You did know that “webcomics,” that is to say comic strips or book whose primary delivery vehicle is the Internet, is a business category in Chicago, right? From the heyday of Dick Tracy and the Tribune’s syndicate in the 1930s, to First Comics in the 1980s, to Chicago’s biggest current comics name, Alex Ross, the comics scene has always had a presence in Chicago. Webcomics (”web comics” in Associated Press style) are the latest wrinkle in the format and Chicago has a few examples of this.

Templar, Arizona is the webcomic work of Charlie Trotman, who more often goes by the name of Spike. One of the things you hear about from would be iconoclasts is about the empowering nature of the web. Spike’s story is an actual instance of that. She was able to use the Internet to create a brand, spin off sales of a physical product and create her own small business to escape the world of retail. Along the way she’s won a few awards including:
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