The Year in (P)Review: 2011
So, as happens frequently in America, we treat History like a Cassandra, reading and studying, but choosing not to believe or remember the lessons it teaches us. I know Cassandra's fate, and thus the dangers of saying "I told you so". So instead, I'll quote Gene Wilder in " Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory":
Oh, you should never ever doubt what nobody is sure about.
So, what can we expect in 2011?
Chitter chatter: The ComixTalk 2010 Roundtable
Very knowledgeable webcomics folk Xaviar Xerexes, Brigid Alverson, Larry Cruz, Lauren Davis, Brian Heater, Rick Marshall, Gary Tyrrell and, inexplicably, The Beat gather together to look at the present and future of the digital comics medium. Pairs well with Comics Alliance's Digital December in which they talk to comics publisher digital czars for a nice state of the union.
Dark Horse releases more info on their digital comics program
When Dark Horse announced their digital comics initiative back at NYCC, they went about it in a different way from most other publishers. Instead of partnering with an existing storefront like comiXology, they decided to use their own webstore and application to sell comics -- and at the $1.49 price point. There was also talk of add-ons that made going to the physical comics shop a part of the experience.
Since then details have been sketchy, but today Dark Horse released the first information on the program, via a mailing to retailers in the Diamond Daily. A bit of the information was also released to the press, including the plan to release ORIGINAL digital material -- but only to those who purchase brick and mortar comics.
ComiXology offers Guided View Authoring tools
Been trying to figure out how to get your small, self-published comic on the iPad? An even more diverse and open world of downloadable...
How almost to: Embedding comics
Gareth Hinds is a very accomplished artist (and former Xeric winner) whose comics adaptations of classic literature have found a home at Candlewick Press. His full color Odyssey adaptation just came out, and there's a nice story about it in today's PW.
While we were looking around for some art to illustrate the story, we came on Hinds' own page for the book and were struck by the "embeddable comics preview" on the page, which he said was developed by Candlewick:
Candlewick has released a short preview, using some new "widget" technology which enables it to be easily embedded in any blog or webpage. There are still a few rough spots in the implementation, but it's pretty handy. See below -- and feel free to repost it elsewhere!
ICv2 Digital & Comics Conference audio: Print vs Digital
Another jam packed and fascinating discussion among people who have a lot to say. NYC participants:
Print vs. Digital--War, Co-existence, or Collaboration
Publishers, retailers, and others...
ICv2 Digital & Comics Conference Audio: Creativity and Digital
This is easily one of the most interesting panels I have ever participated in.
ICv2 Comics & Digital Conference Audio: Where we are and where we're going
Another audio file of the first panel at the ICv2 digital comics conference. This one brought together almost all of the emerging industry's major players for a fascinating conversation. As opposed to previous panels where there seemed to be questions over whether this was even a viable business model, these are smart people doing smart business moves in a dynamic art form. This is where we're going.
NYCC: Disney Publishing announces digital plans
Kind of lost in the scrum at New York Comic Con, even Disney was getting in on the digital comics bandwagon. At the ICv2 Comics and Digital conference, Dario Di Zanni had some pretty confidant things to say about the future of ebooks. Disney has been doing Digital Books for a while -- a subscription service for kids to read kids books on the web. With their growing comics publishing ventures -- not to mention the team-up with Marvel -- a close eye should be paid on what Disney is planning, and it sounds pretty ambitious:
Digital News: LongBox launches on ADAM; goes to v. 1.1
LongBox, the long brewing desktop app for purchasing digital comics, has just gone to version 1.1 and announced that it will be bundled with Norton Ink's upcoming ADAM tablet, which features a Pixel Qi screen which enables it to be red in even bright sunlight. PR on the move below, but CEO Rantz Hoseley also stopped to chat with Bleeding Cool and reveal some of the reasons why a desktop store is still useful in a world filled with proprietary apps:
Dark Horse announces $1.49 comics via new app
At yesterday's Dark Horse panel, more details of their digital initiative were announced. It will be proprietary, available on every web browser, and sold for iPad and iTunes. (However, Apple only accepts prices that end in .99 -- one of the controlling things that folks were complaining about on Thursday --- so it's not entirely clear how that will work. There will be 170 titles available at first, with some titles available day and date.
Dark Horse offers in-store digital downloads
Announced only via tweet from retailer Chris Butcher at this morning's Diamond retailer's breakfast. Dark Horse is announcing exclusive in-store downloads for those buying their digital comics, which will be priced at $1.49, according to Milton Griepp yesterday.
