I'm going to quote something Sean Howard posted today (2 Oct.), which I've archived here (http://www.squaremonkeys.org/squidiwcf.html).

Sean Howard
I've had this idea for some time about a team of webcomic creators all working within the same universe. I think it has the potential (if done right) to create a sort of webcomic empire that would also make an easy and extremely effective shift to the publishing side. The reason this hasn't happened yet is that webcomic creators tend to have their own projects they want to work on - why be a part of someone else's empire when you think you've got a shot of building your own? I could debate the merits of such an approach, and how it could eventually change the face of webcomics, and it most definitely WILL happen one day, but it won't be any time soon.

Anyone want to prove him wrong on the last bit?

I have no idea how, but it'll probably involve tons of people, so GET TALKING!

Please note that I'm not stealing Mr. Howard's idea, but that I've had it as well.

Actually, (not going to spam my work), I already have a shared Universe with Kota.

So any of my projects are freely refrenced in his work, and his projects are freely refrenced in mine.

Also, two of our more important characters actually play primary rolls in eachother's comics.

So, it is possible, it's just not something that happens often, or is very successful.

Okay, think 20 people or so, all doing one universe. That would be flopping awesome.

That of course relies entirely on getting twenty people together to see eye to eye enough to form a shared universe. Plus what about continuity and all that?

I highly doubt one that large is entirely possible, because people work on different wavelengths from one another. You're welcome to try of course, but not much will come from it.

The thing about print comics co-existing in a shared universe is that they have editors to ensure things like continuity and allow things like crossovers to occur. I think even trying to organize a whole herd of bloody-minded, independent creators into co-habiting a single universe without ever seeing one another in person is going to be like herding cats. I think it's a noble idea. I do. But I also think that judging by the slow, haphazard way other online collaborations happen, you can only get so far into the organization before things collapse. Not to be a pessimist, but even saying you get a lot of young, upstart creators to sign on for such a thing… So many of the people around here are just going to drop their project the minute something more major (like a rerun of Three's Company) comes along in real life.

I admire your optimism, but I don't think the internet is ready for such a collaboration on such a large scale.

I like the idea, but my stuff is too heavily set on how it will progress to ever be able to fit into anyone else's universe.

Same here. My vision for where I'm going with my comic is just too far out there to be attached to another comic. Plus, the shared universe idea would best create homogenuity, as so many things would have to be similiar that some originality would be lost.

It keeps getting said, but I'll add some too. I think it's an awesome idea and if it were executable I'd jump at it, but I think it would be extremely difficult continuity wise and ego wise to get more than a just a few people (who've never met and know next to nothing about each other) into one fluid working universe.

it might work if the universes were very loosely strung together and the different comics dont have to all be working with a similar storyline I think as long as a few rules are followed it'll work.

1.Minor characters may be crossed over at will of each individual artist. This would probably be just for novelty reasons.

2.Any big crossover arc will be only done with the consent with all the artists involved in the arc. If there's another artist in that universe but isn't in that particular arc, his /her consent isn't needed.

3.Any crossover arc must be done as a collaboration to avoid too many loopholes and plot inconsistencies.

This is what I've come up with so far. It's probably not gonna be perfect but I think it might work with these rules.

hpkomic
Actually, (not going to spam my work), I already have a shared Universe with Kota.

So any of my projects are freely refrenced in his work, and his projects are freely refrenced in mine.

Also, two of our more important characters actually play primary rolls in eachother's comics.

So, it is possible, it's just not something that happens often, or is very successful.

Don't forget me!

one of my main character is a homage to hpk's Dash, meaning if it any point we both wish to, it would be possible to do alternate universe stories.

:)

Pfft, All my comics are already part of one huge universe, thankfully it's so vague and loosley connected on a time scale inconsistency is never even anything close an issue.

The trick is having everything sufficently large for multiple stories to run without ever crahsing into eachother and creating plot holes. So long as you have a set up of core immutable laws and facts that connect them it can't be that hard.