djcoffman
The pluses outweigh any negatives in my opinion and experience in drawing comics for over 13 years now and I've seen it all come and go and come again.

Well as far as the “rights” thing goes and signing things away, you're not really selling it whole hog, you're included in being the creator, and royalties on just about anything. If DC starts selling your comic as a scented fart, you get paid. Plus they pay you 250 a page if you get the contract, that's nothing to sneeze at, AND you'd suddenly find yourself with real inside connections at DC, Time Warner… People ARE going to take you more seriously if you have those affiliations. Hell you might be able to land big gigs outside the industry just by having those things as credits– and it's a hell of a resume thing to have in your belt. I think it's all how you work it as your own business man, if that makes sense?

As far as the “format” of 800x600 goes, if you talk to them, I think they actually MEAN that it has to be that proportional shape of page size. When you hit “full screen” on the flash player, the images are much larger and more detailed. Zuda actually asks for a higher resolution final file— they just mean that proportional landscape size is all. So IF someone with a 800x600 size screen were to hit “full screen” there would be no scrolling.

i think dj has some solid points about the positives that might come of zuda, not just to the creators there, but the webcomics community. maybe with DC getting involved in webcomics, it will become more mainstream, but then again, that gives the risk of it becoming a soulless corporate gimmick and would lose some of the independent beauty that webcomics have. i don't think zuda though, is for a lot of people that are in webcomics right now. it honestly seems like they want professional cartoonists working as if they would for a sindicated strip. the format reminds me a lot of sunday comics in newspapers with those restrictions.
i think right now DC is playing it pretty conservative and safe because they are journeying into a new market which is still very much emerging. i wouldn't let creators go wild and create anything if i was a business and thinking of an investment. i at least applaud DC for trying something new but i fear (and anticipate) that it will not go over well. as many of stated before, these comics do not have the same ‘feel’ as many webcomics do. they seem a bit soulless, and thrown into the submission because creators are scared to give away their baby.
honestly, i don't think its for me, or many webcomic creators here because we didn't go into webcomics to make money or sell the story. we do it because we love the freedom and structureless beauty that webcomics offer us. ultimately i don't think DC will ever truly do ‘webcomics’ because they are a business, looking to make money, not to create art or stories.

I'm going to give it a try. Hell, why not! I've got alot of ideas and charcters, some i'm going to use and i will keep for myself and others that i want! The ones that i want use will go to Zuda! I have the balls to be critized badly, i've been cut down by both DC, Marvel and Image before so i can take it…i think!


Pray for me…PLEASE!

Hey, Zuda is advertising on drunkduck too!

Now that it's been running a while, any new thoughts on it?

Volte6
Hey, Zuda is advertising on drunkduck too!

Now that it's been running a while, any new thoughts on it?

There's a thread about it in TD.

TD is a junk drawer, not a discussion section. If the line is getting blurred and people are actually starting to believe it's a legitimate section I might have to lock that section as purely archival. I was worried it would come to this when people started making posting there into a game.

zuda offers different service to DD in my opinion…i'm pretty sure we won't have a decline of quality in DD's comics cause of zuda.

Volte6
TD is a junk drawer, not a discussion section. If the line is getting blurred and people are actually starting to believe it's a legitimate section I might have to lock that section as purely archival. I was worried it would come to this when people started making posting there into a game.

I was only pointing it out.

subcultured
zuda offers different service to DD in my opinion…i'm pretty sure we won't have a decline of quality in DD's comics cause of zuda.

I certainly won't walk off to zuda…

but then again mycomics aren't the greatest lol

I can tell already that my comic wouldn't last five minutes at Zuda.

As I understand it you have to give them exclusive rights even if your comic doesn't win anything.

I post my comic on my website and began posting it on DD to 1, gain more of a ‘feel’ for the webcomics industry, and 2, learn and grow from being able to communicate with other comic artists and writers.

Even if I had the time to do a specific comic for Zuda I personally would not as it appears too limiting to me.

I do see the potential opportunity, I just prefer more freedom with my creativity than zuda appears to give.

Like subcultured says, It's essentially a different service. If it suits you, go for it.

I'm sticking with the duck.

Now that Zuda's first contest is in full swing I've got to say that I'm disappointed by the site. Despite Zuda's claims of wanting original, different stuff, most of the content is pretty generic and uninspired. What's worse is that the generic, uninspired content was solicited directly by Zuda and a number of the creators are professionals in the comics industry.

I'm also not pleased that the browser keeps crashing on me. That ain't cool.

But if you really wanted to do something like this so badly, why not just become a real comic artist? You're essentially doing the same thing and your comic wouldn't be impossible to read.

the only good thing about zuda would be DC's backing…if not for a big corporation like that, it would be the same as keenspot.

cartoonprofessor
As I understand it you have to give them exclusive rights even if your comic doesn't win anything.

here's a quote from their site.

Someone
3. If You have used or are currently using the Submission in any way, please list those uses in the appropriate space on the submission form (“Prior and Current Uses”). During the Review Period, You agree not to publish, post, distribute, display or otherwise use (or authorize any third party to publish, post, distribute, display or otherwise use) the Submission in any manner or media. For example, if the Submission is up on a MySpace page, You would need to remove the Submission from that page until You are otherwise permitted to use it pursuant to the terms of this Submission Agreement. The Review Period shall end on the earlier of the following: (a) 90 days after You submit the Submission or (b) if Zuda expressly rejects the Submission. In either instance, You shall be free to publish, post, distribute, display or otherwise use (and authorize any third party to publish, post, distribute, display or otherwise use) the Submission without any obligation to Zuda, and Zuda shall have no rights at all in or to the Submission.

so if they don't select you to compete in the contest or give you an instant win you can post your stuff anywhere once you are rejected.

if you do win or compete

Someone
5. If, during the Review Period, Zuda chooses the Submission for a Competition, Zuda shall enter the Submission into one of the next three Competitions on the Website, and the use restrictions set forth in Paragraph 3 above shall continue until the end of the applicable Competition. In addition, if the Submission is chosen for a Competition, You grant to Zuda the following:
a. The right to publish the Submission on the Website during the applicable Competition.
b. The right to use the Submission (in whole or in part) in any promotion for the Website.
c. The perpetual right to include the Submission in a print anthology of submissions (an “Anthology” ), on a non-exclusive basis.
d. If the Submission does not win the Competition, the right to publish the Submission on the Website, on a non-exclusive basis, provided that You may require Zuda, by written notice, to remove the Submission from the Website at the end of three months after the end of the Competition.
e. The right to use Your name, likeness and biography in connection with any of the grants set forth in subparagraphs (a) through (d) above.

me and a writer friend made a submission. it has the same style art as my superteam comic does. if it's denied i'll be posting it on DD for all to enjoy.

killersteak
I don't like that the flash takes as long as it does to load.
Personally I prefer the old school jpg.

But using flash makes it very hard to copy the art to your hard drive. You could screen cap but then you get the tiny version. You could do it in several captures, but that gets rid of all but the most obsessive copiers.
From an obsessive copyright protection standpoint, it's pretty slick.

freefall_drift

killersteak
I don't like that the flash takes as long as it does to load.
Personally I prefer the old school jpg.

But using flash makes it very hard to copy the art to your hard drive. You could screen cap but then you get the tiny version. You could do it in several captures, but that gets rid of all but the most obsessive copiers.
From an obsessive copyright protection standpoint, it's pretty slick.

There's also the fact that so many will hate the interface that the amount of copiers actually getting to the comic is dramatically decreased.

Yup, those DC guys know what they're about.

freefall_drift

killersteak
I don't like that the flash takes as long as it does to load.
Personally I prefer the old school jpg.

But using flash makes it very hard to copy the art to your hard drive. You could screen cap but then you get the tiny version. You could do it in several captures, but that gets rid of all but the most obsessive copiers.
From an obsessive copyright protection standpoint, it's pretty slick.

Does a print screen work while viewing it in full screen mode?
I'm sure if someone was obsessive enough about getting them there might be a way to copy the swf files from a directory on the site found through the source code. Unless of course the swf is calling on the page files separately…
Then there's the issue that all the copyright obsessiveness shows the user that they aren't trusted. I remember seeing guides for how to get a comics archives downloaded to your psp for portable offline reading. It's nice to have that sort of freedom with things.

sorry if this was mentioned before but I didnt really read through every post in this thread.

I checked out the site and why does it have to be 800x600 format?

My comics are 600x800 format because I print them on 8.5 x 11 sheets. They're rectangular in a portrait way. Not landscape.

And what about the other comics where panels tend to overlap? (Theres alot of them in DD lol) And those with irregular-shaped panels (not rectangular or square. Could be circle, triangle, or any other shape the artist feels like making it).

So meh. I dont like it.

I actually like the 800x600 format. Nothing is stopping the artist from using overlapping or odd-shaped panels as long as the entire thing fits into the overall dimensions, and I like the challenge of thinking of comics in a different way (horizontal as opposed to vertical, it completely changes how you approach laying out a page).

kyupol
sorry if this was mentioned before but I didnt really read through every post in this thread.

I checked out the site and why does it have to be 800x600 format?

My comics are 600x800 format because I print them on 8.5 x 11 sheets. They're rectangular in a portrait way. Not landscape.

And what about the other comics where panels tend to overlap? (Theres alot of them in DD lol) And those with irregular-shaped panels (not rectangular or square. Could be circle, triangle, or any other shape the artist feels like making it).

So meh. I dont like it.

they claim it's some kind of comic industry standard which is a total lie cause almost 99% of stuff you read is vertical not horizontal. their only reasonning that makes sense is that when viewed full screen it covers the whole screen and you don't have to scroll.

Alot of things you can get both horizontal AND vertical

I like the comic format alot. When you put the comic viewer into fullscreen mode then its simply the best web comic viewing experience I've ever had. They have done a really good job with it.

i dont find it that good to be honest, i mean its good nd all but not FANTASTIC

Poke Alster
Alot of things you can get both horizontal AND vertical

any here on drunk duck?

danthemancartoons
I like the comic format alot. When you put the comic viewer into fullscreen mode then its simply the best web comic viewing experience I've ever had. They have done a really good job with it.

100% respectfully disagree.
There are cinematic effects that's unique to webcomics, which are completely lost when one is forced to display the entire page on 1 screen.

I think Zuda isn't too bad.Some of the strips work some don't.But here on DD I think they do a much better job.You can look at so much more and find what you like.And what suits your tastes much better.Zuda just seems so “rigid” you really don't get that.But thats just my two cents worth.

You can't really compare Zuda to DD, it's like apples and oranges. DD is a free webcomic hosting site, its best compared to ComicGenesis. DD just has a far better community and a UI that emphasizes community and ease of use for the HTML novice.

Zuda is just completely different. It's simply a hub for print quality comics online. Everything about it stresses just that. DD is very much “Here's some webspace, go crazy” and Zuda is a paysite for a specific type of submisson, with the same type of contract and obligations that any print work would have.

The comics on Zuda aren't bad persay. They're just not webcomics. They take out alot of what makes webcomics such an interesting and attractive medium for creators in liu of something thats more marketable. As an artist I don't like the size limitiation or the flash viewer, but as a reader I appreciate the simplicity and sleak look of it.

The biggest drawback with the comics from the first round is that they were solicited from established or breakout print artists, and not established or breakout web artists. As such you see alot of storytelling that might work in print comics but just don't work on the web. Until you've established a story each page has to be a worthwhile read standalone. Its the reason High Moon has such a big lead, its the only comic you can tell is a good story from each page, all the others have a presentation of “this comic will be good if you give us more pages, seriously” and the internet reader is generally too fickle to realy pursue that.

Volte6

Lord Shplane

Volte6
FYI, it was our decision to run those ads :) They paid for it… and why shouldn't all forms of the web comic world participate in glorification of the medium?

Volte, I wouldn't have any problem with it if they didn't have a rule against mirror sites. If it was possible to have one there AND one on Drunk Duck, then everything would be fine. As it is, they advocate NOT participating with others for the glorification of the medium, as you put it.

haha nobody should take their property and take it to Zuda… i do NOT recommend it. But creators create, and there is no reason people shouldn't consider creating new ideas for it.

In the end, I want everyone to stay at DrunkDuck. I also want everyone to succeed. Nothing says either will or won't happen.

This is just a little conversation Volte and myself had in the TD. I thought you guys might like to see it, since it's actually relevent.

Oh, and I want to respond to this:

Volte6
In the end, I want everyone to stay at DrunkDuck. I also want everyone to succeed. Nothing says either will or won't happen.

Zuda says so. Zuda says that only Zuda will succeed.

I don't know why people view Zuda as competition for Drunk Duck. It's not. Drunk Duck is a free hosting site where anybody can put up a comic about anything, Zuda is essentially a web-based DC imprint. Zuda's rationale for not allowing mirrors is perfectly reasonable: they want people to read your comic on their site. If comics on Zuda can mirror anywhere else then there is no reason for Zuda to exist. Quite frankly, Zuda is paying creators to make exclusive content for them, which draws visitors to their site. If the content isn't exclusive then there isn't a draw to go to their site which makes paying the creator a terrible business model.