Gateway

Issue date: 5/2/08 Section: Arts & Leisure

Centering on non-sequitur stick drawings, "XKCD" was created by Randall Munroe in 2005. This comic is used by Fulkerson in his Perl course. (courtesy) [Click to enlarge]

"Anthropomorphic PC" Pinsize, OCD friend Hannalore and main character Marten Reed are all regular features in J. Jacques' slice-of-life Web comic "Questionable Content." (courtesy) [Click to enlarge]

"PhD" (Piled Higher and Deeper) is a comic strip written by Jorge Cham following the lives of several grad students. The comic was first published in 1997 and focuses on the perilous lives of graduate students. (courtesy) [Click to enlarge]

"Penny Arcade," written by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krauhulik, has been in operation since 1998. According to 1up.com, it is currently the most popular Web-based comic. (courtesy) [Click to enlarge]

We all know the Internet has made information easier to access, but it has also become a new medium for creativity all over the world.

Web users can post and access music, videos, creative writing and art. However, a lesser known, but increasingly popular, outlet can also be found in online comics.

Although comic artists do not need the Internet to create their works, the Web provides comic writers with a quick, cheap and easy way to publish new strips.

Like newspapers, the Internet allows for the easy publication of traditional cartoon strips and graphic novels. However, unlike newspapers, it has also opened the market to comics made by everyday people.

Web comic creators can publish new panels sometimes as often as every day, often exclusively online, giving comic lovers a chance to read a variety of different comics. Much like user-created videos on YouTube, the popularity of Web comics has increased dramatically since 2001.

Senior David Golbitz, a journalism major, is a comic book enthusiast who in the past couple of years has expanded his enthusiasm for comics to include Web comics.

"I like that they're usually pretty short," Golbitz said. "They only take a few seconds to read, but there's usually a complete story or gag within those few frames."

Golbitz said the artwork in comics, both print and online, is appealing, but that it is good writing that keeps him reading.

"I guess I see comics as the merging of the best of film and the best of novels, but it's still something that's pretty unique unto itself," he said.

Robert "Bob" Fulkerson, a computer science instructor at UNO, also reads Web comics. In fact, he reads them so often that he has made a Perl program to retrieve his favorite comics automatically every day. 

"I do mostly traditional comics - 'Foxtrot,' 'Calvin and Hobbes,' 'Bloom County,' 'Luann,' 'Get Fuzzy,' 'Adam@Home,' 'Dilbert,' etc.," Fulkerson said in a Facebook message. "[I] also read a few Web-only comics when I get a chance like 'xkcd.'"

For Golbitz, it was the humor that drew him to a lot of online comics.

"A lot of the regular comics I read are pretty dark, and most Web comics trend more towards humor, so maybe I like them for that balance," Golbitz said. "When I find a Web comic I like, I tend to stick with it."

Many Web comics create a unique environment such as online community fan bases. Unlike comic book fans who have to travel to comic conventions to talk to their favorite artists, Web comic fans have the advantage of forums, e-mail and blogs. 

Comic creators can even use their close online relationship with their fans via the Web comic communities to gain constructive feedback, publicity and give readers a chance to control the direction of the comic's plot.

Many online comics have a theme that draws a specific audience such as "Multiplex" by Gordon McAlpin, a Web comic about movie theater employees; "Questionable Content" by J. Jacques, a Web comic made of indie references; "xkcd" by Randall Munroe, an online comic that explores philosophy, physics, math and love; and "American Elf" by James Kochalka, a journal of a famous rock star and comic artist in his day-to-day life drawn into a daily comic.

Web comics also have their own annual awards - the Web Cartoonists Choice Awards. Anyone who has kept a Web comic for the previous year is eligible to vote and be nominated for an award. Awards have been given out annually since 2001, according to the Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards' official site.

Web comic creators are usually self-sustained financially using their Web sites to not only publish their art, but to also offer subscriptions and host shops that sell fan t-shirts, games, accessories and hard copies of the comics.

Tim Buckley, creator of the Web comic "Ctrl+Alt+Del," said on his Web site that he sells advertising space in order to help finance Web site hosting costs.

"Penny Arcade," a popular gaming online comic, uses their popularity to give back to the community by giving readers a chance to donate to needy children through Amazon.com and PayPal. According to the charity's official Web site, Child's Play has received over $2 million in donations of toys, games, books and cash for sick kids in children's hospitals across the world.

Although online comics are relatively young, if their current success is any indicator, they will only continue to grow in popularity as technology takes over daily life. There may be a day where, instead of waking up to the funnies in the newspaper, America will log onto the Internet for their daily dose of comics.



Editor-in-Chief Scott Stewart contributed to this story.

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