The Duck Webcomics
The Duck Webcomics, originally launched as Drunk Duck! in 2002, is an online webcomic hosting and community platform. An independent platform with thousands of titles, the site allows creators to publish their work, interact with readers, and participate in forums, community events, and collaborative projects.
After launching independently, the site was later owned by Platinum Studios and then WOWIO, which, although tumultuous, provided resources that helped the site continue operating.
History
Early years (2002–2005)
Drunk Duck was founded in 2002 by Dylan Squires as a free webcomics community site, primarily featuring amateur and independent creators. The name originates from Squires' pet duck: when the duck died, a friend drew it as though it were drunk rather than dead, and Squires decided the image "looked better," giving the site its original name. The name stuck and became part of the site's identity as a welcoming, egalitarian webcomic community.By 2003, the site was rapidly attracting creators, partly due to bandwidth limitations at competing platforms such as Keenspace.
Drunk Duck grew quickly during the mid-2000s webcomics boom, offering free hosting, commenting, forums, and archiving tools.
2005 server crash and relaunch
In late 2005, Drunk Duck suffered a major server crash that resulted in the loss of all site data and backups. The hosting company reportedly shut down the server due to financial problems, leaving Drunk Duck!'s future uncertain.On January 1, 2006, founder Dylan Squires announced that Drunk Duck would fully relaunch. A group of beta testers tested a rebuilt system, and the site was gradually reopened to the public, with many of the original features restored.
Platinum Studios era (2006–2010)
In September 2006, Drunk Duck was acquired by comics and media company Platinum Studios. Platinum's chairman Scott Mitchell Rosenberg announced plans to use the site as the company's primary online platform, publishing Platinum comics digitally before print and integrating Drunk Duck into a “full-circle commercialization” model aimed at identifying intellectual property for multimedia development.As part of the transition, Drunk Duck founder Dylan Squires was named director of software development for Platinum Studios' New Media Group and launched DrunkDuck.com "version 2.0." The site moved to a dedicated server with daily backups and increased bandwidth, and was relaunched with an updated layout, improved browsing and search tools, and a universal navigation bar. New features included an integrated forum, private messaging system, and a "featured comics" section highlighting selected titles. Creators could designate a main page for their comics, including chapter listings, descriptions, and recommendations. "Platinum Accounts" were introduced to provide expanded hosting options and support site projects, including Drunk Duck comic anthologies.
The acquisition prompted immediate debate among webcomics creators and readers, with some welcoming the potential for greater exposure, and others expressing skepticism about corporate involvement and commercial terms. Platinum's public filings referenced "producer" agreements and other structures for IP exploitation, and several creators later reported disputes regarding contract terms and payments.
By 2010, the site's user base had grown to approximately 95,000 subscribed users, but hosted only a limited number of Platinum titles.
WOWIO era (2010–2015)
In June 2010, the digital publishing company WOWIO raised $1.7 million and purchased the online community WEvolt. One week later, WOWIO acquired DrunkDuck.com from Platinum Studios. At the time of its acquisition, Drunk Duck hosted around "24,000 comic strips and stories." Between 2010 and 2013, Drunk Duck operated as one of WOWIO's portfolio sites. WOWIO undertook redesigns and platform changes during this period.Beginning in mid-2013, however, the Drunk Duck site experienced extended outages. The platform disappeared offline in August 2013, briefly returned in September, and went down again.
Rebranding and community ownership (2015–present)
On October 10, 2013, the site was relaunched under a new name, TheDuckWebcomics.com. In early 2014, the original DrunkDuck.com URL was restored and redirected to the new domain.In 2015, management of The Duck Webcomics transitioned to members of its own user community. Since the transition, the site has operated independently, maintaining forums, publishing tools, and community-run initiatives such as annual awards and collaborative events.
Features and community
The Duck Webcomics provides:- A library of thousands of independent, creator-owned webcomics, with free hosting, no upload limits, and support for multiple files at once. It offers customizable site templates, with the option to upload additional files for further customization, as well as tools for scheduling updates, managing archives, and RSS feeds for each comic
- Integrated forums and private messaging, allowing users to communicate without creating separate accounts; users can also create multiple comics under one username and act as assistants for other accounts
- User-run community events, awards, and collaborations, including the annual Drunk Duck Awards, which recognize outstanding comics and creators on the platform
All services on The Duck Webcomics are currently accessible for free.
Print anthologies
Drunk Duck published several print anthologies drawing from its community of creators:Drunk In Public: The Drunk Duck Collection Vol. 1 — features stories by more than twenty site creators.Drunk and Disorderly: The Drunk Duck Collection Vol. 2 — focused on action-oriented and longer-form stories by community creators.A third anthology, Drunk on Laughter, is mentioned in some community sources as being planned for late 2005, but its publication date and contents remain unclear and are not well documented in independent sources.
Drunk Duck Awards
The Duck Webcomics periodically recognizes creators through the annual Drunk Duck Awards, highlighting notable webcomics in categories such as Best Overall Story, Best Art, Best Humor, and Best Newcomer. Winners have included titles such as Charby the Vampirate, Simply Sarah, and Modest Medusa.The awards are community-driven, combining user voting with site selection. The first awards were held in 2007, initially presented in forums, and later adopted a comic-format presentation. Features such as “For Your Consideration” pages, design contests, and themed campaigns were added over time to engage creators. In 2020, judging moved to a Discord server following a site crash.