Stef (Sarah Zero) joins Rosscott and Alex Heberling to look over and comment on the comic and webcomic news of the week! Thanks to Eric Kimball for gathering our news links.

A reminder that The Webcomic Beacon is wanting to have a call-in show soon, where they want your webcomic stories of going on hiatus, and what you did to come back from it. You can email us, or leave a voicemail at 1+320-310-0922; or of course stay tuned for the coming episode.

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News

Marvel releases their back issues on Comixology
Not really the event that the article promotes it as.  Marvel is putting comics from there unlimited 4.99 per month service as ala cart sales on Comixology.  So you can not pay 2.99 to buy one comic instead of paying 4.99 for all of them  And these are still back issues.
Original Source: Bleeding Cool

Another Case of Apple Censorship
This is an odd one since the app went through for the iPad but was blocked for the iPhone.  It reveals a certain arbitrary nature to Apples screening process.  In the end you are at the mercy of a single individual who can block content for any reason they see fit.
Original Source: Comics Beat – via: Bleeding Cool

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Tech

Jim Davis Release a Comic Making Software for Children
The tone of the article is tongue in cheek with Jim Davis saying he’s releasing a software so powerful it will supercharge the imagination and may put him out of business (he was joking).  Clearly a marketing ploy but that being said, it does look like a good platform to introduce kids to the world of making comics.
Original Source: Comics Beat

HTML 5 Gaining Momentum
Developers are finally starting to adapt the new standard.
Original Source: GiGaOM

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Biz

Advice on Signing Contracts
Original Source: ComicM!x – via: Bleeding Cool
Additionaly: Fuck You, Pay Me.

Self-Publishing: Threat or Menace?
Argument over the value of self publishing from Adrian Zackheim president at Penguin Books.  Basically authors are better served going through a publisher because of all the services they can provide.

PS: Penguin Books is not accepting submission from first time authors. It will only accept work from established authors. How do you become established?  Zackheim offers this advice:

My advice to aspiring writers is to pursue the traditional path of agents and publishers to the best of your ability. If you fail to get traction that way, you can certainly try self-publishing as a way to attract attention and build your platform.

So basically Zackheim’s advice is if you are an established author with a big following who could sell things themselves and make a lot of money doing so FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON’T SELF PUBLISH SIGN A BINDING CONTRACT WITH A PUBLISHER!

The reference link has a pretty good rebuttal of the point in the article.
Original Source: The Portfolio Javelin – via: Kleefeld on Comics
Additionally: NY Time Article the promoted the discussion.

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Education

How the Net is Changing Storytelling
More about traditional media than webcomic but show how stories are not being integrated with websites and online participation to make a richer experience.
Original Source: Guardian – via Comics Beat

Deviant Art Tutorials

Another Fire Tutorial – RayCrystal

Lineart Theory – Fionacanaj

Coloring with Markers – mzzazn

Fur shading – Tamberella

Lighting – Nominee84

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Discussion

Bad Blood on The Escapist Magazine?
Extra Credits reports not being paid, among other things, forcing them to stop producing their popular analytical series on the gaming industry. Check out The Examiner’s link for a comprehensive compilation of the events.
Original Sources: Extra Credits’ Twitter, The Escapist’s Facebook, The Examiner

In Summation Womonthology raises 109K
See below as to why this is important.
Original Source: Comics Bear

Should the contributors to Womanthology be paid?
The run away success of womanthology has prompted some grumbling from prominent webcomicers over the fact that none of the contributors are going to see a dime of this money.  Theyt don’t even get a free copy of the book.

Merdeth Gran of Octopus Pie made some oblique statements about the best way to promote women is to pay them.
Original Source: Google+ via: Comics Beat

Dear Best Buy, I’d like to sell you a Fridge
Original Source: Megan Rose Gedris’ post + KateOrDie’s comment (archived)

And more thoughts on the matter here: Laurenn McCubbin

[Eric] Putting in my personal opinion here Womanthology seems to be operating under a “Gospel of Wealth” premise where the orginizers are putting them selves forward as the best entities to use this money to promote woman in comics.  If they paid the contributors the money would be spent on personal needs but by pooling the money in one set of hands it can be used to create more oportunities.
More on Gospel of Wealth.

What Fes Heard:
To recap some commentary, The Womanthology started as a vollunteer effort for exposure, pure and simple. No one expected that they would make over over 4 times the goal. I believe that any extra money was already meant to go to Chairty (or something?). Otherwise all of the Kickstarter ($25,000) was to go to printing the work.

It was also stated that all contributers would indeed be getting comped books.

PLUS, I think the ADDITIONAL discussion here is: “What should happen with Kickstarter funds that go well over the stated goal?”

Obviously, the Kickstarter incentives, the things people select to back a project, get top priority after the main focus is taken care of. I Know Poorcraft’s extra money went back into the production of the book, as well as (i believe) pay Diana (the artist) a bit more… especially since the book is turning out to be longer than previously expected.

<We covered this last week>

Scott Kurtz got a deal with Wizards of the Coast. It happened a little while back but there’s a CA article on it. Possible tie-in to last weeks’ quesiton, what will become of webcomic properties in 20 years.
Source: Comics Alliance

But again given the current environment it is questionable if this will open many door.  DC comics has come out pretty strongly against hiring women creators skilled or not.
Source: DC Women Kicking Ass

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Tidbits

Responce to Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics
In short people suck and not everyone should be allowed to communicate and not every idea should be expressed.  Cartoonist should not focus on reaching the most people but advance comics as a art form creading deeper and more meaningful work.
Original Source: Ben Towle – via Kleefeld on Comics

Jenny Everywhere Day
“In 2009 Jenny Everywhere Day (August 13th) got 8 submissions. In 2010 we got 14. This year we got 18 submissions! I would call that a huge success.”
Source: Benj Christensen’s Twitter – JennyEverywhereDay.com

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Oddities

Marvel Bribes Retailers to Destroy DC Comics.
This… This is a weird one.  Marvel is offering comicbook retailers a special edition Batman if they tear off the cover of 10 flashpoint books and send them back to them.  They are asking the retalier to destroy DC book to get a special Marvel book.
Original Source: Comics Beat – via: Wired

Kia’s “Different Temperature” Ads
There has been a lot of controvery about this ad campaign (a campaign that never actually ran) ranging form complaints about sexualizing women to accusations that it promotes pedophilia.  However the Ad is also interesting from a purely technical standpoint of mixing two art styles on a page to represent vastly different viewpoints.
Original Source: A New Hype – via Google+

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To Sum Up (from Eric)

Ok I really feel like I need to sum up the news out of the major publishers for the last couple of weeks.

• DC comics refuses to hire women because they have cooties.  But DC insist they respect women because their making female characters wear pants… Low riding, thong revealing, very tight pants.
• But not to worry because Womanthology is empowering women by taking their work and not paying them for it.
• And even if you did get a job at DC, Marvel thugs are going to the stores giving the owners the “opportunity” to destroy all the DC comics makes.
• Try to avoid the comic book stores by selling on the iPhone/iPad you’ll earn about 10 cents on the dollar provided Apple doesn’t randomly choose to censor the work.
• Meanwhile the staff at Archie Comics are yelling “penis” at each other.
• Given this context Adrian Zackheim of Penguin Publishing assure us that the creator would be better served by signing up with a publisher than self publishing.

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