As with television and radio, the internet has also transformed print media and one of its oldest components: the comic. The increase in web comics is tied to a couple of factors. The open platform of the internet as a medium allows anyone to publish a web comic. There is no need to create a comic with mass appeal to gain syndication with major newspaper outlets. With a web comic, you can appeal to a niche market, which many do. Using the internet as a medium also enables a way to easily archive the comic. This makes it easier on the current readership to keep up with the comic without having to dedicate time each week. It also allows new readership to easily catch up on old entries.
As the first video game generation enters adulthood, Penny Arcade was created to appeal to this audience. From its humble beginnings in 1999, Penny Arcade quickly grew from a simple web comic to a full blown web portal for anything related to video games. The site is written by Jerry Holkins and drawn by Mike Krahulik. Video game reviews on the Penny Arcade site are some of the most trusted in the industry, due to their policy of refusing to endorse a game just because the developer may buy advertising on the site. Advertising revenue for Penny Arcade is driven by the amount of hits the site gets each day, which number 2 million, according to Holkins (“Penny Arcade,” 2008). If you are a fan of video games or technology and you don't already have Penny Arcade bookmarked, give them a visit at http://www.penny-arcade.com.
Homestar Runner is another web comic among the short list of self sufficient web comics. Described by Wikipedia as a Flash animated cartoon, it mixes surreal humor with references to 1970s, 80s, and 90s pop culture, notably video games, classic television, and popular music (“Homestar Runner”, 2008). The site was created by Mike and Matt Chapman in 2000 and just 3 years after going online, the site was serving 300,000 visitors per day (Dean, 2003). The humor at homestarrunner.com is not for everyone and can best be described as corny, but I find that the Strong Bad emails give me something to look forward to each week. If you would like to see more, you can find Homestar and the rest of his friends at http://www.HomestarRunner.com.
(Images courtesy of Wikipedia.)
References
Dean, Kari Lynn (2003). HomestarRunner Hits a Homer. Retrieved July 14, 2008, from http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2003/06/59261
Homestar Runner. (2008, July 14). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved July 14, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestar_Runner
Penny Arcade. (2008, July 11). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved July 14, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Arcade_%28webcomic%29
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