GoComics has always been one of the worst implementations of a good idea in the entire landscape of the Internet (noting that it's debatable if social media and video sharing were ever good ideas). Its interface has never been pretty and I would rank it as one of the worst on the web in terms of bludgeoning users with ads.
Well, apparently I missed this, but last month it apparently got significantly worse.
Note, first, that I had to use a random screenshot from Reddit to represent my problem. This is because the website no longer functions in any meaningful capacity on Firefox, so I can't even get the paywall screen to load (this would be a victory if only I could get the actual comic I'm looking at to load). Note second that, yep, it's a paywall. GoComics is now paywalling comic archives, making the art they shamelessly exploit only available to those willing to fill their pockets. Disgusting.
Now, if you're like me and you just want to read some FoxTrot without being reminded of the anti-art hellscape we're living in, you do thankfully have some course of action. The Wayback Machine will gladly show you these comics without forcing you to pay, because the people who run that website may be actual angels. For those who need their morning fix of the comics, I point you to comicsrss.com, which provides up-to-date RSS feeds of most comics available on the site. It sounds very 2008, I know, but we should all be moving to RSS anyway. While we're on the subject, may I recommend Feedbro?
As of today, GoComics is persona non grata on my web browser, unless it's being accessed through the Wayback Machine. GoComics is supposed to be a means of preservation of newspaper comics. But digital preservation doesn't mean squat if it's not exclusive to paying customers. For shame, GoComics, for shame.
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