After procrastinating the announcement for several weeks, news about ComiXology Originals program via a live-streaming event on Twitch. ComiXology, which is an Amazon subsidiary, announced a new line-up of creator-owned comics and graphic novels. As a part of its ComiXology Originals program, it plans to put a foot in the stagnant markets and expand the reader-base through Amazon’s vast resources and market reach. This is a pivotal moment for the comic book industry as ComiXology dips its toes into print comic book publishing and sails away from the traditional Diamond market system.
The first edition release includes some newly announced titles exclusive to ComiXology and more will be incorporated soon by some of the A-list creators.
The first release kick-starts with the following books which includes various genres and formats:
Savage Game created by NFL player Ryan Kalil, written by Shawn Kittelsen, and art by Chris B. Murray;
Superfreaks from writers Elsa Charretier and Pierrick Colinet, with newcomer artist Margaux Saltel;
Elephantmen 2261: The Death of Shorty from writer Richard Starkings, and artists Axel Medellin and Boo Cook;
Ask For Mercy from writer Starkings and newcomer artist Abigail Jill Harding.
Of the four comics, all but Superfreaks are publicized as available in print exclusively through Amazon’s print-on-demand service
Announcement for future projects are made:
Tyler Crook, Kristian Donaldson, Alti Firmansyah, Sam Humphries, Megan Kearney, Kel McDonald, Hope Nicholson, Mike Norton, MK Reed, Mark Sable, Tim Seeley, C. Spike Trotman, Jen Vaughn, and Magdalene Visaggio. Those books are expected to be available in digital and in print exclusively to ComiXology and Amazon.
In a public interview, ComiXology CEO David Steinberger divulges just how far ahead they’re thinking about print-on-demand and how it could be expanded to include other publishers.
To make it a smooth journey for ComiXology Orginals, Amazon is offering free reads to its members of Amazon Prime Reading, Kindle Unlimited, and ComiXology Unlimited. They are readily offering a good read to its readers with long-form graphic novels, sequential issues, and binge-reading. For those who prefer their comics in paper format, all the titles are available in deluxe, full-color editions via print on demand. The comics are probable to be delivered directly to customers via Amazon’s extensive fulfillment capabilities.
Another feature of the ComiXology Originals program is that all the content is creator-owned, a business model common to publishers like Image Comics, Dark Horse and IDW, but not for the big franchise superhero universes of Marvel, DC or Valiant, which are corporate-owned. Creators selected to be part of the Originals program receive royalties and advances, as well as retaining ownership of media rights if in case the properties are picked up for further development. That’s another area where ComiXology is taking advantage of Amazon’s scale and resources to sweeten the deal.
Other companies have recently signalled some of these same notes, but few if any bring Amazon-scale resources to the table or have the built-in path to attract millions of Amazon readers. Whether or not this new content launch halls positively with readers, the long- term impact of what Amazon and ComiXology are attempting is worth paying attention to.
