Reading Web Comics = Easier Work Day
Dec 10th, 2007 by Ann
In a post last week I used a comic by Toothpaste for Dinner, by far one of my favourite web comics. Let’s back track a bit though. A conversation with my mom last week made me realize how inaccessible the internet was to such a huge demographic, which includes my mother, that I am now feeling guilty by not explaining things like ‘web comics’.
Web comics are, at their simplest, comics that are available on the internet. Of course, there is also alot more behind it. Web comics, as opposed to traditional print comics, are not as constrained by copyright or syndication. Many web comics are incredibly generous in allowing others to use their comics for free (see last week’s post). Wiki has a pretty good summary of the history of web comics so if you are really interested, take a look.
My interest in web comics doesn’t come from an avid interest in underground art or a secret wish to make my own comic, rather my interest derived from what a huge percentage of the population experiences on a daily basis: office work purgatory. I now have the smug satisfaction of being able to say that I work from home and have shed myself of the constraints of a nine to five (of course this means I have also shed myself from the constraints of paid holiday, cheap health insurance, and museum ticket discounts). But before that I would regularly get to a point in my work day where if I didn’t find something that broke through the monotony of cubicle life I would end up crying in the bathroom. This quickly led to my discovery of web comics. Natalie Dee gave me a bit of perspective and reminded me that I was not unique in any way in thinking that people were not meant to sit surrounded by grey walls and the hum of printers and photocopiers for 8-12 hours a day:
And through Natalie Dee I found Toothpaste for Dinner, of which I’ve already made clear I am a big fan.
What the Duck soon became a favourite, again for the sympathy towards work ‘issues’ it conveys:
Of course, there are thousands more and the three comics above aren’t exactly that obscure any more, receiving millions of hits each month. The point is that it’s the little things that will save you from either quitting your day job or getting fired because you spend all your time unwinding paper clips. ‘Workaholic’ used to be a negative term. I mean, do you really any of your behaviour to be associated with alcoholism? But now being a ‘workaholic’ is simply considered productive, part of what you have to do to get ahead. Everyone burns out once in awhile, it’s invitable with the way we now work and live. Taking a few moments to smile might slightly delay the inevitable.