Hi again!
Comics will never die. I think they will become more animated and more e-zine and independent which is a good thing. Publishing on demand and websites like alterna comics are the wave of the future. I hope that books don't go away though. I still want to curl up with a big stack and that's just not the same with a laptap.

It's already been discussed in other replies, but it's pretty obvious that web comics will play a huge role in the evolution of comics.

I published my own book for a year and a half, first online, then followed by print. Working the social circuit on cons, I found more than one indie creator who started that way; or even continues that way. Web comics offer a level of diversity not usually found in print; as it's geared directly for its target audience, and not so much to attract the attentions of today's kids who pop into their local shop to check out the latest Pokemon cards, or whatever else they're playing today. And that's good, because print is finally seeing a resurgence of other genres, like Westerns, Biographical, a boom in Fantasy, and a lot more Sc-Fi.

I think a couple have also mentioned, much like other experts in the biz, that print will never die. Large collections, monthly issues, and graphic novels, are, in a lot of cases, more immediate, and don't stop at the end of a cable, or power cord; or are limited by hardware memory. The tools available now also come into play in the evolution of comics, too. Digit printing has lead to on demand publishing; all but eliminating minimum print runs of smaller books, which cut cost and risk as well as opening the door to color printing.

I think, and see it in today's young independents, that the real evolution is going to be in how comics market themselves, and what kinds of flash attach themselves to comics; whether cultural or in regards to marketing. On demand publishing and networking sites (Like, say, Tribe, or My Space) allow creators to directly market their stories and ideas to fans of that particular style of story telling; be that Sci-Fi, Soap Opera, life based comedy, or Fantasy.

Publisher sites now use Flash, and other animation, to make their books pop; adding effects and even music. Previews of books are now made available for download. Special animated panels are added to pages on digi comics. Email and message boards have now opened avenues directly to creative teams, and even allowed immediate feedback back and forth.

I guess, from what I see, the future of comics is the waining of the influence of the big houses and the power of small indies. Want to get on the ground floor? Just publish directly to the market, yourself.

Of course, that's just my $.02. Your mileage may vary.

Serial artwork is hardwired into the human brain.