Typically I use this space to recommend interesting webcomics I come across, but this week I’m going start with some recent news topics in the webcomics world.
The first is the ongoing effort by Alex Norris to reclaim his rights to Webcomic Name, his popular online comic. Even if the name doesn’t ring a bell, more than likely you’ve seen his fun, blobby characters in your social media feed at some point:
Norris is currently involved in a legal dispute with a company he entered into an agreement with to make a board game based on his comic. He’s trying to raise funds for his legal fees on GoFundMe, he says, in order to retain all the right to his creation:
I have been fighting this case since 2019. It arose out of an agreement to make a boardgame based on my webcomic in 2017 but the publishing company has used this as an opportunity to take all of my intellectual property, and has even claimed ownership of Webcomic Name as a whole. I can’t go into more detail here, but the details of the case are publicly available to read online.
Yes they are. The company in question is Golden Bell Studios, a company that has had issues in the past, apparently was banned from Kickstarter and even appeared on The People’s Court (where they lost). Norris is looking to raise £120,000, and so far has raised around £104,000.
The second is the recent announcement by Leeanne Krecic that she planned to remove her ultra-popular and award-nominated webcomic Let’s Play from Webtoon.
Krecic posted her reasons for pulling romance/gaming strip on her personal website:
This was an incredibly difficult decision, and no single event led to it. There have been ongoing difficulties for several years, most of which I can’t discuss, nor is this the appropriate forum. But some concerns include Let’s Play being excluded from marketing, despite promises to the contrary, and placing LP behind an age gate when there are series with far more controversial content that isn’t restricted. My representation has voiced these concerns and others to the necessary individuals at WEBTOON, but the blame was reflected back at me for incredibly far-fetched reasons. These issues, among many others, have made me feel marginalized and that WEBTOON does not value Let’s Play or me.
Let’s Play has run on Webtoon for three seasons, and Krecic says it will return for a fourth season “once I am contractually able to do so.”
Finally, let’s talk about Tumblr. “Tumblr?” you may ask. “Is it still around?” Oh yes. Although usage certainly dropped in recent years, it’s had a bit of resurgence in recent weeks due to the fact that it’s not owned by Elon Musk.
We’ve never stopped posting over there — you can find and follow us here — and it’s been nice to suddenly see some familiar faces start posting again. And some new ones! One of my favorite recent discoveries over there is the Tumblr for Trungles, creator of The Magic Fish, who has posted a few Never Improve webcomic strips:
Give Trungles a follow to see more.