Webcomics

I have always liked comics.  From my youth, I was addicted to the Peanuts gang, with Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Linus keeping me company every day in the newspaper and in books for hours on end.  I miss Calvin and Hobbes, and wish Fox Trot was a daily again.

Fortunately, there is another source comic enjoyment out there, published online by people who start out doing it for the love of it and who hope to make it a career.  I have discovered many great comics, such as Real LIfe (www.reallife.com) written and drawn by Greg Dean, and the brilliant Girl Genius (www.girlgenius.com) with artwork and narration that is simply stunning.

There is a lot of good stuff out there, along with some rubbish, of course.  But I do want to make a complaint in this blog.  The complaint is not directed towards the artists or writers, but towards the so-called "fans" who send emails and comments to the comic artists, complaining heartily if there is any kind of delay in the latest installment.

Let's consider a few points related to these webcomics that so many enjoy:

1)  The artists may get money from banner ads on the site, but they generally have a day job or go to school.

2)  Those of us who read the webcomics are generally not paying a dime for the happiness that comes from reading these strips.

3)  Readers have the option of not reading any more, without costing themselves any money for doing so.

Pretty simple stuff, isn't it?  In addition to getting to read these comics for free, we tend to get regularly updated storylines all for the cost of a click of a mouse.  Truly a bargain, isn't it?  No newspaper subscriptions to pay, no ink on the fingers ... just open the laptop and "bang", there you go.

What I'm trying to say here is that if you enjoy webcomics, great!  Let the artist/writer know by your comments and emails.  If you see an ad link that interests you, click on it so that the artist can earn a few pennies.  But if, for whatever reason, a comic goes awhile without updating, keep your comments to yourself.  You could, however, go to that comic's forum, if they have one, and check to see if something has happened.  One artist turned out to have virtually severed his thumb in a household accident, and had to go through surgery and rehab to get back to being able to draw again.  Wouldn't you feel ridiculous complaining and then finding that out later?

Give these guys a break.  Give them a note of praise or an ad click if you like the comic.  Tell others about comics that you like.

Just don't complain if, heaven forbid, your comic isn't updated on time.  Read a book.