building on the speech of the year, Inkbot's online novels, INKBOTS R US...

Hey Inkbots,


I apologize for the wait but lets get down to business...


Speech of the year:

A few months ago I received an email from a friend asking me to check out an article containing a transcript of a speech given by Mark Waid about the future of the comics industry. In this speech the extremely talented creator stated that he believed that online publishing was going to reshape how the industry does business and that it would be wise for his peers to embrace the change and thus adapt accordingly (unlike the music industry which has been struggling to deal with piracy and online downloads for years). Mr. Waid also stressed the importance of art in a developing society and explained that the original purpose of the copyright was meant to ensure that future generations would benefit from an artist contributions by providing the artist with a way of making a living. What this means is that copyright ownership was not originally intended to be extended beyond the artist's death, because the original purpose of art was not really to make a profit but rather to inspire society and reshape it for the better (obviously "art"  by this definition was not created during the Reagan era).  With that Mr. Waid also went on to say that piracy, if handled correctly, might end up being beneficial in the long run, as it will help to expose a younger generation to this great medium of ours. A younger generation, he added, that has access to many other cheaper forms of entertainment (online games, music, movies, youtube). Consequently, according to the article, the audience was said to be split in their reaction to the speech, while a few of his peers were said to have been more than a little disappointed with it's overall message. This I believe is a real shame as Mr. Waid made some great points and behaved like someone who is genuinely concerned with the survival and evolution of our medium. 

My two cents on the Print vs. Digital debate:

If there is one thing thing that annoys me most about our medium is that many creators truly believe that online comics are trying to kill the print business. Of course not only is this ridiculous, since we all grew up with reading prints, but it is also a short sighted thing to say (as most web creators sell printed versions of their web comics.) Also, the reason why many creators took to online comics in the first place is because it is an affordable way to reach a broader audience. Now, before I continue, I need you think about that for a second, because many years ago comics could be found everywhere. They were carried in pharmacies, convenience stores, supermarkets, specialty shops and even "bodegas" (small inner-city Hispanic grocery stores). Now, aside from Barnes & Nobles, comic shops carry the bulk of independent comics and they are disappearing at an alarming rate (which began happening way before the boom of web comics by the way.) So, with that in perspective, what is an independent creator to do? Should we continue creating in a small bubble that seems to shrink more and more the further we move away from the golden and silver ages of comics? Or should we try our damndest to make sure that our medium doesn't go the way of the dodo by making it more accessible to those who love it and to those who forgot it existed? I think the answer is clear and furthermore I think it needs to be said that if the blame of declining print sales should be placed on anyone, it should be placed on our industry leaders' inability or unwillingness to adapt to the modern market place, much in the same way that Blockbuster has failed to adapt to theirs (Netflix anyone). I also want it to be known that I am of the opinion that as our mostly printed medium continues to adapt to a digital world, printed books will be seen as somewhat as a collectors item, the way television series are packaged on dvds , which will force retailers and creators to change the way they do business and to change the way serial comic books are written (which I believe will be for the better). So in conclusion, KNOCK IT OFF, we love this medium as much as you, and we're certainly not trying to kill it (I mean, you guys already did a fine job of that in the mid-nineties) ;)


Random Thoughts...

One week postponement:

Zomboy and American Ambition will be released on the 22nd instead of next Monday. However with that expect some great surprises and the introduction of their respective stores ;)

It took us a while, but we finally delivered as promised. Today marks the official opening of INKBOTS R US, and leading the charge is Revolvers and Allen Shrugged (our two awesome weekly titles). So, make sure you show them some love and buy an I Love Johnny Raiker thong or something ;)

November 20th is shaping up to be a truly special day for us, as not only will we post the 16 PAGE finale of Odessa Arc 1, but we will also debut our first online novel named "K" (from the writer of Revolvers). 

Sunday nights is really the mecca of great television right now as between the hours of 9-11 one can see Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, AND The Walking Dead!

Its great to see that so many people showed up to the rally to restore sanity. Now, here's hoping that we keep that momentum going and not bring this country back to pre-civil war times.

I am happy to announce that Inkbot.net will be hosting a few charitable events in the near future ;)

Boxing finally has a good month on its hands.

I've been so busy as of late that I still haven't seen the social network. Is there any chance that it's still in theaters?

I hope you all have a great week and as promised I will try to post by week's end. Peace!!! ;P