I'd take "Scotty" over him any day

Oh, I know the type very well. Arrogant, stuck up "brainiacs" who think they are part of a priveledged few to have a brain while they enjoy everyone else's stupidity because it is expected to live in an ignorant world (when in actually, having such a ideal of themselves means that, with an absence of the imagined stupidity in their view of the world, they would cease to have meaning). They loudly scream their ability to be open minded and intelligent when in actuality, they are not; confronting them with such a thought will only prompt a snide remark that you noticing their narrowmindedness means, wow, you have a sliver more of a brain than the rest of the world. But nowhere near the levels of their brain, so therefore, what you say doesn't matter anyway, because they didn't think of it. Nor do they care.

A very irritating kind of people they are. One of their favorite pasttimes (next to being so deeply immersed in showing up everyone else in working, playing, and just plain living) is discovering someone's interest, then belittling the -censored- out of it. So it was only a matter of time until one of the newest forms of expressive art became a target.

I love comics. Reading the newspaper funnies is my cup of coffee in the morning. A glance at my blog shows an extensive list of my follow up cup. I have massive collection books of favorites sitting in piles in my room. Other piles are made up of sketches for three seperate ideas I have for my own personal comic.

Entertainment and the people it is embodied in survives only as long as someone is watching. I am priveledged enough to be the reader, a person endowed with the power to make or break someone. I am not, in any way, forced to read what's in the newspaper or on the Internet. I am under no pressure to make a purchase of any one book. Acknowledging someone speaking to you is an honor to the speaker; paying to hear them speak is beyond words.

For those who appreciate it, that is.

I have to admit, when I saw Wiley's strip yesterday ("Non Sequitur", Tuesday, December 14, 2oo4), I giggled a little, thinking it was a potshot at website nerds in general. I read the follow up commentary by local cartoonist Scott Kurtz earlier this morning, and well, you're looking my resulting reaction now. Regardless of whether or not Wiley was intentionally marking Kurtz as a target, Wiley's message was clear: he doesn't respect the online comic as an expressive art.

"Old-school" comic strip artists are understandably upset, because it seems that they toiled and drudged for years to be noticed; even then, recognition and money were scant because not every sindication was a guaranteed promise of a book deal or job security. To have unpaid, self-motivated little nobodies come from behind, using technology to their advantage, is just head-shaking horrible. I don't think I've been this upset since that one computer nerd William managed to skip out of college.

Though I am loathe to say this, I don't enjoy the newspaper comics as much as I used to. Recently, my local newspaper held a comic strip contest, which is now reputed as being a veiled attempt to cut back the number of strips they run. When my first cup of coffee grows smaller, I make up the difference by making my second cup larger (31 links and growing). Ask anyone who has read webcomics how they started reading them. By word of mouth. From someone else who was satisfied. Nine times out of ten, there will be links to other webcomics, which will have links to other webcomics, and so on and so forth. Political commentary, fantastical storytelling, or just plain funny, there's something for everyone.

The fear is that readers will be drawn to what has already established itself. To follow to the Internet and view unrestricted cartoonists who never had to deal with the threat of being pulled for their views, like Wiley or McGruder. To see the people who could have their cake and eat it, too. And, perhaps, think they could rise to such greatness, and leave no one behind to acknowledge anyone.

No, webcomics are not the AntiChrist for cartoonists nor are they the collapse of the artistic society. Webcomics are an expression, just like the prepackaged printed versions. Kurtz and others are just nudging us toward our ability to choose how we want to be entertained and maybe even informed. It's the same thing Wiley's been toting for years--he's just mad because it wasn't done under his terms.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some storyboards to draw.