Monday, January 1, 2007

Wednesday Webcomic Weview FAQ

What's with the name?

Damn, you people are picky. The repetitive consonants are funny. Trust me.


Why haven't you reviewed my favorite webcomic yet? When are you going to?

There are a gazillion web comics out there, and more are springing up every day. There's no way in hell I could ever review them all. Use the search bar at the top of the blog to see if your comic has already been reviewed, or appears on the "To be reviewed" list to the right of the blog. For a full schedule of upcoming reviews, see the BetaPwned Calendar.


How do I get a webcomic on the review list?

First, you email me with the following information:

Your name.
Your contact information.
Your contribution, if any, to the webcomic. (Artist, writer, etc...)
The name of the webcomic.
The webcomic URL.
Anything special you'd like to tell me about the webcomic.

Secondly, you hunker down for a long wait - your comic will be placed at the bottom of the list.


That's obscene! Isn't there any way I could get reviewed sooner?

There are two ways that your webcomic can be bumped up the list:

1 - Webcomic Death: Should a webcomic already scheduled for review stop updating or otherwise shut down, the last webcomic on the schedule will be bumped up to take it's place.

2 - Reasonable Request: Should you have a convincing reason backing your request to bump your scheduled review date, email me and let me know. Reasonable requests might include wanting to use the review as publicity for an upcoming print release or knowledge that the webcomic will conclude before the scheduled review date. Not sure if your request is reasonable? It won't hurt to ask, I'm very nice.


Can I request a review for any webcomic, or does it have to be one I'm involved with?

I'll honor all requests, regardless of affiliation. Please keep in mind, however, that well-known/professional comics are limited to around one per month so you might have to wait a hell of a long time for a review of one of the big boys.


What do you consider "well-known/professional"?

It's a pretty subjective determination. Generally, if the creator is traveling out of state for more than one convention a year and/or their readership numbers in the hundreds of thousands, I consider them to be well-known/professional. Webcomics that have been picked up by industry publishers also count.


You're too damn nice. Do you ever give a bad review?

There are plenty of places to visit if you're looking to see someone's hard work torn to shreds, that's not what I'm about. That's not to say that my reviews aren't honest, however. I simply try to focus on those aspects I appreciate, as well as give an appraisal of the comic's building blocks and offer a comment here and there about what I would like to see improved.


How the hell am I supposed to know if you hated a comic then? Why not use a rating system?

There isn't much in this life I actually hate. If, however, my suggestions for improvement outnumber the other bits I've written about a comic you can safely assume that I didn't like it.

I dislike rating systems for a number of reasons - first and foremost being that unless directed at something formulaic, rating systems are completely subjective. It's my understanding that the purpose of a webcomic review is to give a potential reader some idea as to whether or not the comic might interest them. Knowing subjectively how I feel about something does nothing to aid an understanding of how another individual might feel about it.


Are there any types of webcomics that you will refuse to review?

So far I haven't been presented with a comic so bad, or so offensive, that I wouldn't review it. There have been a couple that would take a serious stretch of the mind to write something beyond "Oh gods... please make it stop", but I'd still give it a go. Obviously, I draw the line at anything criminal - no kiddy-porn, no overt threats to actual people, etc... comics in that realm will simply be reported.