Webcomics Authorship: The Economics of Building Internet Communities

Leah MisemerUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison@lsmisemer

Jeph Jacques vs. Sam Logan

Jeph Jacques vs. Sam Logan

Jeph Jacques vs. Sam Logan

Jeph Jacques vs. Sam Logan

Fellow Dayfree Press members

Theorizing Webcomics Authorship

Looking at relationships between authors and readers via contact zones in comics Deconstructs romantic notions of authorship Provides a systematic view of authorship and

readership

Authorship in an attention economy Webcomics collectives

The contact zone: Authors as readers Guest comics

Author and Reader Relationships

Most scholarship situates authors and readers as antagonists

Scholarship on participatory culture sees fan writers as agents, but their writing remains in fan-only spaces

In serial comics, fan/reader content becomes integral to reading experience

“Contact zones” show relationships between readers and authors

Reframes authorship and readership as systematic, ecological relationships

Webcomics Collectives: Cooperative Competition

Webcomics Collectives: Dayfree

Webcomics Collectives: Dayfree

Cooperating to Compete

Guest Comics: Authors as Readers

Thank you!