Gift Art
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As if the world needed further confirmation of the viability of webcomics, what began as a casual local meetup spiraled this weekend into an internationally attended convention as big and eventful as any other con. (So big, in fact, that I was only able to attend Sunday. But that was more than enough.)
Much can be said--and has been said, by various collectives, critics and Crips--about the unique potential of the webcomic medium. My addition is that the world of webcomics brings in people who might otherwise have nothing to do with any sort of art. And I'm not just talking about our ex-NASA friend, even if he is the most famous example; I'm not just talking about 14-year-old boys hungrily watching '90s fanservice anime through fogged-up Coke-bottle lenses. Consider Templar Arizona's Spike, a former bodybuilder. Consider Lucid TV's John Keogh, a psychology student (social sciences represent.)
Of course, if anyone can enter the webcomics industry, not everyone is necessarily cut out for it. Obvious, I know, but among the artists I talked to, 48 hours was not an uncommon figure for weekly art time commitment. That is crazy. That is a full-time job and a fifth.
Yes, in this economy it's increasingly common to see those lucky enough to dodge layoffs working 60-80 hour weeks--but art is incredibly intense work. There's no smoke breaks, no three-martini-lunches, no furtive masturbation to banner ads in the art world. Personally, I have difficulty getting in more than 20 hours of art a week. I am man enough to admit this, that I am out-rawed on a regular basis by petit women in foofy dresses.
Anyway, that's all I had to say, so here's some shout-outs: