The Tea Dragon Society
Files
Title: The Tea Dragon Society
Creator: O’Neill, Katie
Date: 2017
Source: VCU Libraries, James Branch Cabell Library, Special Collections and Archives
Publisher: Oni Press
Description: This book is a print adaptation of a webcomic by the same name that was first published on September 1, 2016. While it exists in both formats, the reading experience is quite different. The print version exists as a physical object, and thus has weight, and tactility in addition to its visual aspects. A reader has to physically turn each page to read the next, which is a different feeling than clicking with a mouse. Additionally the print version features extra drawings on the back of the chapter title pages that are not found in the web version.
The web version has its own set of advantages too. In the web version it is possible to zoom in on the pages by increasing the magnification of the browser window so that text and images can become easier to read. The webcomic can also function as a shared experience. Below each page of the webcomic there are comment sections where other readers can post their feelings and thoughts about the story. Both the zooming ability and the comments are lost in the transition from digital to print.
This of course does not mean that one version is necessarily superior over the other. It is just important to keep in mind that even with the same content, different forms of media are experienced in different ways by readers.
The web version has its own set of advantages too. In the web version it is possible to zoom in on the pages by increasing the magnification of the browser window so that text and images can become easier to read. The webcomic can also function as a shared experience. Below each page of the webcomic there are comment sections where other readers can post their feelings and thoughts about the story. Both the zooming ability and the comments are lost in the transition from digital to print.
This of course does not mean that one version is necessarily superior over the other. It is just important to keep in mind that even with the same content, different forms of media are experienced in different ways by readers.
Text: The Tea Dragon Society
Original Format: Book
Collection: Considering Comics
Citation: O’Neill, Katie, “The Tea Dragon Society,” VCU Libraries Gallery, accessed December 31, 2024, https://gallery.library.vcu.edu/items/show/104047.