The Comics Reporter
summarizes a letter from the director of the Comic Book Legal Defence Fund covering their work in 2004. As always, there are a number of important speech related cases and bad laws that the CBLDF took on (or is still fighting).

maybe some of you would think my web page is kind of awesome

if anyone wants to see it so much, here is a link

http://youdonthavetokiss.com

here are some ok samples

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Ashton Cummings, PHP Programmer wrote the Kamikazee Comic Updating script used by Sam And Fuzzy. It looks good from the screen shots but I can't tell if it's a script that let's you load a bunch of comics into a directory where they'll be loaded in the future based on file format or one of those scripts where you have to punch in the date of appearance for each one.

Also key would be whether or not it "hides" future comics prior to their publication date.

The Norm had a proposition for readers after creator Michael Jantze pulled his comic out of the newspaper and left his syndication deal. If he could get 4000 dues-paying members to his website he would keep making new The Norm comic strips.

The amount at issue is (at a minimum) 4000 x $25 or $100,000. That's a lot really in terms of what's been raised by the subscription/fundraising drive model but in some ways it's possible that Jantze is a lot more famous than anyone who has gone this route.

The terms of the drive has always been 4000 or more equals new The Norm and 3999 or less equals a full refund of money to those donating. From the looks of the website they haven't gotten to 4000 yet but I imagine we'll hear the final results at some point in the next couple of days.

Flatwood officially turns one year old this January 1, 2005. Creator Zachary Parker has crafted a special installment for the anniversary, available at his website.

Matthew Shepherd has announced that The License will leave Graphic Smash at the end of the current story arc. Apparently, Shepherd and artist Roy Boney Jr intends to eventually try to get it published in print.

Scott Kurtz is once more testing the power of the PvP hordes. He's asked fans of PvP to vote for it as a write-in candidate for best continuing series on the WIZARD FAN AWARDS BALLOT.

Tom Hart has a new print collection of Hutch Owen entitled "Unmarketable" available. Published by Top Shelf, the book is available in bookstores (including online sites Amazon, B&N and Powells) or you can order directly from Top Shelf.

The Comics Journal said: "Owen is the consummate outsider..." Hicksville creator Dylan Horrocks described him as 'a prophet, a socio-political saboteur... hilariously funny. He's the hero we all immediately recognize and desperately need.'

Tom Hart will also be on a tour for the new book visiting the East Coast in March (Boston, Rhode Island, New York, Washington DC).

We often try to reach out to people to write one-shot columns for Comixpedia and will still do so but I know we have a lot of talented readers and some of you might be eager to share some of your ideas and experience with the Comixpedia audience. If you think you might be interested you should email me about your idea(s) and we can figure out if it's something that would fit in Comixpedia. (XEREXES AT COMIXPEDIA DOT COM)

We still have room for one such piece in our upcoming January issue if anyone is really eager to take a shot at this. We can also make room in other upcoming issues. Although these one-shot columns don't necessarily have to fit an issue's theme, it can't hurt if they do so let me copy in the themes for the first six issues of Comixpedia next year:

JAN. - THE FUNNY ISSUE. A focus on humor in webcomics.

FEB. - EXPERIMENTAL WEBCOMICS: TO THE INFINITE CANVAS AND BEYOND. A focus on experimental webcomics including the infinite canvas concept and other innovations in the form of webcomics.

MAR. - ACTION HERO ISSUE. A focus on action-oriented webcomics, including heroes and superheroes.

APR. - THE WOMEN ISSUE. A focus on women in webcomics.

MAY - COMMUNITY AND COLLABORATIVE WEBCOMICS. A focus on collaboration in webcomics, including both traditional partnerships (i.e., writer/artist) but also wider community involvement in the creation of a webcomic.

JUN. - THE META ISSUE. A focus on formalistic experiments with the form of comics and characters in webcomics, including fourth-wall webcomics.

Just wondering how many people have considered doing a webcomic dealing with the recent disaster in Asia... Should appeals for donations to aid organizations make it into the comic itself, or appear outside of it, in a blog entry or something?