I suspect it's going to be a lousy time for ads in the near term.  Less money spent on them; less readers clicking on them (on the idea everyone is spending less).

I saw a decent thread on various ad systems over at webcomics.com -- I'm really curious about how January shakes out for creators running ads.  I'm currently using Joey Manley's new advertising platform - Webcomics World - but it's too soon to provide any feedback on it yet.  Previously I used a combination of Blog Ads, Project Wonderful and Google Ads.  Google ads have never worked for me, PW has always been a small amount (but consistent) and Blog Ads used to be pretty good but declined severely over 2008.

NOTE: I grabbed this link from the webcomics.com thread - Tony Piro wrote up an overview of many ad networks - a little out of date but still, a pretty useful overview.  One other new network you might also investigate is from Six Apart (they own typepad and moveable type) - I have not used it but did consider it last year.

Does anyone want to do some cover art for ComixTalk for January (like this month)?  Email me at xerexes AT gmail DOT com.

INTERVIEWS

Newsarama has an interview with Raina Telgemeier who is working on a graphic novel version of her webcomic-in-progress Smile.  Raina and her husband Dave Roman are two of the nicest (and talentest) folks in comics. (h/t Journalista!)

The Washington Post has an interview with Tom Rickard, the creator of the comic strip Brewster Rockit.  I didn't realize this started back in 2004, it is a better than average strip in terms of what's in the Post's comic pages.

Achewood creator Chris Onstad visits the Googleplex - click for a video of an interview with him there for Google's Authors At Lunch series.  (h/t Journalista!)

Following up on FLEEN's mention of the NPR story on Penny Arcade, a commenter lists several other webcomic stories NPR has covered: Achewood, Sluggy Freelance, Erfworld, Questionable Content, Megatokyo, Cyanide & Happiness.

TOOLS

Brian Fies, the creator of the web/comic Mom's Cancer has REALLY good advice on dpi requirements (72, 300, 600, 1200, etc) when scanning. (h/t Journalista!)

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BLOGS

In their weekly podcast, the Halfpixel crew talks about 2008 and looks ahead to 2009.

Scott Kurtz announced some changes to his other webcomic Ding! -- he took back the art chores from Paul Southworth and is now soliciting stories from players of the game World Of Warcraft to tell in the comic.  I think the format change is interesting, but I'll miss Southworth's take on the art.

I can't recall if I posted to this at the time or not but it's still a good refresher for anyone wanting to make a go at it in webcomics this year.  Last August, Howard Tayler gave a great talk about his webcomic Schlock Mercenary and how he's made it into a full time business.  It's a good talk - not just about Howard himself, but going through how the Internet has disrupted the existing newspaper comic strip model.

Slightly related update: Jeff Jarvis accumulates the depressing statistics of 2008 for the newspaper bidniz here - which only serves to reinforce Howard's point that chasing newspaper syndication is like catching a ride on the Titanic after it hit the iceberg.

BASH #6 is on the streets of D.C. and sporting a full-cover Obama portrait on the cover. Inside you'll find new exclusives from Theo Ellsworth, Eamon Espey, Colleen Frakes, Sean Ford, Bryan Stone, Dan Archer, and more. All the comics will be available throughout the month on the BASH Comic Calendar. 

Additionally, we have posted every back issue of BASH (#1-#5) online in full. They are linked on our homepage - www.bashmagazine.com - and are presented with the ISSUU reader. Enjoy!

NPR does a story on Penny Arcade (this is a couple days old but I just listened to it this morning) which does a decent job of capturing the comic although interesting it doesn't mention Robert Khoo's role in their business success.  Contrary to other reports though NPR did cover a webcomic before - it had an interview with Pete Abrams of Sluggy Freelance way back in 1998.

UNRELATED BONUS NOTE: New comic from Boxjam and Burke.  Funny!

As a follow up to our first collaboration, the 2007 Glyph Comic Award nominated scifi adventure "G.A.A.K: Groovy Ass Alien Kreatures", my partner Monique MacNaughton and I have decided to switch genres and try something a little different and A LOT darker with our upcoming project, the mystery/adventure web graphic novel The Continentals: That shape am I.

New Webcomic Hosting Site?

Webcomic Planet is still in beta but it is up and worth checking out.  Free hosting with wordpress plus the comicpress theme is a great idea plus its owners include Tyler Martin the creator of the comicpress theme as well as Philip Hofer of Frumph.net and John Bintz.

BEST OF 2008

Derik Badman had a short list of recommended best of 2008 webcomics.

El Santo notes that voting for the 2008 Weblog Awards starts this Monday -- there is a comic strip category that includes several webcomics (well they're all "web" comics but several are independent comics on the web)

And Happy Birthday To Me!

Sadly I've been sick all week and missed out on most of my plans for celebrating holidays and such but this past Friday was my birthday.   Apparently I'm semi-prominent enough to get a mention on The Comics Reporter (of course I did send in my birthdate to Tom, but regardless, thanks!) -- it's all downhill in comics for me now! :)

I posted a best webcomics list of 2008 on my blog yesterday, that I thought I'd share here too.

Republished from here:

Webcomics picks in no particular order:

–BodyWorld by Dash Shaw: Already on the previous list (my print comics list), but bears repeating.

Well I hope you had a marvelous New Year's Eve and whenever you wake up today in glorious 2009 make a few resolutions to make some comics and read some comics.  Expand your horizons.  Buy a new comic or some hep swag from your favorite artist.  Chip in a few bucks when someone taking the risk of making comics all the time hits a roadbump.  Have fun.  Take your wacom outside sometimes (Vitamin D is necessary you know...)...

Anyhow here's the traditional day in ComixTalk type post I do when I don't have any new ideas (and I'm curious if I ever did).  More posting (hopefully) beginning next Monday, January 5th.

2008

• Comixtalk user albone announced the launch of his webcomic Rival Angels which follows the story of Sabrina 'Ultragirl' Mancini as she looks to aspire to greatness in the world of pro wrestling. And still updating consistently a year later in 2009!
• Narbonic creator Shaenon K. Garrity returned to daily webcomic-making with the new comic Skin Horse created with co-writer Jeffrey Channing Wells.  One year later I'd have to say that I'm really enjoying it and it has filled the hole in my reading left my the end of her earlier effort Narbonic. 

2007

• Comixtalk user Brinkerhoff celebrated the first year of his webcomic Brinkerhoff.
• The comics industry jobs site http://comicjobz.com/ launched.  Currently the site is static with a page announcing "Relaunching in 2009!" 

2006

• Ozy and Millie creator D.C. Simpson has signed to bring his popular, critically-acclaimed comic strip Ozy and Millie back to Keenspot after being away for nearly three years.
• Remember Blamination! Despite the slapdash nature of these flash animations I really thought they were funny as heck: here's a link to one of the last ones: Kurtz and Straub Deliver PvP Alive!
  

2005

• Uncle Ghastly made his New Year's webcomic resolutions.  That reminds me I have to make some of my own for 2009 (although I kept almost none of them for 2008).

What a year!  Well while I'm shivering through the flu this New Year's Eve I hope some of you out there will celebrate the ringing in of 2009 right.  If it's not obvious already I decided to skip any big year-end lists or articles in 2008; I just didn't think I could do them justice this year.