Webcomic Creator Spotlight: Brad Guigar

By Matt Newtwon:

One of the newest developments in the world of comics is webcomics or online comics. These publications are found on the Internet, often exclusively. Some comics are published in newspapers and books with an online archive. Most webcomics are self-published as the Internet allows almost anyone to author and publish their own creation. Webcomics cover a variety of genres and subjects and range from traditional cartoon strips to graphic novels.

In this new series of interviews, CNI sits down with some of the hottest creators and upcoming creators of webcomics on the Internet today to talk about what got them into this medium, where they see this medium going and what influences them and the work they do. In this installment, ENI's very own Matt Newtwon talks with Brad Guigar the man behind Evil Inc. and one of the authors of the ever-popular book "How to Make Webcomics." Read on!

Matt: What prompted you to write "How to Make Webcomics"?

Brad: "How To Make Webcomics" was originally a project that Scott Kurtz and Kris Straub started. Around the same time, Dave Kellet and I started working with the two of them in a number of projects. At one point, Scott and Kris asked the two of us if we'd like to be involved in the book and realized that we had been pining away to be asked! At SPXpo in Bethesda, Maryland last year, Dave, Kris and I sat in a hotel room, put Scott on speakerphone and came up with a game plan for the entire book. We divided it into chapters and assigned each author three chapters. From that point on, it was a breakneck race to beat our deadline.

Matt: What does your book offer that previous and/or future books don't?

Brad: That's easy. We're the first book to discuss the Webcomics business model. We talk about sharpening one's skill as a cartoonist and the finer points about running a self-publishing concern on the Web. But the real hook of our work is telling people how they can use all of that to actually make money.

Matt: How do you think your personal experience in webcomics would be useful to future creators?

Brad: I made a ton of mistakes, but I learned from all those mistakes. I can save a novice webcartoonist from having to make those mistakes by simply telling them what I learned when I made them the first time.

Matt: What makes webcomics any different from other forms of comics?

Brad: Wow. Where to start. We're in a tremendous new Golden Age of comics. The amount of creativity and achievement being met by webcartoonists today is truly phenomenal. The defining aspect of Webcomics is independence. There's no gate-keepers to tell a cartoonist that he or she can't succeed. No publishers. No editors. No syndicates. There's absolutely no one to stop a cartoonist from pursuing his or her vision. That doesn't mean it's all good. There's a lot of crummy work out there. But, in the end, the ultimate judges of a webcartoonist's success are the readers.

Matt: Where do you see this medium going in the years to come (perhaps in relation to newspapers and other mediums)?

Brad: The medium simply is going to pursue the other delivery systems that develop along the way. Cell phones, iPods, Kindles... As the delivery systems change, you're going to see Webcomics adapt to take advantage of the new readers that are standing on the other side. Already, Webcomics have surpassed comparable syndicated comics (comics that have launched since 2000). I see that trend continuing. Newspapers seem to be on an unstoppable race to the bottom. They're determined to drive themselves to extinction. And syndicated comics are going to face serious problems if they continue to center their businesses on delivering content to newspapers.

Matt: Are webcomics just a passing thing?

Brad: If that were true, they would have passed long ago.

Matt: How much freedom do you think the Internet lends to creators, as far as control of their ideas, and issues of censorship?

Brad: It's absolute freedom. However, with absolute freedom come the necessity for restraint. I could drop F-bombs and show frontal nudity tomorrow, and no one would be there to stop me. But I know doing so would have an adverse effect on the readership that I have worked to build. It might be a short term gain, as readers stop by for the short-term titillation factor. But, long term, that sort of thing threatens to limit the shelf life of a webcomic. So the Internet offers freedom. I choose restraint.

Matt: Would you say that more traditional comics (i.e. less edgy strips you'd see in the "funny papers") have a better or worse chance at hitting it off online?

Brad: Nope. The funny has been edited out of those strips a long time ago. They adhere to a system of content rules that deny current society. A husband and wife being shown in the same bed is considered a risky thing. Phrases such as "That sucks!" are forbidden. That's not the world we live in. As such, these comics have a harder time connecting with those of us living in that world.

Matt: Are webcomics more suited for the younger generation (or at least the "young at heart" ).

Brad: They certainly *can* be. But they don't necessarily *have* to be.

Matt: Because of the nature of the Internet, a webcartoonist running a family-friendly comic site has to be extra careful -- in the ads he or she accepts... in the links that lead off-site... in content decisions... It's a matter of trust. If people trust you to run an all-ages site, they'll only allow themselves to be burned by you once.


Matt: Is a comic really a "web"comic any more once it's in print, or could it potentially lose context?

Brad: You're completely missing the point. It's not "Print vs. Web." It's "Print + Web". Almost every successful webcomic offers print editions. Many appear in newspapers. Print is an important part of the monetization of a webcomic. Print is not the enemy. It's a crucial part of the business plans of the majority of us.

Matt: Is it really possible for a 16-year-old kid sitting at home to make it big at this?

Brad: Yup. Or an 86 year old.

Making the comic is actually the least of one's worries in this regard, though. The real trick is learning how to run your site like a business -- the sorts of things we explain in "HTMW" and in our weekly podcast (ww.libsyn.com).

Matt: Any plans for a follow-up to "How to Make Webcomics" ? Perhaps a volume 2... or just another book altogether?

Brad: Absolutely. The First Printing has already sold out. We've already made significant changes in the Second Printing.

We talk constantly about a Second edition -- with additional content. And I would *love* to do several books that would each take one chapter and expound on it with greater depth. Our readers have supported this book like no other project that any of us can point to. We *owe* it to them to continually strive to make it better and better as the Webcomics Business Model reshapes and redefines itself.


Matt: Explain in one sentence what makes a successful webcomic.

Brad: The best webcomics use community building to draw readers into the world of a regularly-updating comic that consistently pleases those readers.

Many thanks to Brad for taking the time to talk with CNI. Stay tuned for more Webcomic Spotlights featuring your favorite authors right here!

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