The Daily Cartoonist » Web Sites

New Perry Bible Fellowship book announced

Alan Gardner — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:46:28 +0000

A new Perry Bible Fellowship collection is due out in November. The new book is entitled The Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack and features an introduction written by Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody. The book will include a complete run of PBF including the strips that came after Nicholas Gurewitch, previous collection “The Trials of Colonel Sweeto.”

Publishers Weekly has posted an interview with Nicholas in which they discuss his involvement in writing a pilot for the BBC based on PBF.

PWCW: Colonel Sweeto prompted Dark Horse’s largest order ever from the U.K. Diamond distributor. Why do the Brits love you so much?

NG: Well, they have Perry Bible Fellowship in the [British newspaper] the Guardian. And people have said that the [strip’s] humor has a British flavor.

PWCW: Speaking of which, you’re also working on a television pilot for the BBC that’s based on PBF. How’s that coming along?

NG: I’ll be adapting a couple of the strips for the pilot, and I just got the news the other day that they wanted to make it longer because they liked the 12-minute treatment I sent. They want to make it a 30-minute pilot. I’m actually working with a British television company, Endemol Entertainment. A number of people there had ordered some prints from me, and apparently someone brought them into the office. It became known amongst them that they really liked the comic, and [making the pilot] was just a decision that came about organically because of that. They all realized they liked the strip, and said, “Why don’t we do a show?”

New websites for KAL, Six Chix, Meehan

Alan Gardner — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:30:18 +0000

A few new web sites have launched in the last couple of weeks.

Kevin “KAL” Kallaugher has added a blog to his web site that will feature his sketches, roughs and commentary for his cartoons and animation.

The Six Chix cartoonist now have a home on the web. The site offers a collection of Six Chix cartoons and blog entries by the cartoonists (Isabella Bannerman, Margaret Shulock, Rina Piccolo, Anne Gibbons, Kathryn LeMieux and Stephanie Piro).

As noted in yesterday’s News Briefs, Kieran Meehan’s A Lawyer a Doctor and a Cop is being renamed to Pros and Cons. Kieran has a new web site that features his Pros and Cons strip as well as his single panel that runs in The Evening Times.

ComicPress releases latest upgrade to Wordpress

Alan Gardner — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:00:27 +0000

For those webcomickers or cartoonists looking for an easy way to post your comics daily to your website, the ComicsPress theme for Wordpress has been upgraded to version 2.5. The new release offers five different page layouts to accommodate several different types of comics and a new Comicpress Manager has been released to help configure the theme and upload the comics.

ComicsPress 2.5 requires Wordpress 2.5.

Hat Tip to Comixtalk.com

King Features launches comic web application

Alan Gardner — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:27:06 +0000

King Features has released a new embed-able comic application called Comics Kingdom that allows any newspaper to deploy a comic page easily. The application allows users to view a 30 day archive of King’s comics, ability to rate and comment on a comic, zoom in for a larger view, and to add the page to a social bookmarking site such as delicious, email the comic to a friend (who actually gets the comic - not just a link to a page that might disappear into the archives).

“Comics Kingdom™ marries premium content, unique interface design and revenue-generating tools that allow online publishers to respond to the business requirements demanded today,” said Marc Osofsky, vice president of marketing at Optaros, the technology company that built the service for King Features. “Furthermore, it shifts the power to consumers, allowing them to drive the comic content that rises to the top. This type of Web 2.0 functionality satisfies the comic appetite of online users, driving repeated interactions on a daily basis.”

An example of the app can be found at The Albany Times Union web site.

Dilbert.com relaunches in Web 2.0 fashion (UPDATED)

Alan Gardner — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 19:33:28 +0000

Dilbert creator Scott Adams has announced that Dilbert.com has relaunched with a new design and a host of new features. Some of the features include allowing registered users the ability to rewrite the punch-lines and email them to friends. Readers can vote on the best submitted rewritten gags.

The site has more animation provided by Michael Fry’s RingTales company. Other features include ability to create lists of favorites that can be shared with others; an expanded archive and all the strips are now in color.

UPDATED: Salon reviews the relaunch and talks to Scott.

Toby, Robot Satan makes leaps into newspapers

Alan Gardner — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:17:16 +0000

Corey Pandolph writes in with exciting news. His new feature, Toby, Robot Satan, which debuted on GoComics just two weeks ago, will now run in New York City and Boston Metro papers starting March 10th. The print run will start at the beginning of the story.

Corey is the current cartoonist for The Elderberries comic strip.

Mark Fiore’s web site gets revamped

Alan Gardner — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 06:40:08 +0000

Mark Fiore, one of the pioneering animated editorial cartoonists, has reworked his web site. The news site also offers a “Shout back” section which includes a toll-free number for those who wish to leave a message about a cartoon.

Speed Bump Web Site Gets a New Design

Alan Gardner — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 06:09:05 +0000

I’m not sure when Dave Coverly redesigned his web site, but its sporting a new skin.

Liz and Anthony Get Own Section of Web Site

Alan Gardner — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 15:53:27 +0000

Lynn Johnston has added a new section to the web site (or what I’m now dubbing as the “Better/Worse Universe”) dedicated to the history of the Liz and Anthony’s relationship over the last 14 years. The section spans 7 pages and has a long sample of comics - ideal for someone wanting to get the background story for the unfolding story-line.

Lynn Johnston to Increase Her Content on the Web

Alan Gardner — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 12:43:23 +0000

A reader sent me the link to a CBC News interview with Lynn Johnston, creator of For Better or For Worse. It’s a typical interview with Lynn, but still a good read. A couple of items that I think qualifies for news is her intent to use her web site to post additional material regarding characters and story-lines as she moves into the hybrid format. I interpret that to be like the extra features you’d find on a DVD. The decision to do this came after experimenting with the hybrid form and trying to resolve the disconnect between her earlier drawing style with her current style.

Additionally revealed in this interview is news that her team that helps produce the FBOFW strip also does commercial and graphic art and that is an area where Lynn wants to take her creative energies. Her team is currently working on a wrap-around for a tax cab.