Webcomics

Webcomics are, as the name implies, comics that can be read on the world wide web. This page is specifically about comics of a storytelling nature.

Recommendations

Some webcomics that I really like:

• "The unseen euphoria" by Sir_Anderson (on webtoons.com)
• "Owl people" by Letty Wilson
• "Dream constellation" by Livys (on tapas.io)
• "Hello from Halo Head" by Batty
• "Java bonds" by YAA (on tapas.io)
• "Pax and Jude" by Haly Powell (on webtoons.com)
• "Witchy" by Ariel Slamet Ries
• "Humor me" by Juliette Laurent a.k.a. Marvin
• "When an incubus confesses" by Greimz (on webtoons.com)

Standing websitisation offer

For any webcomic that I read (including one I've just learned about) which is currently only available on platforms like webtoons.com and tapas.io, I offer to create, host and maintain a standalone comic website.

Let me be clear about a few things here:

• This offer is directed at comic authors; I would not websitise a comic without explicit permission from its author.
• This is only about comics that are already free to read on the web.
• The comic website would of course link to the various places where people can give money to the author.
• The author would be the first to see the website, and could ask for changes; it is only published after their approval.
• Have I made it clear enough that this has nothing to do with copyright infringement?
• The work is not licensed in any way as part of this, so permission can be revoked at any time. The website would then be taken down within a reasonable timeframe.
• Identities will be verified, so an impersonator cannot get a comic website (un)published against the author's will.

If you are considering taking me up on this, there are some limitations to be aware of:

• You would not have full control (I'm not giving you the keys to my webserver). However, see the alternative offer below.
• The website would lag behind a little bit, unless we arrange a process that is not "pjvm regularly checks for updates".
• There is limited capacity. I cannot predict how many comic websites would fit; it would also depend on the number of visitors the websites get. I'm paying for a relatively small amount of bandwidth, so capacity might be reached pretty quickly.
• I work with simple static HTML, simple CSS and no JavaScript (have a look at the source code of this page). Comments are possible, but it would likely be an unusual comment system.
• If your plans include removing the comic from the web at some point, I will not make a website for it.

Alternative offer

If you want more control or want to learn how to make a website, I can help you set up a comic website yourself.

Why should a webcomic have a standalone website? Don't the platforms work fine?

Platforms like tapas.io and webtoons.com do, indeed, work fine. Consider, however, that these platforms are company-owned and have a profit motive. That means that if they allow you to host your comic there for free, they do this with the intention of extracting a profit from you or your readers.

This leads directly to a few risks associated with corporate platforms. It could be that eventually, the company re-evaluates and concludes hosting webcomics for free isn't worth it anymore. The platform could collapse in various ways.

There is also the fact that the bigger these platforms get, the more they would become the "go-to" place to read and discover webcomics. It is important to be aware that such a position comes with power, including over editorial decisions.

Of course, hosting one's comic with an individual like me also has its risks; individuals tend to die, make life decisions, and so on. If I'm hosting more than zero of these websites and have to stop doing so for whatever reason, I will try to arrange for the websites' continued existence, but I cannot guarantee anything.