About Us

We wanted to tell you some things about us and what we want to do here in WebComics.gr.

We are currently trying to get more and more artwork out on the net so that the rest of the world can see what kind of artists we have here and what they can do in any given circumstance. Our goal here at WebComics.gr is to find work and opportunities for the artists whose work we present. It is of the first and most important of our priorities to make them known all over Greece and around the world. We have to point out that this is not an artists' management site, and we do not intent to make it so. We enjoy reading comics and we enjoy having people cooperating with us that have goals and hopes same as ours. But we also want to point out the fact that most of the Greek comic artists spend their time doing NOT what they like but what they have to do when working for people who do not respect their talent, their potential and their work. Therefore, we are trying to make this happen for them. This is why one of our intentions is to publish this work and show it to all those who don't have the time or means to reach them from the internet.

There are many things a comic artist can do. One sample of their work is found in the "Archive" section of this page; it is a project we fulfilled that will be a breakthrough in the Greek music scene. One of the most talented Greek singers/composers, called Lavrentis Machairitsas is going to be "supported" in the special edition cd of his new album by six talented people whose work we are honored to host in our pages. It is going to be a booklet with the comics that were presented in a promotion event co-hosted by WebComics.gr and EMI. We brought the comic artists, they brought the musicians. Hopefully we can go on doing things like that, as we believe that there are more than one ways to promote such beautiful work.

After all this, we would like to share some things concerning our site - which has been partially renewed with some beautiful artwork by Michael Toris (check out the Campus) and Alexia Othonaiou (Halkyon Nights).

First of all, this is a site containing the webcomics without any intervention, censorship and other ways of interference in the work of the comic artist. The only change that might occur concerns the language used, so in case the comic is in Greek, it is translated in English by WebComics.gr .

Second, you decide what will be published in our site. You send us your work, we put it where it belongs: in the Guest Artists page or in the Comics page, depending on its form. And here I would like to explain something about webcomics. Webcomics are updated regularly and are presented in the web. Their continuance is what gives them their identity – at least that is our point of view. However, we do not expect that an artist presenting his/her work will be able to update the webcomic regularly, if something happens that they cannot control. We respect that and we expect all those who visit us to respect that too.

Third, our mail can only accept text and not images and archived files. If you want to send us some of your work, please contact us and we will respond as soon as we can, with instructions on what needs to be done. If you live in Greece, you can send us something like your home or mobile phone number and we will reach you as soon as we get the mail.

Webcomics: The legal aspects

Webcomics: The Legal Aspects

Copyright

As with music, all forms of art and anything that can be a subject of intellectual property, comics and sketches that are published on the internet are sheltered by copyright. One owns the copyright of their work once they’ve given it a form (in other words, once that work actually exists), it is not imperative for one to register for copyright protection. However, one cannot claim ownership of an idea of a comic.

Copyright protection is applied as follows: “…original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or devise.”



Copyright Infringement

The copyright holder has therefore the right to produce and distribute copies, as well as derivative works. Those rights are exclusive to the owner, and violation of those will result to copyright infringement.

However, one’s work can be reproduced legally in its whole, or in parts (fair use). Examples of fair use include those with the purpose of education and criticism. In some cases where the aspect of fair use is not clear, one can be charged for violation or not, depending on the purpose of the act – commercial or non-profit.

A common violation of rights in webcomics is the case of a fan uploading their favorite comics on their own website. The copyright owner has the right to demand the removal of their work from that portal. Usually a simple letter will do, before one will need to seek legal action.


Trademark (logo)

One does not need to register for the rights of a trademark. One can only gain ownership when they have sold products baring it. Furthermore, the more unique a trademark is, the easier it is to claim.

Furthermore, a trademark may not be protected outside the region it is being established, or when it is being used for a different product at the same time.



Source: Withrow S. & Barber J., Webcomics, 2005, Ilex Press Limited
Article: Alexander Danner, Legal Aspects, p. 178



By Iliana Kefalopoulou

WebComics.gr Rock Party!

Well, this is the poster of our first co-hosting party with Underground Rock Bar and G Productions. We hope those of you near Athens (Plateia Eksarcheion) in Greece -the Sunday 24th of September- will visit and have a drink with us; just make sure you introduce yourselves to Nikos K. (aka Gaidjin) and let the music get to you!

See you all there!

WebComics.gr finally come alive!

We are very proud to present the newest Greek webcomics portal and the new big start for our fellow comic artists in our country -Greece. We would like to thank you all for visiting, and we hope to be more than a one-time visit. We have long waited this moment and we are sure you will enjoy it as much as we do.

This site is an invitation to all those who like this art and who would like to express themselves through it. Our goal is to become the biggest portal for Greek webcomics and we intend to make it happen soon. We are trying to make this the first site with webcomics created by Greek artists with free hosting, free support and update of the comics, in addition to their online promotion in the webcomics universe. Meanwhile, we plan on presenting work from all kinds of artists, from photo manipulators to industrial designers and from cartoon animators to paper comic artists.

We understand how difficult it might be for some comic artists in Greece to express themselves through their art and make good money and we intend to try to correct this. This is the reason why this will be a free space for those who want to publish their comics online and why we intend to compensate those who do so in this site. We have a plan concerning the promotion of these artists throughout the web and throughout the world, and we need your help to do it.

To begin, we proudly present three webcomics, which will have a weekly update and will be with us for a long time. The first one is a comic created and designed by Michael Toris and it is about the adventures of two friends in the university campus. WebComics.Gr have translated the script from it original in Greek. We hope you have fun with it. After the first episode is done, he will continue the series with two co-writers who promise to bring us enjoyable and spicy stories based on their own real lives in their campus.

The second webcomic, “Tenderness”, is a story by Marios Tsangaris, adapted for the demands of a webcomic by WebComics.Gr and designed by Maria Bacha. It is the story of a young woman who lives alone and gets her life mixed up with an older neighbor who could be her grandmother. Complicated and philosophical, it shows us two completely different characters and their efforts to get by in the big city.

The third webcomic is a tribute to all fantasy MMORPG players, a story composed by a guild named “The Wicked”, concerning the efforts of a small group of people to get some power in an evil city. It is written for your screen by Gaidjin and designed by Nocturne. The first book is called “Assassins”.

The “Comics” section will work as a hosting place for the comics we publish, and it will contain both new and old comics, all the books and the chapters that have ever been online in the site. At this point, we have to invite any interested comic artists to come forward, because there are other scripts in our drawers that are waiting to be designed. It would be wonderful if we could share these stories with more people online.

The “Guest Artists” section will contain biographies and works of designers who work with us, ranging from concept art for the comics to simple art work (not comics). If you want to present your work in there, please “Contact Us” and we will respond immediately. If you want to contact us for any other reason, please feel free to do so. Your hatemail will be greatly appreciated, so we can learn from our mistakes.

With outmost respect,
The WebComics.gr team