Webcomics Nation
Owner | Joey Manley |
---|---|
URL | webcomicsnation.com |
Launched | July 29, 2005 |
Current status | discontinued, URL occupied by malware site |
Webcomics Nation was a
Concept
Though Joey Manley was well known for creating a family of webcomic
Webcomics Nation also aided cartoonists with little to no experience with web technologies to set up a webcomic. Talking with Publishers Weekly, Manley stated that "A lot of people don't have that kind of dedication to technology. The younger cartoonists do, but some older cartoonists don't."[6]
History
Manley launched WebcomicsNation.com on July 29, 2005 after having the service
The free version of Webcomics Nation became available in 2006. Eric Millikin, beta-testing new Webcomics Nation features in late 2006, described the evolving user interface as closer to that of Adobe products than a typical Web-based interface.[8] By 2006, many cartoonists were running webcomics on Webcomics Nation, including Modern Tales usuals such as Shaenon K. Garrity,[9][10] Lea Hernandez, and Tom Hart, as well as print comics veterans like Jay Stephens, Batton Lash, and Ingalill Roesberg.[2]
In 2007, Manley collaborated with OnlineComics.net-creator Josh Roberts to expand on ComicSpace, Roberts' comics-oriented social media and publishing platform. Webcomics Nation was merged into this platform, alongside some of Manley's other websites,[1][11] and ComicSpace was planned to "relaunch" in the second quarter of 2008 as an "all-in-one solution for webcomic creators [and] social networkers interested in comics".[12] In January 2009, Manley wrote that the merger was "one of the more technically difficult projects" they had undertaken, and that it was taking longer than he had hoped.[13] Webcomics Nation and Manley's other websites closed down in April 2013, and he died in November that same year.[14][15]
References
- ^ a b Spurgeon, Tom (2007-11-02). "Newsmaker Interview: Joey Manley". The Comics Reporter. Archived from the original on 2018-10-17.
- ^ a b Deppey, Dirk (July 2006). "The Joey Manley Interview". The Comics Journal. Archived from the original on 2018-09-29.
- ^ Boxer, Sarah (2005-08-17). "Comics Escape a Paper Box, and Electronic Questions Pop Out". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2019-10-20.
There's even a new site out there called webcomicsnation.com, which is supposed to do for Web comics what Blogger did for blogs and Flickr did for photo sharing.
- ^ Walker, Leslie (2005-06-15). "Comics Looking to Spread A Little Laughter on the Web". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-07-30.
Manley ... has concluded that advertising represents the industry's future. So he is preparing to launch Webcomicsnation, a site that will offer unlimited Web space to any cartoonist for $7 a month. Manley hopes to turn a profit selling ads. ... 'I am no longer the publisher. I am the service provider.'
- from the original on 2017-12-14.
Manley introduced WebComicsNation, a free hosting platform for webcomics. As free comics supported by ad revenue started to eclipse the increasingly unpopular subscription model, Manley turned Modern Tales into a partly free, then entirely free site.
- ^ a b MacDonald, Heidi (2005-12-19). "Web Comics: Page Clickers to Page Turners". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 2018-11-06.
Webcomics Nation has already become Manley's most profitable project ever.
- ^ Manley, Joey (2005-07-29). "Webcomics Nation is Open for Business". Talk About Comics. Archived from the original on 2005-11-15.
- ^ Xerexes, Xaviar (2006-12-16). "The Comixpedia End of 2006 Roundtable". Comix Talk.
Webcomics Nation engine is already amazing, but what I've seen from beta testing some of the new features of the 2.0 version makes the future look even more incredible. There's parts of the next generation interface that feel more like you're using Adobe products then a typical web-based interface.
- ^ MacDonald, Heidi (2006-08-01). "Garrity new Modern Tales editor". Comics Beat.
- ^ MacDonald, Heidi (2009-07-07). "Garrity's Skin Horse collection out from Couscous". Comics Beat.
Skin Horse ... is the most popular comic strip on the WebComicsNation hosting site.
- ^ Alverson, Brigid (2009-07-28). "Unbound: Rethinking Girlamatic". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 2018-10-15.
- ISBN 978-1598636826.
Formerly separate websites ComicSpace (created by Josh Roberts) and Webcomics Nation (created by Joey Manley), ComicsSpace is relaunching in the second quarter of 2008 as an all-in-one solution for webcomic creators, social networkers interested in comics, or both.
- ^ Manley, Joey (2009-01-29). "ComicSpace Merger Status Update for January 29, 2009". TalkAboutComics. Archived from the original on 2009-02-07.
- ^ Melrose, Kevin (2013-11-08). "Modern Tales founder Joey Manley passes away". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on 2018-09-26.
- ^ MacDonald, Heidi (2013-08-11). "RIP Joey Manley". the Beat. Archived from the original on 2014-07-06.
... that site [ComicSpace] and Modern Tales were eventually shut down.
External links
- Official website, archived using the Wayback Machine