Dinosaur Comics

Digital affordances are one of the unique aspects of webcomics. While not all creators choose to incorporate them, historically these affordances have helped sustain comics beyond their first few years of existence. One such example is, as seen in the video, Dinosaur Comics. For those not familiar with the comic, Dinosaur Comics has not changed the panels it uses since its creation in 2003. For 16 years, the comic has grown into the spotlight by changing only the text in each new comic. Simply put, “North has used the same clip-art-like pictures of the same dinosaurs in the same positions for more than 12,000 strips at least in part because he doesn't draw well” [1].

At a quick glance, Dinosaur Comics appears to be lackluster in terms of digital affordances. With all of the new webcomics being produced during the early 2000s boom, the on-the-surface simplicity of the comic should have led to failure [2]. Yet, by employing Osborne’s idea to use its digital affordances not as merely actions but as transactions, North has helped his comic survive and grow through the ages [3]. North utilizes an affordance rarely seen in other comics—url queries. By adding the component “&butiwouldratherbereading=xkcd” to the url, the images of the dinosaurs will transform in xkcd characters, for example. There are countless other keywords to swap out xkcd with, while some even change the panels themselves. Inputting  “&butiwouldratherbereading=thelastdinosaurcomicever” to the url replaces the last panel with an image of a giant meteor hitting Earth. By utilizing hidden digital affordances like this, Dinosaur Comics has been able to maintain a dedicated fanbase and withstand the test of time.

1. Smith, Jessica. "See You in the Funny Papers; Webcomics are so simple, anyone can do it, Ryan North says. All it takes is some know-how and a good sense of humour." The Guelph Mercury, May 13, 2008. http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/356000738?accountid=11107.

2. Atchison, Lee. "A Brief History of Webcomics: The Third Age of Webcomics, Part One." Sequential Tart, January 07, 2008. Accessed February 27, 2019. http://www.sequentialtart.com/article.php?id=850.

3. Osborne, Richard. 2019. “Rethinking Education Technology from Digital Tool to Digital Place: New Perspectives, New Affordances.” Impact (2514-6955), January, 20–22. http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=134476811&site=ehost-live.