BAM! A new player on the scene: NEON ICHIBAN a new platform offering digital comics and manga from DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, DSTLRY, Kodansha, Oni Press, and Vault Comics. And it’s brought to you by David Steinberger and Chip Mosher, the co-publishers of DSTLRY – and of course the folks behind much of Comixology’s history. Steinberger founded Comixology while Mosher was behind their Originals initiative and many other programs.
The NY Times had the debit, with a reminder that the DSTLRY folks have rais $7 million:
Now, two industry veterans, David Steinberger and Chip Mosher, are betting they can beat Amazon at e-commerce by catering more intentionally to die-hard comic book fans. Next month, they plan to launch Neon Ichiban, a site they intend to be “a dedicated experience for comics,” Mr. Steinberger said, after raising more than $7 million from investors in the game and movie industries.
“Understanding how comic book fans and people who should be fans want to shop and think about and browse doesn’t exist anymore,” he said. “The Comixology app, where you can have all your comics in one place, does not exist anymore. It’s all just part of Kindle.”
What is Neon Ichiban? Well first off, it’s a mouthful of a name! But once you get used to saying it, you will learn that Neon Ichiban (or NI as I’m already calling it) will offer same-day-as-print digital releases with an extensive backlist from all participating publishers and a host of features including downloadable comics (for some publishers), the possibility of digital signatures and remarques, and a secondary marketplace. It’s also the first platform, aside from Comixology, to offer both Marvel AND Dc (but not yet Image Comics.) And as for Marvel, it’s said that they are debuting one of their largest licensed digital catalogs in recent years – whatever that means?
You can already sign up for an account and early birds will be gifted with an exclusive, free digital collectible comic at launch. As the PR puts it, “With NEON ICHIBAN, fans are more than just readers—they participate in a vibrant ecosystem defined by innovation, ownership, and community.”
“NEON ICHIBAN is more than a store—it’s a platform devoted to bringing reading and collectability to a united global audience for comics and manga,” says David Steinberger, CEO & Co-Founder. “This is the next evolution of digital comics. We’re empowering fans with access, control, and engagement—and providing creators with tools to directly connect with their audience like never before.”
“We’re reimagining what’s possible when you combine cutting-edge technology with a deep respect for comics, manga, and their creators,” explains Chip Mosher, CCO & Co-Founder. “NEON ICHIBAN bridges digital convenience and collectability, giving fans true ownership while supporting creators. This isn’t just a revolution for comics—it’s setting a new standard for digital content across all media.”
Announced feature include:
- All-In-One Digital Platform: NEON ICHIBAN serves readers and collectors simultaneously, offering same-day-as-print comics, manga, collections, and graphic novels. Single issues come in always-available standard editions alongside limited-edition variants and sketch covers for collecting.
- Customers in Control: NEON ICHIBAN gives you seamless digital control—read your comics online or offline, and download a local copy when publisher-enabled. Purchases can also unlock exclusive on-and-offline perks.
- Signed & Sketched Collectibles: With participating publishers, readers can turn their owned digital issues into one-of-a-kind collectibles with digital signatures and remarques from top creators. These unique items can be treasured or resold with provenance intact.
- Secondary Marketplace: Fans can buy and sell owned digital comics and collectibles from participating publishers, adding tangible value to digital purchases. Resales benefit publishers and creators.
More publishers will be added as the platform nears launch.
The above is all bold talk – but from folks who did it once already. The digital comics marketplace is in a pretty flat spot right now, but with innovation always on the horizon: Comixology is still around, sort of, but mostly merged into the Kindle app, while the Originals program keeps going. GlobalComix has been expanding and adding publishers, including DC, but we haven’t heard much from them of late. Sweet Shop is another start-up, rising from the ashes of Omnibus, but hasn’t officially launched yet. As noted, while Kindle/Comixology remains a sort of one stop shop where you can get Marvel, DC AND Image, the once robust bespoke comics interface is just a soggy landing page now.
Digital comics certainly deserve something better than what Comixology has become. And maybe we can get Matias De La Piedra to do another fantastic guide to US digital comics, the way he did for manga the other day.
Because it’s getting busy out there!
While we wait for Neon Ichiban to debut, here are some screenshots. Noted with approval: individual landing pages for series, with all issues listed are back. A very good start!
