#5- The Community

One thing Webcomics almost uniformly have are communities. Most comics have forums, or are part of a collective that have them, that promote discussion of the comics, as well as random blatherings and places just to chat with other fans. Don't like the direction a comic is going? You can bring the issue up and discuss it with other fans. Have some questions about the comic that you can't find the answers yourself? There are dozens of people eager to help you with that. Also; webcomic creators tend to be a friendly bunch, and they generally keep their forums running in a similar fashion. Therefore, webcomic communities are a fairly pleasant place to spend a day; aside from all the drama that spills over from webcomic to webcomic. Even the drama can be entertaining, in a kind of schadenfreude kind of way.

#4- Quick And Friendly Updates!

Unlike print comics, where you have to wait a month or so to see what happens next, webcomics usually prefer a "page at a time" method of conveying the story. While this may sometimes take longer, it means the story doesn't have to keep making little stops at the end of every issue. Instead, you get a gentle constant flow of pages, satiating your appetite enough that you aren't suffering, but not so much you gorge yourself in the process. Also, when creators are delayed, it's a fairly big deal, as it's already been a few weeks gone since the last issue, and so the wait is that much more painful. In webcomics; however, the pages take less time to come, so the gap between hits is shortened exponentially.

#3- Artists are Accessible

Pretty much every artist receives fan mail on a regular basis. Some of them even reply, but for the most part it gets lost in the shuffle. For webcomic creators, though, while often they do have many fans and people who talk to them, the fact that they usually have a smaller fan base makes them more accesable and easy to get in touch with. People can only spend so much a day reading mail, and since many web artists get less than the big name print people, they have more time to spend with each e-mail. In addition to mail, there's also the afore mentioned forums and communities that sprout out among webcomic fans everywhere. Also, at the various cons and conventions that happen on a nearly daily basis, there's usually at least one webcomic guy poking his head around. And since they spend most of their time either hanging out with their fans and accolades, or just checking the con out, they're easy to get a hold of if you have something you want to say, or browbeat them into bowing to your will. Either or, really.

#2- There Are Just Some Good Comics Out There

While webcomics have a reputation for being mind boggling horrible, as they are almost entirely created by fans and amateurs, not professionals like in the print industry, there are an amazing array of decent comics out there. While it may take some time to find one that you like among the millions of comics, the law of averages says (okay, it doesn't say this at all, but work with me here) that there will be at last a handful that are of a quality that matches your high expectations. Also, since many of these well done comics gather in groups of other like minded individuals, it's often easy to go from one good comic, to finding another one. People are always searching for the newest awesome comic, and once they find one, are more than happy to spread the gospel.

And the number one reason is...

#1- Can't Find A Comic That Suits Your Needs? Make One!

If even after all that, you can't find a comic that you like; well, you could always do your own. Unlike print comics, which have editors and publishers and have tons of money on the line for every decision they make, deciding to start a webcomic is a fairly low impact decision for the creator. Even if you aren't the worlds best writer, or the greatest artist to appear this generation, remember, almost all webcomic artists start off as fans. Webcomics are all about learning what style suits your needs, and what kind of stories you want to tell. And if you don't like what you're doing any more, you can just stop. If you have fans, then tidy up the story and tie any loose ends, and cut ship and run like hell. Since there's very little money invested, almost entirely webdomain and hosting costs, saying goodbye to a comic is a very easy thing to do. Either way, comics are a great hobby, as either creator or appreciator.

So that's all for this week, even though there's probably a hundred more reasons I could sprout out at you. In any case, now that I've convinced you to read webcomics (and I HAVE convinced you, no matter what thoughts to the contrary you may possess), next week I'll have some examples of the kinds of things I like to shove down your gullets.

Love and kisses for you all, fellow web goers! Love and kisses.