web comics worth reading

[anarky]

Obviously, there are a lot of webcomics. That's a given.

And, also obviously, there are a lot of traditional publishers who offer material online.

Does anyone know of an online-only (or primarily online) publisher specializing in a single shared universe of multiple titles (sorta like what Marvel or DC do with their universes, only it'd be online instead of in print)? And, by that, I don't mean a creator-run site with two titles. (Nothing against such sites, but it's not what I'm looking for.)

I've been looking around, and coming up with jacksquat. It seems a little strange, given how web-savvy most comics readers are, the rising costs of printing, and Diamond's seemingly constant attempts to eliminate all but a handful of the largest publishers.

[anarky]

Hate to be one of those people who returns to his own question a day later (or less), but I'm assuming the answer is no.

[vynsane]

heh... you forgot to say 'BUMP'.

yeah, i don't really know of any large-scale multi-title shared universes that are exclusively published online. but there's always a first!

[Diabolical]

Not much of an online comic reader. I've been trying to think of one, but I've never heard of any.

[anarky]

'Kay, after more research, and barring some entry from Rollo or JJ telling otherwise, I've got to conclude that the answer is "No."

I did find one publisher I'd never heard of who publishes simultaneously online and in print, and who claims to be producing "intelligent superhero comics for all ages" and garnering "rave reviews," but everything I saw looked like a Hostess Fruit Pie ad and I couldn't find anyone off their site even mentioning them. But that was the closest thing.

Vyn, were you trying to be psychic when you said, "there's always a first"?

[vynsane]

Vyn, were you trying to be psychic when you said, "there's always a first"?

yes.

[anarky]

I figured as much and was just being a smartass.

It's not a good thing to claim to be first at something, and not be. But it's at least somewhat understandable if the "real" first is so obscure that no one knows anything about it.

Given the much lower cost of online hosting as opposed to printing, the ever-worsening conditions on independent comics imposed by the monopolistic single distribution company, the declining number of "indie friendly" stores, and the simple fact that most shops would rather use shelf space for a $4 Spider-Man comic they know will sell vs a cheaper third-party comic (and I think charging $4 for a comic when, inflation-wise, experts say they should be in the $1-1.50 range, is gouging and a lousy long-term strategy), this is looking far more attractive for my plans (which I've, admittedly, sort of sat on since I simply don't have the money now to properly print and promote anything, and banks ain't lending). Factor in also that I could make money off issues that are a few years old, and wouldn't necessarily have to cancel titles mid-story simply because sales lag.

So, another question, more an informal, small-scale poll on pricing than anything else:

Does it sound more or less fair and reasonable to charge something like $1 per single "issue" (assuming it's the equivalent of what you'd get in print), $10 for a year's subscription to one title, $20 for two, $27 for three, $36 for four (essentially knocking an additional $1 off each title per additional subscription), and so on?

[vynsane]

I figured as much and was just being a smartass.

i know.

Does it sound more or less fair and reasonable to charge something like $1 per single "issue" (assuming it's the equivalent of what you'd get in print), $10 for a year's subscription to one title, $20 for two, $27 for three, $36 for four (essentially knocking an additional $1 off each title per additional subscription), and so on?

there are problems. it sounds like a perfectly reasonable deal, but exclusively publishing online presents the issue of protection. there is no file type that is completely safe from saving/copying/redistributing, so there's really no way to make sure that everyone who is reading has actually paid. in addition to that, the pure breadth of webcomics currently being published and available for free, not to mention the whole 'pirating' 'culture' has created this sort of sense of entitlement among viewers where anything that's for a price, no matter how reasonable, is considered 'ludicrously over-priced'. this in turn almost spurs them on to pirate it.

also, i know you were first talking exclusively print with some teasers on your website, but now you're talking about exclusively online presentation. i don't think there's any reason to cut one out in lieu of the other - you can easily set up your issues for physical purchase at http://www.comixpress.com - in fact i think it would somewhat 'legitimize' you in the eyes of your viewers. take 'dr. mcninja' for instance: i've been reading it online for free for a long time and plan on buying the collected versions in print sometime soon (as soon as $$$ permits).

i'd say once you're ready to actively produce on a regular basis, try your pricing scheme as outlined above and see what happens. if you need to, reduce the prices. but i'd strongly recommend at least setting up collected editions for purchase in print, if not the single issues.

[anarky]

Yeah, I'm definitely thinking collected editions would be in print. It looks like most free online comics do rather well in print, despite being available for free. Getting singles out in the market would be problematic, though.

I'm planning to take the opposite view every major media has taken on piracy. Studies show that piracy, in most cases, actually increases sales, since it's, in effect, marketing. Sure, you get more people taking it for nothing, but you also get people reading/watching/listening to what essentially becomes a sampler, then paying for it. It's not really that different from loaning a book out, or copying a tape for someone, or whatever. Not that I'd go encourage people to pirate my stuff, but I figure it's going to happen; I can either waste time and money fighting it, or sorta allow it "under the table" as long as no one's being really obvious about it. Plus, there's the thing about back issues--if an old #1 (lets say Sleepwalker--not a huge seller) sells for $10 tomorrow, Marvel sees nothing beyond the percentage of the initial sale amount they got almost 20 years ago. If it were online, someone could buy it from them directly and they get the money. Also, lets say it gets really good word-of-mouth down the line; people can either hunt for the back issues, which can be a hassle even if they're willing to do it, or they can just get it instantly.

I figure if 1,000 people pay $1 for a "book" (optimistic number for a startup, I know), they spent $3 less each than for a printed copy, I'd make about the same amount of money as if I'd gone the Diamond route, and I wouldn't have to worry about the fact that's probably not enough for Diamond to carry it. And it would be a lot easier for 1,000 people to find it and be able to read it, as opposed to finding 1,000 who might want to read it but their store doesn't carry it and they don't want to pay shipping that's more than the book itself.

I was also considering something similar to a cross between what comics used to be (with lots of ads), and what sites like starwars.com have done ("Disable this ad by paying $X"). Maybe some "each subscription includes a 10% discount plus free shipping on any trade paperbacks of that title and any related merchandise." I'm still trying to figure it out. If obscure singers can make money selling digitally, even going through a middleman like iTunes, there has to be some way to do it with comics. At $4 per book for printed copies, it's going to have to happen sooner rather than later, or there won't be any comics companies left.

[vynsane]

anyone else reading any online comics? let's link to those we feel are worth reading here!

Atomic Robo
Dr. McNinja
Warbot in Accounting
Tara Normal
xkcd