Forums / Discussion / Meme Research

Alright, ladies and gents, since I've been working on the webcomics entry for awhile now, I think it would be a good idea to start working on entries for notable webcomics that would fit well on the site. This is a lot like MrJ's YouTube project, except that this is directed at webcomics. I'm asking you all to find comics you think are worth making an entry for, and starting that entry. Keep in mind two things when deciding whether or not a comic deserves a page:

1. That comic is a defining example of a notable comic within a certain subculture or focus of interest online.
Ex: Penny Arcade/gamer, TwoKinds/furries

2. That comic has memes related to it through reference or content.
Ex: Crtl Alt Del/Abortion parodies

Overall, please don't make an entry for every comic you like; keep it centered around memetic content and notability. I'll help out in any way I can, but I may not know anything about the comic you're creating an entry for. If you need anything, PM me, and I'll get back to ASAP.

Don't go create webcomic entries too quickly.

For example, the Ctrl+Alt+Del entry. Besides CADbortion, it has no memetic spread. It's popular, but not to the extend that it warrants an entry or can be claimed a subculture. There is no extra information that must be covered that isn't covered already in the CADbortion entry. In cases like that you can just give a little background info in a submeme entry.

With webcomics you strongly have to remember: Fandom =/= Subculture. A few memes does not make something a subculture. If the webcomic is related to a single website, first check its ranking on sites like Compete or Alexa, compare the results to other more popular webcomics.

As for your first point Brawler, it's a kinda bad example. Legit webcomics like xkcd or Cyanide and Happiness don't center around a certain existing subculture. If a webcomic does, see if it perhaps can do with a mention in the subculture entry, being an example of notable spread to that subculture.

Your second point as well. As said before, memes do not make something qualify as a subculture. If you look at xkcd, that only has 1 sub-meme. Cyanide and Happiness has only 2 sub-memes.

It's better to look at the impact it has created online and perhaps even the mainstream. Don't look at small fads or memes only. Can the webcomic be called notable if you take away their submemes or subcultures they're related to? If the answer to that is no, it's most likely not a legit webcomic entry.

I thought the webcomic entries were going to be made like site entries? If they're notable online, they don't necessarily have to have memes associated w/ them ie explodingdog

Like Brawl In The Family?

Has been given a mention in the Smash Brothers entry. Not big or notable enough for a seperate entry.

But yes, a website like Amanda means in her post.

Which is what I was trying to refer to, however successfully or lack thereof.

I'm just gonna list off a bazillion webcomics I know are fairly popular off the top of my head, feel free to yay/nay make pages or w/e. Some of these might even have entries already. Others might just be well known/appreciated in comic circles and not necessarily as a part of the wider Internets. others are just OLD AS HELL

Super Mega Comics

Pokey the Penguin

KC green / Gunshow (origin of staredad and I'm okay with this)

PVPonline

VGcats

8bit theater

Achewood

Dinosaur Comics

Almost all of natalie dee / drew's stuff

Wondermark

A Softer World

Dresden Codak

Riceboy

Cucumber Quest

Nedroid

Octopus Pie

Cat and Girl

Diesel Sweeties

Dr. McNinja

Chester 5000

Oglaf

Three Word Phrase

Hipster Hitler

Scenes form a Multiverse

Overcompensating

Questionable Content

Axe Cop

I figure it's better to list too many. If nothing else, you'll have some nice comics to read :)

Hey, I have sum webcomics to share too. Like Olivia's post, these don't really need to be turned into entries (unless you want them to be), but I am still going to list them here for completeness sake.

• El Goonish Shive
• Bittersweet Candy Bowl
• Lackadaisy
• Sandra and Woo
• Shadbase
• Dueling Analogs
• GG-Guys
• 2P Start!
• The Lounge

There is no way we will be able to do that many entries in a reasonable amount of time without either a lot of help or a serious drop in quality. If we are going to do site entries for individual comics, then we will have to set the bar extremely high – there are a LOT of comics out there, many with very high readerships. We need to do some triage if we're going to stay sane.

So that's a no on Sofa Wars then?

/joke

Oh yeah, I definitely didn't mean that all of them were to be made into entries. I was just listing off a whole bunch so we could pick the most significant ones without missing any.

We should pick the most significant ones by traffic and give them site entries. We can then parent any linked memes under them.

Also, copyright claims are probably inbound. Webcomic authors tend to be a sensitive bunch, and especially dislike others altering their work. I'm waiting for the inevitable closure of Hark! A Vagrant!'s image section.

Cyanide and Happiness, xkcd, and The Oatmeal are the only three webcomics I've really followed. I know xkcd has an entry, but I'm not sure about the other two, and seeing as The Oatmeal convinced Tumblr to adopt the Tumbeasts as their new server overload error, I think it at least deserves some noteriety.
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Also, I noticed on /r/gaming lately that people have been using a C&H comic, where somebody is getting a job interview, and the business they're applying at and skill set are always altered to represent the gaming company depicted in that comic.

ie:
Applicant: "I promise diverse endings to fans, only to deliver the exact same endings in different colors!"

Employer: "You're hired!"

The next frame would then show on the doorway to the employer's office Bioware's logo in this example as the Applicant and Employer shakes hands.

+1 The Oatmeal, for reals.

Also, is there any way to look at traffic for older webcomics that aren't as popular /active today, like 8bit theater?

There are a few of those comics that I follow, as well as Order of the Stick, Tom the Dancing Bug, Darths and Droids, and Weapon Brown. I'm willing to make an entry for any comic I follow, but I think there's no point in having an entry for a comic unless it either has spawned multiple memes or has created a prominent subculture. Penny Arcade is the only one that clearly fits those criteria that doesn't already have an entry, but some of the other ones might be noteworthy and I just can't think why at the moment.

Other comics I don't follow so regularly but do seem to have a significantly devoted fan base:
Alien Loves Predator
Perry Bible Fellowship
Sinfest
Bob the Angry Flower

How about Pictures for Sad Children? I haven't been following the comic myself, but I often see its comic panels used as reaction images, with That is my fetish being the most common.

Bumping this thread for more possible entries, and +1 on Penny Arcade.