Digital comics
Encyclopedia
Digital comics can refer to either comics
created entirely on a computer
(as opposed to comics that are drawn with conventional media, scanned and colored on a computer) or comics released digitally (as opposed to in print).
and a computer graphics program. Panels are drawn using the pressure sensitive stylus, handled in much the same way as a pencil or pen, but the lines are drawn in the image editing software, producing a digital file.
Other approaches include drawing in vector graphics
applications, with or without a tablet, allowing for the manipulation and revision of lines after they are drawn, and the use of 3-D computer graphics applications to create characters and backgrounds. Some digital comics include various combinations of these techniques.
in 1985.
The first digitally created print comic was Shatter
, written by Peter Gillis and illustrated on the computer by Mike Saenz
. Shatter appeared simultaneously as a one-shot special and as a backup feature in First Comics
' Jon Sable title in 1985. It was published in its own 14 issue series from 1985-1986. Shatter was serialised in the British computer magazine Big K from the March 1985 issue.
Shatter was initially drawn on a first-generation Mac using a mouse and printed on a dot-matrix printer. It was then photographed like a piece of traditionally drawn black and white comic art, and the color separations were applied in the traditional manner.
Shatter artist Mike Saenz
went on to create Iron Man: Crash, the first digital graphic novel
in 1988.
Batman: Digital Justice
was published by DC Comics
in 1990, and introduced a more sophisticated blend of computer graphics
techniques.
The Black Diamond Effect was created and started publishing by George Peter Gatsis in 1990, incorporating multiple digital lettering, all the 3-D rendering and 2-D techniques of that time to mimic an animation still.
Mike Saenz
and Norm Dwyer created Donna Matrix, the first digital graphic novel utilizing 3-D rendering, in 1993.
Other comics began to appear, both on CD-ROM
and in printed form, that utilized computer graphics to manipulate or add to traditionally drawn comic art, and more all-digital comics were published as improvements in software and computing power made this art form more practical.
Notable companies such as WOWIO; an American-based online destination that provides users the ability to share and consume digital media content, has a number of digital comic book publishers like Sword and Labrys Productions, Reagent Press, and Devil's Due Digital
.
launched Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited
, a subscription service allowing readers to read many comics from Marvel's history online, on November 13, 2007. The service also includes periodic release new comics not available elsewhere. With the release of Avenging Spider-Man
Marvel also became the first publisher to provide free digital copies as part of the print copy of the comic book.
With growing the popularity of smart phones and tablet computer
s, particularly Apple
's iPhone
and iPad
, many major publishers have begun releasing titles in digital form. Some of the most popular platforms for such release are Graphicly and comiXology
. In 2011, a completely free digital comic sales platform named Whizu.com was launched, enabling creators to post their own comics for sale immediately.
Another method of digital distribution is to create the publication in its entirety and have it hosted on a digital storage locker site, such as YouSendit.com. (This method removes anyone between the creator and the customer.) The customer purchases the publication by Paypal or Credit Card. Then the customer receives in their email the download link of the file. Some of the popular formats are CBR, CBZ, ePub and PDF.
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
created entirely on a computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
(as opposed to comics that are drawn with conventional media, scanned and colored on a computer) or comics released digitally (as opposed to in print).
Digital comics creation
There are several methods of digital comics creation. One is the use of a pressure sensitive graphics tabletGraphics tablet
A graphics tablet is a computer input device that enables a user to hand-draw images and graphics, similar to the way a person draws images with a pencil and paper. These tablets may also be used to capture data or handwritten signatures...
and a computer graphics program. Panels are drawn using the pressure sensitive stylus, handled in much the same way as a pencil or pen, but the lines are drawn in the image editing software, producing a digital file.
Other approaches include drawing in vector graphics
Vector graphics
Vector graphics is the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygon, which are all based on mathematical expressions, to represent images in computer graphics...
applications, with or without a tablet, allowing for the manipulation and revision of lines after they are drawn, and the use of 3-D computer graphics applications to create characters and backgrounds. Some digital comics include various combinations of these techniques.
History
The first digitally created comic to be published online was Eric Millikin's Witches and Stitches, published on CompuServeCompuServe
CompuServe was the first major commercial online service in the United States. It dominated the field during the 1980s and remained a major player through the mid-1990s, when it was sidelined by the rise of services such as AOL with monthly subscriptions rather than hourly rates...
in 1985.
The first digitally created print comic was Shatter
Shatter (digital comic)
Shatter is a digital comic created by Peter B. Gillis and Mike Saenz, and published by First Comics. A dystopian science fiction fantasy somewhat in the mold of Blade Runner, Shatter was written by Gillis and illustrated on the computer by Saenz....
, written by Peter Gillis and illustrated on the computer by Mike Saenz
Mike Saenz
Mike Saenz is a comic book artist and creator of the first digital comic book. He co-created the first comic book produced entirely on the computer, Shatter, as well as an early adult video game, MacPlaymate....
. Shatter appeared simultaneously as a one-shot special and as a backup feature in First Comics
First Comics
First Comics was an American comic-book publisher that was active from 1983–1991, known for titles like American Flagg!, Grimjack, Nexus, Badger, Dreadstar, and Jon Sable...
' Jon Sable title in 1985. It was published in its own 14 issue series from 1985-1986. Shatter was serialised in the British computer magazine Big K from the March 1985 issue.
Shatter was initially drawn on a first-generation Mac using a mouse and printed on a dot-matrix printer. It was then photographed like a piece of traditionally drawn black and white comic art, and the color separations were applied in the traditional manner.
Shatter artist Mike Saenz
Mike Saenz
Mike Saenz is a comic book artist and creator of the first digital comic book. He co-created the first comic book produced entirely on the computer, Shatter, as well as an early adult video game, MacPlaymate....
went on to create Iron Man: Crash, the first digital graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
in 1988.
Batman: Digital Justice
Batman: Digital Justice
Batman: Digital Justice is a graphic novel published by DC Comics in 1990 in both hardback and paperback forms. It was written and illustrated by Pepe Moreno entirely using computer hardware, software and techniques...
was published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
in 1990, and introduced a more sophisticated blend of computer graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
techniques.
The Black Diamond Effect was created and started publishing by George Peter Gatsis in 1990, incorporating multiple digital lettering, all the 3-D rendering and 2-D techniques of that time to mimic an animation still.
Mike Saenz
Mike Saenz
Mike Saenz is a comic book artist and creator of the first digital comic book. He co-created the first comic book produced entirely on the computer, Shatter, as well as an early adult video game, MacPlaymate....
and Norm Dwyer created Donna Matrix, the first digital graphic novel utilizing 3-D rendering, in 1993.
Other comics began to appear, both on CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
and in printed form, that utilized computer graphics to manipulate or add to traditionally drawn comic art, and more all-digital comics were published as improvements in software and computing power made this art form more practical.
Notable companies such as WOWIO; an American-based online destination that provides users the ability to share and consume digital media content, has a number of digital comic book publishers like Sword and Labrys Productions, Reagent Press, and Devil's Due Digital
Devil's Due Digital
Devil’s Due Digital Inc. is an American digital publishing company established in 2010 by cofounders Mark Thompson of Checker Book Publishing Group and Josh Blaylock of Devil’s Due Publishing.-History:...
.
Chronology
- 1985: The first online comic, Eric Millikin's Witches and Stitches, is published on CompuServe.
- March, 1985: the first episode of Shatter, written by Peter Gillis, illustrated by Mike Saenz and edited by Mike Gold, appears as a double-page spread in the British computer magazine Big K published by IPC Magazines (now IPC MediaIPC MediaIPC Media , a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc., is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year.- Origins :...
). - June, 1985: Shatter, written by Peter Gillis and illustrated by Mike Saenz, appears as a backup feature in Jon Sable: Freelance #25, and Shatter Special #1, published by First Comics.
- December, 1985-1986: Shatter continues as a 14 issue series by First Comics. Mike Saenz leaves after 2 issues. Other artists include Steve Erwin and Bob Dienethal who drew traditional art on board that was digitized, and Charlie Athanas who re-established the practice of creating the comic directly on the computer.
- 1988: Iron Man: Crash, the first digital graphic novel is published by Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. Drawn by Mike Saenz. - 1990: DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
publishes Batman: Digital Justice. Artist and writer Pepe Moreno uses a combination of 3-D modeling, vector illustration and CAD programs in addition to image editing software like Photoshop, using a Mac II with 16-bit color. - 1990: The Black Diamond Effect started publishing by George Peter Gatsis. The comic was generated using 3D and enhanced art by scanning and painting, using all the various graphic formats of that time, composed in a layout program.
- 1991: Hans Bjordahl's Where the Buffalo RoamWhere the Buffalo RoamWhere the Buffalo Roam is a 1980 American semi-biographical comedy film which loosely depicts Hunter S. Thompson's rise to fame in the 1970s and his relationship with Chicano attorney and activist Oscar Zeta Acosta. Art Linson directed the picture, while Bill Murray portrayed the author and Peter...
is published on FTP and usenetUsenetUsenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
. - 1991: SandmanSandman (Vertigo)The Sandman is a comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics. Beginning with issue #47, it was placed under the imprint Vertigo. It chronicles the adventures of Dream , who rules over the world of dreams. It ran for 75 issues from January 1989 until March 1996...
#19: "A Midsummer Night's Dream," is the only comic to win a World Fantasy AwardWorld Fantasy AwardThe World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
. It was colored using an early version of PhotoShop to create a progressive sunset and night in the colors of comic. - 1991: Victor Vector & Yondo by Ken Steacy is published as a CD-ROM comic by Sanctuary Woods Multimedia. Although this is not a digital comic, it features an early use of digital special effects (Photoshop twirl filters) applied to traditional comic art. It was published as a print comic in 1994 by Fractal Comics Group.
- 1992: DC Comics publishes The Hacker FilesThe Hacker FilesThe Hacker Files is a twelve issue DC Comics mini-series published from August 1992 to July 1993. It was written by Lewis Shiner and illustrated by Tom Sutton.-Publication history:...
written by Lewis ShinerLewis ShinerLewis Shiner is an American writer.Shiner began his career as a science fiction writer, identified early on with cyberpunk, and later wrote more mainstream novels, albeit often with magical realism and fantasy elements...
and illustrated by Tom SuttonTom SuttonTom Sutton was an American comic book artist who sometimes used the pseudonyms Sean Todd and Dementia...
and Mark BuckinghamMark BuckinghamMark Buckingham is a British comic book artist. He is better known for his work on Marvelman and Fables.-Biography:Born as Mark John Buckingham May 23, 1966 in Clevedon, United Kingdom...
, the last two issues of which incorporate digitally created art. - Sept. 1993: David Farley's Doctor FunDoctor FunDoctor Fun is a webcomic by David Farley, which ran from September 24, 1993 to June 9, 2006. It was one of the first online comics. It was preceded by Witches and Stitches which was distributed via CompuServe in 1985, and Where the Buffalo Roam which was distributed via Usenet in 1991. Dr...
is published on the World Wide WebWorld Wide WebThe World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
. - 1993-1994: Dark Horse Comics publishes Version, an English language printing of the traditionally-drawn mangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
by Hisashi Sakaguchi, with all-digital (3-D CGIComputer-generated imageryComputer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
) cover art by Jack Harris. - August 1993: Mike Saenz creates Donna Matrix, computer generated graphic novel with 3-D graphics, published by Reactor Press. This is the first 3-D CGI graphic novel.
- March 1995: Bebe Williams launches the webcomics portal Art Comics DailyArt Comics DailyArt Comics Daily is a webcomic published since March 1995 by Bebe Williams of Arlington, Va. After Williams' comic strips were repeatedly rejected by newspaper syndicates, he brought them to the Internet where he had more artistic freedom. He also saw in webcomics the possibility to earn money from...
, an online gallery of several webcomics. - June, 1995: Argon Zark!Argon Zark!Argon Zark! is a webcomic, created by cartoonist and web site designer Charley Parker. It is arguably the first true Web comic, i.e. the first continuing comic story created specifically to be distributed on the World Wide Web. The strip first appeared in June 1995...
, a digitally created Web comic, appears on the Web, drawn by writer/artist Charley Parker with a graphics tablet in Painter and Photoshop.. - 1995: Sinkha, a multimedia graphic novel featuring sophisticated 3-D rendering is created by science fiction artist Marco Patrito and published on CD-ROM by Mohave.
- Fall 1996: SinkhaSinkhaThe Sinkha Project is a series of digital comics and multimedia novels created by Marco Patrito, an Italian science-fiction author and illustrator who has published comic novels in Italy, France, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Holland and North America since 1984...
is published as a comics story in the Heavy MetalHeavy Metal (magazine)Heavy Metal is an American science fiction and fantasy comics magazine, known primarily for its blend of dark fantasy/science fiction and erotica. In the mid-1970s, while publisher Leonard Mogel was in Paris to jump-start the French edition of National Lampoon, he discovered the French...
Fall 1996 Special. - 1998: The Black Diamond Effect-Syntax E.R.R.O.R. by George Peter Gatsis continued the story, with much better graphics, but still using the same techniques from 1990.
- 1998: The DOME: Ground Zero by Dave Gibbons and Angus McKie is published by DC Comics. An early use of the Poser, 3DS Max and Bryce software in comic books.
- 2001: The Spiders by Patrick S. Farley for his website, Electric Sheep Comix. The webcomic traces an alternate history of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, where Al GoreAl GoreAlbert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
is President of the United States, and ordinary civilians can view the war through web cams carried by roving robotic "spiders" dispersed into AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
by the U.S. Army. - 2007: City of Thamesis by Ash Pure. Created using a combination of characters photographed against green screenGreen ScreenThe Green Screen international wildlife film festival is held annually in Eckernförde, Germany. The festival shows full-length and short nature documentaries about animals in their natural habitat. It is the only festival of its kind in Germany...
, then painted over and embellished in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, placed over photo montage backgrounds. Technically more of an animatic than a traditional comic. - 2010: Devil's Due DigitalDevil's Due DigitalDevil’s Due Digital Inc. is an American digital publishing company established in 2010 by cofounders Mark Thompson of Checker Book Publishing Group and Josh Blaylock of Devil’s Due Publishing.-History:...
becomes the first comic book publisher to move to complete digital production.
Production methods
This is an outline of how six key computer generated and enhanced comic books (series)/graphic novels were fully produced.- 1985: How Shatter was created by Peter Gillis and Mike Saenz. (Shatter issue 1, Dec 1985, Inside front cover / Shatter issue 4, August 1985, inside front cover)
- 1) Layouts are penciled on paper, then scanned the pages into the computer.
- 2) Notes are made of certain images or backgrounds to repeat in various panels.
- 3) Then electronically the art is copied and repeated in specific places, putting in highlights and shadows, enhancing the images, adding detail to backgrounds.
- 4) Lettering is applied.
- 5) It is printed out in black and white.
- 6) Positive film is shot from the black and white.
- 7) The film is sent to the colorist, to color traditionally by hand.
- 8) The color pages are collected with the film and sent to the color separator.
- 9) The separator uses a color scanner to produce film for the printer.
- Storage: Floopy Disks.
- Programs: MacPaint, MacDraw, ComicWorks
- Hardware: ApplePlus, LaserWriter.
- 1988: How Iron Man: Crash was created, by Mike Saenz. (Iron Man: Crash, 1988, pages 66 to 71)
- 1) Images, photos and penciled art are scanned into the computer at 72 dpi and uprez later.
- 2) 3D graphic elements are created in greyscale.
- 3) The black and white artwork and 3D artwork is electronically colored.
- 4) The artwork is then put into a layout program that holds the art inside varying panels and borders.
- 5) Word balloons with text and adjustable tails are created.
- 6) Special effects are applied to some text.
- 7) 4 files are created for each of the pages. (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black)
- 8) Printer's Separated Film is created from the 4 files.
- 9) The film is color proofed, by creating color keys/chromalins for the printer.
- Storage: Floopy Disks.
- Programs: Lithographer, Illustrator, Pro 3D
- Hardware: Mac II
- 1990: How Batman: Digital Justice was created by Pepe Moreno. (Batman: Digital Justice, 1990, Mike Gold intro and inside back page)
- 1) Images, photos and penciled art are scanned into the computer.
- 2) 3D graphic elements are created.
- 3) The black and white artwork is electronically colored, giving it an enhanced painted look.
- 4) Many images throughout the book are repeated and cropped or colored differently.
- 4) The artwork is then put into a layout program that holds the art inside varying panels and borders.
- 5) Word balloons with text, varying borders and adjustable tails are created.
- 6) Special effects are applied to some text.
- 7) Printer's Separated Film is created from the page layout program.
- 8) The film is color proofed, by creating color keys/chromalins for the printer.
- Storage: Possibly CD ROM Data Disk.
- Programs: Studio 8, ImageStudio, Photoshop, Quark Xpress.
- Hardware: Mac II
- 1990: How The Black Diamond Effect was created by George Peter Gatsis. (The Black Diamond Effect, 1991, issue 4 inside front and back pages)
- 1) Artwork is drawn and scanned into the computer.
- 2) Art is vectorized and colored.
- 3) 3D elements are created.
- 4) All artwork is composed into page layouts.
- 5) Some background and foreground artwork is rasterized and painted with blurs, shading and effects.
- 6) The rasterized artwork is clipped and brought back into the page layout program.
- 7) Various typefaces and effects are used for lettering.
- 8) Various kind of jagged word balloons, with varying vectorized effects are used.
- 9) Printer's Separated Film is created from the page layout program.
- 10) Grayscale letter sized printouts are sent along with the film to the printer.
- Storage: CD ROM Data Disk.
- Programs: Quark Xpress, Pagemaker, Ready-Set-Go, Freehand, Illustrator, Studio 8, ImageStudio, Swivel 3D Pro, Photoshop, Infini-D.
- Hardware: Mac IIcx
- 1993: How Donna Matrix was created by Mike Saenz. (Donna Matrix, 1993, inside front page and pages 40 to 44)
- 1) Characters are designed.
- 2) All assets, characters and props are modeled in 3D.
- 3) Scenes are composed in 3D, with multiple lights and various lighting effects.
- 4) Individual 3D scenes are rendered.
- 5) Various elements (such as smoke and fire) are scanned into the computer and composed along with the rendered 3D scene in a paint program.
- 6) Individual pages are composed by importing the final painted panel into a vector program.
- 7) Text, Word Balloons and sound effects are created and composed in the page layout.
- 8) Printer's Separated Film is created from the vector program.
- Storage: Possibly CD ROM Data Disk.
- Programs: Swivel 3D Pro, Electronic Image Animation System, Illustrator, Photoshop.
- Hardware: Most likely a Mac IIfx or Mac IIci
- 1998: The DOME: Ground Zero was created by Dave Gibbons and Angus McKie. (The DOME: Ground Zero, 1998, inside backpage)
- 1) Scripted.
- 2) Layouts done in a paint program.
- 3) Lettering and the rough page layouts composed in a vector program.
- 4) The pages are submitted for approval.
- 5) 3D elements are created and rendered out.
- 6) Low rez samples are checked with the page layout vector program.
- 7) The Lettering and border panels were rasterized into the paint program, with the lettering on a separate layer.
- 8) Details are painted into the characters and backgrounds.
- 9) Printer's Separated Film is created for the printer.
- Storage: Possibly CD ROM Data Disk.
- Programs: Freehand, Poser, 3DS Max, Bryce, Photoshop.
- Hardware: Mac 8500
Notable digital comics
This list includes some hybrids of digital and traditional media.- Mr. Punch, by Neil GaimanNeil GaimanNeil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
& Dave McKeanDave McKeanDavid McKean is an English illustrator, photographer, comic book artist, graphic designer, filmmaker and musician....
(September, 1995). Hybrid: mixed media, digitally manipulated. DC Comics - Astounding Space ThrillsAstounding Space ThrillsAstounding Space Thrills was a webcomic by begun in 1997. It is also the title of a comic book series of the same name published by Image Comics....
, by Steve Conley, (1997). Hybrid: inked in Adobe Illustrator. Image Comics / Web comic - Blue Loco, by Mark Landman (1997). All-digital. Kitchen Sink Press
- The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln, by Scott McCloudScott McCloudScott McCloud is an American cartoonist and theorist on comics as a distinct literary and artistic medium...
(1998). Hybrid: penciled on paper, "inked" in Photoshop with 3-D backgrounds. Homage Comics - The Dome: Ground Zero, by Dave GibbonsDave GibbonsDave Gibbons is an English comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything"...
& Angus McKie (1998). All-digital. DC Comics - Delta Thrives, by Patrick FarleyPatrick FarleyPatrick Sean Farley is a freelance illustrator and Web page designer working out of Portland, Oregon.- Biography :Patrick Farley is the creator of comics under the anthology "Electric Sheep Comix". Scott McCloud cites him as an early pioneer of the webcomics movement...
, (2002). All-digital Web comic - Pocket God by Ape Entertainment, (August 2010). iOS application, also sold in print.
Digital distribution
Marvel ComicsMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
launched Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited
Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited
Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited is an online service by Marvel Comics which distributes past issues of their comics via the Internet. Launching on November 13, 2007, the service has thousands of issues in its archive.-History:...
, a subscription service allowing readers to read many comics from Marvel's history online, on November 13, 2007. The service also includes periodic release new comics not available elsewhere. With the release of Avenging Spider-Man
Avenging Spider-Man
Avenging Spider-Man is an American comic book series published monthly by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. The events in the story take place in the primary continuity of the mainstream Marvel Universe along with the events of The Amazing Spider-Man...
Marvel also became the first publisher to provide free digital copies as part of the print copy of the comic book.
With growing the popularity of smart phones and tablet computer
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
s, particularly Apple
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
's iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
and iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
, many major publishers have begun releasing titles in digital form. Some of the most popular platforms for such release are Graphicly and comiXology
ComiXology
comiXology is a digital software and services media company that delivers comics and graphic novels through mobile applications and the Internet....
. In 2011, a completely free digital comic sales platform named Whizu.com was launched, enabling creators to post their own comics for sale immediately.
Another method of digital distribution is to create the publication in its entirety and have it hosted on a digital storage locker site, such as YouSendit.com. (This method removes anyone between the creator and the customer.) The customer purchases the publication by Paypal or Credit Card. Then the customer receives in their email the download link of the file. Some of the popular formats are CBR, CBZ, ePub and PDF.
Books
- Moreno, Pepe & Gold, Mike (Introduction) (1990). Batman: Digital Justice, DC Comics
- Parker, Charley (1997). Argon Zark!, Arclight Publishing
- McCloud, Scott (2000) Reinventing Comics, pp. 140, 165, Paradox Press
- Withrow, Stephen (2003). Toon Art: The art of Digital Cartooning, pp. 12–21, 45, 118-119, 170-171, 174-175, 184-187, Watson-Guptill
See also
- Comic Book Archive file, a digital media format used to view archived comics
- Mobile comicMobile comicA mobile comic is a digital comic or cartoon strip that can be purchased, downloaded, read and sometimes edited or shared with friends via mobile phones.- Overview :...
, comics for mobile devices
External links
- Szadkowski, Joseph (July 1, 2000). "Digital Production Comes of Age in the Comic World", Animation World Magazine