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Netflix is turning Mark Millar comic 'Reborn' into a feature film
Netflix isn't done announcing movies that stem from its acquisition of Millarworld. The internet giant has unveiled plans for a feature-length film based on Reborn, a fantasy comic series from Mark Millar and Greg Capullo. The story centers on Bonnie Black, a woman who learns first-hand that people go to a land of "monsters and dragons" when they die -- and realizes that her late husband is mysteriously absent. It's too early for a release schedule or cast, but Netflix already has some major personalities attached to the production.
Netflix chooses Mark Millar's 'Prodigy' as its second comic book
Netflix already has a second comic book lined up mere weeks after its first one hit stores. The service has unveiled Prodigy, a Mark Millar-penned comic book due in both digital and paper forms on December 5th. The series revolves around Edison Crane, the "world's smartest man," who has virtually everything he could want but is fueled by an endless drive that leads him to solve problems for governments around the planet. As the artwork from Batman visualizer Rafael Albuquerque suggests, Crane will have to rely on both his mind and some firepower to get things done.
Comic books come to VR through an app
You may have felt immersed in a comic book before, but never quite so literally as this. Madefire has released a free Gear VR preview app that lets you read its Motion Books in virtual reality. As you might guess, it's all about depth. Pages now fill your view, and creators can add 3D layers to individual panels. While it's not real 3D (your childhood dreams of exploring comic universes will have to wait), it beats staring at completely flat pictures on a PC or tablet.
Marvel's giving you the key to over 13,000 comics for 99 cents
To celebrate the start of Comic-Con tomorrow in San Diego, Marvel is kicking off a promotion that provides an all-you-can-have pass to its entire digital library for less than a dollar. There are a few caveats, as expected, but not enough to make the offer seem any less attractive. According to Wired, Marvel Unlimited, which is home to more than 13,000 comics, can be accessed over the next week with a simple payment of 99 cents. The deal will only give you an in to the service for one month, but the renowned publisher is hoping that's plenty of time to keep you locked in beyond said period.
Apple bans Brian K. Vaughn's Saga #12 comic book due to graphic sex scenes [Updated]
Update: It turns out this is not true -- the ban came from the book's digital publisher, Comixology, not Apple itself. Comixology has since rescinded the ban. Original Post: I never thought I'd write two stories in one day about Apple attacking the comic book industry over adult content, but that's indeed what's happening today. The latest controversy comes from writer Brian K. Vaughn, who writes a terrific series called Saga. The just-released issue number 12 of the book contains "two postage stamp-sized images of gay sex," according to Vaughn in a press release, and as a result, Apple has officially banned it from the App Store, commanding various comic publishers to not carry the book digitally for sale on the iPhone or iPad. Vaughn says he could have considered changing the images, but "everything we put into the book is there to advance our story, not (just) to shock or titillate," so the material is staying in. In the meantime, he says, you can find the book at any brick-and-mortar comic book store, on Image Comics' website outside of Apple's marketplace, or even (and here's the real laugher) in Apple's iBookstore, where apparently the company is less lenient than it is for third-party publishers. Obviously, these images and this book aren't appropriate for children, so it makes sense to be cautious about how the images are shown. But Saga is hardly pornography -- it's an excellent, well-written and insightful piece of art. Apple's censorship on this is at least more timely than some of its other attacks on "adult" material, but still, the fact that Apple is trying to block specific content from its store for arbitrary reasons is disturbing.
Comixology halts digital Marvel giveaway
A day after Comixology and Marvel announced a giveaway of more than 700 Marvel #1 issues for free, Comixology has had to halt the promotion. In a letter posted on the company's blog (and sent to customers via email), CEO David Steinberger said: It's been a whirlwind weekend, and we're fresh from SXSW where Marvel Comics launched their Marvel #1 promotion featuring over 700 free comics distributed via our platform. We expected a high degree of excitement for the Marvel initiative -- and had believed ourselves prepared -- but unfortunately we became overwhelmed by the immense response. We're still struggling to keep our systems up. The result is that you aren't getting your comics when and where you want. We don't like letting you down. Our teams are working around the clock to resolve these issues so that you can have the experience you've come to expect. To that end, we're pausing the Marvel Comics #1 promotion for the time being. For those of you that want to take advantage of the offer -- you will get your comics! Comixology is asking users to fill out this form so they can be notified when they can download the free issues. Comic Book Resources talked to several comic book publishers who offer titles through Comixology. Though the 700-free-issue promotion was Marvel-only, Image Comics confirmed that Comixology's server crash affected sales of its issues. It told the site that a "significant part" of daily digital comic book sales come through Comixology.
Marvel unveils iOS comic book subscription service 'Marvel Unlimited'
A few years ago I wrote an article titled Publishers' choice: Will the iPad be the hero or villain of the comic book industry? It was an open letter to comic book publishers urging them to embrace the digital distribution method to ensure comics didn't fall to the same fate as illegal music downloads. I spelled out four guidelines for a successful business model -- one that would appeal to comic book readers in the mobile computing area. Since then, the comic book industry has taken up some of the suggestions and it's now taken another step forward. That's because Marvel has unveiled its Marvel Unlimited service for iOS. Marvel Unlimited is essentially Netflix for Marvel comic books. Users can subscribe for US$10 a month to access a catalog of over 13,000 Marvel comics back issues. For a limited time, users can also pay for a year's subscription for only $60. The service serves up the comics in HTML5 and allows users to download six issues at a time. While 13,000 back issues seems like a lot, there's not much rhyme or reason to the selection or continuity of what's available. And that doesn't make a lot of sense because when collectors are reading a series, they generally read them in order. Also, the most recent issues of comics on offer will be at least 6 months old. That's because Marvel doesn't want to hurt its newsstand sales. Though Marvel Unlimited is a step in the right direction, I don't think it's the ideal solution for hardcore comic book fans. When Marvel makes complete series available on demand, the digital comic book subscription model will really fly. Marvel Unlimited is a free download.
Comixology debuts Submit program, picking up indie comics for their app
Comixology runs the biggest dedicated comic book app on iOS (appropriately called Comics), and today it announced a new program designed to make its comic book marketplace even bigger. Comixology Submit, still in closed beta, will allow independent comic book creators and artists to sell their works directly on Comixology and split the profits with the publisher. Once the service is up and running, creators will be able to submit their works, Comixology will approve incoming submissions, apply its GuidedView technology so users can easily read the digital versions on iOS and sell the books worldwide. Comixology doesn't say what the profit split is [it's 50/50, see update below], so creators will definitely want to wait until all of the rules are laid out before seeing if they want to participate in the program. But those interested can sign up now, and considering the app's wide reach, this will likely be a great opportunity for comic book creators looking to grow their own audience. The company is also continuing to release comics the traditional way: They just added Terry Moore's great Strangers in Paradise series to the digital marketplace. But it'll be interesting to see what kind of new independent work shows up in the Comics app through a program like Submit. Update: Comixology got in touch with us to say the profit split on comics sold will be 50/50.
DC Comics arrive on Nook Tablet, Barnes & Noble lets you watch, zoom the Watchmen
When we initially did our Nook Tablet / Kindle Fire battle royal, the choice between the devices for comics fans largely came down to the preference between the Marvel and DC universes. The lines, however, are blurring. Thanks to today's announcement, Justice League fans should find as much to love in the Nook Tablet and Color as Avengers devotees. DC has brought more than 100 graphic novels to the aforementioned devices and Android tablets running the Nook app. Barnes & Noble also used the opportunity to announce the new Zoom View feature, which lets readers focus on individual panels -- functionality that sounds fairly similar to what Comixology offers in its own popular app. For more information about Crisis on Infinite Nooks, check out the press release after the break.
Comics iPad app gets Retina-friendly update, 'POW!' bubbles now much POWier
ComiXology is usually keeping up with the latest-and-greatest, and it's doing so yet again by rapidly updating its Comics app to meet the new iPad's Retina-sized needs. In addition to the CMX-HD comic books coming to the 2048 x 1536 screen, the updated application also includes novel social sharing features via Twitter, Zuck's network and email. Among other bits worth noting are a handful of nondescript bug fixes as well as stability improvements. Best of all, the refresh won't cost you a dime and it's available now in the App Store, linked just below for your convenience.
Review: 'The Zen of Steve Jobs' graphic novel
I just took ten minutes (hey, it's a comic book) and read Caleb Melby and Jess3's The Zen of Steve Jobs graphic novel and I think anyone who is a fan of comic books or Steve Jobs is going to like it. As I told you in September, the 60-page graphic novel is a re-imagining of Steve Jobs' life during the mid-1980s after he left Apple and before he founded NeXT. Specifically, it deals with Jobs' relationship with Kobun Chino Otogawa, a Zen Buddhist priest (who also married Jobs and his wife, Laurene Powell). The writer, Caleb Melby, makes it clear from the get go that the graphic novel is not fact. He combines existing Jobs/Kobun interviews and biographies with his own interviews of several Kobun students who were contemporaries of Jobs. The result, enhanced with Melby's imagination is a really interesting story. In the graphic novel, Jobs and Kobun clearly have a Luke Skywalker/Yoda thing going on (although Jobs is more of a jerk to Kobun than Luke was to Yoda). As the story progresses, the reader is treated to flashbacks and flashforwards of how the Buddhist principle of Ma eventually affected Apple's designs after Steve's return. Speaking of style, Jess3's art is beautiful -- a combination of manga and western styles with clean lines and sweeping, single-color tones. While this graphic novel is about Steve Jobs, Kobun is the most interesting character. His real-life death eerily mirrored the fictional Joseph Knecht's death in Hermann Hesse's The Glass Bead Game almost exactly, and Melby depicted that well (readers of both will probably note the similarities between the two before they even finish Zen). The Zen of Steve Jobs finishes with some extras, like a fascinating afterword from the author about why he brought Steve Job's to life in comic book form, a mini-biography of Kobun and some interesting behind-the-scenes looks as to how the project was created. The Zen of Steve Jobs is available in print from Amazon (US$10.28) or on the iBookstore ($9.99).
Comics on the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet hands-on (video)
Way back in 2000, cartoonist turned comics theorist Scott McCloud discussed infinite canvas in his book Reinventing Comics. The concept, simply put, is that electronic mediums afford artists an infinite space on which to create their work. Cartoonists should, therefore, take advantage of this new found freedom. Of course, old media companies don't operate that way, and for the past decade or so, the quest has revolved around finding the most ideal way to repurpose existing comics formats for new devices. The clunky interaction and relative lack of portability made PCs less than ideal methods for this consumption. On the flip side, smartphones are just too small for anything but a panel-by-panel reading. Devoted e-readers, meanwhile, didn't do much better, thanks to slow rendering grayscale e-ink screens. The iPad hit the sweet spot, with its portable form factor and large, vivid display. The charge was led by Comixology, through its devoted app and market and apps designed for the industry's largest publishers, Marvel and DC. Reading comics on a device was finally easy enough to convince many physical media devotees make the leap to the digital realm. There are still some roadblocks, however: for one thing, there's that whole $500 starting price. If your primary objective in picking up a tablet is reading comics, that's certainly enough to dissuade all but the richiest of riches.
Preview: 4 pages from forthcoming Steve Jobs graphic novel
Forbes has published four pages from the upcoming Zen of Steve Jobs graphic novel. The 60-page book is brought to you by Forbes and the people at JESS3, who specialize in data visualization. The Zen of Steve Jobs is a re-imagining of Steve Jobs' life during the mid-1980s after he left Apple and before he founded NeXT. During that time Jobs befriended Kobun Chino Otogawa, a Zen Buddhist priest. The two shared a passion about art, design and innovation. The graphic novel imagines how their friendship influenced Steve Jobs' later decisions when he returned to Apple. Yeah, it's a little weird that Forbes is publishing fictional Steve Jobs comic books, but I'm sure it'll be a best-seller. The graphic novel will have its digital release in late fall. In the mean time you can check out four preview pages by clicking the link above and another page here.
First panels from Steve Jobs comic book
Just the other day we told you about the upcoming Steve Jobs comic book biography, and now PC World has the first few panels of the work to check out. It looks ... good? It's definitely a more traditional affair, so Steve won't be displaying any latent superpowers or flying around. Instead, as you can see above, it might actually be a pretty pertinent historical document on Apple's history and Steve's professional life. The original release claimed the book would show both sides of Steve's sometimes rough personality, but what we see here seems to be pretty common knowledge so far. Note that these sketches are still being called work-in-progress, which is why they're in black-and-white and don't have any comic book panels. The final book is set to come out for US$3.99 and will be available in a bookstore near you.
Steve Jobs' comic book bio coming to stores in August
Steve Jobs' official biography comes out next March, but those who don't want to wait that long to read about iSteve can grab a comic book biography from Bluewater Productions. The 32-page comic book Steve Jobs: Co-Founder of Apple highlights the important moments in the life and career of Steve Jobs. For better or worse. The book will examine Jobs both as a "visionary and a genius" and an "egomaniac and a corporate pirate." It's available for pre-order now from Amazon for US$3.99 and can be picked up your local comic book store when it launches this coming August. It'll also be available online from Barnes & Noble and Borders. Bluewater may be name familiar to some as it is well-known for its comic book biographies. In the past, the publishing company has covered Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie, Sarah Palin and, most recently, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.
Meet Power Matt, Powermat's new pun-based superhero ready to answer your tech questions (updated)
The biggest problem with modern society? A lack of good super villains. Seriously, today's superheroes are getting flabby from sitting around, twiddling their powerful thumbs. Look at poor Power Matt here -- dude's clearly been working out and doing his shopping at the Justice League department store. So what is he doing with his time? Foiling bank heists or intercepting speeding missiles? Nope. He's Powermat's new mascot, and he's fielding questions about the inductive charging pad on the company's Twitter account. Can someone please help the poor redheaded hero out and kidnap a world leader or something? Or at least steal their microUSB cable? Update: Ah, so according to reader Virginia Comicon, turns out this image is, ahem, inspired by the cover of Superman issue 233. Check out the comparison after the break.
Lego-inspired helmet concept protects your brain, reads comics so you don't have to
Love comic books, but think that reading is for dumb jerks? Jonathan Robson has your back. The Scotland-based designer has created this minifigure-inspired helmet, which will help you make it through that sequential tome while protecting your head from lightweight falling debris. The helmet has volume control and a page skipping button on the side while, on the back, there's a port for plugging in a Lego USB flash drive loaded up with audio content. The helmet is designed for kids, of course, but it should also work for tiny-headed grownups sick and tired of all of those pesky word bubbles. Another view of the concept after the break.
Turn your MacBook into the Justice League
We've written about MacBook decals in the past, but I couldn't resist showing this one to you guys and gals (especially the comic book fans out there). Stuff Off Decals is selling a Justice League sticker for MacBooks. The sticker is designed in the Justice League animated series fashion and features (from left to right) Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, The Flash, and Hawkgirl. Superman's "S" symbol lights up when you overlay the sticker on your MacBook's lid. The sticker is made of high quality vinyl and leaves no residue should you decide to remove it. At US$18, it's a little pricey, but for DC comic book lovers, this is a must have! Thanks to TUAW reader John for the tip! UPDATE: The creator of this decal (who had no idea I was going to write about it) just sent me an email. He is offering all TUAW readers 15% off the JLA decal as a thank you to TUAW readers for making his Iron Man decal a best seller after appearing on this site. Just enter "TUAW" on check out (will only work with Google checkout at this time, darn Paypal!) to get your 15% off! Sweet!
Boutique publishing house les éditions volumiques shows us that print is far, far from dead
Say what you will about traditional media and the continually shrinking size of print magazines, but we've got some proof right here that good 'ol pulp still has a lot of life left. French publishing house les éditions volumiques has been doing research into new and... interesting ways to use the print medium and to combine it with mobile devices. The company's site is like a playground for bookistas, with short videos showing off all sorts of wondrous things. One project is The book that disappears, a volume printed on reactive paper that turns black after 20 minutes. Another is The Night of the Living Dead Pixels, a graphic novel (shown above) that allows you to choose your path, with terminal pages featuring QR codes that trigger videos on your smartphone. There's a board game that uses iPhones for pawns, and even a book that turns its own pages. All are demonstrated at the company's site (in Flash, so watch out for Steve), and most are destined to actually see print by the end of the year. We've already made room on our bookshelves.
Ihnatko says Apple tablet could play hero to comic books
Speculation based on rumor can be frustrating. But when the rumor is of Apple's fabled tablet, and the speculation is of a new golden age for comics, the 13-year-old kid in me comes alive. Writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, Andy Ihnatko says there are hints that Apple is getting into the digital comic book market, a statement he likens to saying "Apple is helping to create the digital comic book market." Digital comics today, he argues, are where digital music was in 2002. Legitimate businesses are so fractured, clumsy, and behind the times that pirated comics (online illegally one day after hitting store shelves) provide the best user experience. Enter LongBox, a company that has made the rounds at comic book conventions this year pitching an iTunes-like store for buying and selling digital comic books. Ihnatko talked with LongBox CEO Rantz Hoseley, peppering him with questions and looking for reasons that LongBox was doomed to failure. What he found instead was a company that respects the comic book as a medium, that has made publishing to the LongBox format (.LBX) as simple as adding a plug-in to the software publishers already use, and that has plans for outfits as big as Marvel or DC all the way down to the lone artists publishing on their own.
