Comix Talk for Thursday, February 10, 2011
iWEBCOMICS: The Beat has a long interview with Dave Bowen, Diamond's Director of Digital Distribution, about Diamond Digital, their in-store digital comics program. Perhaps I'm missing something but I don't see the consumer value in going to a physical location in order to buy digital goods. UPDATE: I think Todd Allen does a great job of pointing out the flaws in this Diamond strategy.
ENDINGS: Gingerbread Houses by Alexander Danner and Edward J. Grug III reached the end of its two-year serialization today, with the publication of the series’ final installment. A 97-page self-contained graphic novel, Gingerbread Houses retells the classic fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel, looking beyond the story’s original end to examine how the children’s ordeal changed them, as well as their relationship to their parents. The story can be read in its entirety online. In addition, three issues of Gingerbread Houses are now available as print minis, and can be purchased via PictureStoryTheater.com. The fourth and final mini will be released in the coming weeks.
BEGINNINGS: I've been reading the webcomic Let's Be Friends Again which has great art and generally pokes fun at superheroes and comic books. The creators, Curt Franklin and Chris Haley, recently announced they were making the comic their day job AND a partnership with hip-hop nerdist “Adam WarRock” (aka Eugene Ahn). The new venture LBDA! Inc looks like an attempt to cross-pollinate their fanbases — Adam WarRock updates with new music throughout the week and Let’s Be Friends Again updates with a new comic three times weekly.
MARKETING: I get press releases all the time. It's funny. They have a particular style — which must have been suited to newspapers because they sure aren't geared to writing on the web. Anyhow, marketing is marketing and mostly it's a no harm done, might help kind of thing. But ultimately what hooks you into reading a comic? The comic, right? Anyhow, I got a press release from Bruce Robinson for a webcomic he has called Bow Wows and Meows with the headline: "Super Bowl 'Doritos' Pug to be Featured in a New Comic Strip Endorsed by'Beetle Bailey' Cartoonist." I guess it's a decent gimmick but really until the actual comics with the pug are up on the site, I think it's kind of a waste of time. Also while I have no doubt one could make fun of the Doritos commercial without permission, this press release is getting awfully close to suggesting an agreement or endorsement between Doritos and Robinson of which there's no actual sign that there is one.
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