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Google Play Books 'Bubble Zoom' makes it easier to read comics
Google Play Books become more comic-friendly last year with addition of vertical scrolling. At this year's Comic-Con, Google is announcing another handy feature that will be reading the illustrated panels even easier. The tool is called Bubble Zoom and as you might expect, it detects and zooms in on those speech bubbles as you read. Before now, you had to use two fingers to zoom like you would in other apps. When reading graphics-heavy comic panels, that isn't an ideal solution. Thanks to the new tool, you can enlarge the text with a tap while still gazing at a full-screen view of the page.
'Walking Dead' creator's new show to debut on Facebook in Europe
Cinemax's upcoming show Outcast will debut on Facebook Live in Europe and Africa tonight. Outcast is an adaptation of The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman's comic book series of the same name. Dealing with the supernatural and demonic possession, the comics are dark, scary and pretty fun. The TV show apparently sticks closely to the original's vision, offering straight-up horror and gore rather than The Walking Dead's focus on drama. Fox has purchased international syndication rights to the show, and will air episodes in 61 countries shortly after their US transmission. It's using Facebook Live to promote the show in the territories where it has the rights. Only the pilot will stream in this way, and the series itself begins its regular TV run on June 3rd. This will be the first time Facebook's burgeoning live video service has hosted a TV series, but Fox has already experimented with the platform, live streaming a London X-Men: Apocalypse event earlier this month. Outcast will go live at 10PM CET tonight in over 61 countries, including the UK, Germany, South Africa, Spain and Sweden.
Marvel videos will help 'Black Panther' readers catch up
Superhero comics are a notoriously difficult medium for beginners to jump into. Where to begin? So many are a continuation of long-running series, constantly referencing prior events or other characters' books. Marvel's latest attempt to solve the problem is a video series that will complement its "All-New, All-Different" Black Panther line. It's narrated by Ta-Nehisi Coates, the comic's writer and a national correspondent for The Atlantic. The first instalment will be an introduction to the character, but the plan is for subsequent episodes to act as "previously on..." style recaps.
Netflix is giving the Punisher his own show
Shortly after The Walking Dead star Jon Bernthal was tapped as the Punisher in season 2 of Marvel's Daredevil series, rumors circulated that the character would get its own show. Well, a few weeks after his debut, Netflix made the spin-off official. "The Punisher is back," a tweet making the announcement reads. "Locked and loaded."
Recommended Reading: Is Instagram ruining our vacations?
Instagram Is Ruining Vacation Mary Pilon, Backchannel Instagram users, myself included, share many daily activities with the social channel's filter-driven photography and videos. That habit is only amplified when we go on vacation, nabbing photos of sights, meals and more. Is our desire to snap a picture actually ruining our ability to tune out the world and relax when we're away? It sure seems like it.
'Attack on Titan' gets same-day release for English speakers
English-speaking fans of Attack on Titan no longer have to badger their favorite scanlation group to speed it up. The hit manga's publisher, Kodansha, has teamed up with comiXology and Amazon to make each chapter available in English on the same day it's released in Japan. That means you can download the latest chapter every week as soon it's out for either the comiXology or the Kindle app. You can even buy all the previous releases if you want the full collection.
The creator of 'XKCD' is working on high school textbooks
XKCD's Randall Munroe has done a good job of simplifying scientific and technical concepts through his comics, so it only makes sense that he would turn his attention to full-on education, doesn't it? Sure enough, that's about to happen. Thanks to the right people at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt seeing his work, Munroe will integrate segments of his book Thing Explainer (which explains concepts using the 1,000 most-used English words) into high school biology, chemistry and physics textbooks arriving this summer. Yes, the usual dry diagrams will be accompanied by Munroe's signature stick figures discussing "thinking bags" (brains) and "heavy metal power buildings" (nuclear reactors).
Comic-Con's streaming service launches in beta on May 7th
San Diego Comic-Con doesn't take place until July, but when it does, you'll have an option to stream coverage and gain other "exclusive access" with a new service. Comic-Con is working with Lionsgate on a streaming service that will not only offer coverage of its events, but also populate a library of movies and TV series alongside original shows and commentary. The subscription service, dubbed Comic-Con HQ, will launch in beta form on Comic Book Day, May 7th. During the initial trial period, beta users can expect unlimited access to the service free of charge, including live coverage of this year's San Diego soirée.
Recommended Reading: The Black Panther returns
The Return of the Black Panther Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of the most important voices of our time, and he went to work on a new Black Panther series of comic books for Marvel. Coates previews the first issue in the series of 11 chronicling adventures of what was the first black superhero portrayed in US mainstream comics when it debuted in the 1960s. Details on the making of the new comics alongside a collection of panels for the first issue make this piece a must-read.
Marvel's STEM challenge gives one teenage girl an internship
Alongside the next installment of its Cinematic Universe, Marvel is hosting a STEM challenge for teenage girls. The studio teamed up with Dolby, Synchrony Bank, Broadcom Masters and the National Academy of Sciences for the Captain America: Civil War Girls Reforming the Future Challenge. The contest seeks submissions from girls age 15 to 18 (grades 10-12) "who are inspired to create a positive world through science and technology."
'The Walking Dead: Michonne' debuts on February 23rd
The Walking Dead: Michonne is a three-episode miniseries from the undead-drama masterminds at Telltale Games, and the first installment is set to drop on February 23rd for PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360. Android and iOS versions land on February 25th. The premiere episode is titled "In Too Deep" and it ties directly into Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead graphic novel: Michonne disappears between issues #126 and #139, and Telltale's miniseries divulges what she did during that absence. Spoilers: She becomes a badass pirate.
Google Play Books is more comic friendly thanks to vertical scrolling
Is Google Play Books your go-to app for reading comic books? If so, your digital page turning is about to get a whole lot better. While the app is getting a number of updates, the most notable is the introduction of vertical scrolling. Rather than having to flip to the next page, which can be a bit awkward when it comes to comics on a phone or tablet, simply turn your device to landscape mode and scroll vertically with a swipe. There's a curated series section too, organizing volumes, issues and editions of some of the most popular titles. To help you find new reading material, the app will also offer personalized recommendations based on what you're reading. Just as a reminder, Google Play Books houses comics from major publishers like DC Comics, Marvel, Image, IDW and Dark Horse. The update is rolling out to Android users "over the next few days" and iOS is said to follow soon after for users in the US, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, India, Singapore, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Actually read the iTunes TOS with this graphic adaptation
It's a little lie you tell every single time you sign up for anything on the internet. "I have read and agree to the terms of service." You haven't read them and everybody knows it, but maybe you should read the iTunes Terms and Conditions, just once. Not for legal reasons of course, or on Apple's website -- that would be boring -- but in R. Sikoryak's 'Unabridged Graphic Adaptation: iTunes Terms and Conditions.' It's exactly what it sounds like: two volumes of unwieldy legal jargon juxtaposed with gorgeous comic imagery.
Recommended Reading: Rick Moranis on the 'Ghostbusters' reboot and more
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Rick Moranis Isn't Retired (He Just Doesn't Know How to Change His Wikipedia Page) by Ryan Parker The Hollywood Reporter When the new version of Ghostbusters arrives in theaters next year, a lot of the stars from the 1980s movies will make appearances in the film. Rick Moranis isn't one of them. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Moranis explains that "it just makes no sense" to him and dishes on what he's been doing for the last two decades, including his iOS 9.1 woes.
JXE Streams: talking family with Batgirl in 'Arkham Knight'
Even if your only exposure to the Batman mythos is through the excellent Arkham series of games by developer Rocksteady, (especially the latest, Arkham Knight) you're pretty familiar with Commissioner Gordon's daughter, Barbara. She's one of the constant voices in The Dark Knight's ear, and with the recent release of Knight's first downloadable episode we finally get to step into her shoes as Batgirl as she goes up against The Joker. How's it all play out? Your guess is as good as mine because I'm going in totally blind on PlayStation 4 starting at 6 pm Eastern / 3 pm Pacific.
Amazon's Marvel deal puts 12,000 comics in the Kindle store (updated)
Amazon has a virtual monopoly on digital Marvel comics, but it's just opened up another way to get them. Kindle owners can now purchase single issues through Amazon's store without needing the Comixology app as before. You can still get Marvel comics through Comixology, but of course Amazon acquired it last year, so the money goes to Jeff Bezos either way. All told, you'll be able to purchase up to 12,000 back issues of titles like Guardians of the Galaxy, Daredevil and The Amazing Spiderman at the Kindle Store. Moreover, all titles will be available the same day they arrive in regular stores.
Marvel's universe gets a dedicated search engine for comic queries
Since Marvel opened up its API to developers, creative types are able to leverage the company's massive comic library for apps and the like. One dev, Filix Mogilevsky, took it upon himself to create a search engine for the collection of characters and issues. iMarvel serves up character and comic book descriptions based on what you input with auto-complete suggestions to boot. For example, inputting "Thanos" provides a short bio with links to different sections of Marvel's site for more detailed info. Search for a specific title like The Avengers & the Infinity Gaunlet and you'll be privy to a brief synopsis, characters, a few images and a list of creators. Sure, it's more of a quick reference tool than anything else -- and yes, it's piping in content from Marvel's own site -- but I'll admit to spending more than a few minutes pecking around. Give a go for yourself via the source link below. [Image credit: PatLoika/Flickr]
Recommended Reading: Wearing Google Glass every day for two years
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Two Years Through the Looking Glass by Allen Firstenberg I'm pretty sure there's nothing I've done every day for the last two years. Maybe I've taken a vitamin, but I'm sure I missed a day here or there. Allen Firstenberg is way more dedicated to habit than I am, though. He's been wearing Google Glass since he received the headset two years ago and has a load of observations about the past, present and future of the tech.
Read thousands of comic books with a Scribd subscription
Scribd's monthly subscription includes unlimited access to its library of audio and e-books, and as of today, you can add comics to that list. The service announced that it added over 10,000 comic books for leisurely reading, and the more visually striking reading material will be included in the regular $9/month plan. Comics from publishers like Marvel, Archie, Valiant, Dynamite and more are available, meaning titles like Captain America, The Avengers, Harbinger and others can be read both on the web and that trusty mobile device. Not sure if you're ready to commit? You can try Scribd for a month free of charge before opening your wallet.
Barely Related: Night Vale travels to YouTube, UFO files
Partying is such sweet sorrow. Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs. Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.
