Digital Comics News Round-Up, 7/24/10

More news and analysis from -- or inspired by -- SDCC. Let's jump into it.

SD10 Digital Comics Now! Panel: The Beat has coverage from Thursday's "Digital Comics Now!" panel. The panel, hosted by Chip Mosher from BOOM! Studios, featured David Steinberger from comiXology, Michael Murphey from iVerse, Wade Slitkin from Panelfly, and Micah Baldwin from Graphic.ly. Rantz Hoseley from Longbox was notably absent.

Questions included how the digital comics providers planned to extend the market beyond "the “300,000 regular weekly shoppers” at the 1800-2000 brick and mortar shops in the U.S." The "elephant in the room," as far as The Beat was concerned, was the prevalence of illegal comics downloading and how it effects the market.

The article, by The Beat special correspondent Bruce Lidl, also suggested that digital comics will have to reduce the price of their offerings in order to compete. I believe this is only the case with most previously-published content ("back issues"). I think the market is there for day-and-date content that is offered digitally on the same day as the print release. I believe for highly-desirable day-and-date content, people are willing to pay up to $2.99 for a new issue -- as in the case of IDW's True Blood #1, currently in the top ten paid book apps. Of course, the mass-market appeal of the True Blood franchise is a crucial component.

"Digital Comics Could Be Savior Or Supervillain" - The Big Money has a quick piece on the recent LA Times article on digital comics.

"The Future Of Comics Is No Laughing Matter" - Yet another financial website commenting on the LA Times article, with analysis. Portfolio

Ulysses Unseen To Be Published In Print From By Atlas & Co - Robert Berry's epic digital comic Ulysses Unseen (which had recently got in trouble with Apple over nudity) will initially be serialized "in installments," and eventually will be collected in a 170-page book next year. Publisher's Weekly

If you have any news or tips from the world of digital comics, feel free to drop me a line at valerie dot dorazio at gmail dot com!