The country's longest running convention so far and currently in its 44th year, San Diego is a non-profit outfit that aims to create awareness and comic art appreciation by popularizing it among the global citizens. By hosting presentations, award shows and events of interactive nature, they are positively recognizing the contribution of comics as a medium to promote art and culture.
This year the Convention was a typical sell out with more than 125,000 comic book fans and professionals attending the events. The interesting theme around this year was the categorical recognisition of the changes in the publishing industry. While hand drawn comic strip books are still the rage, the industry is fast moving towards digitization as a move against piracy.
While a host of new startups joined the race to showcase their digital makeover, a handful of tech-driven enterprises stood out. In fact, a established industry veteran like Amazon too launched its own digital comic strip - Jet City Comics, that went into print earlier in the month.
Technology is becoming a prime mover in the self-publishing comic book industry. The tech enterprises that showed much promise this time are below:
1. ComiXology
Not a startup persay, this firm is doing a great job in the digital app niche. Grabbing the business plan competition hosted by NYU and listed as the top 10 grossing iPad app last year, the founder trio David Steinberger, John Roberts and Peter Jaffe have major publishers like Marvel, DC and Image lined up for their works.
2. MadeFire
2. MadeFire
Founded in 2012 again by a trio of talented entrepreneurs - Ben Wolstenholme, Eugene Walden and Liam Sharp, Madefire has their unique free app that allows readers to access their Motion Books. What are these? Well they create digital books using a mix of sound, motion and interaction. They plan to bring out popular Star Trek series and Transformers in this format this year.
3. Emanata
3. Emanata
This 2012 startup, founded by Google-Owned AdMob is doing a great job as a creator and promotor alike. While it supports stand alone original comic book series on its free app platform, it also facilitates sellers to sell their comics with full authorship and copyrights power in their hands even after the deal has been done.
Comic book publishing has a long history of being a medium to articulate petty humor, sarcasm and political satire. Entertainment is just one part of the pie. However, with technology becoming an inevitable part of the business side of this industry, more and more individuals are taking active interest in transforming the facade of books. More so with readers opting to read comics using mobiles and smartphones there are major technical alterations that need to be incorported. While nothing replaces that reading-hardcover experience, the digitization undercurrent cannot be ignored.How do you like to read your comicstrip series in this day and age? Will the tech startups takeove this industry too?
Share with us your thoughts and ideas about the topic in the comments section below.
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