David Malki! on Webcomics Not Being Comics
by Joey Manley
I’ve heard that the best writers tell us what we didn’t realize we already knew.
In a guest essay over at Fleen today, MT cartoonist David Malki ! does just such a thing.
Here’s some of the meat of it (but please, do go and read the whole thing):
So instead of approaching the whole “webcomics problem†from the direction of comics — trying to win converts at syndicates, comics publishers, and mass media by saying “They’re just like regular comics! Honestly! Only online!†— we should be trying to win converts among fans of funny, interesting things on the Internet in general. The argument then goes, “They’re just as funny as YouTube videos! Just as interesting as blogs! Just as snarky as Something Awful or Fark or whatever! Honestly! Only in comics form!â€
I’ve approached this line of thinking before, sidewise and clumsily, but have never been able to express it quite so clearly (and have always accomplished nothing but generate flamewars whenever I’ve tried). My experience has been that the dedicated cultists who currently “own” comics protect that ownership jealously and defensively (what Malki ! calls “the culture of comics” and the less-generous of us call “the fanboys being fanboys”) — and interpret these kinds of statements as meaning: “We hate you and think you’re stupid, blah” when really they just mean, “You’re not the center of our world, and we’re not going to go out of our way to cater to you, because doing so hurts us in terms of the big picture — but hey — really — you’re welcome to come along for the ride, if you want.”
I could be wrong.
Let’s see if Dick Joke draws himself hitting Malki ! in the face with a brick. Then we’ll know.
February 19th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Somebody is provoking the sheep again… heh heh.
February 19th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
I don’t think David’s article has the polarizing effect of other swings at the subject, some by myself included, and that’s usually what turns the powder keg into an inferno. It’s very easy for us to word things wrong and come off as saying our way of doing comics rules and anything else is lacking in the ruling department. Again, I’ve done this myself, and I regretted it because it’s possible to extol the virtues of the one without disparaging the other, and that certainly wasn’t my intention.
David is simply stating that there is opportunity to reach outside “comics.” This is good, I want to reach outside “comics.” I want to do it a lot but I guess what I’m driving at is I have an iPod and a radio and I use them both.
Oddly enough the only exception to be found in the article is the alt text on the image which reads “Do you want to be lumped in with this?” To me, that’s the kind of us vs. them mentality that is bad for everyone, and unless I read it wrong, the column is about webcomics finding it’s own way, not about proving we’re better than anything else, and it’s not our place to claim that anyway.
April 10th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Kind of off-topic, but I think we can all essentially dismiss Malki until the day comes when we see him on a panel at some Comic Con-type event, saying – face to face – the things he writes in his “Comic Strip Doctor” essays to the actual cartoonists he viciously takes to task. Frankly, I’d be really surprised if he actually has the balls to do so. I was really surprised when I realized that the guy behind the cut-and-paste Wondermark was the same guy ripping apart other cartoonists’ work. Not terribly professional.