Comments on: Ted Rall, Rich Stevens, others debate webcomic impact on cartooning

By: Phil Wohlrab

Phil Wohlrab — Sat, 10 May 2008 05:36:50 +0000

Well if I could make 20-26,000 on top of my full time salary, I could say that’s a success but only if it were easy money. My own personal sanity is worth it’s weight in gold. Drawing and writing a comic is hard, especially after coming home from a creative job.
Life isn’t fair.
I’m sure there are a lot of great artists out there who might try their hand at a comic strip, but don’t because they’ve got a creative day job.

By: Wiley Miller

Wiley Miller — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:57:45 +0000

“If i were a cartoonist that made 20,000 or 26,000 a year Iâ€™d consider myself a failure.”

I think that depends entirely on what one’s goal is and how long they’ve been at it. Both “success” and “failure” can be defined rather loosely.

By: Phil Wohlrab (

Phil Wohlrab ( — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:53:04 +0000

If i were a cartoonist that made 20,000 or 26,000 a year I’d consider myself a failure. That is too little money for full time work. Like I said, Comic strips can break out of their format on the Web, so why even bother doing a traditional strip? Flash cartoons are way cooler.

I probably make about as much or more than most syndicated cartoonists working full time as an illustrator…and I havent even started selling vector art on shutterstock yet. look out!

By: Larry Levine

Larry Levine — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:12:49 +0000

I just want to earn a living doing what I love, regardless of turf.

By: Dawn Douglass

Dawn Douglass — Sat, 03 May 2008 23:26:00 +0000

Whether it’s “syndication sucks and the web is the future” or “web comics suck and syndication is still the mark of success,” these arguments are old, boring and have never done anything to improve a single cartoonist’s situation.

It’s typical for people to cling to “us vs. them” arguments and resentments when they’re bitter about their own economics. Just ask Obama.

So yes, some syndicated cartoonists feel superior to web cartoonists and vice versa. It’s all nonsense.

By: Rod McKie

Rod McKie — Sat, 03 May 2008 21:29:56 +0000

Quite what your point is Dawn I don’t know, but as usual you helped make mine. As you seem unsure of what I was saying I’ll sbridge it for you. I’m saying that people have an exageratted and over-inflated notion of what ‘making it’ is, when they think that you haven’t ‘made it’ until you make $2 billion a year from cartoons and merchandise.

I’m saying that is not the case and it’s curious that some cartoonists will be regarded as ‘making it’ when they are pulling in $20,000 a year from syndication and yet someone online making $26,000 will be regarded as less succesful. That is the economics of the madhouse.

By: Vlad Kolarov

Vlad Kolarov — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:14:08 +0000

Good or bad, who knows…

The whole civilization and progress is based on that dilemma…

Ah, well… This post has no point, other than adding my name under 260 other comments :-)

By: Phil Wohlrab

Phil Wohlrab — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:09:50 +0000

Forget comic strips, flash cartoons are the future. By that I mean, what site would get more traffic on the web, comic strips or flash cartoons? Comic strips serve a purpose in the newspaper. They’re drawn a certain size for print media, they’re a nice fun addition to your daily news. Comic strips are something your average person would search their bland newspaper for, but on the web the average person I feel would seldom search for comic strips on the internet when there is so much other content calling for their attention. Games, comedy etc… Why make a comic strip at all if it’s only intended purpose is to be on the internet? Why not do a flash cartoon with characters and the like? It’s much more suited for the internet that a short 3 panel cartoon that is disconnect from it’s true home— the newspaper.
-P

By: Malc McGookin

Malc McGookin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:50:23 +0000

People should really study the history of the big cartoon successes and find out how and why they are as big as they are.

It’s not rocket science, the reasons certain strips became successful are all available to those who wish to scrutinize, even using the info on the web would be an education. It would certainly help prevent people from scribbling their lives away in fruitless search for fame and glory.

The fact is that the system, the whole infrastructure (two or three paper towns, etc) that allowed individual cartoonists to pile up fortunes is no longer there.

By: Dawn Douglass

Dawn Douglass — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:15:52 +0000

Rod said: For me debating â€˜howâ€™ when Penny Arcade and PVP have already shown â€˜howâ€™, is a frankly ridiculous position.

Okay, so cartoonists are all supposed to host large conventions like Penny Arcade in order to make big money online? Get real.

And if Scott Kurtz has figured out “how” then why has he been here asking others how?

What’s “ridiculous” is thinking that the way things are online today is the way things will always be. The Web is evolving a hell of a lot faster than newspapers are declining.

What’s true today isn’t going to hold true tomorrow. That goes for newspaper cartoonists AND web cartoonists.

So regarding this endless “web vs. print” debate, I’d just like to add a juicy PPLLLPPT.