comiXology Goes Live With Over 100 Comics Stores Through Their Retailer Digital Storefronts Program

Comic Stores Can Now Prosper From the Sale of Digital Comics From Top Comic Publishers

New York, NY- August 23^th, 2011 – comiXology in partnership with ICv2, today launched over 100 online storefronts to sell digital comics as a result of its Digital Storefront program for retailers.  Participating comic retailers have gone live with their deployment of a comiXology-powered store and reader, enabling them to prosper from the sale of digital comics from top comic publishers, including DC Comics, Image, BOOM! Studios, Dynamite and many more. Also, in conjunction with DC and their Relaunch, all participating retailers will be able to sell all the same day as print comics.

Announced in January, the Digital Storefront program enables retailers the ability to sell digital comics with a simple integration into their existing site while tapping into comiXology’s vibrant digital marketplace. Any comic book fan will now be able to purchase digital comics online from their local comic store’s digital storefront with a portion of each purchase going directly to the retailer. All digital purchases will be compatible with the Comics by comiXology platform, providing fans the ability to enjoy their comics on their mobile devices (iOS and Android) and on the Web at their retailer’s websites by way of cross-platform synchronization.

“These retailers have put their trust in us from day one and we’re excited to make good on our commitment to bring them into the vibrant digital marketplace leveraging comiXology’s technology as a backbone for their success,” said David Steinberger, CEO of comiXology. “We have been working hard with our retail and publishing partners to make this program a reality for the benefit of the comic industry and take pride in starting to see it come to fruition.  We look forward to continuing on this important initiative and celebrating its success with all our partners.”

comiXology’s participating publishers DC Comics, Image, BOOM! Studios, Dynamite benefit from comiXology’s Digital Storefront Affiliate program through wider distribution on the Web and by strengthening the relationships between publishers, comic stores, and fans that have so successfully made comics a major force in world culture.

DC COMICS LAUNCHES ANDROID APP

Partners with comiXology to bring its DC-Branded App to Huge Android Audience

07.19.2011– NEW YORK / BURBANK, Calif., – Just in time for San Diego Comic-Con, DC Comics and comiXology have partnered to create a DC-branded app for the Android platform that is available starting today. Already one of the most popular digital comics publishers, the new app for Android users brings DC’s extensive line of the world’s greatest super heroes to an even broader mobile audience.  Additionally, DC Comics purchased via apps powered by comiXology are accessible across different platforms so customers can access a comic purchased once on the iOS and the Web as well.

“This launch is another great milestone in our digital strategy,” stated Hank Kanalz, senior vice president of digital for DC Entertainment. “Our goal is to make DC Comics available to the broadest audience possible and this Android launch extends our reach among mobile phones and tablets. We want our readers to enjoy comics whenever and wherever they want, be it at home, work or while walking around San Diego Comic-Con.”

The Android app will offer more than 3,000 issues from the DC Comics libraries, priced from $.99 to $2.99 per issue.  The hugely popular $.99 sales will also apply to comics sold via the DC Android app.

“DC has really embraced digital as a strategy to ensure that their readers will be able to enjoy their comics whenever they want,” said David Steinberger, CEO of comiXology. “The launch of the DC Comics App for Android shows their continued commitment to their amazing community as they continue to broaden their digital horizons.”

The DC Comics app for Android will leverage ‘Google In-App Billing system’ to streamline the purchasing process for any comic fan by providing users the ability to include their billing information directly into the app at the point of purchase through the Android Market billing service.

About DC Entertainment
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, etc.), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables, etc.) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner.  DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games.  Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.

About comiXology
Since 2007 comiXology has been developing the technological infrastructure to bring comics into the digital mainstream and expose new audiences to the rich history and culture of the industry. Through partnerships with top comic book publishers including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Archaia Entertainment, BOOM! Studios, Dynamite Entertainment and Image Comics as well as their own mobile and web apps which hosts over 10,000 digital titles, comiXology has become a leader in digital comic book proliferation. Also focused on creating strong ties with retail stores through its technology solutions, comiXology continues to transform the previously fragmented comic ecosystem into a vibrant and cohesive marketplace.

# # #

Press Contacts:
Brandy Phillips

DC Entertainment

Brandy.Phillips@warnerbros.com

818-954-3325

–

Trace Cohen

(516) 225-7417

Tcohen@ifluencepr.com

52 Pick Up Sale!

Monumental in it’s implication, groundbreaking in it’s publication and devastating in it’s storytelling. 52 was the comics event that changed it all. The Crossover to end all crossovers a large scale maxi-series distributed weekly for an entire year! Today all 52 earth shattering issues are available on comiXology at half-off the original price, and as if that were enough we’re throwing in eight addition DC mini-series at $.99 an issue as well.

The DCU spent a year without Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman — a year in which the fate of the world hung in the balance! Now Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid deliver the thrilling tale of the heroes who protected the planet in their absence in this best-selling series.

In addition to DC’s massive masterpiece we’re including 52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen, Countdown to Infinite Crisis, Day of Vengeance, The OMAC Project, Rann/ Thangar War, Villains United, World War III, and of course the event that changed the world forever, Infinite Crisis.

It’s one our biggest sale ever! Plus you asked for it and we listened as now customers purchasing through our web store have the option to purchase each series in one simple click with our “Add All to Cart” feature.  So there is really no excuse not take advantage of this incredible deal!

It’s 52 weeks worth of comics on sale for 52 hours. Download them by series of by issue just make sure you do it today because this is one game of 52 pick-up you don’t want to miss out on!

St. PATRICK’S DAY DC GREEN SALE!

Top of the morning to you! Alright you don’t have to be Irish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day but it helps. If you like comics today is indeed your lucky day as DC Digital and comiXology bring you over 200 digital comics for only $0.99 per issue. Check out some fresh helpings of Green Lantern, as well some classic issues of Green Arrow plus the entire run of Blackest Night.

It’s no blarney but you better act fast for St. Patrick’s Day comes but once a year and this time it’s really packing a punch; or at least a Boxing glove arrow or two! Download the issues today on the app and web store.   

An Interview with Molly Crabapple: Part Two (In which John Levaitt joins the party!)

Last week the blog at comiXology brought you an inside look at Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-art school and the first part of our interview with The Puppet Makers and Scarlett Takes Manhattan co-creator Molly Crabapple. Today we’re keeping the ball rolling with part two of our exclusive interview with Molly Crabapple as this time she is joined by her Dr. Sketchy cohort and comic book partner in crime John Levaitt the current creative director of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art school.  For part one of the interview scroll further down this page; for part two simply keep reading!

comiXology: Thanks for joining us John, our last question was on Puppet Makers? Care to share any insight on how the project came about?

John: Sci-fi and French History are both big hobbyhorses of Molly and I, and we felt the Sun King’s Court felt like something out of science fiction anyway. Plus, who wouldn’t want an excuse to draw all those baroque gold fripperies.

comiXology: Cool, now what have been some of your influences both in comics and out, what would you recommend folks read these days?

Molly: Right now I’m obsessed with Joan Sfar, the French comics creator who did The Rabbi’s Cat, The Little Vampire, and Klezmar, and who directed the new Gainsbourg movie.  His stuff is so tender and human and anti-authoritarian and whimsical that you find your face contorting into emotions you thought you had long since buried.  In comics, I also love Kevin O’Neill, Marjene Sartrapi, The Sandman, the usual suspects.

Outside: Toulouse Lautrec, Aubrey Beardsley, scathing political cartoons from the time when political machines ran New York, and popular illustration, like the stuff on matchbooks and the back of cubes of pool chalk. What should you read?  Joan Sfar.  Yes, read Joan Sfar, so I can gush to more people about him.

John: I’m currently in lust with Jason Lutes’ Berlin books.

comiXoloy: If you guys could travel back in time to any particular era what would it be and why?

Molly: I’m not too big on time travel.  God bless birth control, and the internet. It’s much more interesting to cull the coolest aspects of
an era while leaving the suppurating syphilis sores behind.

John: I think as long as you’re at the top of the social heap, any time is fine. Unless you’re in one of those places where the top people get sacrificed to keep the sun shining. Then not so much.

comiXology: Now you’ve gotten to step into the world superhero’s in the past in addition to some of your more recent independent work. If you could have a superpower yourself what would it be? And for that matter are their any mainstream characters out there right now you’d like to work on?

John: Telekinesis seems like the most practical, but I don’t need another excuse to never get off the couch. I’ve always wanted to write Dazzler, actually. But as a Edena Monsoon-esque washout. Faded Disco Queen and all that

Molly: I wouldn’t sleep.  Just work.  Can coffee be a superpower?

comiXology: With books like The Puppet Makers and Scarlett Takes Manhattan available for digital download right now, do you see the digital marketplace as a viable way to get your work out to people?

Molly: I do!  comiXology is an amazing platform, and I think your interface for reading comics is extremely elegant.  However, I got to say I’m pretty old school and don’t have an ipad or a kindle.  I like to have books I can drop.

John: Completely. I think the digital marketplace is going to blow up comics in a huge way. And just for vanity’s sake, I love the way my stuff looks on an iPad.

comiXology: Alright last question. What can readers expect from you in the future got anything in the works that you could tease us with?

John: We’re currently working on another graphic novel that one of my friends described as “Like the Music Man, but evil.”

Molly: Me and John recently signed up to do a new graphic novel with First Second Books, titled Straw House. It’s the tale of an immortal carnival that brings truth, and destruction, on a small rust belt town in the 1950′s.  We hope we to do a good job.

comiXology: We have no doubt it will be great, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions guys!

Molly and John’s books can be read both in print and exclusively through comiXology. Check out their awesome comics along with over 6,900 others and don’t forget to check  back often for all the latest updates on new comics coming out, new sales going on and brand new interviews with folks creating comics on the cutting edge!

Neil Gaiman and Jim Lee’s Collaboration, 100 Words, Now Available Digitally

New York Times bestselling novelist Neil Gaiman and DC Comics Co-Publisher Jim Lee’s illustrated poem “100 Words” is available today for the first time digitally. This seven page poem can be purchased for .99 cents through the DC app and DCcomics.com https://read.dccomics.com/comixology/ storefront. All of DC Comics’ proceeds benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

“From The Sandman and Black Orchid to Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, Neil Gaiman has provided some of the most memorable stories of the comic book industry,” said Jim Lee. “This was a unique opportunity for the two of us to collaborate together and I’m thrilled that the story is now available for even more fans in this format.”

This project was originally published as part of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund 2010 annual comic book and was, until now, only available as a limited edition print on neverwear.net.

“The project began when I was asked to write a hundred word poem about death. And I did. I tried to make it honest and, given the word limit, simple and true,” said Neil Gaiman.

“Jim Lee took my poem and illustrated it, in a beautiful pencil style, turned it into a comic, as a limited edition print that was published by Neverwear for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and it made people happy. It made me especially happy, as I’ve been a fan of Jim’s since Chris Claremont showed me some advanced pages by a talented newcomer, somewhere back in the dawn of time, and we’ve been trying (and failing) to work together ever since.

Most people haven’t seen “100 Words.” I love that there’s now an opportunity for everybody to see what Jim and I did, all up close and digital. And I’m thrilled that DC Comics is publishing it for such a good cause.”

Make sure to check out their poem here http://cmxl.gy/100_words

A Day at Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School!

Photos curtoesy of Kate Black and Justin Lussier

On any other day of the week The Bowery Poetry Club plays host to a slew of great open mic nights and poetry slam sessions. However every other Sunday the performance space behind the tall red and black curtain is transformed into a realm of renegade illustrators and alternative art models, courtesy of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-art school.  Serving up a fine afternoon of drawing, drinking and a whole lot of laissez faire creativity.

Founded in 2005 Dr. Sketchy’s has become a staple in the alternative drawing world and a sort of second home for many an indie comics superstar with it’s branches scattered across the globe.  This past Sunday featured a tribute to Warren Ellis’ and Darick Robertson’s grim and gritty masterwork Transmetropolitan with renowned Adult Performer’s Jizz Lee and Ryan Keely giving life to the iconic comic characters Spider Jerusalem and his “filthy assistant” posing for small intervals of time while working their way toward a series of full on twenty minute sittings.

The afternoon proved entertaining with contests and surprises for a packed house of illustrators, photographers and fans of good times and great art. Topping the afternoon off was a massive twitter bomb to the King of Gonzo Comics himself, Warren Ellis, who recently celebrated a birthday!  A select few of the attendants will actually have their art featured in the upcoming Transmet art book with proceeds going to both The Comic Book legal defense fund and The Hero initiative. Proving that while the now classic Vertigo series concluded way back in 2002 the legacy of Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson’s work is just a influneiual now as it was back when the series debuted in 1997.

Past events at the NYC branch of Dr. Sketchy’s have featured tributes to the X-Men, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and a plethora of other great creators and works, with new themes being announced all the time. It’s no secret the Masterminds behind Dr. Sketchy’s  are none other than Molly Crabapple and John Leavitt, whose latest chapter in their Zuda hit Puppet Makers just came out last week.

Dr. Sketchy’s is a leader in the alternative drawing movement for more information on their sessions and branch locations check out their website. For more on Puppets Makers check back right here later this week! and as always  for all the great comics from DC and other publishers check out our Web Store and comics app.

A Curtain Call For Comic Books

Despite technical woes, legal disputes, and more bad press than even the Daily Bugle would care to print, the Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark continues to swing onward towards becoming one of the biggest musicals in history! It’s officially scheduled to open next month after over a year of false starts and while many have claimed the production seems doomed to fail, it is still anyone’s guess as to whether or not the web-slinger will hit the jackpot with theater goers.

One of the projects biggest hurdles has been it’s production. With a budget busting $65 million expense spread out across it’s massive cast, crew and elaborate effects and set design critics have argued that comics and superhero’s have no place among chorus lines and cat walks. True the high flying antics of many a spandex clad super-hero may not be the most practical choice for a Broadway musical, however that doesn’t mean the medium is without dramatic merits. Check out the list below for some awesome comics worthy of the spotlight but won’t break the bank in the process.

1. Little Nemo in Slumberland: Forget Little Orphan Annie, this classic Winsor McCay strip has the making’s of a sleeper hit. Worth it almost for The Marquee art alone this comic from the early 1900′s serves as a charming reminder of the magic of childhood and the dreams that go along with it. With the right set design and a proper score McCay’s timeless tale could speak to a whole new audience of all ages eager to dream once again on the great white way.

2. Jenny Finn Doom Messiah: Imagine if Oliver twist had been adapted for the stage buy H.P. Lovecraft.  Forget happy go lucky Street Urchins and get ready for a macabre mystery of the highest order. Seeing Mignola’s art translated to a stage production would be spectacular, and just imagine the stage directions “Exit pursued by an enormous tentacle monster” that’s just theater magic waiting to happen.

3. Pinocchio Vampire Slayer: Traditional Puppet Theater pre-dates the modern musical by several hundred years, and while current Off-Broadway hits like Avenue Q have reinvigorated the genre for a new generation, the most famous marionette of all time could use a bit of a re-boot. The SLG graphic novel would provide the perfect source material for an action packed take, savvy among the disturbing trend of vampirism fanatics on the up-swing of late. check it out today!

4. Tom Strong: A role tailor made for a true leading man of Broadway and with the success of Moore’s other work across different mediums Tom Strong seems a likely choice for the next disowned adaption. Tom ,Tesla and The Modular Man!  A homage to the science hero’s of pulp and dime novel’s past would work well in an industry known for revivals.

5. Archie: Speaking of revivals, a lot has been going down in Riverdale lately, a wedding, a funeral and the arrival of a brand new character helped finally bring this classic title up to speed with the rest of the industry. Sure Archie and the gang have have had their share of Musical endeavors in the past, but why not go out on a limb and do something a little different? maybe exam the genre mainstay in a darker light? or perhaps give it the Mel Brooks treatment?

6. Batman/Superman: Without a doubt DC will likely cook up something cool to stake their claim in the theatrical world (although it should be noted there was in fact a short lived superman musical in the sixties, seriously!) but rather than rely on over-top stunts and an expense score, why not go in the direction least expected. Opera. Think Gotham City Soprano’s mixed with a fresh take on the Kryptonian Space Opera!

7.  Hawkeye & Mocking Bird: What’s not to love about the drama of star-crossed lovers unfolding before a live audience? The comic event that brought Marvel’s unlikely pair of Love birds back into lives of mainstream readership seems to operate on an almost shakepearean level. For comic relief just add Deadpool after all who needs aerial acrobatics when you can break the fourth wall and go “meta” with a little gunplay?

Of course these are just simple ideas offered up in the wake of the media frenzy that is Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark. As of this posting it’s scheduled to open on March 15th 2011 fans of live theater, comics and U2 should check it out. In the meantime however, check out the awesome comics hitting the app this week and while your at it why not tell us which one’s you’d love to see get the ol’ razzle dazzle treatment?

comiXology Announces Beta Release of Android App

The Largest Digital Comics Store and Guided View™ Reader Arrives For The Holidays

Official comiXology Android release

New York, NY / December 15th, 2010 – Due to overwhelming demand, the holidays have come early for millions of comic book fans everywhere with the release of the Comics by comiXology Android™ app (beta) powered by comiXology, the leading digital comics platform provider for all iOS devices, the Web and now Android.

Expanding beyond its industry-leading digital comic book apps on iOS and the Web, comiXology brings the largest digital comics library to the Android marketplace, enabling fans to read comics on Android devices running 2.1 (Eclair) or higher. The Comics by comiXology Android beta app gives users the ability to discover, purchase, and read more than 2,500 digital comics and over 300 free comics from 40 publishers. Launch partners include DC Comics, Image Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, and Archie, alongside many more. Users can search and browse through comics based on titles, creators, publishers, genre and ratings, and find local comic book retailers with the built-in retailer finder.

“Our enthusiastic community has been asking us for an Android app and it’s with great pleasure that we bring it to them in time for the holidays,” said David Steinberger, CEO of comiXology. “Comics by comiXology on Android delivers comic books to mainstream audiences on even more devices. Now, more people who want to read a comic will have the opportunity to do so, when and where they want, while giving our content partners another major distribution outlet.”

The comiXology app for Android features a full in-app store and the best digital comics reader on the market. comiXology’s patent pending Guided View™ Technology gives users a natural reading experience while making it readable on small devices.

Comics downloaded to the Android app will be available on the Comics by comiXology iOS and Web platforms through cross-platform synchronization so users can enjoy comics on all their devices, anywhere.

“comiXology is the leading distributor of digital comics, which is why we have partnered with them to power our iOS app and Web Store,” said Hank Kanalz, Senior Vice President of Digital, DC Entertainment. “The release of its Android app shows the company’s ongoing commitment to expand into new markets, create opportunities for increased visibility and revenue, while above all, answer the call of its fans for convergence across platforms with a centralized library to enjoy comics anywhere.”

In addition to DC Comics, publishers on the Comics by comiXology Android beta app include:

• A Wave Blue World
• Adhouse Books
• Alterna Comics
• Antarctic Press
• Arcana Studio
• Archie Comics
• Asylum Press
• Bluewater Comics
• BOOM! Studios
• Com.x
• Creative Impulse
• Creator Owned
• DC Comics
• Devils Due
• Digital Webbing
• Dynamite Entertainment
• EigoMANGA
• Evil Twin Comics
• First Salvo
• Image Comics
• Keenspot
• Markosia
• Moonstone Books
• Oni Press
• Radical
• Red 5 Comics
• Shadowline
• Skybound
• South Fellini
• Slave Labor Graphics
• Studio 407
• Th3rd World Studios
• TOKYOPOP
• Top Cow
• Vertigo
• Viper Comics
• Zenescope Entertainment

About comiXology
Since 2007 comiXology has been developing the technological infrastructure to bring comics into the digital mainstream and expose new audiences to the rich history and culture of the industry. Through partnerships with top comic book publishers including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, BOOM! Studios, and Image Comics as well as their own mobile and web apps which hosts nearly 4000 digital titles, comiXology has become a leader in digital comic book proliferation. Also focused on creating strong ties with retail stores through its technology solutions, comiXology continues to transform the previously fragmented comic ecosystem into a vibrant and cohesive marketplace. http://www.comixology.com/

Android is a trademark of Google, Inc.

Celebrate ‘Black Friday’ by revisiting the DCU’s BLACKEST NIGHT

As most skilled shoppers know, the day after Thanksgiving is “Black Friday,” because it’s a day of deals, bargains and – well, let’s not sugarcoat it – pure, unbridled shopping frenzy. But why get elbowed and shoved by zombie-like shoppers at the mall when you can stock up on some essential comic book reading from the comforts of your own home? I guess you could call this the DC Digital Store’s very own “Blackest Friday.”

For 24 hours, starting now (midnight EST), you can snag every chapter of the NEW YORK TIMES-bestselling BLACKEST NIGHT series, from writer Geoff Johns and artist Ivan Reis for $.99 each at the DC Digital Comics Store and via the DC Comics App and the comiXology App (both available via iTunes). After this “Blackest Friday” deal, though, prices will return to our standard $1.99 and $2.99 price point.

This is a rare chance to get the epic, universe-altering series from Johns and Reis at such a bargain price. And it’s essential reading. Not only is BLACKEST NIGHT a superhero romp of the highest caliber, it’s a story that pits the heroes of the DC Universe against former friends, lovers and foes, as the dead rise to destroy everything that surrounds them. Can Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman and the Flash band together to stop the swarms of Black Lanterns from dragging the entire universe into a new Dark Age?

What better time to find out? Make sure you get in on this amazing offer while it lasts and read some of the best, most compelling comics in recent memory for an unheard-of price.