Let's cut to the chase. Quantity does not necessarily equal quality. Of course, it does not necessarily preclude quality, either. In fact, some might argue that 50,000,000 Elvis fans can’t be wrong. It's certainly a well-worn question in every medium of popular entertainment: "how'd you do last night, kid?"

In almost every other medium there's an established mechanism for counting the audience and providing information on what the audience is watching or buying or reading or clicking on. So why not a bestsellers' list for webcomics, an Arbitron system focused on our particular universe? Regardless of whether we love, like, hate, or are indifferent to the most popular webcomics being produced today, it is information that ought to be available to the interested members of the reading public. It could provide some clues as to where the online audience is today versus six months versus two years from now. It could help to keep score of the growth (or decline) of our overall webcomic reader audience.

POW! ZAP! AARGH! WHACK! TATTARRATTAT!

In comics' very early days (at least since the Katzenjammer Kids), they threw slam-bang bim-bam-boom thrills, spills, and chills right at their readers' eyes. Today's online comics are not so visceral. They affect the heart and mind more than the guts. And many would call that progress. But the progress has had its price.

The great Yin/Yang of comics is Art and Story. Can a comic have one without the other and still be considered a quality comic? If a perfect balance between the two cannot be achieved, can the lesser factor at least refrain from becoming a hindrance to the comic? This is a delicate operation, one that may require extra work on the part of the creator to pull off. Cascadia, created by Clio Chiang, has pretty artwork, but zen or no, her writing could use a bit of direction.

When reading a webcomic, one usually hopes to be amused, drawn into the story or, on a good day, both. Outside of the occasional sketchbook tutorial, getting an education is typically low -- if even present -- on the list of webcomic reader expectations. You certainly don't count on learning about the difference between canine and feline tracks, or how to interpret the events behind said identified tracks...