History of webcomics
In the second half of the 2000s, webcomics became less financially sustainable due to the rise of social media and consumers' disinterest in certain kinds of merchandise.
Mike Wean's Jax & Co. introduced a "page turning" interface that encourages readers to read the panels in order; a concept that was quickly recreated by other webcomic artists.
McCloud stated that the World Wide Web allowed comics to make use of the various advantages of digital media, establishing the idea of infinite canvas.
[15] Established comic artists such as Carla Speed McNeil and Lea Hernandez found themselves moving towards the Internet in order to reach larger audiences and build "online portfolios".
Others followed towards the end of the decade, including Scott Kurtz's PvP in May 1998, and Jay Resop's sprite comic Neglected Mario Characters in September 1998.
In 2003, Holkins and Krahulik founded Child's Play, a charity that managed to raise over US$100,000 in its first year, which it used for donating toys for the Seattle Children's Hospital.
In 2004, the duo started the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), a yearly video game convention that debuted with an estimated 3,000 guests and has grown in size since.
[17][19] David Anez' Bob and George, which launched in April 2000, was the first sprite comic to reach a larger level of popularity.
[21] Brady Dale from The New York Observer noted in 2015 that people in the American webcomics industry had been shifting their business practices.
Webcomic merchandise distributor Topatoco started looking to provide more products than only T-shirts around 2010, while Ryan North's "Project Wonderful" aimed to improve webcomic-based advertisement.
While Topatoco has been seeking work with video game developers, podcasters and other internet personalities, some creators moved on to other media entirely.
Toothpaste for Dinner-creator Drew Fairweather, for instance, started focusing his energy on his blog and his career as a rapper in 2011, while the creators of Amazing Super Powers moved on to developing video games.
With the rise of social media in the second half of the 2000s, webcomic artist began having a more difficult time gaining attention and views.
[23] However, Sarah Dorchak of Gauntlet proposed in 2011 that the free nature of webcomics may be a leading factor in the decline of economic viability of traditional comic books.
[26] Creators of smaller webcomics such as Cucumber Quest and The Antler Boy frequently raise over US$50,000 on Kickstarter in order to publish their material in print.
Supported by high-speed Internet and large-scale mobile phone usage in South Korea, webtoons achieved a high demand.
