Maybe plants don’t need help:

…if plants have minds, then perhaps they show that you don’t need a brain to have a mind, and that’s a strange and exciting possibility.

 

Indeed.

Quoted from this intersting introduction to the idea of plant neurobiology. A few good links to more information within, but click through at your own risk, as it’s quite the rabbit hole to fall down.

I find myself ranting about digital comics with a fair amount of regularity; let’s talk about it, hm?

There was a time in my life, not so long ago, that the title I held in my day job was “bookseller.” I remember the advent of the eBook

(current era, not the turn of the century Stephen King digital experiment where he allowed readers to download serialized chapters of an exclusive story on the honor system, charging $1 for most chapters. The experiment failed when the price moved to $2/chapter, even though the chapters had double the content)

and can clearly recall thinking that this whole writing thing better work out quick-fast, because selling physical books in the retail sector isn’t going to last much longer.

Just two years later and Borders is gone, Barnes & Noble is selling kitchenware on its website, not to mention devoting more store space to both NOOK and toys and games, and there’s that Amazon Kindle thing folks keep talking about. More traditional publishers are getting on board with digital, and though pricing is still shaky in some cases–I firmly believe that eBooks should be priced lower than the cheapest print edition available, something traditional pubs don’t quite seem to agree with yet–for the most part, authors, readers, and everybody between seem to be getting on board with creating a somewhat uniform marketplace, including a basic pricing structure, content availability, and the freedom to enjoy reading on the device of your choice. Digital is here.

That’s traditional publishing. Comic publishers seem to have their heads up their asses.

There are two clear areas of digital comics, both of which are in dire need of an overhaul: pricing and distribution of digital content also available in print (think of that stupid phrase, “day-and-date”), and new digital-first content. The former is, probably, less egregious than the latter, so we’ll start there and end on a high note.

If somebody, ANYBODY, can explain to me why I have to pay $3.99 for a book that costs $3.99 in print on the same day, I’d be thrilled to hear it. Bonus points if you can do it with a straight face. While you’re at it, tell me why most publishers are keeping collected editions off the digital market or, if they are available, setting them up with exclusive deals limited to proprietary hardware that isn’t even well suited to reading comics (I’m looking at you, 7″ tablets).

Publishers need to be creating the content themselves and then offering it through distribution channels, just like they do with print books. If you want to partner with Graphic.ly or ComiXology, be my guest, but the available content should be bookstore-style: the same thing available in each, you just choose your preferred reading app and vendor. It’s up to those services to differentiate themselves by way of reading interface and pricing, where possible.

(and P.S. the content you buy from one vendor should work with the other’s app. Sorry guys, but I don’t have to put on a different pair of glasses to read physical books I ordered from Amazon when I’m done with one I bought from Barnes & Noble. At the end of the day, I want the book that I paid for to be on my device and available to read wherever I please, however I please)

And pricing! For the sake of all that is holy in Geekdom, pricing on comics HAS to fall below print editions. For that matter, I’m of a mind that if you buy all of the issues in a particular collection, you should have the option to compile and upgrade for free if there’s no additional content in the collection or a small fee if there is. Here’s a great opportunity for publishers to convert some trade-waiters into digital-first customers, and some single-issue collectors into trade readers via an “up-sell.”

Now, if comic publishers can sort that mess out, we creators can start thinking seriously about digital-first projects. Successful webcomics are few and far between, and truly successful digital editions of books seem to be even fewer, though it’s hard to say when most publishers aren’t willing to share their download numbers. What’s missing is a middle ground.

Readers are adopting digital reading for comics despite the hindrances – in fact, ComiXology hit #2 on Apple’s highest grossing app list back in September. We also know that, by reader measure, webcomics have found dedicated audiences but have, in most cases, lacked to ability to monetize it in a meaningful way that supported the creators. Ad revenue may cover the server and domain costs, but rarely does it generate the equivalent of a page rate that might let you keep your lights on or eat something other than store brand Mac & Cheese.

That middle ground needs to buck this trend of emulation in digital comics – and by that I mean distribution ideas, not content, though exclusive, digital-first content seems to have been the graveyard of “projects we can’t justify printing” in many cases.

Part of the reason webcomics are successful is, yes, because they’re free in most cases. But the other part, the larger piece of the puzzle I’d argue, is the frequency in which they’re released. Faithful readers are treated to new content in regular, weekly doses. The conversation between fan and content, fan and creator, really, is treated less like a monthly subscription and more like a serialized TV show.

I’d gamble that, if properly supported by a publisher (or, in the case of self-publishing, properly advertised to an established fanbase and/or supported by industry notables), weekly or bi-weekly releases of six or eight page chapters for a $0.39 – $0.49 charge, would be picked up in a hurry by comic fans, especially with the first chapter or two made free of charge. Throw in a discounted subscription that asks the reader to pay for a full year up front (under $20 for a weekly release/two trade-sized books, under $10 for bi-weekly/one trade-sized book) and an app that compiles it into a single book as it’s released, downloading new chapters automatically each week and you have a winner. You can even toss in an option to pre-order a print edition if you’re so inclined and digital sales balance out to pay for a print run (or if pre-orders earn out).

There’s a much bigger name in comics than mine that shared some of these same thoughts a few months ago and started my wheels turning. In case you think I’m just spewing crazy talk, some of the above is his gospel; other bits I’ve added. It is, without a doubt, the way to go. Creators need to be willing to take a chance to reach readers. New creators, like myself, have already seen how unwelcoming the direct market can be. Digital distribution allows you to reach a broad audience, one that isn’t limited by the tastes and preferences of the one or two people responsible for ordering books for the shop. There are some great shops out there, ones that focus on well-rounded selections and hand-selling books to readers that they might not have heard of, but they’re few and far between. Digital distribution does away with the comic guy from The Simpsons and allows readers to experiment with everything that’s out there, not just what’s in front of them.

I believe in this enough that I’m planning to try my next-next book this way, if the publisher agrees. The actual next book is already set up with a tremendous publisher in the traditional publishing realm, but the one after is still being prepped in pitch to show the world. That’s the one I’m setting my sights on with this. If you’re a creator and you like what you see, go to town. I don’t need to be the first and, honestly, the more of us that go this road, the more attractive it becomes to readers and publishers.

In a lot of ways, I wish the Stephen King model had worked out better, an unsecured download based on the honor system. At the time we didn’t have standard high-speed internet in most corners of the country, nor did we have low-cost ereaders like we do today. People waffled at paying a capped price ($13, I believe) for a serialized ebook if the chapters cost more than a dollar. Now people are fast-adopting digital content and while traditional publishing is getting its act together, comics are being left in the dust and looking a bit silly.

I hope comics can claw their way back up the book industry heap and set a new distribution standard, one which could be adopted by other media, and even traditional publishing.

Won’t that be nice? To point at comics and say “Yeah, it’s cool that you like this, Random House, but THEY did it first.”

Let’s make that.

Since this blog-site-page may be new to some folks, let’s do a quick rundown of things*:

My name’s Nick Tapalansky, and my job is to make things up. Mostly comic books at the moment, but other things are in the offing. I live in New York (not the city) with my wonderful wife, The Illustrator Jackie Santiago. This site is equal parts notebook, journal, soap box, and Shameless Self-Promotion. I encourage you to join the conversation. You can do that right here in the comments, and can even log in with Facebook or Twitter to make that happen.

I’ve written AWAKENING, a full-length graphic novel which you can read about and sample here. I’ve also written a number of comic shorts published by Image Comics and Archaia Entertainment. You can learn about one of my favorites, RUSTED: FADED SIGNAL, and read the story in its entirety here.

My next book, a graphic novel based on an as-yet unpublished prose short I wrote a while back, is being handled by an awesome publisher and is due sometime in 2013. Details coming just as soon as I’m cleared to share.

Want to talk to me about writing something for you? For prose, comic, and other printed inquiries, you should speak with Bernadette Baker-Baughman of Victoria Sanders and Associates. For Film/TV, you’ll be wanting Nick Harris of ICM.

You can follow this page any number of ways, including liking it on Facebook, following me on Twitter, or just subscribing to the old RSS.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled internet.

*Warren Ellis happens to use this sort of rundown on a monthly basis to catch any new regulars up to speed. Format liberally borrowed; frequency likely not, as I don’t anticipate the same number of new readers he comes into with every new breath he draws. That said, if anybody reading this in the future feels lost and confused, let me know.

I get the feeling that the boundaries between fact and fiction are growing thin again.

Gizmondo: Scientists Reconstruct Brains’ Visions Into Digital Video In Historic Experiment

After recording this information, another group of clips was used to reconstruct the videos shown to the subjects. The computer analyzed 18 million seconds of random YouTube video, building a database of potential brain activity for each clip. From all these videos, the software picked the one hundred clips that caused a brain activity more similar to the ones the subject watched, combining them into one final movie. Although the resulting video is low resolution and blurry, it clearly matched the actual clips watched by the subjects.

 

BBC News: German police seek help over mystery ‘forest boy’

The boy appeared at a youth emergency centre in Berlin on 5 September. He and his father had taken to the woods about five years ago after his mother’s death, he told police.  The boy said he and his father did not set up a home, but slept in a tent, and huts they found in the woods.  Police say the boy claims he followed his compass and went northwards after his father died, reaching Berlin.

 

 

Must be time for dimensional maintenance, or whatever the hell it is that keeps my nightmares from eating me.

Also called “Bandage: A Diary of Sorts” and created by talented writer/illustrator Kate Glasheen.  This book is a passion project for her, one I had the pleasure of reading an early draft of in October ’09.  I loved it then and love it more now that I can hold my own copy.

 
Part poetry, part comic, this is the book you need to own this year.  This book was a Kickstarter baby, and it my pleasure to contribute to it.

Now it’s your turn – go to Amazon and order a copy directly from the creator.  Then go bookmark http://katiecrimespree.blogspot.com/ and keep up with all her shenanigans.  Her weekly drawing club is killer.

All this despite Baltimore trying to kill us both coming (massive storms on the east coast, Crisis-red skies, fun drive) and going (very bizarre traffic on 95 at 10pm on a Sunday night).

This happened there: Archaia Debuts First Softcover at Baltimore Comic-Con

And it looked like this:

And then Popgun Vol 4 went and won an award, which resulted in this:

Alex and I were a fraction of the greatness that is Popgun Vol 4, and I’m glad it’s been recognized for what it is: one of the best damn anthologies, comic or otherwise, on the market. Adam Knave, D.J. Kirkbride, and Anthony Wu (not pictured) put together a true graphic mixtape that you shouldn’t miss. If you haven’t already, go check it out.

I hear it won an award or some shit.

Got some big things in the works for October, so watch this space. I smell another Halloween tour coming on.

WE INTERRUPT THIS BROADCAST FROM SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON TO BRING YOU AN IMPORTANT BULLETIN:

As you’ve all seen and read to the point of exasperation, I’ve been hocking this new Awakening Omnibus pretty intensely for the past few weeks.  Some of you may be saying “Boy Nick, it seems like a cool book, and I *did* skip the hardcovers because they were pricey, but I’ll just wait until my comic shop or bookstore gets it in to pre-order it.”

No.

No. No. No.

And here’s why:

Awakening has gotten some great critical praise, and Archaia is just about in the stratosphere in terms of notoriety and popularity right now, but there are still a LOT of stores who are unfamiliar with one or both.  As such, many won’t order this wonderful brick of existential horror and zombie noir because they have no way of knowing if it’s a doorstop.

That’s where you come in.  Get in there.  Talk about it.  Ask your local comic shop to get it for you so they know it’s not going to collect dust.  The initial order cut-off through Diamond appears to be the first week of August (perhaps the 6th), which means you have exactly two more Wednesday trips to make this happen at your shop.   The Diamond order code is JUL11 0825.

If you don’t have a local shop (and check out the Comic Shop Locator to make sure, first) and have to go with a bookstore, go ahead and pre-order from Amazon or Barnes & Noble, but please try to shop local first.

Pre-orders mean a hell of a lot in this industry.  It can determine how many copies a publisher prints, how many copies a store orders, and even if the book makes it to print at all (in fact, there have, in very recent history, been some cases where there just weren’t enough pre-orders for a book to justify printing it, despite fervent online chatter and ample excitement – some of these have gone on to build their own buzz, get resolicited, and in one notable case, been nominated for very prestigious industry awards.  No, I’m not naming names but, suffice it to say, it’s happened).

YOU make books happen.  You’re just as much a part of the creation process as you are the consumption portion of our wonderfully co-dependent relationship.

In summation, if you’re reading this and think you know somebody who wants to read the book, point them here.  If you want the book yourself, get to your local shop and tell them.

The internet has a tendency to focus on what it hates in a particular moment.  TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU LIKE AND WHAT YOU WANT, INSTEAD.  With friends, with fellow fans, with strangers on the internet.  Talk about it.

That’s it.  Ain’t no more to it.  We now return you to you’re regularly scheduled programming.

After some minor (read: major) travel mishaps on Friday kept us from our targeted arrival, we kicked in the door and forced ourselves upon the once proud (and now former) Kingdom of Schwarzenegger today.  Actually here for vacation, but I guess I might make it to that low-budget convention in San Diego next week.

Also, while adjusting to the time difference I found myself creating a Facebook page for Awakening.  Go ‘like’ it to get a look at some exclusives, like deleted scenes, character designs, scripts, and anything else I can dig up.  The more likes, the more stuff goes up.  And when we hit 500, there’s going to be some original art floating out to a lucky someone.  Go be there.

If you’re curious about where you can get some stuff signed, I added a listing on the left side of the site which will be updated periodically with such information.  Also, below:

SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON
In addition to the regular Archaia Booth (#2635), they also have a satellite ‘signing booth’ at #4401.  I’ll be at both on Thursday.

Wednesday, July 20th (Preview Night)
7pm – 9pm (Satellite Booth #4401)

Thursday, July 21st
11am – 12:30pm (Archaia Booth #2635)

2:30pm – 4pm (Satellite Booth #4401)

Come shower me with Kit-Kats and affection.

My best pal, who my wife and pals crash with in San Diego, is a grand high poobah of the Southern California Ghostbusters. And he’s debuting a bad ass new pack at SDCC.

In-progress:

I have the coolest life.

“A dark journey into the end of days.  Genuinely unsettling and scary, Awakening delivers all the moods and the chills– a genre-bending graphic novel.”

-Guillermo del Toro, Director of Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy

“With a title that evokes a happy new beginning, Awakening instead weaves a riveting tale of the End Times.  Whereas all others in this genre begin in the middle of the story, Awakening takes its time, starting at the beginning when all is seemingly normal.  Page after page it sucks you in and makes you sit up and howl in attention……One of the best comics out there, period full stop….”

-Don Murphy, Producer of Transformers and Real Steel

In this week’s PREVIEWS (Order Code JUL11 0825), due in stores on or around September 28th:

“The once peaceful city of Park Falls has been tainted by a series of missing persons and gruesome murders. Town crazy Cynthia Ford comes forward to speak with retired police detective Derrick Peters one January afternoon with information about the strange happenings, claiming that they”re connected. But does she hold the key to unlocking the mystery, or has she gone completely insane? To Derrick”s disbelief she utters one word: Zombies. The answers await Derrick, federal scientist Dr. Daniel Howe, attack survivor Sandra LaFayette, and the rest of the city, but will they lead to salvation or the end of life as we know it? Investigate the mystery and dive into the horror of the critically acclaimed zombie noir series, Awakening, now collected in one giant volume, including a short story, production extras, guest pin-ups, and more.”

This is how the story was written, and probably the best way to read it – collected in one giant volume of zombie noir and existential horror; a full year in Park Falls with private dick Derrick Peters as things go from bad to worse.

It’s Archaia Entertainment’s first softcover collection, so be sure to show them how much you appreciate that by picking it up.    This is for every person Alex and I spoke to at conventions who said “I’ll wait for the softcover,” despite us telling them that, at the time, there were no plans for one.  I expect all of you motherfuckers to order the hell out of this book.  Please.  At $24.99 it’s kind of a steal–that’s about $1.92/issue, including the supplementals.

(And before anybody panics, no, you didn’t get ripped off if you picked up the hardcovers.  Though we rearranged some of the extras and re-lettered the first volume to match the second, there is no additional content, unless you count the covers from the hardcovers which, if you own them, you already have.  If you have the hardcovers, you’ve got a solid piece of history as they won’t be reprinted – from what I understand, there are only a few hundred copies of Volume 1 left.)

Want a taste? Read the first chapter here.

As always, be sure to get to your local comic or book store before ordering online.  There’s a link to the Comic Shop Locator on the right side of this page.  Failing having a local shop, you can pre-order the book at Amazon–AWAKENING OMNIBUS ON AMAZON–for what I’m sure will prove to be an embarrassingly low price (at the moment it’s $16.47).

If you’re a retailer, member of the press, or a creative professional interested in supporting the book, I strongly urge you to check out the newly minted “Retailer and Press Lounge” on this site.  It will lead you to information about the omnibus, including a free high-quality PDF of the whole 320-page beast, specs, suggested audiences, and more.  Access to the book-specific page is password protected to keep it exclusive to retailers and press; email me with the name/website of your shop, or magazine/review site and I’ll give you VIP access to what lies beyond the velvet ropes.

Updates as they happen.  I’ve finally got this site synced to an almost frightening degree with my iPhone, so I mean that almost literally.