Webcomics, Steemit, Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, & Cats!
A Look at the Past Vision of Comic Artist Scott McCloud, and the Future for Webcomics & Steem
by @bryan-imhoff
Scott McCloud is a comic creator and artist who began his professional career in 1984. Perhaps one of his best known and most significant works was the "trilogy" of non fiction books he created; Understanding Comics(1993), Reinventing Comics(2000), and Making Comics(2006), which are all comics themselves.
Here are some of his books from my own collection, being given loving attention by Kirby. (Named after Jack "King" Kirby... comics legend of course!)
Each book is a serious essay that conveys incredible information in an entertaining and understandable way.
- Understanding Comics is a great read for anyone who enjoys comics. It gives a history of the art form and approaches it with critical analysis, exploring the medium and it's incredible storytelling potential.
- Making Comics is required reading for anyone interested in... well, making comics! It goes further in depth with study of comics from the perspective of a creator who wants to create memorable stories populated with living, breathing characters.
- Reinventing Comics is perhaps dated when compared to the other two, it's information may be a little less timeless... however it definitely came to mind when I first started exploring Steemit.
In Reinventing Comics, McCloud explores the changes revolutionizing the field from new and emerging technology. He brims with excitement for all the new ways to make, view, display, and do business in the world of comics... especially from the perspective of empowering independent creators.
I recalled this sequence and finally went back to track it down and reminisce. Hopefully it strikes a chord with others here on Steemit.
(image from page 185 of Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud, also available on his website at scottmccloud.com)
This was published in 2000, 8 years before Bitcoin was announced and 16 years before Steemit! On previous pages McCloud was discussing the limitations of micropayment systems that caused them to fizzle in the late 90's and here he ably describes the challenges ahead.
One of the first hurdles, verification, was solved by blockchain technologies and Bitcoin... and the second hurdle, ease of use, is well on it's way to being solved with Steem. In our world today, there is nothing easier for the consumer than clicking a simple like button. Steemit places a value on user attention and interaction, and then allows that value to be directed by the users in the form of post rewards.
"Whoever invented gambling was smart, whoever invented chips was a genius."
That's a great old saying, alluding to the fact that chips mentally blur the line between the reality of money and an abstract concept. Steem takes it one step further by the fact that consumers of entertainment can reward the creators without actually reaching into their own (digital) wallet. An upvote costs nothing for a user in the moment. It's the most micro of micro transactions, each vote shifting a small share of all the work, investment, and participation of everyone on the platform.
Ideally, further tools will be developed for those wishing to do more. That could be purchase of physical and digital goods and services, and direct transfer of funds. These are already feasible, but not easy or secure. Imagine Steem forming the backbone of services that rivalled Patreon and Kickstarter. Add a dash of Fiverr for freelance collaboration and the obvious social network for promotion and distribution. These sites and services are at the core of the independent comics community today and could all be combined seamlessly.
I can imagine the future, and I'm as excited by new technologies today as McCloud was 17 years ago.