Marvel's Infinite Comics

[Wood]

Alternate Reality aka tech buzz word


Preach.


Man this is SXSW. This is where SHIT POPS OFF! This was weak. This sounds so uninteresting. I'm still clueless as to why Marvel even needs Comixology. The more research I do in terms of tablet publishing tools less I understand why they even need them for any of this. Don't they have production people at Marvel?

I might buy that one issue and see what they are doing but I'm not excited.

Exactly. I know my "pathetic" this weekend didn't exactly exude nuance, and I apologize for that. But Julian hits on it. If this was just another announcement in the long line of marketing moves in front of the next con, I wouldn't have thought it pathetic. I would've thought it...uninspired but relatively harmless.

But this was SXSW.

This was Marvel's chance. No, COMIC BOOKS CHANCE, at making an impression on the pop culture world at large. We con-goers. We fans...we'll bitch and gripe, but we're already here. We're loyal. To a fault.

But SXSW was a much broader, newer and potentially lucrative venue.

And what did Marvel do? Announce a FRACKING CREATIVE TEAM  for a book that -- while I liked the character -- has virtually no broad appeal and couldn't even survive in the DM -- and then promise that you can do crazy things if you want digitally.

Just felt like Lucy pulling the ball away from Charlie Brown at the last second.

[jdudley]

Exactly. I know my "pathetic" this weekend didn't exactly exude nuance, and I apologize for that. But Julian hits on it. If this was just another announcement in the long line of marketing moves in front of the next con, I wouldn't have thought it pathetic. I would've thought it...uninspired but relatively harmless.

But this was SXSW.

This was Marvel's chance. No, COMIC BOOKS CHANCE, at making an impression on the pop culture world at large. We con-goers. We fans...we'll bitch and gripe, but we're already here. We're loyal. To a fault.

But SXSW was a much broader, newer and potentially lucrative venue.

And what did Marvel do? Announce a FRACKING CREATIVE TEAM   for a book that -- while I liked the character -- has virtually no broad appeal and couldn't even survive in the DM -- and then promise that you can do crazy things if you want digitally.

Just felt like Lucy pulling the ball away from Charlie Brown at the last second.

Wood, you're definitely the EOCer I find myself agreeing with most but I'm completely on the other side of this one.

While I agree that a broader announcement would have brad more immediate impact, I think that the fact that Nova has no broad appeal is exactly why Marvel chose him for this. Indeed, in the clips shown of the new Spidey cartoon, it was revealed that Nova is a principle character in that show. Clearly, Marvel is quite aggressively trying to get that character to the younger set-- and this new digital comic coming free with AvX #1 which is being marketing to younger readers quite aggressively??

Basically, Marvel is putting out a pretty huge effort to introduce young readers to digital comics--which, admittedly, is the best avenue to capture most kid's imagination these days. And this new digital comic seems perfectly geared towards teaching kids how to read and respect the storytelling medium. Fact is: many young kids really don't even know how to read comics! It seems odd at first glance: but cross-promoting this book with this big event is Davy--and yes, potentially risky--marketing. And indeed, it is certainly of more interest for folks who aren't on this forum. But those of us who greatly enjoy watching the industry of comics shouldn't be so quick to write this off.

As for this seemingly small announcement being at SXSW??

This book is released in only a couple weeks. If it sells boatloads?? (and in many cases: is downloaded for free for those who buy AvX#1 which includes a free download code?)

well, there will likely be many follow-up articles in the comicsphere and techsphere which harken back to this announcement as being relatively major.

We'll just have to wait and see. But preorders on AvX are MASSIVE. So there will be tons of eyes on this very soon indeed.

[JimN]

Thank you sir. She said yes. All is right in my world this night.

That's awesome! Congratulations.

[S. Earl]

Thanks for the well wishes guys.

On topic: While I don't think it's a complete fail, I do agree that playing it up and then announcing it at SXSW was not the brightest move. Probably could have just waited to the first con of con season.

[jdudley]

On topic: While I don't think it's a complete fail, I do agree that playing it up and then announcing it at SXSW was not the brightest move. Probably could have just waited to the first con of con season.

The book comes out in a couple weeks. I think the proximity between announcement and release is part of the marketing strategy on this one. I suspect that there will be quite a few additional details released once con season begins. Waid's comments about additional collaborators with digital artists sounded interesting.

[thefreakytiki]

FWiW I noticed in one of the Marvel AR pics it states "Powered by Aurasma".  So I did a Google search on Aurasma and found this...

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/GBKy-hSedg8&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/GBKy-hSedg8&rel=1</a>

Pretty cool.


the Tiki

[Dean S.]

FWiW I noticed in one of the Marvel AR pics it states "Powered by Aurasma".  So I did a Google search on Aurasma and found this...

I dunno....I hate to be the cynic on this sort of stuff, but I just don't see the need for this sort of stuff.  I mean....if I'd reading a comic book, do I want to get my phone to scan off some glorified QR code to show me a preview for the Avengers movie or something?  If it's some vital piece of storytelling, why not just put it in the comic book?  Or if it is something separate and unnecessary, why both with it at all?  And...then there are all the execution questions like "Will the creative talent on this extra content really be up to snuff?" when Marvel can't put good creative talent on about half of their comic books?

Look....I LOVE digital comics and all forms of digital media, but I'm just not sure that what ails the comic book industry is the lack of pop up videos that require a separate device OR for you to click some link in a digital comic to trigger an embedded video. 

Again....books, movies and music have all made the transition to digital basically unchanged.  There's no special button on an iPod that you push in the middle of a song that takes you to interviews with the band.  DVDs used to have that sort of interactive feature (like the White Rabbit feature on the original Matrix DVD), but they quickly abandoned them because people didn't want it. 

It just seems like people trying to find applications for a technology rather than solving actual problems with whatever tools are required (i.e. looking at the situation backwards).

[Julian Lytle]

Wood, you're definitely the EOCer I find myself agreeing with most but I'm completely on the other side of this one.

While I agree that a broader announcement would have brad more immediate impact, I think that the fact that Nova has no broad appeal is exactly why Marvel chose him for this. Indeed, in the clips shown of the new Spidey cartoon, it was revealed that Nova is a principle character in that show. Clearly, Marvel is quite aggressively trying to get that character to the younger set-- and this new digital comic coming free with AvX #1 which is being marketing to younger readers quite aggressively??

Basically, Marvel is putting out a pretty huge effort to introduce young readers to digital comics--which, admittedly, is the best avenue to capture most kid's imagination these days. And this new digital comic seems perfectly geared towards teaching kids how to read and respect the storytelling medium. Fact is: many young kids really don't even know how to read comics! It seems odd at first glance: but cross-promoting this book with this big event is Davy--and yes, potentially risky--marketing. And indeed, it is certainly of more interest for folks who aren't on this forum. But those of us who greatly enjoy watching the industry of comics shouldn't be so quick to write this off.

As for this seemingly small announcement being at SXSW??

This book is released in only a couple weeks. If it sells boatloads?? (and in many cases: is downloaded for free for those who buy AvX#1 which includes a free download code?)

well, there will likely be many follow-up articles in the comicsphere and techsphere which harken back to this announcement as being relatively major.

We'll just have to wait and see. But preorders on AvX are MASSIVE. So there will be tons of eyes on this very soon indeed.

Is this book for young kids? How many young kids are really going to be into this? And really this is seemed to be marketed (the story and the announcement) to older people- that prime 18-24 male age group that is the money demo (but really they want 18-34 cause 25-34 year olds are most likely to have the money to buy an ipad).

If they were really trying to market to younger readers then why aren't they doing a special version of Ultimate Spider-Man like the Big Nate digital apps. Big Nate is a comic (strip) that has a pretty successful app that let's kids do a lot of things including making their comic in the app. I don't know, I don't get where their heads are at. They seem like blind mice.

Also I really doubt that anything in AvX will be cool for young kids. Nothing in regular Marvel I feel is really cool or interesting to young kids.Maybe if AvX was drawn like that Skottie Young cover...

[Julian Lytle]

I dunno....I hate to be the cynic on this sort of stuff, but I just don't see the need for this sort of stuff.  I mean....if I'd reading a comic book, do I want to get my phone to scan off some glorified QR code to show me a preview for the Avengers movie or something?  If it's some vital piece of storytelling, why not just put it in the comic book?  Or if it is something separate and unnecessary, why both with it at all?  And...then there are all the execution questions like "Will the creative talent on this extra content really be up to snuff?" when Marvel can't put good creative talent on about half of their comic books?

Look....I LOVE digital comics and all forms of digital media, but I'm just not sure that what ails the comic book industry is the lack of pop up videos that require a separate device OR for you to click some link in a digital comic to trigger an embedded video. 

Again....books, movies and music have all made the transition to digital basically unchanged.  There's no special button on an iPod that you push in the middle of a song that takes you to interviews with the band.  DVDs used to have that sort of interactive feature (like the White Rabbit feature on the original Matrix DVD), but they quickly abandoned them because people didn't want it. 

It just seems like people trying to find applications for a technology rather than solving actual problems with whatever tools are required (i.e. looking at the situation backwards).

With AR I just don't see how Marvel is going to succeed with this on comics if Sony and Nintendo couldn't make it work with portable gaming. It's like they are trying to go too far with out making simple stuff cool or I don't know Pricing decently. Now if they could only I don't add subscriptions.

[GLewis]

Exactly. I know my "pathetic" this weekend didn't exactly exude nuance, and I apologize for that. But Julian hits on it. If this was just another announcement in the long line of marketing moves in front of the next con, I wouldn't have thought it pathetic. I would've thought it...uninspired but relatively harmless.

But this was SXSW.

This was Marvel's chance. No, COMIC BOOKS CHANCE, at making an impression on the pop culture world at large. We con-goers. We fans...we'll bitch and gripe, but we're already here. We're loyal. To a fault.

But SXSW was a much broader, newer and potentially lucrative venue.

And what did Marvel do? Announce a FRACKING CREATIVE TEAM  for a book that -- while I liked the character -- has virtually no broad appeal and couldn't even survive in the DM -- and then promise that you can do crazy things if you want digitally.

Just felt like Lucy pulling the ball away from Charlie Brown at the last second.

I agree with everything you said here, but I think it's worth noting that SXSW is broken up into three distinct segments. This took place at the tech convention, so I think it was an appropriate announcement for the venue. I think the mistake Marvel made was getting the fans involved at this point.

[thefreakytiki]

We'll just have to wait and see. But preorders on AvX are MASSIVE. So there will be tons of eyes on this very soon indeed.

Don't let the numbers fool you.  Marvel is pretty much GIVING AWAY issue number one with insane deep discounts to retailers.  Smart move by Marvel but it doesn't necessarily work as a metric that can be used to scale/compare.  Issue #3 (or maybe #4) will be a more accurate way to get a feel for this event because of Final Order Cutoff dates.

The Tiki

[mr-frosty]

I wouldn't say that I'm disappointed in this announcement -- it's more accurate to say I'm disinterested. I've loved the experience of digital comics -- I want more of them, more comics offered day and date, and I'm interested to see the format make transitions towards taking advantage of the new medium.

I am NOT looking for something that expects me to buy a paper copy as well and hold my phone over it.

[jdudley]

Don't let the numbers fool you.  Marvel is pretty much GIVING AWAY issue number one with insane deep discounts to retailers.  Smart move by Marvel but it doesn't necessarily work as a metric that can be used to scale/compare.  Issue #3 (or maybe #4) will be a more accurate way to get a feel for this event because of Final Order Cutoff dates.

The Tiki

Any way you slice it, the issue #1 orders are massive for a comic book in this day and age. And it's that issue that includes the FREE download for this Infinity comic experiment.

As for AvX's potential to appeal to younger readers? I literally can't think of another comic that could potentially appeal to 8 - 12 year old kids. Avengers are HUGE for that demo right now and the X-Men have been for some time. Potential readers of that age have never seen those two groups interact before. And readers that age are actually much, much more interested in the artistic stylings of guys like Immonen than Scottie Young--and this is coming from a huge SY fan!! But I think his work is favored by more hardcore fans and a different demographic than would AvX could appeal to. If I was 10 AvX is EXACTLY the kind of thing that would get me to buy a comic--chances are, it's the type of book that many of us here would have clamored for when we were first getting into comics.

[Dean S.]

With AR I just don't see how Marvel is going to succeed with this on comics if Sony and Nintendo couldn't make it work with portable gaming. It's like they are trying to go too far with out making simple stuff cool or I don't know Pricing decently. Now if they could only I don't add subscriptions.

That's my point.  They should just focus on making better comics.  Or, do something like actual market research to see what customers (or potential customers) want.  I can't imagine market research saying, "Our customers want to wave their smart phones around over the paper comic and watch videos while they read."

On a related topic..... Can you imagine what kinds of videos pop up if you use this technology on Greg Land's artwork?

[Greg Leclair (greg1ca)]

Also I really doubt that anything in AvX will be cool for young kids. Nothing in regular Marvel I feel is really cool or interesting to young kids.

Not sure when you read your first comic, but I am going to go out on a limb and say you were a young kid too, like so many of us were when we started reading funny books. When I was a "young kid" my top book was Avengers by far. I seem to recall that they were once again fighting Henry Gyrich and another line up change. Heroes fighting other heroes is nothing new, any even less new to Avengers history.

I have no doubt at all that kids would love most comics if you manage to get them in their hands. Especially Marvel and DC. You just have to get past issues of access and cost.    

[S. Earl]

On a related topic..... Can you imagine what kinds of videos pop up if you use this technology on Greg Land's artwork?

 

[jdudley]

That's my point.  They should just focus on making better comics.  Or, do something like actual market research to see what customers (or potential customers) want.  I can't imagine market research saying, "Our customers want to wave their smart phones around over the paper comic and watch videos while they read."

On a related topic..... Can you imagine what kinds of videos pop up if you use this technology on Greg Land's artwork?

This is really just one aspect of these new value ads for digital content--just the only example of value-ad for the actual print comics, hence Marvel's highlighting of that particular aspect, as Marvel still tries to placate their print retailers whenever they announce things that will ultimately serve to strengthen their digital strategies.

The value-ads for digital books hold FAR more potential. Again, the ability to click on a panel or page in a comixology comic and see the pencils and inks separately has been proven awesome by the  DoubleFeature ap, and looks to be taken further with things like videos of the artists' process and character bios, ect for new readers. Imbedding all sorts of additional content into digital comics really is what digital can do that print can't.

[David]

I can't imagine market research saying, "Our customers want to wave their smart phones around over the paper comic and watch videos while they read."

What does that even mean?  What about videos Engadget and Gizmodo and CNN and Huffington and everyone else put in their articles?

How many ads in GQ and Esquire are ready to be enhanced by smartphones?  Plenty.

But as long as we're all throwing rocks at the idea or wishing what we'd like to see:

I can imagine Reed Richards talking about some invention on the page and then I'll watch a video breaking it down in 3D or something equally as interesting that can't be done in print. Whether or not that happens, fine, but if the technology is there, cool.

[KW!!]

If you think about it, "augmented reality" isn't a completely new concept for comics. Doesn't 3-D kind of count as augmented reality? The "device" in this instance being the 3-D glasses.

Or what about that blacklight comic Warren Ellis put out a while back? Same fundamental principle at work, only now we're getting into electronic multimedia.

It's a gimmick, yes. But it has the potential to be a really cool fucking gimmick!

[Kamakazi010654]

so with this whole point your phone at the book thing, you know what they should do?

For time immemorial there has been little call outs for which issue a referenced event happened (happens at least a few times every book in ASM) every single time that happens if you point your phone at that panel it should give you a little button to buy that issue from the Marvel Comics app and have it download for you when you are done with the current issue. I think that would be a great use of this tech and something that would be useful for just about everybody.