Introduction to a Series of Discussions on Webcomics as a Medium

Webcomics as a medium have mostly existed outside of serious critical analysis since their creation. Scott McCloud wrote on webcomics in his 2000 release Reinventing Comics; per his par, McCloud wrote intelligently on the subject, and his treatise on the medium remains the single most important analytical text on webcomics. Despite this landmark text, the medium still remains at the periphery of academic theory on comics, graphic novels, and sequential art. As the internet continues to grow, webcomics become unignorable as an artistic and cultural force.

The earliest incarnations of the internet came to be in the early 1980’s existing as an exclusive network of computers; by 1994, the internet was easily within public reach. In the first 20 years of the internet’s existence, it went from 0 to 100 million hosts. That’s 0 to 100 million between 1981 and 2001. Between 2001 and 2009, only 8 years, the number of internet hosts has risen to 700 million hosts. Proportionally speaking, this guarantees several billion new hosts in the next decade, providing content of every kind to users of every demographic.

Webcomics have existed nearly as long as the internet, and have proliferated just as fast- thousands of new webcomics are started on a year basis, many of which flounder, but many of which strike foundation and promise long-stay. And what was once only a hobby is now a profession; the number of self-sufficient webcomic artists is growing too, with virtually every major webcomic on the net providing means to live for their authors. Too do they diversify in form and content, concept and execution, of every genre and movement imaginable, of both writing and visuals. In short, webcomics are growing in number, financial power, and artistic execution, and with these things in mind, webcomics demand true critical attention and analysis.

This is the introduction to what will be a continuing study and discussion of webcomics as a medium, as well as a critique which may serve to extol the virtues of masterworks of the medium and condemn the failures and poorly-made clones which may tarnish the medium’s reputation. In the coming weeks, I hope to post on the following comics- Platinum Grit, Gunnerkrigg Court, and Rice-Boy. In addition, I would like to post on a number of subjects regarding the medium, including “Two Gamers and a Couch,” and the abstract concept of “Infinite Canvas.” With these five subjects I will begin my exploration of the highs, lows, and expanses of the medium, which may be explored even further in the future.

The contents of this discussion will begin as an exclusive project of this blog.

- David Mitchell