I think it’s pretty friggin simple if you want to be on these panels. You just call the organizer and request or offer to be on one. And no offense to the comic book industry folks, but I really don’t think they have a clue of WHO EXACTLY TO ASK. There are many people on that side of the aisle that either, A. Consider things like Marvel’s DOTCOMICS as webcomics when you say, “webcomics” — OR….. B. They think.. “oh yeah, the guys in artist’s alley who can’t get published by real publishing places or afford real table space.”

Both are kind of insulting to webcomics, but WOW is that voice out there. Seriously guys… find out what conventions are coming up and try to get some experienced webcomic people ON THOSE PANELS!!!

Who really wants to be on these panels? I mean, the panel at San Diego was AWESOME because you had two all four of the top webcomic creators (and Kris Straub) offering advice.

It seems to me, especially if this is happening on a trade day, they might be talking about ideas they have in the works to put out comics online. Blah blah blah. I mean, we all know that’s coming, right?

Something tells me this is going to be the “lightly attended” portion of the show, and I won’t be the only one that’s not in attendance. Anybody able to take off a day’s work to listen to these guys? I’ll run your report here.

Also, if Wikipedia has taught us anything, it’s that one clique’s unfamiliarity with someone should not be the definition of that person’s “notability.” Here’s who these guys are:

Milton Griepp - ICv2 is one of the most frequently-cited news sources about comics. Its webcomics coverage has been rather cursory, but he’s still a knowledgeable source.

Josh Blaylock - Pullboxonline is a serious attempt to apply the 99-cent iTunes model to comics, and it’s targeting an audience that isn’t used to getting its comics for free. I think it’s facing long odds, but its business plan isn’t idiotic.

Richard Bruning, Jeremy Ross - I have to be discreet here. I’ll just say that I’ve heard these names frequently before, and that DC and Tokyopop choosing to join the webcomics discussion should be treated as news in itself.

Scott Rosenberg - I don’t really need to tell you about this guy. Love him or… no, I can’t complete that sentence. Be neutral about him or hate him, he’s already affected the game.

Heewoon Chung - He may be a poor English speaker, he may be trying too hard to fit in with “America’s traditional in-your-face marketing,” but Netcomics really is successful in Korea, and money talks. It might be interesting to see how he does against DC, at least.

Regis Maher II - Extreme Holdings, Inc. is the only real “HUH?” on this list for me– all Google tells me is that it seems to own an aircraft in Portland, Oregon (go here and scroll to the bottom). Portland is a major hub of comics culture– and that’s my only clue.

Maybe there should have been one or two of the Usual Suspects on this roster– but then, if there were, maybe they would be about as discordant a presence as Chung was with the Blank Labelers.

I suspect that Maher and at least two others on this list are planning to use this panel to leak new plans for the coming year.

Are these YOUR NEW WEBCOMIC OVERLORDS? Doubtful. Will some of them seriously challenge the established order? Very possibly, especially in the short term.

They could all be heading into Vietnam, as Crossgen did before them. Certainly there’s a lot of institutional thinking to overcome at big businesses, especially at DC. But American big business has demonstrated an ability to learn from small business, and I think it’s naive to assume it will never do so in webcomics, just because it hasn’t done so to date.

I look forward to the panel, and to Gary’s post-con write-up.

And that’s ENTIRELY too much time spent on THAT post.

There is a 1% margin or error. If this were Korean webcomics, there probably wouldn’t be. I’m sorry.

And Lord knows I’ve tried not to recall.

Dave Kellett: What are some obstacles in webcomics?

Jon Rosenberg: Shipping is a concern, definitely.

Paul Southworth: It seems like managing an inventory is a hassle.

Jim Zubkavich: It can be, but depending on –

Heewoon Chung: IN KOREA, NETCOMICS BRAND HAS OVER 4 MILLION PAGEVIEWS PER MONTH. THERE IS A COMIC FOR EVERY TASTE AT NETCOMICS. I AM THE PRESIDENT. NETCOMICS.