Strip Search: SDCC – Webcomics and Syndicates
In Strip Search, Jennifer M. Babcock reviews and recommends comic strips available in print and on the web.
As I’m sure everyone in the comics world knows, the San Diego Comic Con came to a close a couple of days ago. Despite the crazy Twilight fans that made panels almost impossible to attend, it was still a good time. In fact, I actually enjoy walking around the exhibitor’s hall more than sitting in panels the majority of the time- it gives me a chance to shop, people watch, and talk with my peers.
This year was no different. I wanted to get to know my fellow web comickers better and also speak to my syndicate, Universal Press Syndicate, about my comic — C’est la Vie and its future. Finding all the web comic artists was easy. Finding my syndicate was a bit of an adventure.
I was pretty sure that Universal was at SDCC with a booth. It would make sense that a comic syndicate be at a comic con, don’t you think? Plus- the last time I was at SDCC, albeit 4 years ago, they were there. They had even invited me out to dinner on their bill (BTW — I ordered a steak and two sidecar martinis). Four years ago, they were pretty easy to find. Universal had a decently large booth and it was near the other syndicates (King, United Features). This year it was impossible to find. They weren’t even listed in the program. I tried finding the other syndicates but the program informed me that they were absent as well! I asked the web comic artists and major publishing house representatives alike if they’d seen either Universal or uclick floating around somewhere. Both camps told me that they didn’t think they were even exhibiting this year.
Three hours later, I find out that uclick actually had a booth (in aisle 1200) but only because I’m facebook friends with someone who works for them. If it weren’t for us messaging each other, I don’t think I would’ve found it. As it turns out, uclick was actually SHARING a booth with another vendor, Sunday Press, which is why they it wasn’t listed.
To me, the absence of the major syndicates and the minor presence of uclick quite strongly suggests that newspaper comics are struggling. Moreover, I found out that Universal and uclick merged, and I have the feeling that it’s so that Universal can better control and oversee its online presence. Supposedly this merger is a good thing for comics like mine (syndicated web comics) because it means that the company is going to be looking after us a bit better. Without speaking ill of the company I work for, I remain skeptical of how much change there is going to be. I also remain skeptical of how the changes that might come about will make them more appealing to people who read “regular” webcomics like PvP or Penny Arcade.
For that reason visiting the Universal/uclick booth was rather depressing for me. I felt like they were fighting an uphill battle, especially after visiting the much bigger and active booths that were occupied by webcomic collectives like Keenspot, Dumbrella, HalfPixel, and Blank Label Comics.
Pretty much every artist I talked to says I need to jump ship and go on my own as an independent web comic. I probably would not be so hesitant if I had not started out in print. My first comic was published in UCLA’s newspaper The Daily Bruin when I was an undergraduate. C’est la Vie started out as a hobby and something to help me cope with my college roommates. I did it once a week, which at the time seemed like a huge commitment (now I update 7 times a week) but I definitely got some sort of high when I saw the final product printed out in the newspaper.
There’s something very special about opening up your paper and seeing your comic printed out on that cheap paper- I even enjoyed seeing my comic strewn across the UCLA campus at the day’s end. The best is when you walk around and see that people actually took the time to clip it out of the paper to tape it on their notebook or their dorm room door. And by the way… it’s a completely different experience from seeing your comic printed in a book.
For a long time newspaper syndication was my ultimate goal. Being on gocomics.com (then ucomics.com) was supposed to be a stepping stone. After many a discussion with my then-editor (who is to remain anonymous) I realized that that was not what was best for my comic. More importantly, I saw webcomics growing and becoming much more prominent in the industry.
Because of that, Universal/uclick is taking on an increasing number of “online only” comics under their wing, but are they truly webcomics as we know them? Until quite recently, webcomics have been independent– “damn the man” and all that. Are webcomics hosted on gocomics.com truly “webcomics” then? Strictly and technically speaking they are, but it’s a very different culture– a corporate culture.
Regardless, however you want to define webcomics, it is undeniable, to me at least, that with every passing year webcomics and webcomic collectives dwarf the presence of “major syndicates.” This year’s SDCC was no exception.
For more of Jen’s thoughts on Comicon check out her blog at her comic’s site: http://www.clv-comic.com/
Jennifer M. Babcock holds her MA in art history and is currently pursuing her doctorate in Egyptology from NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts, where she is also known as a comics scholar. A creator herself, she is the artist and writer behind C’est La Vie, which is syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate and available at http://www.gocomics.com/cestlavie.
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