Web Comics Community

Last night I ventured to the shithole of a maul known as Ballston Commons in Arlington, VA. You might have guessed already from the inclusion of Balls in the name of the place, but that's exactly what it sucks. It's a shite pile of a maul. And that fucking elevator/parking-lot thing is insane!

However, there I went. The monthly meeting of the Washington Webtoonists is held on the first Tuesday of the new month and Arlington was up for the rotation. We had a special guest visiting us on his vacation, Joey Manly, the mind behind Modern Tales and Webcomics Nation. Modern Tales is a subscription based webcomics collective. Webcomics Nation is a new service for folks interested in publishing webcomics and offers features that one may not have access to if one were to code up a thing by their lonesome. Search Engine Funnies lives there and I have a few strips that I need to get caught up on (but at least I'm good on updates with my own comic!).

Phil Kahn of Biscuit Press called me out and shoved a copy of Understanding in my face which I've started today on the Metro ride to work. I'm surprised that I haven't yet thrown the thing out the window with rage. Some of his points on iconic representation in comics being more powerful than realism are quite interesting. Which begs the question, how could the same person who crafted such a well researched and thought out discussion of comics have ass raped his credibility with a shit-fest like Reinventing? But more flames later.

As the night progressed, I found myself drawn more into discussions with Chris Impink, the artist of Fragile Gravity, and Phil about art and the art of making comics. At the other end of the table were heated discussions about the state and future of webcomics and how to build stronger models for financial and otherwise success. I don't get into this kind of shop talk, not because it doesn't interest me, but simply because I don't read webcomics. There are maybe four that I look at regularly. Nothing on Keenspot has ever interested me and I'll be damned if I pay any money to read a subscription based comic. None of the art work on any of those strips comes close to Traves Charest and Travis offers a free comic off his MSN group. So discussions about webcomics in general usually fly way the fuck over my head.

But fun was had by all. I had a good time and stayed longer than I intended. I was going to try to crank out a comic or two when I got back, but I immediately sacked the fuck out as soon as I got home. I don't think I've been sleeping well lately and Comic-Con didn't help.

Apparently, a bunch of us are going to be at Otakon so that will be a trip!