Webcomics are amazing, and I’m not just talking about the fact that they’re the one medium that could produce something like Dinosaur Comics.

It’s a place where passion is the main driving force, creators who would normally be silenced can find their voice, and where you can watch an artist go from being good to amazing.  Yes, these are things you can also see in manga and indie comics, but webcomics exist in a completely different culture.  Fans will often experience the story only one page a week and all that’s needed to publish a webcomic is an internet connection and a website to publish them on.  This allows them to come out at the pace the author wants them to come out and tackle subjects in exactly the way the author wants to tackle them.  They’re a style of storytelling that have produced some of my favorite stories of all time and I hope this piece explains why that is.

The thing about webcomics is that they run on passion even more so than other forms of art.  While there are examples of webcomics becoming massive successe, I.e. Homestuck and Penny Arcade, those are exceptions to the rule.  Generally, most webcomic artists only make enough from their comic for it to be considered a side project, at the most.  That means they have to find other work to keep their head above water while also keeping an eye out for islands of free time like anyone else.  Choosing to spend that free time working on something that can take so much physical and mental energy is impressive in its own right.  Each pencil stroke, each line of dialogue, and each panel was created because the author really wanted to put their time and effort into telling this particular story and that kind of dedication is something that can be hard to find outside of webcomics.

A big part of that passion comes from creators getting to tell stories and concepts in exactly the way they want to tell them.  Across all genres from slice of life, to fantasy, and even murder mystery, webcomics are home to stories you won’t find anywhere else.  Paranatural takes tropes common to “paranormal club” shonen stories and deconstructs them for both comedic and dramatic effect.  Ava’s Demon combines fantasy and sci-fi to tell an epic on the scale of Star Wars and Foundation.  Witchy explores an East Asian inspired fantasy world that feels like a breath of fresh air after having seen enough castles and knights to fill several Europes.  Beyond unique takes on familiar genres, webcomics are often home to artists from marginalized communities who want to tell stories about themselves that explore topics other than coming out, struggling with identity, or discrimination.  These stories are incredibly valuable, but they can feel like the only stories many TV, movie, or comic publishers are willing to tell.  Meanwhile, webcomics like Never Satisfied can have characters from all across the gender and sexuality spectrum without feeling like there needs to be some kind of “justification” for having such a diverse cast. When the minimum requirements to putting a webcomic online are some paper, a pencil, and access to the internet, it gives people a chance to tell their stories in a way they’ve always wanted them to be told.

Despite the bar for entry being so low compared to other mediums, webcomics are home to some of the most talented artists on the planet and one of the joys of webcomics is getting to see them grow.  While it is possible to see a variety of artists grow and evolve their craft in other mediums, webcomics often give you front row seats for the experience.  For example, here’s the first page of Zack Morrison’s “Paranatural.”

Now here’s his art after a year.

And some time after that.

And it keeps going until he’s learned and improved enough to draw something like this.

There are artists working at DC and Marvel that could only dream of being able to include this much personality and detail in one image and Morrison has only continued to grow from there.  Getting to see that process in real time is an incredible experience and even artists that started out with the bar set high enough to reach the moon:

Find ways to polish their art and their storytelling.

All creators and artists grow as they continue their work, but webcomics are one of the few places where you can see that growth first hand.

With a medium as large as webcomics, there are a million and one different things I could have talked about.  However, I feel that the best way to do so would be to look at individual comics and how they operate.  I wouldn’t trade the experience of reading Cucumber Quest and Witchy for anything, and I can’t imagine those stories happening in a medium other than webcomics.  I’m hoping to shine a spotlight, or at least a flashlight, on a medium that I think deserves more love and if I can get even one person into webcomics with this blog, than I’ll have done my job.  Because the kind of passion needed to create even one panel of a comic is mind boggling and the fact that many do so without even the guarantee of that passion being rewarded is something that I think needs more attention.