stumbled upon this thanks to Comixtalk. The most recent review seems to be about VG Cats. The Webcomic Overlook does a pretty good job summarizing some of my own feelings about the comic, and at this point it should be obvious I am not a fan.

So why did I say the reviews seems to be about VGCats?

Well, I got the distinct impression that it’s a shot at many gamers as well. In fact, I felt a little offended by the generalization.

“Gamers like to fight each other over this admittedly trivial division because a) they’re too young to care about politics, or b) they’re old enough to understand politics, but giving a crap severely cuts into gaming time.”

As a gamer, I certainly do not fit this stereo-type as I just play games for fun. I also am quite involved with politics, I just have the good sense to keep my opinions concerning them to myself. While “El Santo” was using generalizations for humor, there should of been an effort to switch off from review mode to stories about gamers. Then again, when my only real point of contention with the review is with observations of a certain subset which in unfortunately belong to, I am willing to give the offer the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure they’re not totally convinced all gamers think the same.

The association with gaming and the lowest rungs of pop-culture seems very prevalent in the review. Mostly by Ransoomair’s comic catering to both these groups.

“For the life of me, I can never understand why kids go to watch Epic Movie or Meet the Spartans. Scott knows. He delivers the same sort of “risque,” pop-culture laden humor. I’m going to have to throw the towel. Hey, I’m a man, and real men admit their failings. I’m an old fogey long out of touch with the youth of America. I can never relate to VG Cats‘ primary audience: excitable pre-teens, easily amused teens, and creepy old men who hang around elementary schools.”

While it’s not really stated aloud that the reviewer thinks gamers enjoy poop-jokes, it’s the distinct impression I get, likely due to the loaded statement of us being, apparently, narrow minded and concerned with the utterly trivial. Maybe I am just in the minority in this regard.

So with a VG Cats review, a comic that isn’t even my own, or one I like, I came out of it a little insulted. Hopefully the author would understand my perspective and would assure me that they don’t believe ALL gamers are utter morons.

That being said, I’ll definitely be checking in on Webcomics overlook, if anything, for decent reviews and rage-inducing generalizations about groups I’m affiliated with.

New Drunk Duck Creator Interview is up!

It’s a long one this time- I asked the same questions of 4 creators who have an overweight character in their comic. It’s quite interesting to read, in my opinion! Especially when it comes to where and why their answers differ! So this week’s interview features:

IronSpike of Templar, Arizona, dueeast of Due East, heymelby of Chad the Fat Kid, and TitanOne of Aurora of the High Seas

Quote:

How important to the comic is it that your main character is
overweight? Are you trying to send any messages or attitudes about weight
with your comic?It’s significant to point out Sapphira is not the main character, the whole Hu family is as well as Carolyn Maye. Yes, one of the main characters is fat/plus-sized but perhaps only because she is not the negative stereotype of a fat young woman. If we are trying to send any messages about weight, it’s basically “look, these are real-looking people, like people you may know. They don’t judge each other based on their weight.” And it’s good to have examples in front of you that demolish stereotypes. That’s what breaks down barriers, seeing people as they are, not as the stereotypes that define prejudice. When you get to know people and see that they have lives and red blood, just like you or I, it makes it harder to see them as some stereotype.

Visit the forum thread to read it all!

crifmer’s Posted has just hit 25 comics! He’d like to thank all the people still reading.

The very cool [blood/hound] by TheMidge28 will post its 50th page tomorrow!

Also turning 50 this week is Pokemon Sinnoh Surfer by Walrus! The 50th comic will start out as the first page of book 2 in the 10-book series!

poonipoonz’s Animania has reached an awesome high of 150 pages!

Allan wrote:

Ryan and I are having a contest, which ends at the end of THIS MONTH! That’s like 30 days away or something (that’s how long months usually are, right?). It’s to be a part of The 900, the follow-up to The 600 which went rather well!Forum thread is here for anyone who wants to compete!

Thanks again, Skoolmunkee.

Posted By Chris Crosby at 3/04/2008 11:30:00 AM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KEENSPOT PUTS CREATORS FIRST WITH NEW SYSTEM
Cartoonist Tiffany Ross Returns To Keenspot In Response

Cresbard, SD, March 4, 2008 - On the heels of the February 28th news that Crosby Comics had acquired complete control of the company, Keenspot has announced a new system that allows Keenspot creators to retain and control 100% of the advertising revenue they generate for their sites. Cartoonist Tiffany Ross, who left in 2006, has enthusiastically rejoined Keenspot in response.

“With the rise of highly-effective new ad networks and exchanges, we believe few know better than a comic’s creator about how to maximize their ad sales and target the best-paying ads to their site,” said Chris Crosby, CEO of Keenspot. “Combine that with the strong community and promotional aspects of Keenspot, and the new system seems to make for a winning formula. As our members freely share knowledge on how to generate optimal ad revenue, Keenspot drives traffic to their sites using our multiple promotional venues.”

How will Keenspot as a business generate ad revenue under the new arrangement? “Keenspot recoups its costs by running in-house advertising in creators’ unsold default impressions,” said Crosby. “This set-up ensures that Keenspot doesn’t make a dime until after the comic creator has.” Keenspot will also continue generating 50% of ad revenue from some sites under the original contract, as certain creators aren’t interested in handling their own ad streams. Thus far, roughly half of Keenspot’s members have switched over to the new agreement.

Cartoonist Tiffany Ross, who in June 2006 removed from Keenspot her popular Shivae Studios (shivae.net) comics like ALIEN DICE and THE CYANTIAN CHRONICLES and who now makes a full-time living from webcomics, returned to Keenspot after learning about the changes. “While it’s nice to be on your own, there are a ton of advantages to belonging to a group, but the issue that was strongest in my mind when I left was that I needed to earn a living wage… not pocket change,” said Ross. “The moment I saw the direction of the beginning conversations for the changes, I felt like it was the day I first joined Keenspot, when I couldn’t see a ceiling and the opportunities were limitless.”

“Even though the new system give creators more control over their ads, the relationship between Keenspot and its members has actually strengthened,” said Pascalle, co-creator of ZAP! (zapinspace.com), which joined up with Keenspot in 2004. “As creators, we don’t see Keenspot as a springboard company anymore. We see it as a long-term partner that will help us grow our comics.”

Newer Keenspot members like Joseph Kovell of NO NEED FOR BUSHIDO (noneedforbushido.com), who joined in October, are also enthusiastic about the new system. “Keenspot has been a major player in webcomics for as long as I remember, but the nature of the webcomic world has changed so much that Keenspot needed to change, too” said Kovell. “This more collective-like system will allow individual creators a whole new range of opportunities while keeping Keenspot’s greatest benefit: a strong connection with a large number of fellow cartoonists.”

ABOUT KEENSPOT ENTERTAINMENT
Keenspot Entertainment’s stable of web properties includes a network of more than fifty Keenspot-exclusive webcomic sites, in addition to #1 user-generated comics site ComicGenesis.com, which features over 10,000 independent webcomics. Keenspot also publishes books and other merchandise and produces animated shorts under the “Keentoons” label which are distributed internationally by ThunderSquid to mobile phone carriers worldwide including Verizon V-CAST (U.S.) and O2 (U.K.).

100% of the ad revenue? Pretty nice deal. I’m a rather non-knowing person though, so maybe one of our more econimic-minded readers can share their thoughts?