Webcomics ARE Comics
Webcomics are an interesting breed, they can be about anything, look like anything and rarely do they get recognized for what they are, Comics.
Webcomics are something anyone can make, its a basic truth. In the digital age anyone with basic art skills and an idea can purchase a domain name and publish their own comic for anyone to see. Webcomics are really the new self publishing route. If it gets popular enough you can make physical copies to sell and gain recognition in the comics industry. Look at Hark, a Vagrant by Kate Beaton. It started as a webcomic and has received an Eisner nomination and and has many fans in the industry. The same goes for PVP, Penny Arcade, Joy of Tech, The Oatmeal or any other successful webcomic.
Each of these started small and has built a following over time, and they all started out the same way many indie comics do, as self published ideas that people had at 3 a.m. But few people seem to think about how much effort really goes into these comics, few ever reach the levels needed to make a living off their work.
Sure Penny Arcade now has a charity that makes millions for sick children and a convention that sells out and now exists on both coasts, but they are such a freak example that they can almost be considered something else entirely. Many webcomics start out as commentary on an event and grow from there to fit a genre that the creators are interested in, games, sci-fi, comics, politics, random, cats, manga, anything you can imagine probably has a webcomic about it.
Scott Kurtz has been working on PVP for a decade, and has worked both sides of the system, dealing with distribution costs as well as his own web store and is able to make a living by selling his own printed editions of his work as well as creating another web comics with the creators of Penny Arcade. He has taken full advantage of the format of webcomics, his strip is ever changing, it can be sci-fi, a drama, comedy or satire which is what has helped it grow and maintain popularity.
The benefit of webcomics is the quick turn around, few people expect David Finch or Alex Ross style art for webcomics, Cyanide & Happiness is stick figures afterall. You can make a webcomic on any event or incident or news post in a matter of hours. Webcomics don’t even need a sense of continuity, they can be random or have a long term plot, one panel or 6, there is no set definition of a webcomic.
I have mentioned before how Greg Rucka is creating a serialized “comic” webcomic that follows the more traditional print ideals for its form. There are others out there that also use the long form comic page format as the way to present the story they want to tell.
By putting their work online they are a link a way from new readers, they can get immediate feedback and change the work if interest is down. Online creators can link to their work on Facebook, Twitter or any other social network and have their work read without publishing costs or distribution fees.
The Gutters is a webcomic about comics and how flawed they can be when you apply logic, and soon it will get a printed HC from Dynamite Entertainment, and the aforementioned Hark, a Vagrant also has a collected edition comming out. Penny Arcade and PVP have had numerous printed editions released over the years, though Dark Horse and Image respectively.
Webcomics are a sort of revolution that print comics are not quite ready for and a beast they cannot combat. Anyone can make them and anyone, anywhere can read them with the push of a button. Its a fascinating medium that people are just starting to pay attention to and look at as real art. The web part of webcomics should not mean these are anything less, or unworthy of our time. They are little shots of comics we can look at during our day and read in a minute, they are newspaper strips for the digital age. Webcomics are comics and they should be treated like it.