Sales of digital comics have grown by leaps and bounds the past couple of years. Interestingly, this hasn’t hurt sales of paper comics, and may even have helped it. But is buying these comics really “buying” them? What considerations go into the pricing of them? What other issues, such as digital rights, still remain to be sorted out? Tim talks with cartoonist and writer Shaenon Garrity about all this and more.
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Mulele bought a print comic from one of his favorite online artists, the mysterious creator of the Tanglefoot page on Tumblr. The comic, Dime a Dance, is a fun silent story with dynamic art. Too bad it doesn’t have more room to breathe.
Tim and Mulele also look at:
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Comics that you buy in comics shops or bookstores are facing enough business challenges, but how about newspaper comics? Their traditional delivery system is dying out, with many printed papers ceasing publication. The comic strip faces a number of challenges, but there are positive trends as well. How are Web comics and other new technology changing the game? This week, Tim talks newspaper(-style) strips with Tom Racine, host of the Tall Tale Radio podcast!
Stephan Pastis interview (gigaom.com)
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On my recent trip to Beijing, I talked to Liu Jing for the podcast. I had hoped to also speak with China Daily editorial cartoonist Luo Jie, but unfortunately he was out of town when I was there. As it happened, his preference was to do the interview in written form, anyway, so here’s my conversation with him:
—Did you grow up reading comics? Making comics?
Like the vast majority of Chinese children, my growth process was accompanied by reading comics. I was born in 1978; in that era, there were few decent comic book publications. It was very common that many children would have to share one comic book. Relative to the shortage of comic books, I preferred watching cartoons on television. There were a lot of animated cartoons, whether Chinese or foreign. I was very willing to copy some favorite cartoon characters in “Saint Seiya” and “Transformers”. That was the greatest pleasure of my childhood.
—What were/are your favorites?
US editorial cartoons are my favorite. I like funny comics too, especially nonsensical comics, just like those drawn by Japanese cartoonist Rumiko Takahashi.
Continue reading Editorial Cartoonist in Beijing: An interview with Luo Jie
A Japanese girl has an altercation with a panda cub at the zoo! That’s the setup for this Asia-themed, mangaesque comic. Fresh off its successful Indiegogo crowdfunding project, Yuki vs. Panda faces its next test: a critique by Tim and Mulele! Will it survive?!
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Occasionally our friend Dale Wilson in L.A. sends Mulele some comics he’s come across, and we like to talk about them on the show. This episode’s batch tends to lean violent…including two involuntary arm removals. Mulele and Tim comment on:
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If you’re into conspiracy-theory comics, “Order” sounds good on paper: a secret society covering up the existence of a gate to Hell near Denver. Unfortunately, Tim and Mulele find the Truthful Comics take on this concept comes up short. Listen and find out why.
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The two main components of a comic are, of course, story and art. Your comic needs to be on point with both to work. This week’s comic totally brings one, and largely wings the other. We discuss Zombuu by Curtis “Artzuu” Hamilton.
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Waaaay back in July 2010, Tim talked to David Steinberger of ComiXology about the emergence of digital comics. Since then, simultaneous release of digital with paper has become the norm. And, guess what – flying in the face of earlier fears of some in the industry, digital comics have actually helped, not hurt, the sales of paper comics. Tim talks to ComiXology co-founder John Roberts to find out why this is, and more.
Then we get the scoop on Mulele’s latest Web comic, a new version of Mindgator.
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We start the year off right with a critique of Irish creator Mark Egan’s comics statement about call centers, Back Office!
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