Comic Book Resources

Slash Print | Barnes & Noble's nook goes head-to-head with Amazon's Kindle

Tablets | Kindle, meet the Nook ... or nook, as it looks like Barnes & Noble are spelling it with the lowercase "n," which is really annoying. But yes, the bookseller has launched their own e-book tablet, which retails for $259 (the same as the Amazon Kindle 2), has a color touchscreen and comes out in November. Check out the product comparison chart (it's a PDF) from B & N for more information on how it compares to Amazon's device.

Google, meanwhile, isn't working on a device, but they do plan to launch an e-book store in order to deliver electronic books to "any device with a web browser." Time will tell what any of this means for the comic industry, but with a color tablet coming out soon, you can see the possibilities.

Webcomics | Writing for PBS's Mediashift blog, Simon Owens writes about what newspaper cartoonists can learn from web cartoonists. He spoke with both Richard Stevens and Howard Tayler for the piece.

Continue Reading »

Slash Print | Following the digital evolution

Hellboy: Seed of Destruction

Digital Comics | Dark Horse announced via press release that both Umbrella Academy and Hellboy: Seed of Destruction are available through the iTunes Store, with subsequent issues available soon. Seed of Destruction is available as four issues at $0.99 each, or as a bundle of all four issues for $3.99. The first issue of Apocalypse Suite is available for free, with issues #2–#6 only $0.99 each, or a bundle of all six issues for $4.99.

Digital Comics | Disney Comics Worldwide shares more details on Disney's DigiComics initiative. They'll eventually be rolled out worldwide, starting in December in English-speaking countries and Italy. They'll be available for the iPhone, iPod and Sony PSP, and eventually Disney hopes to expand to other platforms like Nokia phones and the Wii. The stories will initially come from "the huge archive that The Walt Disney Company Italy has built up in the last 50 years."

Motion Comics | All five episodes of the Spider Woman, Agent of S.W.O.R.D. motion comic are now available for free viewing on Hulu. Because it is "intended for mature audiences," you'll have to register and verify your age.

Continue Reading »

Slash Print | Following the digital evolution

Zuda

Webcomics | Scott Kurtz, who hosted the Harvey Awards this past weekend, shares his thoughts on what he saw at the Zuda table over the weekend. Kurtz, the creator of the long-running and highly successful PvP webcomic, has been an outspoken critic of Zuda since they launched, but had a different take on DC's monthly webcomics contest after this weekend.

"If companies like DC can enter the Webcomics world, and find a way to work with creators fairly and bring credibility and positive attention to this medium…that’s good," Kurtz writes. "If Zuda can light a fire under the asses of talent that normally wouldn’t make progress, that’s awesome. We want that, don’t we? Doesn’t a rising tide lift all ships? I know I’m skeptical. I like being skeptical. But maybe I’ve witnessed so many Platinums in the past that I’m a little gun-shy. Maybe…maybe…Zuda isn’t going to fuck people over."

Also worth reading on his blog, Kurtz talks about what it was like to host the Harveys.

Webcomics | In anticipation of the release of the ACT-I-VATE Primer from IDW, Graphic NYC has dubbed this ACT-I-VATE week and will run features all week about the webcomics collective and its contributors.

Continue Reading »

Slash Print | Following the digital evolution

Internet radio | SLG Publishing is testing out an internet radio call-in show, where fans can call in and ask Dan Vado questions about their titles or the comic industry in general. If you've ever attended one of SLG's panels, you know Dan has a lot to say, so this should be worth checking out.

Tablets | Although the Apple tablet I mentioned a few days ago hasn't even been officially announced yet, this Ad Age story says traditional publishers are already talking about ways to bypass iTunes and offer "an industry-wide digital storefront where tablet users could buy digital issues or subscriptions without going through iTunes or the App Store."

Tablets | Speaking of tablets (and SLG, for that matter), SLG chief Jennifer de Guzman talks about digital comics in her latest column for Publisher's Weekly, noting the difficulties that come with trying to make comics for Amazon's Kindle.

"To be acceptable to Amazon's Kindle store, a comic needs to be 'reflowed,' which means breaking each page into individual panels and saving each as a separate file," she writes. "This is a process that could take hours for every graphic novel—and that means additional costs for a publisher."

Digital Comics | If you missed part one of the Brian Michael Bendis interview I linked to earlier because you were too busy checking out what he had to say about Avengers, he talks with Blair Butler about the Spider Woman Motion Comic and the future of digital comics.

Continue Reading »

Slash Print | Following the digital evolution

Tablets | Gizmodo reports on the long-rumored Apple Tablet device, saying that Apple "is in talks with several media companies rooted in print, negotiating content for a 'new device.'" In addition, Apple has also applied for a patent on a "multi-touch surface that could accommodate two full hands and distinguish between palms and individual fingers for typing, gestures and more," according to the Apple Insider.

Scott McCloud comments on the potential for such a device to change comics: "Most of today’s comics publishers are likely to jump into the pool with their clothes on—print-style pages intact. But if Apple’s gadget is anything like what’s being described, we could see a shift over time from point-and-click fragmented delivery, like what we have on the Web today, to more continuous spatial metaphors of the sort a lot of us turn-of-the-century mad scientists were playing with. Should be interesting."

Continue Reading »

Slash Print | Following the digital evolution

Ant Man

Webcomics | In case you missed it, like I did ... Chris Eliopolis shares a fun Ant Man tribute comic on his website. (via Comics Alliance)

Webcomics | Alex Hoffman of the webcomics site Transmission-X discusses how webcomics are usually limited to one category when awards time rolls around.

"The issue is that since webcomics are allowed nominations in only a single category - while print comics are nominated under a multitude of aspects of comic production – webcomics are severely limited in their recognition," he writes. "The online comics community is large and growing quickly, but as yet, all the major awards exclude them from the majority of categories. While they do honour the Best Webcomic, they do not allow those strips to compete for recognition as Best Artist, Best Cartoonist, etc."

Continue Reading »

Slash Print | Following the digital evolution

Piracy | Global Gaming Factory X AB said it is buying the file-sharing site The Pirate Bay, which hosts BitTorrents of various types, including comics. The Swedish software company "intends to launch new business models that allow compensation to the content providers and copyright owners," the company said.

Digital comics | Last week Rich Johnston did another "Twinterview," or interview over Twitter, this time with Longbox inventor Rantz Hoseley. The entire thing is collected over at BleedingCool.com. Rich asks about how Longbox will affect comic shops, mobile devices, funding and more. You can also watch Hoseley's panel from HeroesCon over at iFanboy.

Continue Reading »

Slash Print | Following the digital evolution

Longbox

Digital Comics | Rantz Hoseley posted some additional information and answered questions on the Longbox digital comics in the comments section of the iFanboy article Kevin linked to yesterday.

Those updates include:

• Although only BOOM! and Top Cow have been announced so far, Hoseley said seven publishers have signed on for the launch, and the other five will be announced in the next few weeks leading up to the San Diego Comic Con.
• The software will include a "Manga Mode" that flips the left-to-right reading order. That's pretty damn clever.
• The software will also allow for "age-restricted sub-accounts," so your kids can read the Muppets but can't get to your Black Kiss comics.
• Hoseley says that "while we certainly welcome DC and Marvel's participation, the entire system was designed to have a business model that would be successful and profitable for all involved if they chose not to participate."

There's more at the link, so click over and read. This gets more interesting by the day ...

Continue Reading »

Slash Print | Following the digital evolution

DMZ on Google Maps

Internet | Brian Wood uses Google Maps to highlight key locations from his Vertigo series DMZ.

Social media | Twitter, apparently, has taken the place of message boards as the preferred arena for fights between comic pros and gossip columnists.

Last Friday, an online dust-up occurred between comics writer Mark Waid and former All the Rage columnist Rich Johnston. You can read their respective takes on it here and here.

It was certainly a lot easier to follow the back-and-forth flames in the old days of message boards. Kids and their crazy newfangled internet tools ...

Digital comics | And now a look at the gentler side of Twitter ... also on Friday, Johnston interviewed Ryan Penagos, aka Agent_M, about Marvel.com and Marvel's Digital Comics Initiative. The interview took place on Twitter.

Internet | The New York Times talks to artists who were recently invited by Google to contribute artwork that would be used on their web browser, Google Chrome. Google asked them to do it for exposure rather than pay. (via)

Slash Print | Following the digital evolution

The Crooked Man

Webcomics | Corinna Bechko, one of the co-creators of The Crooked Man, says that she and artist Gabriel Hardman are working to turn their Zuda submission into a graphic novel. They placed fifth in the July 2008 Zuda competition. (Thanks David!)

Webcomics | Warren Pleece's Montague Terrace has started running on the ACTIVATE website. You can also find all the pages at his blog. In other ACTIVATE news, the site also now includes a column by Tim Hall.

Twitter | T Campbell is twittering his thoughts on Crisis on Infinite Earths as he rereads the decades-old crossover series. "Praise, critique, and lots of snark ahead." [Via The Beat]

e-Devices | The full audio of the South by Southwest interactive panel "Comics on Handhelds: Taking Webcomics Mobile" is now online. The panel features Dan Goldman, Rich Stevens, Douglas Edwards, Molly Crabapple, Dave Bort and Rantz Hoseley "in a let's-sketch-out-solutions talk for transitioning webcomics to a variety of new petri dishes," Goldman said.

Continue Reading »

Slash Print | Following the digital evolution

Webcomics | Karl Kerschl says his webcomic The Abominable Charles Christopher could be coming to print this year. "I’m looking at printing quotes and schedules, and I hope to have something available by mid-summer," he wrote on the comic's blog.

Webcomics | MTV has started a new feature where they "take a look at comics that merit attention from filmmakers." The first one focuses on the webcomic The Adventures Of Dr. McNinja By Chris Hastings.

Continue Reading »

Slash Print | Following the digital evolution

The Iraq War Stories Anthology

Webcomics | Starting this Sunday, the webcomics collective ACT-I-VATE will run The Iraq War Stories Anthology, edited by Nick Bertozzi. Per the press release, Bertozzi asked the students in his Comic Book Storytelling Workshop at The School of Visual Arts to adapt stories that took place in Iraq during the War.

"The majority of the stories were found on blogs, a few were adapted from stories told to the students by friends, and one student, himself a veteran of the Iraq War, wrote and drew a story based on his own experience," the release says. One story will appear each Sunday for the next 13 weeks.

e-Devices & Webcomics | Here's a fun case of sibling rivalry -- Peter Timony has released The Complete Sir Roland, previously available on the web, as a comic for Amazon's Kindle device. Not to be outdone, his twin brother Bobby has released a 24-Hour Comic, The Ballad of Basil the Bunny, for the Kindle.

Webcomics | Daryl Cagle discusses the pluses and minuses of allowing other sites to easily embed political cartoons from his site -- something that's becoming the norm in the world of Web 2.0 and YouTube. [Hat tip: The Comics Reporter]

e-Publishing | Range Murata, the creator of anime like Last Exile and Shangri-La, has released his self-published magazine Throw Line dōjin on iTunes.

Slash Print | Following the digital evolution

Split Lip

Webcomics | The long-running Split Lip horror webcomic is now available in print. Split Lip Vol. 1 is a 158-page trade paperback collecting 11 horror comics, all written by Sam Costello and drawn by artists such as John Bivens, Jason Ho and Sami Makkonen.

Costello is selling copies on the Split Lip website and will sell them at conventions as well.

E-devices | BoingBoing points to an announcement from Gamma Dynamics that they've developed "a new electrofluidic reflective display" that uses colored pigments. Mark Frauenfelder wonders if this could lead to a color version of Amazon's Kindle device. Matt Maxwell says, "And you will end up reading your comics on it, sooner or later."

Webcomics | The Opera web browser recently celebrated its 15th anniversary by sharing a comic that detailed its not-so-secret origin. [Hat Tip: Kelson Vibber]

Webcomics | French cartoonist Raphael B. uses the scroll bar to his advantage in this very cool Spider-Man webcomic that transcends any language barriers. [Hat tip: Laura Hudson, at the relaunched Comics Alliance blog]

Humor | Meet the world's first Post-Paper Evolution Consultant. "I’m 29. I was practically raised by an original Nintendo, so I was there the first time a video game (Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest) showed a richness of characterization, lyrical language, and elegant plotting that rivaled the finest novels. I was blogging by ’02, Facebooking by ’04, bored of Facebook by ’06, thinking it was lame how thirty-five year olds got super in to Facebook in ’08. Like it or not, I’m the future."

Slash Print | Following the digital evolution

Time Jumper

Digital comics | The Baltimore Sun spotlights Time Jumper, Stan Lee's multimedia collaboration with Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

The article quotes Steve Geppi, president of Diamond Comic Distributors, who praises innovations like Time Jumper but stresses they won't supplant the traditional comic book: "There's a certain thing about picking up that book, about touching it and smelling it and reading it. ... There's just something about that experience you can't replace."

Digital publishing | Sean Kleefeld ponders why many publishers are reluctant to explore digital distribution.

Digital comics | Chris Williams considers what moves by publishers into the digital realm might mean to comic-book stores: "Are digital comics inevitable? Yes. Is it doom and gloom for your favorite local comic shop? Maybe."

Piracy | Wired's Gadget Lab reports that pirates have illegally cracked about 20 percent of the paid applications sold by Apple's App Store.

Slash Print | Following the digital evolution

Gyakushu!, Vol. 3

Digital comics | Cartoonist Dan Hipp, whose Gyakushu! was among the titles caught up last year in Tokyopop's seismic restructuring, has announced the third volume is complete and apparently will appear online: "So, will you get to see it? The answer is yes, but not as originally intended, as the plan is STILL to put it online. Apologies to anyone assuming otherwise, because naturally I'd love to see it in print someday, in its full 600-page horrific glory. Don't hold your breath, but who knows what the future will bring."

Talk of Tokyopop moving the bulk of its "OEL books" online began in June as soon as the company announced its shakeup. However, no official announcement has been made.

Digital comics | In this week's "MyCup o' Joe" Q&A, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada touches upon the uncertainties of the digital "format": "I think the next big commercial format will be the digital format. It’s paradoxical, because I think we all 'know that,' but we don’t know what form it will take. Thousands of people are experimenting with different formats and different techniques in digital. And I’m sure we’ll all continue experimenting for the next few years until the apple falls on someone’s head and they figure it out."

E-devices | Michael Fitzpatrick reports that Fujitsu plans to ship 50,000 units of its color FLEPia e-book reader by the end of 2010. The devices sells for about $1,000.

E-devices | Sean Kleefeld considers the drawbacks to reading comics on a smart phone: "How long does it take you to read a comic panel? One or two seconds? Then what? You'd have to scroll/click/slide/whatever to the next panel. Then you spend another second or two reading that panel, and then you'd have to scroll/click/slide/whatever to the third one. You'd end up spending as much time navigating the document as you would reading."

Applications | Brendan Wilhide reviews the ComicZeal comic-book viewer/storage app for iPhone.