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Web Nuggets: Marvel's New Digital Comic Strategy

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    • CommentAuthoruwspub
    • CommentTimeOct 30th 2009
     (7105.1)
    Fellow Citizens of Whitechapel,

    If you've been following the comic blogs today, you'll know that Marvel just launched a huge push into digital comics today. Several Marvel titles (including Warren's run on Iron Man) were released for digital download simultaneously on Comixology, Panelfly, and iVerse.

    What does it mean for digital comics? Over at Underwater Samurai, we thinks its pretty awesome! I liken it to Amazon kick-starting ebooks by pushing the Kindle.

    Anyway, gave a pretty thorough analysis of it over on the SOLDIERS blog -- feel free to click through and check it out. I'd love to hear what you all think about this exciting digital development.

    Rob
    www.soldiersthecomic.com
    • CommentAuthorgzapata
    • CommentTimeOct 31st 2009
     (7105.2)
    I find this very interesting. What I think is more interesting is the fact that they were all put into 3rd party programs. If they continue with this idea there is a better likely hood that they may go this route with digital comics(*cough*longbox*cough*) as well. It'll be interesting to see what DC will do with this news
  3.  (7105.3)
    It looks very much like "testing the waters" to me, rather than a huge push. A broad-spectrum experiment.
    • CommentAuthorgzapata
    • CommentTimeOct 31st 2009
     (7105.4)
    Very true but it's still a possible step in the right direction (in my opinion) compared to DC's zuda and and Marvel's Digital Database (or whatever it's called)

    Did you (Warren Ellis) have any prior knowledge of your Ironman run being a part of this?
  5.  (7105.5)
    Did you (Warren Ellis) have any prior knowledge of your Ironman run being a part of this?

    None. But then, it was done work-for-hire, and they have no onus to inform me what they do with it.
    • CommentAuthoruwspub
    • CommentTimeOct 31st 2009
     (7105.6)
    They're definitely testing the waters to see what works and what they like. Got word from a friend who has an app development company -- he was approached by Marvel as well, so it looks like they're going after the individual app producers as well.

    Funny you mention DC, gzapata. Dan Didio has famously said DC would never do digital -- I wonder what they are thinking now?

    Since Marvel was bought by Disney, and Disney is so close with Apple and iTunes, it's no surprise this has happened. How they've chosen to do it is a little interesting, though.

    Also, I bought the rest of Warren's Iron Man run from Panelfly -- sorry to report that their 99 cent pricing is only for issues 1-4, 5 & 6 were $1.99.

    Warren, I always wondered, why didn't you put Freakangels up for digital download through iTunes?

    Rob
    www.soldiersthecomic.com
  7.  (7105.7)
    Nice to see Marvel branching out instead of trying to lock people into one store/system. Hopefully the competition will really push the development of online delivery.
  8.  (7105.8)
    Warren, I always wondered, why didn't you put Freakangels up for digital download through iTunes?

    Do iPhones not go on the web?
  9.  (7105.9)
    Do iPhones not go on the web?

    Not in a way that makes it easy to read most webcomics — especially ones that aren't strictly horizontal strips.
  10.  (7105.10)
    And how long do you think it would take for someone to say, "how dare you sell FA apps when it's free on the web? Do you think I can't multitouch my way through an episode?"
  11.  (7105.11)
    There's a digital comics reader coming out soon-ish for Sony's PSP too, I guess they are seeing if gamers will bite too. Lots of toes in various bodies of water.
    The digital reader for PSP will offer the biggest names in comics, including content from Marvel Entertainment's Spider-Man, X-Men and the Fantastic Four, from IDW: TRANSFORMERS and Star Trek and in partnership with iVerse Media, brands like Archie Comics, and Image Comic's Proof, while other content will include graphic novels, comics from a variety of local publishers and the latest underground sensations.
    (link)
    I'm not one for paperless reading, but seeing as I do have a PSP I'm curious to see what else will be available (other than Archie, of course) and whether my eyes can deal with it.
    • CommentAuthorPhranky
    • CommentTimeNov 1st 2009
     (7105.12)
    I want a central source for this sort of stuff (ala Amazon or iTunes), at the moment it seems to be more of a scattershot approach.
  13.  (7105.13)
    Just to be clear- anything for the iPhone has to cost money? I don't have (or want) one, so while I think that's right I'm not 100% certain. 99% of everything on the 360 Live costs money too, which is as annoying there as it sounds like it is on the iPhone. Devs have stuff they'd quite happily give away if they could, but it's MS's servers so MS's rules. The theory is that free stuff makes pay product look expensive by comparison. It's a nice theory, all very logical, but that's not how the internet works. Despite all their missteps in the current generation, at least Sony figured out that it's ok to give stuff away.
    •  
      CommentAuthorrickiep00h
    • CommentTimeNov 1st 2009
     (7105.14)
    @Phranky - I don't know if you've been keeping up with Rantz Hoseley's Longbox thread, but that's kind of what they're gunning for with Longbox. Sort of like iTunes for comics. From what I can tell, most of the industry is pretty positive to such an idea (plus it's been gathering steam in mainstream media coverage lately). It's just getting the idea off the ground that's the hard part.
  15.  (7105.15)
    Warren, I always wondered, why didn't you put Freakangels up for digital download through iTunes?
    —
    Do iPhones not go on the web?
    —
    Not in a way that makes it easy to read most webcomics — especially ones that aren't strictly horizontal strips.


    That is all easily fixed by spending a little time by using a sniffer that tells the site what kind of browser you're using and then reformats it to, in this case, iPhone format (instead of just shrinking down the page as it does now).
    • CommentAuthorTheDeeMan
    • CommentTimeNov 1st 2009
     (7105.16)
    Ultimately this is nothing new. All the big print comics have been moving into digital for sometime nw. Wizard did a big article on print publishers, the move into digital comics, and whether or not they thought digital would ultimately hurt print comic sales.


    Dee

    ...................................................................
    THE CONTINENTALS. Murder, mystery, intrigue, adventure--And steampunk!
  17.  (7105.17)
    I've used a comic book reading app on the iPhone. It works and can be great for free or cheap (most have very little problem paying $.99 for any kind of app, even one that only makes farts). But, jesus fuck, even the ones designed to show you a panel at a time are just on too small a screen to be appreciated/read properly even after sticking the damn thing so far up your nose so you can see it all.

    My opinion is that once the ebook war gets really fired up, there will be a very successful push into digital comics distribution. As much as I like to hold a comic in my hands, I can't deny that having those comics delivered every Wednesday to a thin tablet device with smooth touch navigation doesn't tickle my jimmies.

    Just in the way that the NY Times and other newspapers are banking on the Kindle, B&N book-reader thing, Microsoft Courier and the what-the-shit-are-they-waiting-for Apple Tablet to reinforce their dwindling revenue, comics will naturally follow suit and it's actually comforting to see Marvel playing with it much more than other large publishers.
    • CommentAuthoruwspub
    • CommentTimeNov 1st 2009
     (7105.18)
    @ rickiep00h - I'm still not sure of the point of Longbox. So many comics are on iTunes already, what is the market for an "iTunes" for comics? I haven't seen a live demo yet, but from what I've read -- well, I'm just not sure what they're doing. Their website is completely useless. Their initial announcement was last year, right? It's starting to sound a heck of a lot like vaporware at this point. Do you know of anywhere you can go to get good information on the actual service?

    Rob
    www.soldiersthecomic.com
  19.  (7105.19)
    I'm putting all my stuff on iPhone/Android shortly for $. If someone wants to get outraged about charging for my years of in-the-red work, well, they're welcome to come to my site and read most of it for free. Other folks like having it handy.
    • CommentAuthorgzapata
    • CommentTimeNov 2nd 2009
     (7105.20)
    @uwspub- Your right about itunes already having comics but I think the point of longbox is to give a true digital experience and program specifically for comics. In the end itunes is for music and app for iphones. Also they want to present true digital comics not just iphone comics. The first major announcement I heard of it was over the summer from the interviews Rantz has said the delay is due to some major company joining in with them and having to deal with a lot of paperwork. I am getting a bit tired of waiting too though.

    @Brendan McGinley- Just wondering, do you know how successful android has been for the comic creators so far?

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