The Webcomics Scene

Filed Under DIY (Do It Yourself), Comics

By: DJ Coffman - Written as a post on his messageboard. The comic is "fan art" I made to go along with his well presented commentary.

The webcomics scene currently is basically the "new small press". This is good, and bad. Just like the regular small press, the scene seems to get less respect the higher up you go in publishing circles, even to the point where the mainstream just consider you hobbyists or wannabes. I always hated that mentality; I was in the minority of readers who LOVED small press. Instead of going to shows looking for big hit artists and writers, I'd go and collect the hand made mini-comics by people I had never heard of. There was a sense of discovery when you found something new and awesome… and well… small.

That still is the feeling I have for webcomics, the sense that ANY day I might stumble upon a new rare gem out there. Look at something like MINUS. The dude was nowhere! He advertised on my site, and that’s the first time I had heard of him, and I immediately raved about his work, it was so awesome! Now he's up for an Eisner, and totally deserves it too!

But that example is again, why webcomics are more of a "scene" than a business. I would love to see them totally become more of an actual business with more creators making more money from their works online. I think there are certain key things that need to happen before it can break out of just being a hobby scene right now. I've often thought these might be the key things:

Creators need to learn more than just how to draw a comic. Take a marketing class or read blogs like gapingvoid.com, or books by Seth Godin. Too many creators don't really realize there are two sides to this comic creating coin, YOU and the READERS. So learning about how people think, how they are annoyed, and how to keep their attention is key. Old marketing and advertising gimmicks are long dead, but learn from those new guys like Seth Godin. He recently said on his blog— if you walk into a business and they say "Can I help you?" — that sucks… they should be saying "Hey, pull up a stool and check out these comics…here's a cold beer." — Bottom line, treat people like you would if they were entering your house. I think?
We'll have to stop the bitter jealousy crap routine, and drama. Sure it's fun sometimes. But I think there are a lot of creators out there who have this mindset, I know because I've talked to them, and I might have had the exact mindset too…. they think: "Fuck Scott Kurtz/Penny Arcade/(Insert name of other successful creator) he can't draw, his comic isn't funny, how can he sell shirts? Psshhh, Advertising!? They’re not selling comics, they’re selling blah blah blah– I'm so much better! My comic is so much better!"
Yeah. Quit that. Instead, look at what the successful people have done, and adapt it to your own work or audience– or maybe it won't work at all for you, but it can still be inspiring. I'm still doing this today.
A trade magazine. There needs to be a solid, professionally run, and big names involved, PRINT MAGAZINE for webcomics. Not damn e-book or download/online magazine. An honest to goodness webcomic scene magazine that gets out to all the mag racks out there. For other creators it would inspire them with tips for their sites, etc, and for readers it would showcase the "gems" out there in the current sea of crap. It would help them navigate the rough waters, etc…

Webcomic creators need to realize they're the biggest thing since sliced bread. Webcomics are read by more people than Manga and Comic Books COMBINED!!!! Think about that. It's true. I've stated the fact in the past, but I mentioned it to a retailer recently as well, that more people read my webcomic than read the new Batman monthly comic AND Uncanny X-men COMBINED!!! He shockingly said… "Wha??" Almost as if it was unbelievable. I told him how:

Batman DETECTIVE COMICS #829 52,943 copies in March 2007. Now, those 50,000 copies don't equal readers, as many of them go into back issue bins, etc. The retailer I spoke with added something to this story, saying that not only that, but many of the actual people who buy the comics put them in the backboards in front of him, seal them up and will NEVER READ THEM! — But let's say every one of those copies equaled one reader… it's still not as many readers as a single webcomic. And my comic is known, but not as big as the BIG BIG webcomics… My comic didn't even update at all in March and I still logged 80,000 something unique IP addresses (actual people) and not to mention these people come back EVERY DAY.

I won't get into the money making aspect of this, but I will say this… call up DC and try to get a one page ad in Detective Comics, they're booked up through the next year, and I bet the ads run close to 5-8k a pop. Maybe more! For a 50k circulation book!? Those same advertisers should be spending 75% off of that, advertising with popular webcomics, and reaching the audience better.

Now, readership doesn't equal sales conversion. PVP might have a billion readers online, and Scott Kurtz is doing well, but his comic consistently sells around 5000 issues through Diamond. Those aren't Batman numbers, but thinking about it more, PVP has only been around a BLIP compared to how long Batman comics have, and it's a whole other audience. But he's a perfect example of successful cross market penetration.

Shit, I could blab about this stuff all day… I just finished my coffee and it's time for me to get to work.