2theadvocate.com | Books | The DC (Digital Comics) evolution

By PATRICK RILLS
Special to 2theadvocate.com
Published: Nov 24, 2009

For comic books, crossing over inter-dimensional boundaries and exploring strange new territory may seem built into their creative DNA. However, comics and graphic novels haven't made as smooth of a transition into the digital realm as traditional books. Very few have found success in a digital market that for several years has been more experimental than practical.

Today, companies are still trying to find the most user-friendly mode of consumption and more importantly, the right business model. Digital comics, or Web comics as they have become known, have been highly successful for many independent creators with comic strips, but have not been much more than a glorified marketing gimmick to the major players in the industry.

That was until recently when both Marvel Entertainment and DC Comics both launched digital comic initiatives.

DC Comics' approach is vastly different from Marvel's. While Marvel is offering back issues in a subscription-based, digital format, DC is connecting with creators over the Web to create entirely new content through a Web project called Zuda Comics (http://www.zudacomics.com). Ron Perazza, vice president of creative services for DC and editor of Zuda Comics, shines a Batsignal-sized light into DC's plans for Zuda Comics and the future of Web comics.

"DC Comics has a long tradition of branching out, actively looking for ways to expand our audience and work with new creators to tell the best possible stories we can tell,” Perazza said. “So in a lot of ways, Zuda Comics is a natural extension of that thinking. We thought about what we could bring to the table and how we could best work with those creators."

The largest barrier blocking comics' entry into the Web has been formatting them for digital consumption. Because comics are a blend of art and the written word, models of digital consumption followed by novels, music or movies do not work well for comics.

"Transitioning a comic from print to a fully digital experience is more than just "save as" a different file type," Perazza explained. "Listening to music on a record player or cassette, CD or MP3 is essentially the same experience but for quality and delivery method. While that's still true for a comic you're also fundamentally altering the way the media is experienced. It's a unique challenge and often requires unique solutions."

Comics require a large viewing surface to fully appreciate the art and still be legible. This for the most part has kept them off the most popular portable digital reading devices that do not feature color screens, such as Amazon's Kindle. A vast number of comics can be found on the color, touch screens of smart phones such as Apple's iPhone, but the screen size has been artistically constricting, usually limiting the view to one panel at a time. Those that see success have resorted to posting comics on Web sites, even if traditional page layouts are not oriented for a computer screen's shape.

"A computer monitor is not a printed page. It's horizontal not vertical, it displays color differently, the user 'turns the page' differently, and so on,” Perazza said. “The experience is radically different than that of reading in print and the creator needs to keep that in mind in order to effectively tell his story."

This has forced DC Comics to rethink how they have traditionally done comics. Instead of trying to jam the square peg of the standard comic book format into the round hole of the Web platform, Zuda comics has embraced the differences of the medium.

"With Zuda, one of the first things we decided to do was get away from the ‘standard size’ comic book page and go with a horizontal format that better fits the computer monitor,” Perazza said. “It was a relatively small decision that had enormous impact in how we tell stories and how people on site read them. There's nothing like clicking that ‘full screen’ button and seeing the entire page all at once on your monitor."

Perazza said Zuda also realize that overcoming technical challenges is only one aspect of success. Great content might even be more essential than user experience to building and retaining readership.

"Our goals are simple--tell great stories. If you tell great stories, stories that resonate with the audience and that create connections that comic readers are passionate about, then other successes will follow," Perazza said

In a bold move aimed to keep content fresh and unique, Zuda is turning to the entire Web community to produce that content. Creators are encouraged to submit their work to Zuda as part of a user-driven competition in hopes of winning the chance to become an ongoing, featured series on the site and share in the revenue.

Perazza outlined the details of the monthly competition.

"We post 10 new Web comics a month for users to discuss, rate and vote upon. The users then have the rest of the month to read, discuss in the comments beneath each comic, rate and vote upon which comic they think is the best. Users can discuss, debate and rate each and every comic, but can only vote for one in any given month."

The Zuda Comics Web site looks to capitalize on the cutting edge concepts of "Web 2.0" sites such as YouTube and Flickr. Features such as user-generated content and community building produce an experience for users that is more than just reading comics on their monitor. It provides direct communication between artists and readers that in comics is usually only found at conventions and signings. This dialogue between users drives the competition and makes the site more enjoyable.

"The vote is the one single action with which users can most affect the outcome, but we do use all of the data to calculate the winning comic,” Perazza said. “I mean, if people are having a great debate in the comments for a particular comic -- if a comic can inspire people to talk about it -- well, that should count for something.”

User-generated content also has the welcomed side effect of producing avant-garde comic book storytelling. A vast majority of the comic series found on Zuda is not the regular superhero fare that has become synonymous with comic books. They are pushing the envelope in terms of artistic style and genre. Zuda is becoming a venue for comics that wouldn't normally find an audience in a comic book shop.

One of the site's early successful series was "Bayou," a fantasy story set in the racist South in the 1930s. "Bayou" is an excellent mix of social commentary, striking fantasy art and unusual setting that is nothing like the "Batman" and "Superman" comics upon which DC was built.

As Web comics grow in popularity on the Zuda Comics site, they are collected in printed editions. After all, it is what DC does best. "Bayou" was released in a printed edition on Sept. 30 and is available in bookstores now. DC also just released another series, "High Moon," in a book format.

Printing the comics not only adds legitimacy to the content, it provides another path to revenue for the creators. DC's Zuda Comics project is not only breaking ground technically, it is doing so creatively too by increasing the variety and quantity of comic book content available. They currently have 31 ongoing series and are adding more each month.

It remains to be seen if Zuda can continue to be successful or if the novelty will wear with users, but Perazza had this to say.

"It's a long game, but if successful, well worth the wait," Perazza said.


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