Another week, another round of new comics digital comics released for iPad and Android users. Take the jump for a rundown of digital comics worth checking out this week.
Category Archives: Digital Download
DIGITAL COMICS: Reading List for the Week of February 23, 2011
I’ve had a number of inquiries of late as to what I’m comics I’m reading on my iPad. While the list of back issues continues to grow, there is also a growing number of Day-and-Date releases that are hitting the digital stores. Here then, is my rundown of digital comics worth checking out this week.
DIGITAL COMICS: ComiXology announces program for retailers to sell digital comics
Press Release
comiXology, the leading distributor of digital comics, announced today the industry’s first Digital Storefront Affiliate program for retailers. The program will empower comic book merchants to prosper from the sale of digital comics with a comiXology-powered store and reader. Leveraging comiXology’s technology will provide retailers the foundation for future digital initiatives as the program evolves.
DIGITAL COMICS: Batman Beyond goes day-and-date
One of my predictions for 2011 is that DC will announce more day-and-date digital releases than its competitor (listen to this weekend’s Major Spoilers Podcast), and the company is already getting off to a good start with the announcement that Batman Beyond will get the digital comic treatment delivered the same day it arrives in stores.
“Batman Beyond was a critically acclaimed, fan favorite animated series that still has a large number of fans to this day,” said Hank Kanalz, SVP Digital, DC Entertainment, “By releasing the ongoing comic series digitally, we’re hoping we reach that audience and bring back any fans of the show who may be lapsed comic readers.”
ComiXology was one of the most downloaded applications for the iPad in 2010, and with a potential readership of 2 million people, and the large Batman Beyond fan-base out there, this is more than likely going to be a win-win for everyone.
Written by Adam Beechen with art by Ryan Benjamin and John Stanisci, BATMAN BEYOND #1 tells the continuing story of Terry McGinnis, the successor to Bruce Wayne and the Batman legacy, set well into the DC Universe’s future. Last year’s BATMAN BEYOND miniseries and the original 24-issue series are currently available digitally.
The biggest downer in all of this is that the digital edition will have the same price as the print version – $2.99. As I mentioned last year, when the price doesn’t go down for the digital edition, the big winner is the publisher.
Currently, DC Comics offers Justice League: Generation Lost, Young Justice, and the Driver Special as day-and-date releases.
Pulse of Power goes digital
Press Release
Pulse of Power is going “E” on February 14, 2011. Catch the E-Book version of Anne Elizabeth’s debut graphic novel at your favorite online source. From iTunes to Graphic.ly, everything is more fun on the computer.
In a field dominated by men, Anne Elizabeth (AE) is one of only a handful of female series writer-creators and Pulse of Power is the first installment, which is drawn by Marcio Fiorito, in an eight-part series. Dynamite released the paperback version in the Fall 2010.
Dark Horse Comics announces digital comics store
Dark Horse Comics has announced it will launch its own digital comics app in 2011 for the iPad and iPhone so fans of the comic company can download and read digital comics. Dark Horse caused a stir a month or so ago when it announced its single issue titles would sell for $1.49 per issue, instead of the more common $1.99 per issue.
And if you don’t have an iPad? Readers can head over to Digital.DarkHorse.com and read digital comics on any computer connected to the Intardwebz. This is very similar to what ComiXology, Marvel, and DC already do with their online comic reading sites.
New titles and reprinted material will be appearing on a weekly basis, and in February expect to see select issues of your favorite comics appearing online the same time they’re released in stores! It’s that easy!
What might those titles be? Take the jump for the January launch list.
FEATURE: Lieber Takes The High Road With Underground
Digital distribution is changing the ways in which data can be disseminated. Accessing unauthorized digital copies of comics carries the label of “piracy” or the more politically correct terminology, “filesharing.” There are thousands of websites, forums and blogs that offer unauthorized publications, including comics.
Some publishers have been aggressive in …issuing cease and desist orders and asking for their products, current and future, to be removed. Marvel Comics, the #1 publisher in the industry has been the most proactive in aggressively tackling unauthorized distribution of their material.
Want to get some exclusive digital comics? Better head to your local comic shop
There’s a lot of talk about digital comics at the New York Comic Con, and Dark Horse Comics has a few ideas on what they plan on doing in market space. First up is word that Dark Horse is pricing its digital comics at $1.49 instead of the $1.99 price point that seems to have become the standard for many companies. That’s good news for fans of any of the Dark Horse titles, as the extra 50-cents can add up. The cost savings mean someone could buy four Dark Horse titles instead of three.
The second tid-bit of information comes from Rich Johnston who reports that Dark Horse announced plans for a series of exclusively digital comic books, with a twist – you’ll need to go to the comic shop in order buy them.
Well that sounds vaguely familiar… It’s almost like someone is reading this site… Remember kids, “We love comics, and you do, too!”
Moving on…
There’s no word from Dark Horse on the price point of these exclusive digital comics, or how the local comic shop will implement this idea. Kiosk anyone? Still, it’s great that the publishers are thinking of ways to lower the cost of print comics, and still drive new readers to a comic shop in their area – providing there is a comic shop in their area.
MyDigitalComics goes BOOM!
BOOM! Studios has just announced that comic book fans can now have another outlet to obtain their digital comics from the company. MyDigitalComics (www.mydigitalcomics.com) will now offer BOOM! Studios’ comics online for Mac or PC readers.
MyDigitalComics launches its partnership with BOOM! today with some of BOOM!’s most recent top-selling comics, such as 28 DAYS LATER, DIE HARD, the Eisner Award-nominated graphic translation of Philip K. Dick’s DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, as well as BOOM!’s bestselling original Mark Waid penned Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated IRREDEEMABLE, companion series INCORRUPTIBLE, and supernatural thriller THE UNKNOWN among a host of others.
“BOOM! Studios is always looking to further our commitment to getting our comics and graphic novels into the hands of fans everywhere ,” said BOOM! Studios Marketing Director Chip Mosher in a prepared statment. “This new agreement with MyDigitalComics only shows how strong the commitment to our fans is. BOOM! Studios publishes some of the most diverse comics out there, and the addition of MyDigitalComics shows that we have the most diverse options for new and old fans alike to experience our comics digitally.”
Like BOOM’s other digital initiatives, the comics offered through MyDigitalComics will be priced at $1.99, and the company plans to release its entire back issue catalog through the service as well.
Want a free digital comic? Witchblade has you covered
Top Cow may have tapped into the one thing that will get people to accept digital comics; the company plans to give away a free digital copy of Witchblade #144 with each physical copy sold. Retailers will receive the download codes to distribute whenever they sell a copy of the fifteenth anniversary issue of the company’s main title.
“An anniversary like this one was something that we wanted to throw the kitchen sink at,” exclaimed the Director of Sales and Marketing Atom! Freeman. “So, not only have we put together a special anniversary issue with origin story, pinups and more, but we wanted to make sure that our digital readers also got a crack at it during the first 4 weeks.”
“Our partners in comics retail make this and the previous 15 years of Witchblade possible. So, not only will they be the exclusive place to receive one of these download codes, but we are then going to give participating retailers a credit toward future Top Cow inventory for every download credited to them by the fan.”
While this is indeed very cool news, I’m surprised Top Cow went with Wowio as the partner for this promotion instead of one of the other digital comic distributors like ComiXology. Top Cow reps did say Witchblade #144 would be available in the other formats a month later.
Digital Comics: Welcome to the Social
It may surprise many of you that I believe Microsoft may have been ahead of the game when it introduced the Zune and the Welcome to the Social campaign a few years ago. Granted, back then no one knew what the hell the software giant was talking about, but today, with digital comics about to bust wide open in a big way, applications like Comics by ComiXology, and companies like BOOM! Studios, DC Entertainment, and Marvel might want to revisit the Zune.
Cover Girl available on ComiXology
Cover Girl, a series by Kevin Church, Andrew Cosby, Mateus Santolouco and Rafael Albuquerque is available today on the ComiXology app for iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone, and via the ComiXology site for reading on your computer. Why is this a big deal for me? When it was originally released, I actually missed an issue or two, thus throwing off my interest for the series. Before you jump up and scream, “BACK ISSUE BIN MUTHER-EFFER!” I did try to find the back issues, but as BOOM! Studios titles were not high on many shops lists of must have titles at the time, the stores I have visited have either been out of stock, or never carried the books to begin with.
I could, if I wish to, get my hands on a physical copy, but my comic book collection is getting rather unwieldy as it is, and adding to that pile of a mess is just not appealing to me at the moment. Plus, I don’t want to wait until next week to get my copy in the mail. Once again, the iPad saves the day, and I can complete the story so it actually makes sense.