philler_projectthree

Links (for now)
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/comicstimeline.html http://www.time.com/time/archive/collections/0,21428,c_comics,00.shtml/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webcomic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_webcomics http://computer.howstuffworks.com/web-comic1.htm

Sources for statistical data: [|Penny Arcade] [|3 Panel Soul] [|Mac Hall] [|Applegeeks] [|xkcd] [|VG Cats]

The final product was mainly influenced by [|We Feel Fine].

The idea of Self-Referential is to be a sort of interactive archive for webcomics, not only based on chronology, but also on theme, characters, and narrative. It has some roots from Project 2 of this course, with Blank Canvas, where interaction was important between artists to create new works. In this case, however, the product was more of a compiler of that potential, but instead with factual artists and comics. I used several comics as sources of data and to provide evidence that there was an abundance of connections. Though I was expecting not to find many connections between separate artists and webcomics, that was not the only factor in Self-Referential. Indeed, it would also tabulate similar comic strips, or those with a sense of continuity, no matter how loose. I used Penny Arcade as a source for comics in Project 2, and decided it would be best to continue using them, but in a larger manner. It is unfortunate that I was unable to use a large portion of my data into the product, but it has helped to prove to myself the possibility of such a compilation program. To newcomers and to long-time fans, rereading these comics and finding odd little details was something very exciting to me. As well, the source material (Penny Arcade) was rich in running gags, small story arcs, a variety of recurring characters, and a love of pop culture. Finding data on them would not be hard, but instead almost painstakingly long. Self-Referential starts with the connections between different comics. They range from either Guest artists, direct references to one another, cameo appearances, or even just through association outside the comic itself. Potentially, if ever the case needed it, it would help to bridge certain information that might be required to understand one comic that is present in another. This became apparent in the case of Mac Hall and Three Panel Soul, the latter a sequel to the former, both created by the same creative duo. While there is a great divide between both series, there is a sense that reading the first half helps to more fully understand the other work. The second layer is a timeline of one specific comic series, from its inception until its latest or final posting. The problem with my main source was that I was dealing with data that reached 9 years in age. I had to severely lower the amount of data I was compiling in order not to spend too much time there. I still think I spent too much time doing so. The timeline is capable of specifying in years, months, or weeks. Here, one can find links between story arcs, characters, or thematic elements. Potentially, a reader can read the comic strips that directly relate to each other, one after another. The third layer is strongly related to the first, in that it highlights specific strips, either through above factors I mentioned above, or merely just by being posted one after the other. There is a small bit of data included with each symbol for the strip, pointing out to viewers recurring elements in the comic strip being viewed. This part seems more like an archival system, but the idea of stringing together related comics was something I hadn't seen much anywhere else in the webcomic community. Below are my sketches leading up to the creation of the project in Flash, and the final product.

PROCESS WORK:

FINAL VERSION [|Self-Referential: An Infographic]