One of the most intriguing news stories of the last few months has been DC’s upcoming WEDNESDAY COMICS, a newspaper-sized weekly comic featuring a wide range of top talent under the watchful eye of editor Mark Chiarello. The idea of a newspaper-sized comic sounded incredibly cool — so cool that one had to wonder, couldn’t this actually appear in a newspaper? Turns out, at least one strip will. The John Arduci/Lee Bermajo Superman strip will be serialized each week, The Source blog reports;
Starting Wednesday July 8, when the first issue of WEDNESDAY COMICS hits stands, USA TODAY will be syndicating writer John Arcudi and artist Lee Bermejo’s SUPERMAN strip every week over the course of the 12-week series. The first strip will appear in print on July 8, and subsequent strips will appear each Wednesday on USATODAY.COM, day-and-date with the respective issue. Additionally, each online preview will be promoted weekly in USA TODAY’s print edition. USA TODAY announced the news this morning.
I think that’s a great idea. Putting a comic where people go to stay currant… Let’s do more of that.
I’m ridiculously excited about this. I miss reading comics in a newspaper, and the whole concept feels fun (which I need, as this business keeps getting seriouser and seriouserer). More exposure for the general public to non-shrunken-to-minimum-space comics can only be good.
“The first strip will appear in print on July 8, and subsequent strips will appear each Wednesday on USATODAY.COM, day-and-date with the respective issue.”
So only the first strip will appear in print, with the subsequent strips running only online?
I’ll answer my own question: Yes, only the first will be in print, according to the USA Today story. http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-06-15-wednesday-comics_N.htm
Totally missed that part in my excitement Leo. It’s a shame, because the more I see people turning away from print, the more important print seems to me. Still, it’s a start.
Brilliant!
Hopefully DC will think ahead enough to have a “comic shop locator” imagebug on each so consumers know where to find the rest.
the Tiki
I missed the “only the first will be in print” part, too. Obviously I read it as I wished it was rather than as it really is. Oh well, too much excitement isn’t good for me, I’m sure. I’ll go back to my usual low-energy state of cynicism.
Christopher and Carol,
I’d read the same way too–in fact, I’d already told my dad (who subscribes to USA Today) that he could look forward to a serialized Superman page before it even hit me to ask.
Each Wednesday issue of USA Today after the one on 7/8 will promote the availability of the Superman installments online and the overall availability of each full Wednesday Comics issue at comics retailers. Sounds like a win for everybody.
Given that this is a story about the Superman strip running online, USA Today‘s opening line is either deeply ironic or hilariously misplaced: “Flying defiantly into a digital world . . .”
Hey Really?,
That’s absolutely true–I don’t think we’re complaining about that, just noting that we were excited about it appearing weekly for awhile, when it’s just once.
I’ll be picking up the actual Wednesday Comics, so it’s not like I’ll miss anything, but it would be a cool notion that USA Today would run a full-page comics section for awhile. Who knows, maybe the reaction to the first one will spur them (and DC) to continue it.
I hear ya, Leo — and I share the hope.