Webcomic News Roundup: Garfield Hearts PvP, She-Hulk Has Powerful Lady Parts
The post-event reports from the MoCCA Art Festival are finally starting to dwindle, but in case you missed my Day One and Day Two reports, go back and check them out for a few earlier bits of news from the digital side of the comics world.
Here are a few more items of note from the week’s webcomics scene:
Fleen‘s Gary Tyrrell has posted his exceptionally comprehensive MoCCA report, which covers a lot of ground in and around the online comics community. He’s also posted a nice gallery of photos from the event, including this great shot of Octopus Pie creator Meredith Gran that illustrates the proper way to stretch every few hours during a show. Unfortunately, some guy ruined one of the last photos he posted.
Over at Diesel Sweeties, Rich Stevens recently contemplated the perils of sexing up She-Hulk. *owch*
I broke the solo format with my weekly webcomic interviews this time around, and asked some questions of the pair of talented creators behind A Softer World, Joey Comeau and Emily Horne. They had some great answers, too.
Scott Kurtz has posted an excerpt from a recent interview with Garfield creator Jim Davis, in which the cartoonist name-checks Kurtz’ uber-popular PvP webcomic as one of his favorite comic strips.
Q: What’s the last time you laughed out loud over a comic strip that another cartoonist did?
A: “It was just a few weeks ago. The strip is PVP (Player vs. Player) by Scott Kurtz. His timing is flawless. PVP isn’t in newspapers, it’s online! Some of the sharpest stuff is being done online by some very talented, young artists. They keep me looking over my shoulder.”
Don’t get too excited about that last item, though. Despite Jim Davis’ best efforts, online comic fans are still a "quiet voice" in the comics world. At least, that’s the word from Wizard Entertainment Chairman and CEO Gareb Shamus, who had the following to say about the rise of online comics in a recent interview with an ABC TV affiliate in Philadelphia:
6abc.com: Speaking of online, are online comics heating up?
Gareb: Even though there’s a fanbase and even though there might be a lot people reading them, it’s a very quiet voice, because it’s somebody in their house reading it; it’s not somebody going to the store on Wednesday to pick up their new book. When somebody has to physically leave and go, it’s a very loud type of purchase.
You can read the full interview here. And for the sake of disclosure, Shamus was a former employer of mine.
Finally… Squid Bat!