Future of webcomics in print?

The Independent (UK) has posted an article on how the web is forcing print companies, in this case specifically comic books, into transitioning their products to the web to counter piracy – much like the music companies had to open up their catalogs to online stores like iTunes to counter the music sharing piracy. The article delves into how webcomics are maturing and crossing over into print.

To the relief of Pilcher and other shop regulars, there are signs that the webcomic could nurture rather than threaten its print predecessor. As well as getting an immediate audience of thousands or even millions, webcomic artists are increasingly crossing back into print – and it’s readers who are calling the shots. “There’s a vast amount of material online and a lot is dross, but the web allows the public to decide what’s good,” says Pilcher, who believes this democratic filter system is depositing gold at the doors of publishers. “They then say, look, these guys are getting six million hits a day – we should publish a book.”

One quirky example is a satirical webcomic called Garfield Minus Garfield, in which Irish artist Dan Walsh reproduces classic Garfield strips with all characters except the cat’s owner, Jon Arbuckle, removed. “It turned a saccharine strip with a cat into a darkly funny, manic-depressive diatribe by a lonely bachelor,” Pilcher says. The weekly uploads attracted a sizeable audience, including Garfield creator Jim Davis. Tickled, he put his name to a book published last October. “Something that had its genesis in a newspaper was adapted online, became a hit, and then became a book,” Pilcher says. “The industry is linking and crossing over and smart publishers are seeing that.”