Tinyview webcomic app is looking to get $25,000 in subscriptions

It’s a time of change and positioning for digital comics, and longtime player Tinyview has launched a campaign to get more subscribers for their service. The platform exists as a website, but it also an app aimed at providing humorous webcomics from tried and true creators like Cyanide and Happiness, Gemma Correll, Sarah Graley, and Brian Gordon. Subscribers get bonus panels – and the good feeling inside that comes with supporting creators you enjoy. 

The campaign aims to get to $25,000 in subs and it more than halfway there with more than $15,000 pledged by more than 5000 subs at press time.

Tinyview was founded back in 2019 by CEO Raj Lalwani, who has a background in software development. He says he is intent on making Tinyview a leader in creator compensation, with the site “committed to paying independent comics artists for their work while helping them build their audiences.”

“Artists and creators are often forced to post work for free on the main social media platforms to gain a following. Tinyview enables artists to be paid for the work they post, while bringing lovers of classic funny-page comics together,” said Lalwani in a statement. “Our current fundraising campaign will allow Tinyview to generate revenue from readers which will support artists they love and help usher in a stronger creator economy.”

Several cartoonists who publish on the platform gave endorsements, but I’ll add that I have subscribed to the site at the “cup of coffee” level – although honestly, here in NYC, a cup of coffee often costs way more then $4.99, shockingly. Tinyview is akin to a modern day comics page in the newspaper – classic humor, political insights, and bite sized chunks of comics that scroll by enjoyable on the phone. Plus, where Gemma Correll goes, I will go also.

And cartoonists like having it as an option:

Cartoonist Brian Gordon publishes “Fowl Language: Comics for Imperfect Parents” on Tinyview. Brian Gordon recently created a comic summarizing the experience of creators posting on major social sites in his comic, “Deal with the Devils,” which can be seen in full here.

Gordon said, “Having been burned by other social media sites’ exploitative practices, I was initially skeptical to join the Tinyview roster of artists. But I quickly saw how important their mission is, and I’ve since become one of their strongest advocates. Our founder, Raj, not only compensates artists fairly for their work, he gives us a voice in all levels of decision-making. As an artist who relies on the internet for my livelihood, it’s been a game-changing experience to finally have a say in how my work is presented and shared.”

Matt Bors, founder of The Nib, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, and an advisor to Tinyview, said: “Social media is driven largely by video and daily print media has collapsed. That has left comic strip creators with very few options. Tinyview is a place designed for comics, funded by readers, and if we reach this campaign goal, it’s only the beginning of what it could do for creators.”

Cartoonist Rob Rogers, a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in both 1999 and 2019 who now posts his work on Tinyview, said: “As a veteran editorial cartoonist who spent decades at a major daily, it breaks my heart to see the decline of the U.S. newspaper and, along with it, the comics pages. Thankfully, all is not lost. Tinyview has managed to recapture the fun and anticipation of opening the Sunday funnies right on your phone or digital device. Most importantly, Tinyview makes it a priority to pay artists for their work. I am proud to be a part of this new comics venture.”

You can help support some of your favorite artists by subscribing here. The campaign runs until Feb. 14, 2023.

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