Keenspot
Encyclopedia
Keenspot is a webcomics portal founded in March 2000 by cartoonist Chris Crosby
(author of Superosity), Crosby's mother Teri, cartoonist Darren Bleuel (author of Nukees
), and Nathan Stone.
Following the portal's creation in March 2000, Keenspot was serving over 23 million page views monthly by February 2001 and had 47 cartoonists and by July of that year they had launched the free comics web hosting service
Keenspace ( Comic Genesis
). In 2001 Keenspot launched its own printed comic book line and launched graphic novel collections in 2002 both at Comic-Con International
. By August 2002 Keenspot had opened a retail store selling brandname toys and comics,
had 50 million pageviews monthly and 600 paying members - who can read the comics without ads - and had published 26 titles.
Keenspot gross revenues grew from $
103,976 in 2002 to $188,475 in 2003 with the number of pageviews largely unchanged from mid 2001. it claimed to be home to more than 50 comics covering several genre
s and artistic styles.
In December of 2009, Keenspot officially stopped accepting new webcomics into its collective. Shortly afterward, a leaked internal e-mail outlined a new objective for the website and encouraged current members of the collective to leave: "On July 1st of 2010, Keenspot goes back to being solely a publishing company... The facts are, you do not need Keenspot. For members on the 'New System' contract, everything you're doing on Keenspot can be done on your own. You should go independent."
The company says that it keeps exclusive web publishing rights to its comics, including archives, but that other rights are left with the creators. Side projects, particularly merchandising deals, are covered separately. KeenSpot Entertainment is based in Cresbard, South Dakota
.
The majority of titles published by Keenspot have been distributed to comic book stores worldwide by Diamond Comic Distributors
and to bookstores and other returnable-based retail outlets by Client Distribution Services. Keenspot has also launched 2 podcast
s, a cartoon podcast, called Keentoons Video Podcast Network and an audio podcast called Keencast. Until 2006, Keenspot published the Keenspot Comics Page in collaboration with the Turlock Journal
and several other small newspapers.
Chris Crosby
Christopher Charles Crosby is the co-founder of Keenspot along with Darren Bleuel and Nathan Stone. He draws and writes the webcomic Superosity and writes for Sore Thumbs, which Owen Gieni illustrates. He currently resides in Cresbard, SD.-Superosity:Superosity is a daily comic strip by Crosby...
(author of Superosity), Crosby's mother Teri, cartoonist Darren Bleuel (author of Nukees
Nukees
Nukees is a webcomic by Darren "Gav" Bleuel which focuses on the lives of a group of graduate students in the department of nuclear engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. The strip began on January 21, 1997, and although the author completed his nuclear engineering Ph.D...
), and Nathan Stone.
History
Keenspot was preceded by the webcomic portal, Big Panda. The collapse of Big Panda led directly to the formation of Keenspot.Following the portal's creation in March 2000, Keenspot was serving over 23 million page views monthly by February 2001 and had 47 cartoonists and by July of that year they had launched the free comics web hosting service
Web hosting service
A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their own website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own or lease for use by their clients as well as providing Internet...
Keenspace ( Comic Genesis
Comic Genesis
Comic Genesis is a free hosting provider for webcomics. It is a service of Keenspot, which covers hosting costs.- Services :...
). In 2001 Keenspot launched its own printed comic book line and launched graphic novel collections in 2002 both at Comic-Con International
Comic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego , and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans...
. By August 2002 Keenspot had opened a retail store selling brandname toys and comics,
had 50 million pageviews monthly and 600 paying members - who can read the comics without ads - and had published 26 titles.
Keenspot gross revenues grew from $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
103,976 in 2002 to $188,475 in 2003 with the number of pageviews largely unchanged from mid 2001. it claimed to be home to more than 50 comics covering several genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
s and artistic styles.
In December of 2009, Keenspot officially stopped accepting new webcomics into its collective. Shortly afterward, a leaked internal e-mail outlined a new objective for the website and encouraged current members of the collective to leave: "On July 1st of 2010, Keenspot goes back to being solely a publishing company... The facts are, you do not need Keenspot. For members on the 'New System' contract, everything you're doing on Keenspot can be done on your own. You should go independent."
Impact and Policies
One of Keenspot's most notable traits is that it has been a starting point and steadfast supporter of many successful webcartoonists over the years. More than a dozen comics originally and currently hosted at Keenspot have branched out to become substantial full-time jobs for their creators.The company says that it keeps exclusive web publishing rights to its comics, including archives, but that other rights are left with the creators. Side projects, particularly merchandising deals, are covered separately. KeenSpot Entertainment is based in Cresbard, South Dakota
Cresbard, South Dakota
Cresbard is a town in Faulk County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 104 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Cresbard is located at ....
.
The majority of titles published by Keenspot have been distributed to comic book stores worldwide by Diamond Comic Distributors
Diamond Comic Distributors
Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. is the largest comic book distributor serving North America. They transport comic books from both big and small comic book publishers, or suppliers, to the retailers. Diamond dominates the direct market in the United States, and has exclusive arrangements with most...
and to bookstores and other returnable-based retail outlets by Client Distribution Services. Keenspot has also launched 2 podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
s, a cartoon podcast, called Keentoons Video Podcast Network and an audio podcast called Keencast. Until 2006, Keenspot published the Keenspot Comics Page in collaboration with the Turlock Journal
Turlock Journal
The Turlock Journal is a newspaper in Turlock, California. It is owned by Morris Multimedia of Savannah, Georgia. The Journal was a daily newspaper until 2004, when it was reduced to twice-weekly publication. It has a paid circulation of approximately 4,000. The managing editor is Kristina Hacker...
and several other small newspapers.
Active
|
Last Blood Last Blood is a webcomic published by Blatant Comics created by Bobby Crosby and Chris Crosby. It is written by Bobby Crosby and illustrated by Owen Gieni.... |
Two Lumps Two Lumps — The Adventures of Ebenezer and Snooch is a webcomic which is drawn and written by James L. Grant and Mel Hynes. The first strip appeared on March 16, 2004.-Cast:... |
On hiatus/sporadic
|
I Drew This I Drew This is an online political cartoon created by Dana Simpson, the creator of Ozy and Millie. The strip is primarily about politics and is of proudly liberal orientation... |
No Room for Magic No Room for Magic is a webcomic by Adrian Ramos hosted on Keenspot. The comic began on September 1, 2005, and was written and drawn by Ramos except for a week of strips drawn by Reed Hawker . The March 9, 2006 strip was followed by a short hiatus; the strip resumed on April 11 2006 with a new... Ozy and Millie Ozy and Millie is a webcomic, created by D. C. Simpson, which debuted in January 1997. The comic was part of Keenspot from 2001 to 2003, going independent for several years before returning to Keenspot in November 2006. It follows the adventures of assorted anthropomorphized animals... RPG World RPG World was a webcomic by Ian Jones-Quartey that took place in the environment of a RPG. While much of the humor and story-telling focused on parody of console role-playing game clichés and tropes the story was also meant to stand on its own... Winger (comic) Winger is a webcomic by Carson Fire . It follows the relationship of Dab Winger, a conservative Christian, and Mineola Marlowe, a guilty liberal, in the bookstore where they work. The setup allows Fire, a conservative cartoonist, to explore political issues, and just as often the meta-political... |
Ended (archived)
|
Exploitation Now Exploitation Now was a webcomic drawn by Michael Poe on Keenspot from July 2000 to August 2002. Exploitation Now was notorious for its use of fanservice, sex, violence, and anime references, including anime-style artwork... |
Queen of Wands Queen of Wands is a webcomic that began on July 22, 2002, and ended on February 23, 2005. The comic is a loose adaptation of events in the life of the artist, Aeire. The story's tone shifts back and forth from comedic installments to more serious and dramatic chapters... |
Former members
- Checkerboard Nightmare (Creator co-founded Blank Label ComicsBlank Label ComicsBlank Label Comics is a collective of web comics whose creators have banded together for mutual assistance and promotion. The Blank Label Comics website officially went online on May 23, 2005.All of the comics had previously been hosted on Keenspot...
) - DarkenDarkenDarken is a webcomic set in a Dungeons & Dragons-style fantasy world, featuring a cast of morally ambiguous or outright evil characters led by Gort, lord of hellfire. It is based on a story by Mike Foulks.Darken is one of the more popular members of...
(Left in January 2010.) - Dominic Deegan: Oracle For HireDominic Deegan: Oracle For HireDominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire is a daily fantasy webcomic by Michael "Mookie" Terracciano that began in May 2002. The comic follows the adventures of Dominic Deegan, a freelance seer who finds himself often at the center of conflicts that threaten his whole world. The story is organized in...
(Moved to ZeStuffZeStuffOpened in 2004, ZeStuff was an online retailer which sold tabletop gaming, webcomic and geek-related merchandise and apparel. They also sold official merchandise from such webcomics as Dominic Deegan: Oracle For Hire, VG Cats, and 8-bit Theatre, and games like Carcassonne. The site stopped...
on 31 October 2005) - El Goonish Shive (Joined with 910CMX)
- Errant StoryErrant StoryErrant Story is the latest webcomic by writer and artist Michael Poe. Notable for the complexity of its characters, its complicated and often unexpected storylines and continually improving art style, Errant Story has been running for more than 6 years and 37 chapters through the end of . Errant...
(Became self-published on 29 August 2005) - Help DeskHelp Desk (webcomic)Help Desk is a webcomic by Christopher B. Wright which debuted on March 31, 1996, making it one of the older webcomics on the Internet. The comic is a satirical and cynical view of computer software companies and operating systems in general, and of the antics of Microsoft, Apple Computer, OS/2,...
(Became self-published in July 2007 when the Keenspot servers could not handle the data-based site the author wanted to use.) - General Protection Fault (Returned to self-publishing in March 2008)
- GoblinsGoblins (webcomic)Goblins - Life Through Their Eyes is a Dungeons & Dragons webcomic written and illustrated by Tarol "Thunt" Hunt. It is set in a humorously stereotypical fantasy setting, and follows the lives of a party of goblin adventurers who started as monsters and declared themselves player characters...
(Left August 2010) - Greystone Inn (Creator co-founded Blank Label Comics)
- It's Walky (Creator co-founded Blank Label Comics)
- Krazy Larry (Creator co-founded Blank Label Comics)
- Life At Bayside (Removed from Internet, later reformed on Comic GenesisComic GenesisComic Genesis is a free hosting provider for webcomics. It is a service of Keenspot, which covers hosting costs.- Services :...
) - MelonpoolMelonpoolMelonpool is a collection of characters created by Steve Troop whose adventures have been portrayed through both puppetry and in a long-running webcomic. The webcomic is the larger of these two areas and has recently been restarted after a long hiatus....
(Creator co-founded Blank Label Comics) - NukeesNukeesNukees is a webcomic by Darren "Gav" Bleuel which focuses on the lives of a group of graduate students in the department of nuclear engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. The strip began on January 21, 1997, and although the author completed his nuclear engineering Ph.D...
(Creator sold his share of Keenspot) - Real Life Comics (Author no longer felt compelled to be a part of Keenspot, later moved to Blank Label ComicsBlank Label ComicsBlank Label Comics is a collective of web comics whose creators have banded together for mutual assistance and promotion. The Blank Label Comics website officially went online on May 23, 2005.All of the comics had previously been hosted on Keenspot...
) - Life's So Rad (Author took archives down due to personal reasons; later released a book [through Young American Comics] containing the comic's full digital archives and all the self-published print comics.)
- Schlock MercenarySchlock MercenarySchlock Mercenary is a comedic webcomic written and drawn by Howard Tayler. It follows the tribulations of a star-travelling mercenary company in a satiric, mildly dystopian 31st-century space opera setting...
(Became self-published, later joined Blank Label Comics) - SheldonSheldon (comic)Sheldon is a daily webcomic created by Dave Kellett. The comedic strip centers on the odd family unit of 10-year old software billionaire Sheldon, his grandfather guardian and his talking duck, Arthur...
(joined United Features Syndicate, later also affiliated with Blank Label ComicsBlank Label ComicsBlank Label Comics is a collective of web comics whose creators have banded together for mutual assistance and promotion. The Blank Label Comics website officially went online on May 23, 2005.All of the comics had previously been hosted on Keenspot...
) - SinfestSinfestSinfest is a webcomic written and drawn by Japanese-American comic strip artist Tatsuya Ishida. The first strip as a webcomic appeared on January 17, 2000, although the very first strip appeared in print on October 16, 1991 in the UCLA newspaper, Daily Bruin, while Ishida attended UCLA. A new strip...
(Became self-published on July 9, 2006) - Sorcery 101Sorcery 101Sorcery 101 is a webcomic written and illustrated by Kel McDonald. Launched on May 12, 2005, the comic was originally drawn in black and white, but became full color on August 19, 2005....
- The Suburban Jungle
- Wapsi SquareWapsi SquareWapsi Square is a slice of life/fantasy webcomic set in modern Minneapolis, "a world almost exactly like the one you want to believe you live in." It also includes multiple supernatural elements, including a psychic and a god, which contrasts with its soap opera nature...
(Became affiliated with Blank Label ComicsBlank Label ComicsBlank Label Comics is a collective of web comics whose creators have banded together for mutual assistance and promotion. The Blank Label Comics website officially went online on May 23, 2005.All of the comics had previously been hosted on Keenspot...
.) - Zebra Girl (Announced its affiliation with 910CMX on July 2, 2010.)
External links
- Keenspot (homepage)
- Comic Genesis (formerly Keenspace)
- Keentoons (animation division)
- Keenswag (print volumes/collections and misc. items from their hosted comics)
- Keenspot Pressbox (incomplete collection of major newspaper and magazine articles about or featuring Keenspot, includes Daily Variety, Editor & Publisher, Comics Buyers Guide, etc.)