How ComiXology Will Support Independent Creators

eBookNewser has a  nifty new article  profiling comiXology's CEO David Steinberger. Of interest to independent and small press creators is this:

"We are empowering smaller publishers and creators to get digital distribution through our platform with our Guided View Authoring Tools program will help level the playing field by giving independent creators and publishers an equal chance for visibility in the digital marketplace through a standard format and ubiquitous platform. We have a program in the works that will empower partnering comic retailers to sell digital comics through their websites as part of our continued support".

Check out the article for more!

ELDRITCH! conjures up some magic!

ELDRITCH! is a morbidly delicious collaboration between me and the grotesquely talented Drew Rausch, co-creator of Sullengrey and Aaron Alexovich, the mind-boggling genius behind Serenity Rose.Their series, which was featured and celebrated by DC Comics, is currently distributed by them on a variety of different e-reading platforms for just .99 cents!

Do yourself a favor and pick it up TODAY!

No More Digital Comics on the PSP

Today, Sony announced that "this week will be the final update for digital comics on the PSP."

As they mention in their blog post, their " Digital Comics Team will continue to work on bringing the comic service to other Sony devices."

The PSP famously carried many of DC's popular tittles, including Azure, High Moon, Batman, Sandman, many of their licensed Wildstorm titles and more. The PSP also included a vast libary with over 4000 comics from various publishers including IDW, Markosia, and Marvel, among others.

Apple's iPad commands 1% of all web traffic after just one year

While not specifically about comics, the following report released from AppleInsider, really hammers home the impact of the iPad:


Recent statistics from analytics firm Net Applications' NetMarketShare report show the iPad has continued to grow worldwide since its launch in early 2010. The tablet recently broke the 1 percent mark in worldwide browsing and accounts for 2 percent of browsing in the U.S.

The report showed the iPad to have “53 times the usage share of its nearest competitor,” the Android-based Samsung Galaxy Tab throughout May. Apple's tablet also dwarfed the third-placed Motorola Xoom tablet's share of global web browsing with a share 76 times greater. In addition when compared to the Research in Motion's Blackberry PlayBook, the iPad has roughly 306 times the usage.

Double Your Pleasure with DOUBLE FEATURE

If you haven't had the opportunity to check out the digital comics app DOUBLE FEATURE, you are missing out on some fantastic innovations in digital storytelling. With new content every month, Double Feature promises to re-capture the excitement of the digital comics age.

Every month, readers are treated to two illustrated stories by some of the best creators in the comics business. Furthermore, each issue comes with exclusive creator commentary and nifty behind the scenes features. Better still, every issue is still less than a buck!

The newest release of the app also feature:

• Push Notifications: To let reader know when there's a new issue available.
• Faster page flipping.
• Navigational fixes
• Each story also contains a selection of hi-res art perfectly sized to fit the lock- or home-screen of your iPad! Just click the “picture” button on the toolbar to see a list of images you can can use to create wallpaper for your iPad!

 So, do yourself a favor and check out these fantastic creator owned digital comics on Double Feature Comics!

Advertisers Eying Digital Comics

Are digital comics the next big thing in online advertising? According to the marketing website Clickz, major comics publishers and digital comics providers are currently exploring that possibility. But by "advertising" we don't just mean a pop-up ad for a dating site on your digital issue of Iron Man. The article "Digital Comics Show Potential As An Ad Platform" explores all the marketing possibilities, which include advertiser sponsorships for free first issues and custom comics like the recent Inception: The Cobol Job -- which was essentially a free advertisement for the movie.

Why would ads on digital comics potentially perform better than print? Well, if the same demographic & keyword targeting technology was used on the digital comics reader as is currently used on Google, Facebook, etc., ads specifically aimed at the user could flash at the bottom of their comic book. So instead of blindly advertising Yum Yum Bars to the average Superman comic reader, you could target that ad to the contingent most likely to enjoy Yum Yum Bars. Further, you could track user engagement by how many people clicked through to the Yum Yum Bars site.

Advertising on digital, from a marketing research standpoint, is a far more exact science than advertising in print.

Then there is the whole concept of integrated marketing, which is touched upon by the sponsorships & custom comics mentioned earlier.

SAMPLE INTEGRATED MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR YUM YUM BARS
1. Three-way partnership between digital comics provider, comics publisher, and Yum Yum Bars. The digital comics provider furnishes the advertising platform, and the publisher furnishes the content.

2. Free digital download of "Strongman" #1 sponsored by Yum Yum Bars.

3. Ads promoting the free issue featured on "homepage" of digital comics store. Link to free comic.

4. Ads promoting Yum Yum Bars featured during the "Strongman #1" comic. This could be a physical ad worked into the "pages" of the digital comic -- but most likely a banner ad of some kind that is present via the digital comics reader. This ad could be clicked off, or collapsed into a one-line ad that is less intrusive. The ad would, of course, lead to the Yum Yum Bars site.

5. There could also be an interstitial ad for Yum Yum Bars flashing halfway through the comic -- similar to what Hulu does with their ads. You can't scroll past this ad.

6. Now, the comics publisher could also work with Yum Yum Bars to create a custom comic featuring Yum Yum Bars.

7. A digital comics provider could also offer free "comic bucks" for anyone who clicks on certain ads or downloads custom comics.

Really, the possibilities are endless here; it opens up a whole new realm of advertising & marketing via comic books.

Digital Comics News Round-Up, 8/16/10

"The problem with tying Iron Man so closely with what is happening today in the tech world, is that in three years, the story will feel dated. Showing every second character in the story carrying an iPhone-like device is the best way to limit the appeal of the story to just a few months. When someone reads the collected edition of this book in five years, in ten years, the geeky world of apps and smartphone look du jour will not translate well and will limit this story to an exploration of the year 2010."
--Hervé St. Louis, review of The Invincible Iron Man #29

"The Manga and iPad Romance" The Wall Street Journal reports on the success of digital manga sales in Japan since the iPad debuted in that country at the end of May:

"E-book downloads of anime titles onto the tablet reader sprinted past the number of reads downloaded onto its sister gadget the iPhone in July, according to eBook Initiative Japan Co., a Tokyo-based e-book distribution website. Consumers downloaded 600 digital mangas onto the iPad via the online distributor last month, according to the site. That may not be a huge number, but the iPad has only been in Japan since the end of May, and the 600 is still twice the number of titles downloaded in iPhone version."

"Hey Archie! Want To Build An Empire?" A fascinating article from The New York Times regarding Archie Comics' success over the last year. Among the reasons given for Archie's overall resurgence: embracing the digital realm. The publisher claims that for them, digital sales have not cannibalized print. Also: they have plans for digital-exclusive content starring Josie and the Pussycats, Katy Keene, and Li'l Jinx.


"Pocket God Comics almost heavenly" Appolicious reviews Ape Entertainment's Pocket God digital comic and gives it 4 out of 5 bars, writing "This new installation of Pocket God Comics brings a new dimension to the already loved app."


"Comixology Scores Another Digital Hit With Scott Pilgrim" Venture Beat profiles the digitak comics incarnation of Scott Pilgrim by comiXology/Oni, and reports that it is the top grossing app in Apple's App Store.


iPad, Friend Or Foe? YourKloset explores whether the iPad is a friend or foe to the traditional comic book. The post makes some really good points as to why the hardcore comics fan might not switch to digital...

"If comic book buyers love one thing, it’s tradition and continuity, hence the reason old characters have survived for decades, despite the attempt to kill or replace them. For some, going to the comic book store is also a social event. Readers meet other fans, and discuss stories with shopkeepers and with each other. And since comic book stores are steeped in as much tradition as the books fans read, comics are not likely to die anytime soon."

...but fails to explore how digital comics might also bring in new readers.


"Apple to turn your gaming exploits into comic books" And finally, an intriguing bit of news from PC World regarding Apple's latest patent application: a system that will not only keep track of your progress/roles in certain video games, but allow you to create a printable comic book from it.