Comments on: WCCA 2007

By: Fleen: Written by bitter, haggard wordbeasts » He’s particularly pleased with how the wine rendered…

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 22:25:29 +0000

[...] Fleen: How does it feel to be nominated for such a controversial award as the WCCA? What do you think are your odds against such illuminated masters as Kris Straub and Phil Foglio? [...]

By: Tom Brazelton

Tom Brazelton — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:54:01 +0000

I used to get mad that I didn’t get a WCCA nomination, but then I realized until they invent an “Outstanding Movie Comic” award, it’s all pretty much moot.

They have categories for Outstanding Fantasy, Anthropomorphic, Gaming, Romance, Slice-of-Life, Science Fiction and Superhero comics. I don’t know if those categories speak specifically to the artistry of web comics.

I mean, sure, there are stylistic cliches to superhero or sci-fi comics. But can anyone tell me the difference between a slice-of-life and romantic comic? As if, at first glance I could look at them and say “Oh, yes! THAT’S what romance looks like!”

If anyone can tell me why the artistic merit of anthropomorphic critters measures higher than any other sub-genre of comics, I’d love to hear it!

My point is, until the WCCA’s create awards for every single sub-genre of the medium, it’s really all subjective and therefore, not worth the time.

It’s not like the Oscars have “Best Comic Book Movie,” do they?

By: Lem

Lem — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 04:25:50 +0000

“It definitely projects the image that theyâ€™re trying to give out as many awards as possible and make webcomics (and the WCCAs themselves) look more important than they really are.”

I’m with this sentiment… there is a sense of trying to make webcomics out to be a world-changing medium, and as far flung as some of us are now (big book deals, awards, in papers etc), generally we’re still not really that important overall. I wouldn’t even go as far as to say we’re an Industry in the classical sense of the term. We don’t pay enough Taxes for that…

I would love to find out why xkcd isn’t nominated… especially considering how popular it is right now.

By: Maritza Campos

Maritza Campos — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 16:46:58 +0000

I think there was a Comixpedia cover about that.

By: Eric Millikin

Eric Millikin — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 00:25:18 +0000

So much hate in so many hearts. You all should try to read and make more romance comics! It’ll really chill you out.

Unless, of course, that whole “fuck webcomics” things was meant in an erotic way, in which case I see y’all’re already on the case.

Love Forever,
Eric M.

By: TalkAboutComics Blog » Jeff Lowrey Said It Best

TalkAboutComics Blog » Jeff Lowrey Said It Best — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 18:51:03 +0000

[...] Fleen blogger Jeff Lowrey didn’t write the controversy-stirring post but he wrote the defining comment to that post, on the subject of the WCCA’s: Man, they should figure out who won, but then never tell anyone. [...]

By: Tim Tylor

Tim Tylor — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 16:36:00 +0000

Gunnerkrigg Court has had a minotaur, a ghost, an evil(ish) spirit in a soft toy, fairies, death-gods and suchlike, so I’d say Fantasy is the correct pigeonhole there.

By: David C. Simon

David C. Simon — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 05:39:04 +0000

I see no problem at all with any industry, even one as fluid and anarchic as the Webcomics industry, taking a moment to try and promote its forerunners. It’s a big pat on the back, and I don’t see anything wrong with that at all – in fact as a nominee for this year I’ve been strongly encouraged to work harder and continue to improve my comic because I know that people are ctually noticing it (which is as much a shock as it is an honour).

But I take serious umbrage with Mr Kurtz’s assertion that creating and maintaining a webcomic isn’t really “accomplishing anything yet”. Sure, from a business/financial perspective, one could argue that most webcomics haven’t achieved anything yet – but that treats them as a commodity, rather than as an artform. There are many excellent webcomics which haven’t been published in print, and aren’t financially viable, but which I think are tremendous achievements and ought to be recognised as such. For a lot of us, our goals involve telling stories, making people think, or making them laugh – any kind of financial “success” would be a bonus, not the objective.

You may have found your groove, Mr Kurtz, but for most of us it isn’t easy to get started online – let alone to get noticed.

By: Digital Strips: The Webcomics Podcast

Digital Strips: The Webcomics Podcast — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 01:03:10 +0000

[...] If you’re in webcomics or you simply READ webcomics, you’ve seen this list, made your mind up as to who should win, who WILL win, and who shouldn’t even be on the list to begin with (Howard Taylor’s artwork on Starslip? O-V-E-Rated). Still, I love’s me some fiery debate, what some might even call drama, and so this little gem over at Fleen caught my eye. While most stories on the Fleen archives garner, on average, three-to-five comments each, some amass well over forty, usually due to the aforementioned debate breaking out. And lo! The god Kurtz doth bow down from his mighty mountain to deign what is right and righteous! Behold! Because the WCAA appear to be webcomics giving itself awards. Youâ€™re all patting yourselves on the back for kinda, sorta, maybe, not really accomplishing anything yet. […] [...]

By: Archon Divinus

Archon Divinus — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 17:33:59 +0000

I guess after winning an Eisner, the WCCAs aren’t good enough for Kurtz.