Join Webcomics.com
Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 4:57PM Starting today, Webcomics.com will begin charging a $30-per-year subscription fee. That fee is going to be used to help support what this site has become -- and allow it to achieve its full potential.
Webcomics.com has established itself as a tremendous resource of practical information for webcartoonists. By joining today you will have access to:
- Frequent updates of news, advice, tutorials and strategies by webcomics veteran Brad Guigar.
- Monthly contributions by webcomics pioneer Scott Kurtz and Penny Arcade's Business Guy, Robert Khoo.
- Personalized features like a new e-mail-based organizer to help you plan for upcoming conventions.
- Feedback and guidance for your comic and the small business you'll create running it.
- A fully rounded, indexed repository of two year's worth of information that you can use to help improve your work.
- A moderated, passionate, supportive community of webcomics creators.
- Inside information on conventions, vendors and other entities that webcartoonists access to advance their businesses.
- Deals on merchandise.
For a low subscription of $30 per year, you will have access to all of this plus the entire Webcomics.com archives, one of the most helpful and supportive forums for creative people on the Web, and several members-only offers.
Webcomics.com Terms of Service.
FAQ
Most webcomics are based on the free-content model. The "How To Make Webcomics" book is built around it. Why is Webcomics.com becoming a pay site?
Simply put, Webcomics.com isn't entertainment; it's a valuable resource for webcartoonists. It would be difficult to continue offering this site for free in its current state -- and impossible, given the improvements we have planned.
Why not just run ads?
This will be very much a niche site. There will not be as much value for an advertiser as there will be for subscribers.
Why $30 per year?
It's an inexpensive buy-in that almost any webcartoonist can afford. It has an added benefit of keeping out people who may not be as serious about webcomics. It naturally weeds out comments from people who may be passing through, and results in distilling comments to those from people who are committed to improving their comics.
Reader Comments (272)
Scott's right. I changed the numbers so that it didn't look as if we were skipping around. No words in the TOS were changed. :)
Yo, making the old forums public just made Baby Jesus smile!
Will join upon next paycheck...
A lot of faithful readers contributed to the content of those forums. They deserve to be able to browse those for free.
You will be blessed.
Hello everybody,
I'm French so please accept my apologies if my English is bad.
I really thank you for all the work you have done. I understand your choice, but it is so sudden ! The sensation I felt was like "une douche froide", a cold shower. I really like you all, dear fellows, but there's a curious sensation, as if a link was broken. When everybody make New Year's resolutions, this bad feeling is maybe deeper.
I hope my language is not too rude, if it is the case it's really because i'm not a native English speaker. I really wish you a lot of great things.
Fred
This is the third time I've posted this, as I still have not received a response to it. I would email it in, but I know that there are others like me out there that want an answer to this. I'll let the first two instances go, since there's been such a deluge of comments and it's easy for one post to be lost in the mix, but if it's ignored a third time then I can't say it'll be easy for me to keep up any faith in this service at all.
Original post (edited for brevity): "I feel an important question needs to be answered for myself and those like me. In the past, regarding long form comics, you've been rather doubtful of their ability to do as well as short form comics. That being the case, most of the articles have been geared more towards the short form, gag-a-day strips, though a number can be applied across the board. And that was fine when the information was free. But now that we'll be paying for the information, the question is: As someone who does a long form comic, is my $30 investment going to be well-spent?"
Fred: not only is your English understandable, but it is also absolutely charming.
Hi Pete,
Of course I think that money will be well-spent, but then again, I think that almost everything that we say about comic strips can be easily scaled/interpreted to apply to longform comics. I've said it before. If you want to attract new readers, your posts have to be frequent, consistent and significant. That last one has two interpretations: For a comedy-driven strip, it means it has to be funny on every update and for a dramatic, long-form comic, that means that every update has to give the first-time visitor a reason to come back.
If you're basing your decision on that topic and that topic alone -- because, let's face it, so much of what we discuss, like ad chains and convention tactics, aren't long-form or short-form specific -- and you can appreciate that philosophy, then I think you can justify a subscription. If you can't -- and if long-form discussion is your sole deciding factor -- then I'd say this wouldn't be a good fit for you.
Thanks Brad, I do appreciate getting your input on that. Of course I'm not basing my decision solely on short form vs. long form discussion, I just wanted an honest opinion from the people who will be doling out the advice, and as I said, given what you guys have said in the past, I think it's an important thing to know.
Sorry if I sounded demanding, but sometimes you have to speak with a firm voice in order to be heard!
That's right, folks: toilet paper. Because if an article wasn't written by an official member of Half Pixel, then it's just crap that no one cares about. Makes you feel like an honored contributor now, don't it?
I don't think Scott was serious about printing on toilet paper. I mean, the little perforations would make it all but impossible.
actually, i think toilet paper is something we shouldn't poo-poo as a medium. think about it - you're in the bathroom, you need something to read - everyone would see it.... and it would be extremely valuable if it was in "mint" condition.
hi-o!
As a newbie to all this webcomic stuff, I've found the site very helpful. I don't post much, but I've followed the forums and gleaned tons of useful information that's helped me out in a number of aspects.
But I still feel myself as a hobbyist first, with businessman no where on the radar on the moment. Heck, I haven't even completed a website design. My immediate goal is to just start posting 3 comics a week to get me into things.
I have no doubt that the business advice they'll be giving out is worth $30 a year, but I wonder if its too early for someone in my position to even think about that. It's possible I'm thinking of it wrong and this would be the best time to think about it.
I think the only part that upsets me is that the forums are going to be member only. Those are something that a beginner such as myself drools over (I don't know of any other forum that's as helpful to wannabe cartoonist personally). At this point I may be taking a wait and see approach to see if the articles would be of use to someone such as myself.
Good luck:)
Jon
@Tim
That's just crap. There's nothing in the statement made by Scott that said that indicates that feeling at all. He was merely saying that the work is owned by the author and they are free to do with it what they please. I think everyone gets that you don't like the idea of paying $30 for Webcomics.com...then don't. Some of us have and have enough faith in the HalfPixel and Penny Arcade people AND the others that contribute to the site to pay the $30. If you don't, fine. But stop putting words in the mouths of others just to make your invalid points seem more valid.
Folks, here's the bottom line: If you're against subscribing, no one is forcing you to. If you do, you'll find one heck of a supportive community of serious webcartoonists inside waiting for your participation.
Angry posts and outbursts aren't going to change anything.
If you're upset over the abruptness of the announcement, you have my apologies. As I've stated before, I saw this as a "rip the Band-Aid off quickly" kind of issue, and I chose to the best of my ability.
I apologize for your disappointment if that was not the way you would have preferred it to have been handled. But it's an issue that I really can't do anything to solve.
This has bothered me a little. It's not a major point, but I think one that sheds a bit of light. Using the visual of ripping off a Band-Aid kind of gives us an idea of how you perceived this move. Meaning you see it as a negative. A painful thing.
As visual artists I can't see how we cannot see such imagery as telling or important.
Plus, I also was put-off by the toilet paper comment. I find that telling, too. There is a certain non-empathetic attitude coming through here. I know I'm not the only one that sees it.
This really could have been handled ssooo much better. But, chalk it up to life and learning, eh?
This is also telling: "I apologize for your disappointment if that was not the way you would have preferred it to have been handled."
Do not apologize for our reaction. Apologize, if anything, for your action.
By the way, I'm done beating this horse.
Scott: Yum Milk.
Tim: So Fuck juice, right Mister Kurtz? everyone that drinks juice is inferior to your milk drinkers?
Scott: No. I just said I enjoy milk.
Daddy-O: Milk is white. are you saying you only want to associate with white-people. I'm picking that up.
Scott: Guys I was thirsty and enjoying a cool glass of Milk. That's all.
Tim: So you admit it.
Scott: Admit what?
Daddy-O: you racist bastard! All along. You've been this way all along.
Scott: Sorry guys. I just wanted some milk. I don't see why you're so upset.
Daddy-O: Apologize for your milk, racist. Not our reaction to your milk.
Exactly why you won't get my 30 bucks.
Peace.
yeah. THAT'S why.
I'm sure.
Why is it not enough for indivduals to just say 'I don't like what you've done here, I'm not going to subscribe.'
It's nice, it's neat, it's polite.
When you start getting nasty and calling people names you only serve to makes yourself look like a douche bag, not the indivual you're pointing the finger at. You're not in high school anymore guys so show Brad and Scott a little respect, and show a little bit of dignity yourselves...
Did I say douche bag already? i think i did....
Daddy-O: "Ripping of the band-aid" is a common reference for doing something unpleasant that MUST be done in a short quick way rather than a dragging-it-out sort of way. The unpleasantness to get through quickly was all the backlash of heated discussion that the announcement caused, not the announcement that we are going to a pay site.
Brad DID apologize for his action of the abrupt announcement and switch. He did not anticipate that the abruptness would be felt as strongly as the announcement itself.
And I hate juice.
I understand that people were upset by the move and do not perceive that webcomics.com has value and choose not to pay (Though 8.2 cents a day is an INCREDIBLY low price of entry).
What I do not understand is what perceived value arguing about it here has. What do you gain? What benefit does complaining or arguing about it have?
If you don't feel like paying the subscription, that is FINE. Continue going about your day elsewhere. No explanation is necessary. I don't choose to spend my money on Hannah Montana CDs because I don't deem that a good use of my money. But that doesn't give me the right to go insult Miley Cyrus on her website, call her names and wish illness upon her for trying to make a living.
This thread just needs to stop unless anybody can list one single way continuing it would be productive. If I were Brad, it would have been locked pages ago.
That's my 8.2 cents.
-Day One-
F/X: Knock! Knock!
Scott: Hey, Daddy-O! How's it going? Here, have some milk. It's free here.
Daddy-O: Wow, thanks, Scott. Mmmm. Great stuff.
Scott: No problem! Hope you come back!
-Day Two-
F/X: Knock! Knock!
Scott: Hey, Daddy-O! Welcome back. Here, have some milk.
Hey, by the way, others have brought milk for you, too. Remember, it's free!
Daddy-O: Hey, thanks again, Scott. Mmmm.
-Day Three-
F/X: Knock! Knock!
Scott: Hey, Daddy-O! Welcome back!
Daddy-O: Hey, Scott, how's it--
Scott: 30 bucks, please.
Daddy-O: Uhh, what? I--
Scott: 30 bucks.
Daddy-O: Oh, I see. Well, I--
Scott: 30 bucks.
Daddy-O: Wow, well, this is kind of sudden. I mean, I--
Scott: 30 bucks.
Daddy-O: Yeah, I hear ya. I know you put a lot into your milk, and I can see why you'd charge, but this came out of nowhe--
Scott: I apologize for you feeling that way. 30 bucks.
...Man, that was fun. I just can't resist.
@Brad Clearly you are wrong. I mean, what more perfect medium for comics than one square at a time?
@Daddy-o I was going to comment again to say something similar, but I think you pretty much covered it.
@Scott Um, I only drink soda pop.
And I enjoyed your example of how to divert from the real issue by throwing a hissy fit to try to make someone who *gasp* dares to complain look bad but only make yourself look like even less of a professional, which ironically IS one of the subjects at hand.
But really, shouldn't you put that lesson behind the pay-wall? That's some premium content right there.
Also, on a serious note, not everyone who dares to contradict the mighty Scott Kurtz is from the same gene pool as your rabid fanboys you feel entitled to kick around. Maybe it's the throbbing post-band-aid still speaking, but this whole thing genuinely ticks me off for reasons I've already laid out. INCLUDING the fact you guys like to shut down any dissenting opinions. Maybe I was overly strong toned about it for you and your sycophants' tastes, but acting like this only serves to reinforce my point.
So, get over yourself, and try to remember next time that this isn't The Daily Cartoonist.
Ok now I'm actually starting to get pissed off with you guys...
I think we get the point by now, you're upset that it's not free here anymore, you're not going to change your mind just like those of us on the other side of the argument aren't going to change ours.
Some of us here have invested our money in this now, we see the value in it and we actually want to learn some stuff, better ourselves and our work. Hell, I'm excited about making comics and I'm excited about getting better at it. So...
Now that you've made you point, repeatedly and rudely might I add, will you kindly go somewhere else and start another argument with another grizzly dude so that those of us who actually want to use this resource to better ourselves and our work can get on with it!
Oh, and for the record, your Milk analogy licks balls daddy-O, from where I'm sitting you still got some milk for free, even if you have to pay for future milk. You don't like it then drink your coffee black!
Clearly if we were capable of shutting down any dissenting opinions, I wouldn't have to keep hearing from you Tim.
In fact, CAN we shut down this thread now? Is there anything else left to say?