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MAKE COMICS: "How to Make Webcomics"
May. 7th, 2008 08:42 pmBought a copy of "How to Make Webcomics" this past weekend from Kris Straub, creator of Starslip Crisis. (I also got my Jinxlet plush, and Summer bought herself another Jinxlet.)
"How to Make Webcomics" is a nice-looking book, formatted in a kind of "Dummies" style, with pull quotes in the margins, and comments in the text by the various creators (each identified by their own caricature/icon). It's dense with examples of the authors' work and their knowledge.
The cover is an illustration of crumbled newspapers. I get that it means you don't need a newspaper (and a syndicate) to be a comics artist (and thank god for that!).
The cover's unintentionally ironic to me, though: "Huck the delivery system, but keep the form!" and that form is solidly rooted in the newspapers: the gag strip, and that's the kind of comic "How to Make Webcomics" focuses on. Not surprising, since this what the four authors, Kellet, Straub, Kurtz and Guigar do: they're comic strip funnymen, and they're talking about what they know.
There are extensive sections on monetizing one's work, promotion and etiquette, and these are useful. The making part is about making a newspaper-style gag strip and putting it on the web. If a reader wants to know how to make a gag strip and get it on the web, this book is solid gold. If a gag strip is not what a reader wants to do, it's time to add another book to the stack, or choose a different book entirely.
I'd recommend "Making Comics" by Scott McCloud for drawing and storytelling with "How to Make Webcomics" as a supplement on marketing and delivery.
ETA: Glitchtown on the HTMW typos:
Rasmus Pettersson's Glitchtown is a relatively new webcomic about internet tech, and so far it's funny. Check it out!
"How to Make Webcomics" is a nice-looking book, formatted in a kind of "Dummies" style, with pull quotes in the margins, and comments in the text by the various creators (each identified by their own caricature/icon). It's dense with examples of the authors' work and their knowledge.
The cover is an illustration of crumbled newspapers. I get that it means you don't need a newspaper (and a syndicate) to be a comics artist (and thank god for that!).
The cover's unintentionally ironic to me, though: "Huck the delivery system, but keep the form!" and that form is solidly rooted in the newspapers: the gag strip, and that's the kind of comic "How to Make Webcomics" focuses on. Not surprising, since this what the four authors, Kellet, Straub, Kurtz and Guigar do: they're comic strip funnymen, and they're talking about what they know.
There are extensive sections on monetizing one's work, promotion and etiquette, and these are useful. The making part is about making a newspaper-style gag strip and putting it on the web. If a reader wants to know how to make a gag strip and get it on the web, this book is solid gold. If a gag strip is not what a reader wants to do, it's time to add another book to the stack, or choose a different book entirely.
I'd recommend "Making Comics" by Scott McCloud for drawing and storytelling with "How to Make Webcomics" as a supplement on marketing and delivery.
ETA: Glitchtown on the HTMW typos:
Rasmus Pettersson's Glitchtown is a relatively new webcomic about internet tech, and so far it's funny. Check it out!
