Strip News 8-14-9

This issue of Strip News is a bit introverted so I ask you to bear with me as I wool gather.

• MPD57 reviewed Physikon, Bow & Arrow Detective Agency, Cards Kill and Absolute Magnitude while If You See The Hills gets pushed off the ledge by Pigs Of The Industry – who also covered Arctic, Antique Books and Octane Jungle. You can get an overview of the August Star Chamber results at MPD57. This Week In Webcomics posted a review of Marooned just before press time last Friday and Tangents is inviting guest reviews for October. Webcomic Overlook reviewed A.D.: New Orleans After The Deluge.
• Down the Tubes reviewed Grandville and Precocious Curmudgeon looked at Asterios Polyp. Comics Worth Reading recommends The Big Skinny. Optical Sloth reviewed Folk #1-4 and Tempo Lush with Delicate Axiom, among others.
• The Daily Cartoonist reviewed Looking For Calvin and Hobbes and Drawn! shows us Three Word Phrase.
• For those looking for a WOWIO alternative, I stumbled across Literate Machine which offers downloadable comics and ebooks. (Here’s the comic section.) And if you have a mini comic, why not submit it to the Isotope Awards?
• A Nickel’s Worth interviews Scott Hilburn of The Argyle Sweater and Comic Book Resources interviews Ryan North about Dinosaur Comics and Project Wonderful.
• Also via Comic Book Resources, we learn that Dark Horse Presents returns to MySpace. Digital Strips mentions Corey Randolph’s new online strategy for his comics (among other good news things I won’t repeat here.) They comment that the standard webcomic model isn’t working for Corey and they applaud his reasoning. I happen to be of the opinion that the recommended way to make money from your comics only works with specific types of readerships AND requires coincidences outside your control to go your way. I am much more in favor of the kinds of things that I’ve read DJ Coffman suggest… Say you draw a strip with cute animals – contact an animal shelter website and offer them the opportunity to show your comic storyline that can only be found on their site. He suggested, among other good ideas, that you get paid for things like this but if not you could negotiate free ad space and a link back to your site. Now, DJ used a baseball topic comic as an example, if I recall right but the point is to reach those already interested in what your comic is about. (DJ link via Journalista.)
• And speaking of Journalista, what does everyone think of the little “commercial breaks” placed within each post? I personally think that works better than sidebar ads and that ad clutter at the top of the page (and yes (sigh) this site needs a layout enema so I’m not being critical here – just observing.) I’m wondering whether ads should be randomly assigned, permanently placed in each post or spots reserved (like PW.) Comic Book Resources does a little less of the same thing I’m also keeping my eye on The Last Panel as he tries to make it in webcomics and defines personal and professional success. Let’s not overlook the movie license potential of our creations.
• Neil Cohn offers us some observations about readers hearing comic sounds or associating them with memories. Thinking about when I read comics, I realized that I don’t imagine all the things that happen in the gaps between panels. I am entertained when I make the connection between two panels and realize what must have happened but I almost never visualize it. I also don’t hear the sound effects so much as I accept them as sensory punctuation. The funny thing is that your reading experience could be vastly different than mine…
• Kevin of Schwapp! seems to have had some health problems but seems to be okay. Talkin Bout Comics hits one year, so congrats to them. The Floating Lightbulb weighs in with some balanced concepts on seeking fame versus making your name. Lastly, do webcomic readers prefer finding new comics to read or sticking to their old favorites?

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