Are web comics a viable alternative to printed comic books?
AJA: I think it’s becoming more and more true that they are — but I think it also depends on the purpose of the comics. Guys like R. K. Millholland (Something Positive) manage to bring in enough through donations to make a living on the comic (or, at least, did the last time I checked). Rich Burlew of Order of the Stick has changed the model so that he’s built up his following online and is able to sell tie-ins and books that reprint his online work. I think that second model is the one that’s most likely to be sustained in the long run — people who love your work for free will pay for it so that they can hold it as a print version. Will all the people who love your work buy your product? Probably not. But I suspect it’s a big enough market that it has the potential to pay out for the rock stars of our industry. The rest of us will probably have to keep our day jobs. JM: Honestly, I hope that the printed comic (or graphic novel) never goes away and I strongly feel that it won’t. But, I
