I dislike this debate of print versus web/digital. It's not a zero sum game. One is not the better than the other. I get annoyed just the same when print comic folks criticize web comics.
The media of delivery is a separate thing, ultimately from the actual contents of the comic. Sure, using certain media (format) allow for some opportunities and constraints. What is interesting is understanding the opportunities and constraints and playing with them in your work.
@carloswebcomic you view web as more open, well tell that to the many people who complain about the forced vertical format from Tapastic that limits what one can do in terms of storytelling and really support one type of comic. This is a long shot from the open canvas first defended by Scott McCloud for web comics in his 2000 book Reinventing Comics.
Creating a web comic and then printing it is not a fetish. It's a way to reach different audiences. Do realize that people who read web comics are different than readers of printed comics. And digital comics readers are also different from web comic readers. Understanding this means that a creator will work toward reaching his target audience best using a complex strategy.
For example, I know that people who want to read my comic Johnny Bullet mostly fit the print comic demographic. My comic does not do well on Tapastic at all. Not because it is a bad comic (I've had very good positive reviews from a lot of people who have read it). But the demographic at Tapastic is not the one that can support a comic like this. Were my comic a manga of yaoi, it would be a different affair.
I've also surveyed my readers and overwhelmingly, they would rather read the comic as a book instead. My comic also uses the classic comic strip format while being a web comic. Strips are very limited in space yet the best comics ever produced were all comic strips - Peanuts, Calvin & Hobbes, Terry & the Pirates, Pogo. They played with the space constrains pretty well and still managed to eclipse every other forms of comics.
I love all comics regardless of the medium they are published at. I don't see any opposition or cheat in starting a comic online first and then getting it printed. Neither would I ever criticize someone who chooses to keep his work only online or even to a specific platform, i.e., Tapastic. it's up to every cartoonist to decide what works best for them and their objectives.
Print is not a dream for me. It is a necessity. I understand my readers and most of them tell me frequently that they would rather read my comic in a book than online. Personally, I am committed to making a web comic too because I think it is the closest format to comic strips which I love tremendously. I'm not refusing to let go of a dream. I am doing what I must.