Pixels Are Cheaper Than Paper
RSSBrigid Alverson -- School Library Journal, 07/15/2009
Pixels are cheaper than paper, so comics publishers are getting into the webcomics act in a big way, using their Web sites to launch new series and offer hard-to-find older titles.
Manga fans want their books right away, and Viz Media is responding by publishing Rumiko Takahashi’s Rin-ne online, with each chapter going online the same week it’s published in Japan. (Takahashi is the creator of teen favorites InuYasha and Ranma ½.)
Viz recently launched another site, Viz Ikki, which will feature a rotating selection of manga for older readers. The current story is Children of the Sea, a beautifully illustrated fantasy tale for older teens. (Check out “The Magazine Rack” column in this issue of SLJTeen for more on Ikki.)
Voracious manga readers should look at Tokyopop’s site, which has a rich variety of old and new materials. Tokyopop puts at least one chapter of every series online as well as full volumes of some older non-Japanese series, including Dramacon, Divalicious, The Dreaming, and Star Trek: The Manga.
Global manga publisher Seven Seas always has four webcomics up on its home page. One is Aoi House, a harem comedy; the others rotate but are all rated Teen or Older Teen 16+ .Most of their stories are action and adventure tales with a clean look and straightforward plots.
Manga publishers, of course, aren’t the only ones using the Web. 
Marvel Comics has put a huge number of comics on its site. Most are available by paid subscription only, but more than 100 are available for free—from classics like first issue of The Amazing Spider-Man to recent releases like Dark Tower. Image Comics offers the debut issue of a variety of comics online for free, including A Distant Soil and Lions, Tigers, & Bears. Antarctic Press also offers a selection of first issues. Be careful when recommending these sites to younger readers, however, as they include adult titles alongside the more teen-friendly ones.
For younger readers, DC Kids and Archie both offer back issues online. Archie has a particularly generous sampling of their most well-known titles such as Jughead or Betty, as well as Sonic the Hedgehog.
Whether you want to sample a new series or look for a hard-to-find back issue, check the Web first—you may find what you want for free. If not, a visit to your local comics store or distributor may be in order.
Brigid Alverson blogs at MangaBlog and Good Comics for Kids. She’s also a regular reviewer for Graphic Novel Reporter and a freelance writer for Publishers Weekly Comics Week. She has two teenage daughters.
