Online Graphic Novels

Definition

Online graphic novels, or Web comics, refer to any graphic narrative created with computer-based technologies and distributed on the Internet. Webcomics may incorporate animation, sound, or other media that are otherwise inaccessible to print comics as long as the basic design of the online graphic novel still represents that of its print relatives.

Introduction

The comic medium has always relied heavily on its capacity for hybridity. Able to blend written text seamlessly with pictures, comics have engraved themselves on the global literary scene in a way that print, film, radio, and countless other media could never accomplish. The innovation of Web comics at the beginning of the twenty-first century has continued comics’ tradition of combining forms by taking the familiar graphic novel design seen in print since the 1930s and using modern computer and Internet technologies to reinvent the potential of comics. Comics artists can experiment with animation, music, and interconnectivity for the first time in a way that print comics never could.

Print Comics vs. Web Comics

Famous graphic novelist Will Eisner defined comics as “sequential art.” Comics scholar Scott McCloud devoted his graphic novel Understanding Comics (1993) to expanding that definition to “juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence.” McCloud proposed that comics are created by physically placing images next to each other to construct a narrative. However, when a graphic novel is made on the Internet, this idea of juxtaposing pictorial images can become easily lost. When web comic artists tell their graphic narratives one panel at a time, with links moving the reader from panel to panel, the physical juxtaposition of the images no longer applies.

Not all Web comics abandon the familiar print comic design. Most adhere to the conventions of the printed graphic novel genre. However, the idea that Web comics are not bound to this familiar design suggests that while Web comics and print comics are similar art forms with a shared history, they have begun to establish themselves as a unique medium. As Web comics continue to separate themselves from the print world and their true potential continues to be explored, a new definition applicable only to Web comics will emerge and help distinguish them from their print ancestors.

Because they are online, Web comics enjoy the benefit of real-time feedback from their audience. Online graphic novelists often use forums, blogs, and social networking sites to connect directly with their audience and instantaneously obtain feedback upon publishing each Web comic they create. In addition, the Internet has freed online graphic novelists from print restrictions. Page count no longer binds them; their stories can be as long or short as needed. Creators can also utilize music, sound effects, and “sprites,” two-dimensional figures animated against a two-dimensional background, to bring their work to life.

The Internet has broadened the audience for and increased accessibility to print comics. However, this increased accessibility does not fall under the realm of online graphic novels.

History

The idea of using computers as an artistic tool goes back to the computing industry’s beginnings when computers could do little more than calculate mathematical equations and send short textual messages and code between connected terminals. As the computer evolved and developed the ability to see, create, and edit pictures, its artistic potential has risen exponentially.

In the years before the Internet became readily available, comics began to break into the new digital market. Comics publishers used CD-ROMs to make their products available to consumers interested in reading comics but swept up in the computer industry. However, the online graphic novel was born at the dawn of the twenty-first century.

In their early days, Web comics faced several limitations to their production and distribution. Even after artists were given a means of drawing pictures and having them immediately read by a computer, they still needed help with slow Internet connections, which made downloading Web comics a lengthy and frustrating process for potential readers. Also, early computer monitors had extremely low resolution, as they were intended to read text or see pictures, but they could have been better for doing both simultaneously. As Internet technologies continue to evolve, with higher resolution monitors, high-speed Internet connections, and new software programs constantly working to revolutionize how users interact online, comics artists are finding a broader audience who may have previously been unexposed to the comics art form.

Production

Print comics have been the victims of business throughout their entire existence. When comic books were created in the 1930s, the medium was not considered artistic or literary. Artists were paid to create humorous, patriotic, inspirational, or controversial graphic narratives, but they did not necessarily consider their work legitimate expressions of their imaginations. In time, they began creating graphic novels of greater thematic and artistic sophistication. However, as the creative possibilities of the comic form were explored, the business aspect of the industry remained as omnipotent and omnipresent in the process as ever.

In addition to innovative technologies that simplify creating and sharing comics online, e-commerce has enabled comics artists to monetize their work. Furthermore, they can do so without interference from the publishing companies controlling every aspect of the industry. Now, artists can create the content they envision and charge the average consumer a fair price. By cutting out the expenses of publishing and distributing hard copies of graphic novels, the artists cannot only maintain artistic integrity in their work but also receive a much higher percentage of the revenue their comics generate. However, there are more profitable avenues for webcomic artists. Much like the underground comics movement of the 1960s, Web comics are unrestricted in terms of their content. Profanity, sexually explicit images, and gratuitous violence are common in the medium. This tends to limit Web comics’ appeal to a more specific audience. Ultimately, the market will decide how successful these independent self-publishing comic artists will be.

Another area in which Web comics have an advantage over print texts is their capacity to teach young students about a seemingly infinite spectrum of topics. Increasingly, students are using computers and the Internet as invaluable teaching tools. Web comics are proving to be an ideal bridge between an entertaining medium with which students are at least familiar and the educational atmosphere of a school setting. Therefore, reading comics online about a historical narrative, a scientific experiment, or other subjects relevant to their studies is an effective way to help students understand and retain knowledge in school.

Impact

Print comics have found various purposes during their relatively short existence. Created exclusively to tell fictional stories to young readers, comics have spread into countless subgenres, including memoir and nonfictional narratives, educational texts, analytical texts, and even airplane safety diagrams demonstrating the proper procedure for putting on an oxygen mask. The new genre of Web comics has begun to follow suit. The breadth of Web comics’ content is quickly becoming as vast as that of print comics or any print medium.

In the 2020s, many technological innovations impacting all facets of human existence made their way into Web comics as well. Graphic novels and Web comics began incorporating augmented reality and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in production, distribution, and consumption. The positive aspects included superior visualization and more immersive experiences. Web comic adapted to changed preferences for the availability of such works on digital devices. For example, illustrations drawn with vertical frames instead of the traditional horizontal orientation. AI-generated designs enabled instant content creation for persons beyond those with traditional artistic skills to engage in graphic novel production. This enabled the availability of more viewpoints and content.

Nonetheless, AI had negative and troubling aspectssimilar to other artistic creationssuch as music production. AI-enabled new forms of plagiarism and creative theft. Both content creators and consumers were forced to contemplate how AI-produced graphic novels fit into traditional understandings of the art.

Bibliography

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Fenty, Sean, et al. “Web Comics: The Influence and Continuation of the Comix Revolution.” ImageText, vol. 1, no. 2, 2004, www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Webcomics:-The-Influence-and-Continuation-of-the-Fenty-Houp/da3858debdde1dfe564fc70e97a41641b80b8ecb. Accessed 19 July 2024.

Hernandez, Elvis. "The Future of Comics: Navigating Trends and Innovations in the Industry." ToonsMag, 31 Jan. 2024, www.toonsmag.com/the-future-of-comics. Accessed 12 July 2024.

Lamb, Annette, and Larry Johnson. “Graphic Novels, Digital Comics, and Technology-Enhanced Learning.” Teacher Librarian vol. 36, no. 5, 2009, pp. 70-5.

McCloud, Scott. Reinventing Comics. New York, Perennial, 2000.

Meskin, Aaron. “Comics as Literature?” British Journal of Aesthetics. no. 49, no. 3, 2009, pp. 219-39.