WEBCOMICS ALLIANCE - THE YODA OF WEBCOMICS

Now I'm sure a lot of you out there have either created, or thought about creating, a webcomic. Not an easy thing to do, is it? It's a very innovative profession that needs a lot of patience, talent, and determination to steer this type of production in the right direction. But who, prey-tell, could help you with this innovative task? Batman's too busy fighting crime. And Spiderman is currently predisposed at the moment. So why don't you ask my great mate, Byron, instead? Here, check out a conversation we had only the other day, whilst predisposing crime-fighters with some patience and some talent.





1) What are your own origins, Byron?   I was born on a farm, and then raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Wanted to be a cartoonist as a young man, but eventually ended up in Broadcast Television. At age 50, I decided to follow my passion and change careers to become a cartoonist.

2) How did you and the chaps at WebComic Alliance get together?   We were all involved in a group of artists known as 'Webcomic Planet', but it was a huge group, and it never had any focus. So, when WCP died off, we decided to start our own smaller group, with a focus on education. We had met up at the C2E2 convention in 2010, and hit it off really well. So it just evolved from that.

3) In your own words how would you describe your site?   An introductory course on webcomics. We target our information for those starting or trying to grow their comic.

4) If ‘WCA’ was a song, what song would it be and why?   'You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet' by Bachman-Turner Overdrive -- because it’s true. We’re just getting a head of steam going over at the Alliance. 

5) If a movie was made about your podcast, what actor would play who, and again, why?   The cast of 'Firefly', because we’re a tad bit like renegades fighting an up-hill battle, plus there’s certainly no lack of crazy in our group as well.

6) What have you and learnt about yourself via this endeavour? And were there any unforeseen obstacles you had to content with?   What I've learned is I really enjoy helping others succeed. The biggest obstacle is keeping information fresh and current. We put out a lot of information.

7) What do you love about Webcomics the most? Plus what do like about them the least?    The number one thing I love is the independence. The thing I hate the most is ego. There’s never a lack of ego in any artistic endeavor, whether it be TV, music, movies, or comics. 

8) If you could get a celebrity – either living or dead – to promote your site, what person would you get, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   Easy, Bill Cosby. Combine great story telling and sense of humor with lessons of life. Even though Cosby’s jokes are mainly about family life, much of what he says applies to the business world too.

9) Out of the members of your team, who do you think would make the best President of America?   Not me, because I smoke dope. Dawn Griffin would be great at it as she’s a tremendous organizer and doesn't take crap from anyone. 

10) During your time in this field, what piece of advice would you want to impart on a web-comic creator?   One word: Patience. Nothing happens overnight. It takes years to develop a following and a good plan to follow to grow your art and your business.

Wow! I couldn't have put it better myself, Byron. Don't you agree, folks? So what are you waiting for? Check out WebComic Alliance today. Plus when you've got the time please don't forget to follow them on facebook or twitter, OK? Trust me, if you want to delve into the field of webcomics, I'm sure they'd be the perfect place to start.