NPR: Begun, The Digital Age of Comics Has

... And the previous age of comics, whatever it was called (the Modern Age? The Bronze Age? Copper? Iron? Molybdenum?) ended with neither a bang nor a whimper, but with publishers, creators, retailers and fans exchanging lots of puzzled expressions and a collective shrug.

Comixology offers its own app, through which comics from indie publishers like Image, Dark Horse and Top Cow can be purchased alongside Marvel, DC and BOOM! titles. There's also a web viewer, for those who don't own any of the compatible mobile devices.

And those who just hate Apple.

Another platform for downloading and reading digital comics, Graphic.ly, features fewer titles, but unlike Comixology allows readers to download them onto their desktop computer (a web viewer is still in the works). Navigation is easy, the colors are crisp, but what the Graphic.ly folks are really playing up is their social networking/community building elements — friend requests, and what have you.


Read the article here.
Source: NPR

Newsarama: Ron Marz Responds to DC's Digital Comics Plans

With the announcement today that DC Comics has entered the digital comics marketplace, one of the more interesting aspects of the program — for the industry's talent, anyway — was that DC will have a royalty program for creators when one of their digital comics is purchased.

DC has often been praised as a creator-rights leader for its royalty program, with former publisher Paul Levitz even winning an Eisner Award for his humanitarian work on behalf of creators. So creators weren't shocked by the announcement, but were reacting positively nonetheless.

The internet has also been abuzz about the future of comics now that both major publishers are dedicated to digital comics.

So we went to the creators to ask:

- What is your overall reaction to the news of DC's digital program?
- Do you have knowledge about or a reaction to the plan to pay royalties on digital sales?
- When do you envision the digital model being the industry's dominant from of distribution? 2 years, 5 years, 10, or never?

What follows is the response, which we'll be updating throughout the day:

Ron Marz

Obviously it was not a questions of "if," in terms of DC's digital model, it was a question of when. The industry as a whole needed Marvel and DC to both have a serious digital presence in order to move forward into the future of comics. I think a lot of hardcore fans will always want print versions, but to me, digital is the way that casual readers and more importantly new readers are going to pursue comics. As a creator, the most pleasing aspect is that DC has figured out its royalty plan for digital distribution. Which is not surprising, really, since DC has always been meticulous about both domestic and foreign royalty payments. If your book sells a hundred copies in Croatia, a check for a few bucks shows up. It's a hallmark of the company.

Read more creator responses here.
Source: Newsarama

Industry News: Newsarama Looks at Who Deserves Comic Book Royalties?

Colorists may create mood and atmosphere with their fiery red sunsets and striking blues — but does that mean they deserve the long green of comic book royalties?

That’s the contentious question that was brought up this weekend, as Erik Larsen and Dave McCaig debated whether or not colorists, as well as letterers and other members of the production team, deserve royalties and/or cover credits. Here are a few highlights from the many, many, MANY people who ended up giving their thoughts on the matter:

Erik Larsen: I don’t know of a colorist that moves the needle–so I don’t think they should get royalties–same with letterers. Sorry.

Dave McCaig: Print your books in black and white. Put your money where your mouth is if you think colorists are not essential to the team.

Kurt Busiek: I also wonder, did Sal Buscema deserve a royalty? He was consistent, and didn’t make sales fluctuate month to month. And if the writer chose to guest-star Wolverine, it wasn’t Sal’s choice. These are all arguments you’ve used to say colorists don’t deserve royalties. But you don’t apply them to people who do get royalties.

Ron Marz: My reasoning is very simple, @KurtBusiek @DaveMcCaig @ErikJLarsen. If I get royalties, so should colorist, b/c we’re part of the same team.

Read the full story here.

Source: Newsarama

Comic News: Newsarama: Comic Book Artists Remember Frank Frazetta

The news that legendary artist Frank Frazetta died today spread through the comic book industry, and creators reacted with both sadness and admiration for one of the greats.

Newsarama contacted several artists in the comics business to find out what influence Frazetta had on not only comic book art in general, but on their careers in particular:

J.G. Jones
I still have my original, beat up Bantam Frazetta editions. I used these as my bible when learning to draw and paint as a kid.

David Finch
I've had Frazetta's work close to my drawing table for many years, and I always try to soak up a small part of the power he put into every image he ever drew. He was a lightning bolt of creativity and dynamic power in a field of mostly static, posed, photo traced work. Nobody ever had to explain the appeal of Frank's work to anyone. It reaches out and grabs you the minute you lay eyes on it, and makes you want more. He transcended his medium and influenced everything from comic books to music to movies and books. In an era when fine art consisted of mindlessly splattering canvasses and proving inane intellectual points, Frank Frazetta was showing that painting had more vitality than it ever had before.

Read the full article here.

Source: Newsarama

Industry News: Macworld: Comic reader app aims to shake things up..literally

While the film world is busy squabbling about whether a gimmick like 3D can revolutionize the industry, iPad comic readers are attempting their own revolution. Sure, techniques like panel-by-panel reading are amusing enough, but what if you could feel explosions from your comic? Madcap Studios’s Digital Comics app aims to enrich your comic-reading experience in just this way.

Read the full article here

Source: macworld.com

Twitter Report: Ron Marz Sounds Off on Comic Book Piracy

Ron Marz, of course, is always more than skeptical about comic book piracy. Marz, Kurt Busiek and B. Clay Moore all weighed in on the topic in the last 24 hours. Their opinions come in the wake of an FBI raid on the comics-hosting site HTMLcomics.com.

Their stances and more await in the Twitter Report for May 6, 2010.

Piracy pt. 1: @KurtBusiek @ronmarz Copyright is control, and infringement is taking that control away. It's not the object being stolen, it's the control.
-Kurt Busiek, Writer ("Superman," "Astro City")

Piracy pt. 2: @ronmarz I'd also like to point out that when I smack somebody about piracy, I gain followers, not lose 'em. Draw your own conclusions.
-Ron Marz, Writer ("Green Lantern," "Witchblade")

Piracy pt. 3: @bclaymoore @ronmarz I've given up fighting piracy, and am just glad when someone's reading my work. Not much else to do.
-B. Clay Moore, Writer ("Hawaiian Dick," "Billy Smoke")

Piracy pt. 4: @ronmarz I actually have more respect for those who are man enough to say, "I'm a thief" rather than spout a bunch of rationalizing bullsh--.

Read more tweets here.

Source: MTV Splashpage

Industry News: ComiXology's iPad Comics Reader App in Pictures

ComiXology has announced their Comics by comiXology App for the Apple iPad, and are claiming it has the largest library of comics in the device, with 1300 books from 30 publishers, including 150 you get free just for downloading the app. Which is even more than you get with the Marvel Apple iPad device which they also designed.

Source: bleedingcool.com

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The Beat Covers ComicsPRO 2010

The annual ComicsPRO meeting is going on down in Memphis with retail issues being discussed and several publisher presentations, and retailer/reporter Matt Price has been reporting his heart out from the show. ComicsPRO is an organization for some of the more forward looking comics retailers in the country, and the meeting is a chance for publishers to make presentations and new ideas to get a thorough kicking around. Among the news bites:

• Keynote speaker Robert Kirkman talked about the digital wave

Kirkman said even though his titles “Invincible” and “The Walking Dead” are available online via the comiXology comics iPhone app, sales of the printed editions have not changed. In fact, he said, printed comics sales have increased. “We have this dedicated fan base,” Kirkman said, who will continue to seek out the print product. Digital comics, Kirkman said, will be best used to seek out the next generation of readers.

• President Joe Field offered his take on things

• Top Cow’s 2010 plans

• Oct. 2 will be the next 24 Hour Comics Day

• Astro City is going monthly

• Undoubtedly, the story that will get the most play, however, is a speech by newly-installed DC co-publishers Dan DiDio and Jim lee which announces their plan for DC to be #1 in the direct market

Source: The Beat

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Industry News: Comic publishers sketchy on digital future

When Ethan Peacock moved to Vancouver from Edmonton nine years ago, he found that none of the local comic-book stores carried all the titles he sought.

“I was continually getting my stuff shipped from Edmonton every month or so, or I’d visit frequently and pick it up then,” the owner of Elfsar Comics & Toys told the Georgia Straight during an interview at his Yaletown shop. “Then it popped into my head to open a store of my very own.”

Distribution has always been a challenge for book and magazine publishers, and comics publishers in particular, since they serve smaller, niche audiences. And it’s something publishers are looking to digital comics and digital distribution to address.

“One of the things that digital distribution makes available is that someone in Eastern Europe can download the authentic English version of Witchblade and read it on their computer, where they might not have that available,” Filip Sablik, publisher of Top Cow Productions—which publishes Witchblade, Madame Mirage, and other titles—explained by phone from his office in Los Angeles.

Read the full article here.

Source: Straight.com

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Newsarama: Matt Hawkins Comments on the Impact of the Comic Book Movie Decade on Publishing

Some of the changes to comic book publishing are obvious since Hollywood started salivating over their wares. But a lot of changes influenced by the film industry have happened without most loyal comic book fans even realizing it.

The biggest and most apparent shifts within the world of publishing have happened just in the last year. DC Comics is now calling itself "DC Entertainment," reporting directly to Warner Bros. Pictures Group. Marvel now runs its own movie studio under the umbrella of Disney's entertainment conglomerate. And comic book's top writers, like Brian Michael Bendis and Geoff Johns, spend much of their time nowadays consulting on scripts for movie projects and TV shows.

But other changes to the comic book industry have trickled down to even smaller publishers in ways that are less noticeable to readers, but all-too-apparent within the industry.

For smaller publishers, one of the reasons for working with Hollywood is that there's a real boost in sales of the source comic books when films are made.

"Anytime you have a mass market film or TV show or video game, you have a surge in sales of the comic," said Matt Hawkins, president of Top Cow, the publisher behind the Wanted comic book that became a hit film. "Anyone who tells you there's not is just lying."

Another reason publishers sometimes desire Hollywood involvement is the potential for owning licensed characters that can be used for merchandise and other media. From Sin City action figures to Watchmen T-shirts, merchandising of comic book characters gets a huge boost from feature films.

But Hawkins said that, despite many comics companies moving in that direction, it's not always easy to capitalize on licenses when the characters are unknown and less identifiable.

Read the full article here.

Source: Newsarama

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Industry News: Betsey Gomez Joins Image

Image has hired Betsy Gomez as their new PR and Marketing Coordinator . Previous marketing coordinator Joe Keatinge will be staying on as Sales and Licensing Coordinator with increased duties in those areas, while Gomez, a long-time volunteer for the CBLDF, will concentrate on publicity duties.

Read the full announcement here.

Source: The Beat

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Industry News: Major Spoilers - Will the iPad change the comic model?

We’re roughly thirty days away from the launch of Apple’s much-talked-about iPad. While the device looks like a flattened iPod, its potential to revolutionize the way we consume media is staggering. One of the more interesting aspects of the iPad is the ability to read comic books at nearly the same size as the printed version. While other e-books only have black-and-white displays, the iPad’s color screen could radically change the way we read and access comics.

I’ve talked before about digital comics and how an effective electronic color reader could change the way we access and enjoy comic books. But is the iPad that device?

I live at least 150 miles from the nearest comic book shop. While you may think it is a long trek across town to your shop, the distance and time commitment to get to my local shop is prohibitive. For that reason, I rely on the post office to get my weekly stash of four-color goodness. Of course when there is a holiday, delay in shipping, or general muck-up by someone who doesn’t get to the post office on time, I generally get my comics two days later. Recently, I didn’t receive the week’s comics until the Monday following release. Moving physical media around is a big hassle for distributors, publishers, and comic book readers. With electronically distributed comics, readers can access them when and where they want.

Read the full article here.

Source: Major Spoilers

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