Cooties

So I’m noticing that if I don’t totally screw it up, my 200th strip and Cooties’ 3rd anniversary should fall on the same day! June 23rd. It’s coming…

I’ve been reading many different discussions and books about the art form of webcomics lately. There seems to be a tendency among so many of us to imitate the form (if not the content) of printed newspaper comics and comic books. There’s nothing wrong with that, as we tend to bring the mindset of the form over from the comics and creators that inspired us to make our own stories and jokes; however, in keeping ourselves in that mindset, we tend to limit ourselves and not take advantage of the opportunities that being on the web affords us. Some are making great efforts to expand the form of their art to match the online medium (i.e., infinite canvas or animation). Others keep the same physical form of newspaper strips or comic book pages, but prefer to expand the possibilities in terms of content (this tends to find expression in mature-themed comics that could never be published in a newspaper, for instance).

But what I’ve noticed is that almost all webcomic artists are stuck in the mindset (as I’ve been for the most part) that they have to choose a standard page or strip size and stick to it day after day, as if they were still trying to vie for limited space that’s been doled out to them by an editor of a comics page or comic book publisher.

Why are we doing this? Are we trying to make people feel comfortable, like somehow they’re still reading a newspaper strip every morning over their coffee as they’ve always done? Are we planning on eventually publishing our work into a printed form, and making our comics a standard size to match? For many, it’s the latter, but I don’t think that will be a concern for me.

So I realized: if I want to keep Cooties pretty much exclusively online, why do I continue to limit my strip sizes to a standard form when I really don’t need to? And furthermore, would varying my strip sizes enable me to change my update frequency? I’ve done some reflecting and experimenting, and decided that Cooties needs to be more or less a daily strip (I’ve been on my first story for almost 3 years now!) and that by varying the size of my updates I can make it happen. So starting Monday, May 11, Cooties will now update 5 days a week. Here is the rundown, so you’ll know what to expect.

Mondays – short 1-2 panel strip; these may or may not be colored.
Tuesdays – newspaper style. Probably will color, but I may experiment with some new black-and-white techniques
Wednesdays – see Monday
Thursdays – random sketch, drawing, guest art, etc. Separate from the story
Fridays – the big, full-color Cooties strips you’re used to seeing.

So yeah, it won’t be a giant colored page every day, but I think it’s better than what I’ve been offering up until now. I want to make stopping by the site every day for something new a part of your routine, and hope not to disappoint! See ya on Monday!

The unannouned hiatus I had is now over. Sorry I never posted anything about my lack of updates; it’s been extremely hectic, or at least it felt that way. Things are falling back in order now, and regular updates will continue for the forseeable future. They may be small ones like today’s, but I will at least keep plugging along with something on schedule. Thanks for putting up with me, folks!