With the rise of blog culture on the Internet, talent requires only a few clicks to get noticed.
Gavin Aung Than was a graphic designer for eight years. During that period, he published two comic strips in Australian daily newspapers. In his own words, that was when he was “moonlighted” as a cartoonist. Gavin is now a freelance cartoonist and illustrator. He is better known for his blog, Zen Pencils.
Zen Pencils is a classic instance of the rise of comics on the Internet. The comics have become a significant form of independent media. They give the author freedom to express themselves without restrictions and stir up a tribe of followers on the Internet.
“Cartoon quotes from inspirational folks” – Zen Pencils upholds its motto quite brilliantly. Aung Than illustrates famous inspirational quotes. The illustrations carry a subtle personal touch as he chooses quotes from people who have made a difference in his own life. He takes suggestions from his followers and often gives credits to the people who suggested the quote to him on his blog.
Matthew Inman writes a popular blog called The Oatmeal mostly consisting of gory humor and an inordinate amount of bias in favor of cats. The Oatmeal became a quick success with Internet dwellers. His aggressive style of comic and general disregard for decency proved to be the trump card for him.
Inman has a huge fan following and with his loud, unsophisticated humor and has received his quota of attention from mainstream media. Questions have been raised about his work ethics and general negativity generated by his comics. There is no better proof of how the Internet is a place for freedom of speech than the responses Inman gives to his critics on his own blog. In one such post, Inman responded to criticism from Jack Stuef, a writer for Buzzfeed. Inman ends his long-winded response to Stuef with “Stop being a writer, you bitter, un-inspired, bottom-feeding ass.”
Personal touch to comics seems to have struck a nerve with the Internet users. His personalized comic of Nikola Tesla, a Serbian inventor, being the greatest geek on the planet went viral. Through his comic, he successfully raised $1.3 million for the Tesla Museum, bought the site of Tesla’s old laboratory in a New York City auction and is now in the process of building a museum on it.
There are two major reasons for the rise of this type of comic. First, the Internet has become a flexible medium for reaching out to people. It provides a quick personal reach to the customer base and freedom in the choice of media.
Secondly, the display technology evolved, with high resolution media becoming common. From HD display to LED screens, personal computers can now carry high-resolution images and media.
Behind every successful venture, there has to be a successful revenue model. Aung Than publishes his designs on the Internet for free. That generates the kind of attention that corporations spend millions to exploit for advertisements. He also sells his designs under the name Zen Pencils. His fans can buy Zen Pencils prints on t-shirts, posters, pillow covers and more. Similarly, fans of The Oatmeal can buy posters of Inman’s comics. Inman wrote a full comic book titled, “How to Tell If Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You”.
Online comics seem to be the logical evolution of the traditional printed comic strips. Bill Waterson, the creator of Calvin & Hobbes, would be proud of the way comics have evolved and thrived in a highly digital media world with 3D motion pictures and HD video. The graphic comics are now a significant cog in the wheels of media and entertainment.
