'Where are my comics?! ...ON THE WEB!'

By Dennis Bower 

Over the past few years, with the explosion of online content and blogging, an interesting phenomenon has happened: comics have moved online. There is a bevy of webcomics being posted everyday by a whole slew of creative types that are connecting to readers in an intimacy that has not happened in a very, very long time. Independent authors and artists are able to take their own projects online without the confines of editorial over site, the time consuming process of printing, and other obstacles that have crept up over the years. This is creating an unique direct open dialog between creator and consumer that might be the most exciting aspect of webcomics and is probably the closest thing to getting reality TV and comics together in one tidy location.

Recent moves by some of the major publishers are indicating that they too will someday be moving in the direction of online content distribution. What kind of delivery system will be anyone's guess, but the power of instantly being able to delve into the adventures of your favorite character is something that is truly super.

Here are my top 5 currently running, independently operated webcomics:

Pvponline - http://www.pvponline.com/
Starslip - http://www.starslip.com/
The Abominable Charles Christopher - http://www.abominable.cc/
Penny-Arcade - http://www.penny-arcade.com/
Girls with Slingshots - http://www.daniellecorsetto.com/gws.html

There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of comics hitting the interwebs everyday, only a click away for the readers of a new generation to become the fans of tomorrow.

Dennis Bower is the Digital Assets Coordinator for Sideshow Collectibles.