Morning Serial: Artist Panel

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a piece for MTV about an upcoming exhibition of webcomics out in Seattle. Then I blinked and the big panel discussion is only a couple days away! The panel features Dylan Meconis, Aaron Diaz, Evan Dahm, Spike Trotman, Erika Moen and Emily Ivie talking about their work -- some of which now hangs in the University of Washington's Henry Art Gallery.

Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Wow, that sounds really cool, Sean! But isn't that, like, out in Seattle? I can't get out to Seattle on a Thursday!"

Well, let me entice you with this, too. This weekend, in the very same city, is the Emerald City Comicon. C'mon, have you seen the guest list for that show? Not to mention a really good-looking programming line-up.

No, huh? I get it. I'm stuck here in Ohio myself. Fortunately for us, we live in the future! You can still submit a question to the folks on the webcomics panel via this handy online form. Not quite the full-on participation of being there in person, but you can still be a part of the conversation.

Granted, this isn't exactly cutting-edge technology at work, but I think that's one of the things that intrigues me about this. The technology behind this exhibit is, in actuality, fairly low-tech by web standards. It was put together by someone who's studied history and museum curation, not design or web development. This is not only a celebration of webcomics as a unique medium apart from comics, but also a showcase of the pervasive nature of the webcomic culture. It's NOT some high-end, fringe group of people we're talking about; it's artists using the technology that's just readily available.

The name of the exhibit suggests that reading webcomics at the breakfast table is now as commonplace as reading newspaper strips used to be. And I suspect that the occasional splash of milk will wipe off your tablet more easily than a piece of newsprint.

The panel will be on Thursday, March 29th at the Henry Art Gallery. It runs from 7:00 pm until 8:30 pm and costs $5 for general admission (free for students). You can RSVP and submit questions here.

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