The NY TIMES (free reistration required) has an article on Mike and Matt Chapman, the creators of Homestar Runner, which is gaining some notice amongst musicians and music video-types. They apparently have a CD of music from the site coming out soon.

Webcomic Nation is a new hosting service from Joey Manley (currently in beta testing). Manley provides lots more information in a thread at Talkaboutcomics.

In a nutshell though key features of the new service include:

(1) a syndication service allowing other sites to display your content through a bit of HTML code (using a javascript file) (Xerexes: I wonder if it will support RSS feeds?).

(2) a newsletter service for distributing content through email.

(3) a greeting card feature to send electronic "cards."

(4) a blog-like journal feature.

(5) a bookmark feature for readers allowing them to save their place in reading through archives.

(6) there will also be a portal for comics using the service that will promote hosted comics. (Manley has posted a work-in-progress screenshot of the portal page.)

(7) support for subscriptions and micropayment options for comics.

Other interesting innovations include ongoing renaming of comic files in system to defeat in-lining thieves.

T Campbell has set up shop at Talkaboutcomics to answer questions about the forthcoming action-oriented Modern Tale spin-off site, Graphic Smash.

Graphic Smash has been described as a modern spin on the action adventure stories of the former MT site AdventureStrips.

A good debate on quality versus quantity over at this Comicon thread. Obviously a better comic is better than a not as good comic but as creators come from different backgrounds to the wide-open spaces of the web it's worth revisiting every basic assumption about formats, schedules, and conceptualizing new "boxes" for presenting webcomics to the audience.

Newspaper strip artists start off with the idea of mimicking the Monday through Friday (sometimes with the weekend added) grind of a newspaper schedule and comic book creators may instinctively produce a larger monthly or bi-monthly update. Their webcomics may look a lot like their offline analogues as well.

Don't forget to ask yourself why. The webcomic is a double-edged sword for the creator willing to take advantage not just of the publishing platform the Internet provides, but the artistic possibilities of this new medium. You are no longer boxed-in by the artistic and business constraints of the offline medium you've come from. There is considerable freedom in webcomicland and that is full of possibility and challenge.

From Journalista! comes a link to an Editor and Publisher story on the state of the Sunday Funnies.

New at http://www.demian5.com:

- THE TRUTH ABOUT ELEPHANTS (new monthly series)
- LIFE CODE o-0 (short story, 12 pages)
- SQUARE FICTION / E-MAIL FOR THE DOG (36 strips)
- CHEMICAL PACK (1 issue so far)