When someone writes their next history of the changing word of comics, they are going to have to include this last week as one of the turning points in the industry, and major announcements coming out from the Titans of the industry both in and immediately prior to their panels at SXSW.
Comixology, the third most popular app of 2012 on the iTunes store and the most popular non-game app, is poised to change the comics industry forever by allowing independent creators to upload their comics and sell them on the Comixology platform through Comixology Submit. Marvel announced similar large digital initiatives, including a limited time free offer of 700 of their digital comics and a revolutionary addition to digital comics: sound and music!
The effects of both of these announcements are far-reaching and their importance can’t be overstated. On the one hand, you have the major digital distributor opening up their marketplace for anyone to sell. On the other, one of the top publishers and owners of popular, innovative, and valuable intellectual properties is both expanding their digital footprint and changing how we think of comics as a medium.
Marvel’s announcement (or was it Comixology’s?) made traffic on Comixology’s servers skyrocket and slow to speeds reminiscent of… well, the traffic around Austin during SXSW. Their other major game-changers came from the House of Ideas’ earlier announcements of the expansion of their all-you-can-eat digital comics subscription Marvel Unlimited, which has undergone a major transformation to move away from using Flash so it can work on Apple products. Ditto for a major overhaul of Marvel.com.
But the biggest game-changer from Marvel is likely the introduction of Project Gamma, which aims to integrate music and sounds effects into digital comics offerings. Not just a soundtrack that syncs up to a digital comic, each panel is cued to an adaptive musical soundtrack that shifts as you “turn the pages.” I got to spend some time up close and personal with it on an iPad, and the best word I can use to describe it is seamless. Not matter how fast or how slow I tried to advance the panels on the issue of Avengers #1, the music and effects worked. You would expect you’d get something like the effect you have when you fast-forward through an mp3 or cd track or make a record skip, but none of that happened at all. Perfectly seamless.
And they also promised that they were going to develop specific themes for each character. This was apparent when Bruce Banner Hulks out and we get and awesome splash page of The Hulk jumping into action, then a baroque feeling bam-da-da-bum. It’s supposed to sounds like Hulk. And they promise that no matter what the musical mileu of the issue, whether it’s rock, classical, dubstep, or country, these themes will follow characters around from “book” to “book.”
As flashy as Marvel’s announcements are, I think the announcement with the biggest implications was Comixology’s. Comixology was the top grossing non-game app on the iTunes store last year, leading the charge of digital comics that seem to be not only changing the industry, but possibly saving it, as print sales have increased right alongside digital sales. By opening this platform to everyone, Comixology is doing for comics what Amazon did for self-published prose. All criticism aside (we know it’s garbage), but the Fifty Shades of Grey books were huge in 2012, and this was all because Amazon allowed someone to publish their awful Twilight fanfic and let bored housewives everywhere enjoy it on the Kindles. Now an aspiring Robert Kirkman, Frank Miller, or Art Spiegelman can simply make their comics, publish, and hopefully get the recognition they deserve.
Shannon Wheeler, the creator of Too Much Coffee Man, was along for the ride along with Comixology’s co-founders David Steinberger and John D. Roberts to talk about Comixology Submit during their SXSW panel. Wheeler, whose comics were among those published through the Submit program’s launch, pointed out that back in the 90’s he’d put everything on the web for free, because that wasn’t the best way to experience comics. He was, at the time, using a xerox machine and hand-stapling comics, then taking them from shop to shop to ask them to carry it.
Now with digital, that isn’t the case anymore. Digital is, in some ways, the best way to experience comics, and the shops (while essential: support your local comics shops, people!) are dwarfed by the ability of someone like Comixology to conceivably carry… well, pretty much anything. And just like copy machines made it possible to publish ‘zines in the 90s, this digital platform will empower creators today. As someone who has often thought about writing a comic, this is incredibly inspirational. Now to find someone who wants to draw it for me…
Launching just under a week ago, they’ve already approved several submissions. Their quality control so far has consisted of, “Will someone buy this? Sure… someone will buy this.” They have no interest in censoring or doing anything but the most basic of quality control, basically taking a laissez faire approach to their marketplace. Ultimately, what makes the artists the most money makes them the most money, since their profits are split 50/50 according to the Comixology Submit.
Comixology, in the spirit of spreading merriment, also sponsored an open bar happy hour last night after their panel. Awesome gesture from an awesome group of people.
Marvel Comics made major announcements last year in their first appearance here in Austin last year, including Infinite Comics and their AR app. Thanks to them for coming back this year. Oh, and thanks for this exclusive Age of Ultron #1 variant. Got it signed by Axel Alonso and Peter Phillips… so, yeah. It was a good panel.
Thanks to Andoridika for throwing up all of the breaking news as soon as it was announced. You know, for a tech conference and the Palmer Events Center area being set up as the video game area, it’s ridiculous that there is no wifi there. So I had to head back to the Austin Convention Center before I could post this. It also allowed me to collect my thoughts about just how monumental these announcements are.
Keep watching for more movie and tech news from SXSW from me… unless I decide to bag the rest of it and just read 700 free digital comics and get started writing my indie comic to upload to Comixology.