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Webcomics


My first webcomic launched with this site in 1998. From 1998 to 2004, I regularly posted new comics in various experimental formats, occasionally getting into long online debates about whether this-or-that format was a step toward the future of comics or just a gimmicky dead-end.

Most of the comics in this section play with the idea of treating the screen as a window rather than a page (the so-called "infinite canvas" style, most often associated with my book Reinventing Comics). For the most part, that meant big, clunky html tables for users to scroll through, but a few of the later comics like The Right Number test-drove alternate methods like plug-ins which weren't available when the site launched in '98.

From 2004 on, I took a break from webcomics to create a couple of books and go on the road with my family for a year, but I hope to create new content again soon, starting with the conclusion of The Right Number and at least one more Morning Improv.

Today, most webcomics are short gag strips and most long-form comics are page-by-page formats that look a lot like their paper counterparts. The early tribe of mad scientists I belong to are a fringe movement—and in some ways, we always were. But with the advent of multi-touch displays, increased bandwidth, and increasingly efficient javascript engines on the way, we may yet see these issues resurface in the coming years. If so, I'll be here to try out whatever new ideas come my way and I hope you'll give them a read.

--Scott
February 2009

 

the right number

The Right Number Parts One & Two


2003-2004

Parts One and Two of a projected 3-part online graphic novella, displayed in a unique zooming format.

the morning improv

The Morning Improv


2001-2004

A series of improvisational short subjects based on reader suggestions.

zot online

Zot! Online: Hearts & Minds


2000

A 16-Part Online graphic novel featuring Zot and various characters from the original series.

i can't stop thinkingI Can't Stop Thinking


2000-2001

Comics-style essays on comics and technology from webcomics early days.


i can't stop thinkingMy Obsession with Chess


1998-1999

An autobiographical comic in two parts.


the carl storiesThe Carl Stories


1998-2001

Pointless interactive comics featuring everybody's favorite nobody, Carl!


porphyria's loverPorphyria's Lover


1998

My first online comic; an abstract adaptation of a poem by Robert Browning.