With Dragon*Con this last weekend and some other things going on in my life, I wasn’t able to devote the time and energy I would have liked to get you guys a webcomic today. However, I received quite a few questions about the series while talking to folks at Dragon*Con, and I had also noticed some discussion over at The Webcomic List on how I select webcomics, so I felt that I could address those now. Call this a cop-out if you like, but today we’re doing a Q&A.
Question: How long have you been reading webcomics?
Answer: There are a few that I have read for a few years now, but until recently I hadn’t really had any serious interest in reading webcomics regularly. After graduating in December I found myself with some free time not spent commuting to school and started following a few strips and decided that I really liked the medium.
Q: Since you’re featuring a webcomic a week, how much of each do you actually read?
A: I read 100% of all available content for each webcomic I showcase here. My goal in doing this article is to showcase webcomics and their creators; I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t read the webcomic “cover to cover” and know what it was I was talking about. Sometimes this is easier to do than others, but I don’t just jump on a comic on Monday and expect it to have a spotlight on in that Wednesday.
Q: How do you pick the webcomics, anyway?
A: I have lots of ways of choosing a webcomic. I pay close attention to webcomics being recommended by other webcomic creators but I also have checked out forums, blind searching on Google, recommendations from friends, etc. I have no one way of actually finding the webcomics.
That doesn’t quite answer the question though. I choose webcomics that I like, plain and simple. If you have read any of my reviews ever, you’ll know that I have quite diverse interests from historic fiction to dystopian biopunk and everything in between, and that’s how I like my webcomics. I like slice-of-life or silly, or genre related or serious. When I read a webcomic, I want something to jump out at me, whether it’s the characters, the artwork, the story, or any of the other elements that go into a webcomic. All of the webcomics I have covered so far have had some element that I really liked and thought I should share.
Q: You don’t really review them — why?
A: I think I mostly answered this in the previous question, but I did get this question a few times. I’m not really reviewing them because by selecting them I have already given them the “Kelly Seal of Approval.” I am more interested in spotlighting the comic and creator than telling you in detail everything about each comic. I sincerely hope that you will see one you like based on the images and interviews rather than me telling you that I like something. In the end, these articles aren’t supposed to be about me at all, they are supposed to be about the webcomic.
Q: Can I send you a link to my/my boyfriend’s or girlfriend’s/my favorite/my neighbor’s/my cat’s webcomic for consideration for Webcomic Wednesday?
A: Please do! There are two ways to get me a webcomic recommendation. 1) Go to the Contact Us page and send us the link, or 2) Email me directly at kelly@fandomania.com.
Q: If I do send in a webcomic, will it be featured on Webcomic Wednesday?
A: If you are taking the time to send me your comic, I will definitely take the time to consider it. Some things are going to be disqualifiers, though, so let me cover that now. I am not opposed to adult material so long as it works within the context of the comic, but if you have overt adult material for the sake of having adult material, I will not feature it. Fandomania is mostly a PG-13 website and I would like to keep it that way. I have the same standards for violence: the webcomic itself does not have to be PG-13, but violence for the sake of violence is not something I will promote. Those disclaimers being said, I will be happy to read any and all webcomics sent to me, and if they strike a chord with me I will be thrilled to feature them.
Have any more questions? Feel free to ask them here in the comments or email them to me privately. I promise next week I will be back with a webcomic for you!
