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Print Vs. Digital; Comics Vs. Webcomics; What’s the Difference?
What makes webcomics such as Earthsong, Today Land, and Spurs and Stripes different from traditional comics like The Dork Tower, The Avengers, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer?
“Webcomics, in my opinion, are very accessible to read and to make nowadays for everyone, since the internet is so widespread and utilized by nearly everyone,” says the author of Today Land, Jason Mercado.
There is one difference between comics and webcomics. Webcomics are digital, while comics are print. There are two main yet indirect differences in how they interact with their audience caused by their primary delivery system; access and profit.
“A good number of webcomics are free to read online by independent artists and are typically created by fans for fans of traditionally published comics,” explains Red, the writer of Spurs and Stripes,” I often think there are no boundaries to what webcomics can become because of that.”
Red brings into perspective the two aspects that differ between comics and webcomics.
As far as content and access, comics and webcomics are similar in terms of quality, genres, characters, inclusion, and overall story. As you can see from the results of the Webcomic Reader Habits Survey, the genres used in webcomics are the same ones used in traditional comic books.
Let’s compare some webcomics and traditional comics to put them into perspective.
Earthsong is a fantasy comic created by Crystal Yates centred around a Sanctuary planet with residents from all over the universe fighting for the safety of their world.
The Avengers is a superhero comic book by Marvel that tells the story of a team of superheroes that span different universes that protect the Earth (mainly) from impending doom. They have similar content; superheroes fighting for good across the galaxy. The characters even include fantasy and sci-fi elements with LGBTQ+ characters.
If that’s not enough of a comparison, let’s look at some of a different genre. Buffy's The Vampire Slayer and…
