Terry Lenko informed me of this, this morning.  (Thanks Terry)

Possum Press and Ultraist Studios were in attendance at this year’s Word on the Street Festival in Toronto last Sunday, and the Spy Guy and Possum comics were a big hit.  (proof is below).

The caption below the picture reads: “Dante Petitti reads amid festival-goers at The Word on The Street literary festival, held in and around Queen’s Park. He was reading a comic called The Possum, by Blair Kitchen. This is the festival’s 20th year.”

The article is short, and is about digital books, but Terry Green’s comments in the last paragraph echo my thoughts on where digital fits in next to paper in the whole digital publishing debate.  Click here for the article on the Metro website.

There is nothing like the smell of a newsprint comic book, and the feel of it as you turn the pages, as all of your senses are engaged in the reading experience.  With paper, you can get close and study every detail on the page as you sit comfortabley in bed, on the couch, or in the grass at a book fair.  It feels more intimate and is a warmer experience to me.  I can’t explain it exactly, and maybe it’s just because it invokes memories from my childhood, but nothing can replace paper comics.  Digital comics are great for getting your stories and artwork circulated to as many people as possible, and peeking the interest of your readers, but it just doesn’t replace paper.  

I’ll be posting some photos from The Word on the Street Festival soon. 

 

UPDATE:  Chuck Palahniuk is asked about digital vs. paper here.  I like his answer.