New to Webcomics?

Webcomics at their simplest are comics that can be read online. Web+comic, get it? So, yes, if you're a fan of newspaper comics, you can probably find all of them, and more, online! Webcomics are not just for people who make print comics though. ANYBODY can make and publish a webcomic. Most people who make webcomics do it as a hobby, myself included. The more you read webcomics, the more you'll realize how different webcomics are than print comics. For example, some webcomics contain audio, or even some animation. Many webcomics have whole sites dedicated to the world/setting of that comic. Many webcomics also cannot be found in print, or indeed, cannot be printed at all (for example, webcomics with interspersed animation).

Webcomics are generally free and updated on a certain schedule. For example, The War of Winds (the main comic on this site) updates with a new page every Monday. Some people update daily, and some people update once a month. There is no set schedule. There is also no set page format. My comics for example use a lot of infinite canvas (scrolling). Other webcomics are only the size of one panel, or a strip of panels, or widescreen, or manga-sized, etc.

Webcomic sites are set up with area to read comic pages, usually one page at a time. Buttons like first, previous, next and last navigate between those pages. Usually, pages are not all presented at once because it would take too long to load.

Webcomics are of all genres and rating. Unlike your newspaper funnies, what you may find may not be suitable for all audiences. Most webcomics provide ratings that are analgous to TV or ESRB game ratings (G/PG/PG-13/R/NC-17, or Y-7, Y-10, Y-14, etc, or, E, 10+, T, M). Comics that are labeled NSFW (Not Safe For Work) are not suitable for children or the workplace.

Webcomics are all owned and copyrighted by their creaters. Do not steal people's art, characters or storylines. Just like in print, international copyright laws apply to people's original creations.

Some webcomic sites ask for money or donations in return for desktop wallpapers, other merchandise, or extra pages. Per-page rates may seem expensive, but realize that each page or strip takes time to make, and while some people may ask upwards of $50 or more for an extra update, at an hourly rate that is probably below minimum wage. It is kind of readers to donate to help webcomic creators out, but is not required.

Finally, webcomics are usually produced by a single individual or a small team who handles scripting, sketching, inking, coloring, lettering and publishing. Webcomics done right are hard work, and don't you forget it!

For a list of tons of webcomics available to read, try The Web Comic List.

For a list of webcomics I recommend, try my links page.

To read my webcomics, go to my archive page.