Digital Comics vs. Comics Viewed Digitally Options

[John Wilson]

This came up after a Zone 4 podcast between Brant and I:

The difference between a digital comic and a digital strip are obvious. But, in your opinion, what is the differentiation between a web comic and a comic read on the web?

Discuss!

[HopeH]

For me, it's a matter of interface and goal. And please forgive me ahead of time, I am not the most informed person to have participating in the convo. Not an expert in any way.

Digital comics, as an artform, encompass an ever expanding ground of experimentation with how the internet can impact and, in fact, liberate what we call "comics". It seems a media type driven by innovation, motivated by the intention to find the best way to tell a story and reach readers with comics in an exciting way--without being particularly wed to traditional "comic" guidelines of any kind. The flash viewers, the hardcoded static pagination, the scroll throughs, the motion comics, and more... they all are trying to optimize and open up viewing a comic story with the internet serving as the canvas. And each approach enables the artist freedom to redefine what comics are in a larger scope, and what their specific story is on a more intimate, artistic level. Therefore it's a bit of a creative smorgasbord with the potential in my opinion, to be a renaissance of visual storytelling. And with rare exception, there's no wrong answer.


Comics viewed digitally, on the other hand, appeal in a completely different way. And maybe I'm not informed enough to even be participating in this dialog. But when you say to me "comics viewed digitally" I think of a media bound by what we think of as traditional comics, simply presented digitally rather than in paper. Kindle is opening up to this and with future viewers being bigger, crisper and in color, like the Fire. That reader will definitely present an opportunity to view comics more optimally in a digital format, as time goes on. Other E-readers are better suited for the moment. But there is a consistent traditionalism, at least to my limited exposure, to creating a comic to be viewed digitally. The presentation, though digital, holds on to many of the guidelines in place in regards to print comics and there seems to be a desire to maintain that traditional feel, only with a digital access, which has the benefit of being easier to store and travel with. I can store only so many print comics. traveling with them isn't good for them. But I can store and read countless digital ones, anywhere in the world. So it's less about innovation of the larger scope of the artform of comics and more about presenting a digital format for accessing traditionally what we think of as Comics.

Did that make any sense? Sorry if it didn't. This is my first participation in such a discussion.

At any rate, this is fascinating to me and I can't wait to hear what folks think.

This post has been edited by HopeH: Apr 26 2013, 05:53 PM

[ART BOWSHIER]

THRILLBENT/is/DDigital/Comics.

Marve;/DC,/and/all/the/rest/are/comics/in/a/digita/veiwing