Cartoonists can generate revenue from webcomics in a couple of ways:

 ✓ Advertising: The more people come to read the comic, the more traffic

the Web site gets and the more likely it is to pick up a small amount of

revenue from advertising.

 ✓ Merchandise and books sold on the Web site: Many online print-on-

demand (POD) companies cater to Web sites that can offer books for

sale as well as other merchandise such as T-shirts.

The creator of a webcomic has more control over his feature than a

traditional cartoonist does, but he also must bear more responsibility.

Webcomic creators are like small businessmen. They’re responsible for not

only writing and drawing the comic feature — just like if they partnered

with a syndicate — but also the Web site design, advertising, marketing,

and sales of related merchandise. The upside is the webcomic creator

keeps 100 percent of the revenues instead of giving half to the syndicate.

The Internet has a vast sea of popular webcomics. They’re done by amateurs

and professionals alike, who take advantage of the ability to publish anything

on the Internet. The more advanced webcomic creators display their features

in full color and even use some animation.

The future of cartooning has more to do with the public’s appetite than

with newsprint. The future of comic strips is in transition. Many of the

newsprint-based comics may die along with print. As long as the public

loves to read comics in all their forms, cartooning will live on indefinitely.

New strips will take their place on the Internet. There’s no indication that

the public will stop reading or that those who have the cartooning bug will

stop drawing. The future may seem uncertain on one hand, but on the other

hand, an exciting new frontier is just waiting to be explored. The Internet is

a vast, relatively new place where cartoons of all kinds will be born and will

flourish.