Motion Comic: “Invincible”

The opinions below are mine…

REVISED POST: Almost two years after Invincible debuted at Comicon.  This was a big project for us: a title we are passionate about (Robert Kirkman’s witty and addictive Superhero Comic “Invincible” translated by the team at Gain into new media.  The launch was covered in the New York Times, and came a little in advance of the Watchmen motion comic.  It’s an idea I think still has legs, even if it was lost in the shuffle of comicon and not part of the mass promotional push for Watchmen (which I still want to see, even though I hear it’s like 99% blue dick footage.)

We’ve got more episodes in the can – and a not-massive, but committed group of people who like Invincible as a way of reading/watching comics on their iPhone.  Is it “as good” as the comic?  Yes and no – I think the story’s as good, even if it loses the magic of taking place mainly between the panels as it would in print.  Certainly some things are lost in translation, but ultimately, it’s a tradeoff I’m willing to make – the motion graphics and sound of Invincible aren’t a replacement for the printed comic, just a way to make it portable.  I’ve made a similar trade-off with simple iPhone games that lack the visual impact of something on the XBOX or the PS3.  I’ve made the compromise with TV shows when traveling…

AN OPPOSING VIEWPOINT:

While I’m definitely an early adopter, my game and show purchases have become more of a go-to for whiling away time now that I know that it’s reached a critical mass. Playing games on the phone, watching TV on the phone… I’ve seen other people doing it. It seems more like texting than like rollerblading. Reading comics on a phone? Potentially, I think it could be “a thing”, but needs that critical mass. But you can’t get critical mass until you have a sustainable financial model. It seems very likely that some smart sponsor will come along and give Invincible a shot in the arm. As a direct sale, the phenomenon may be more long-tail. It’s a good product, but who knows?

From talking to other people who do things like we do, it feels like we’re all in a mad rush to strike gold, or oil, or diamonds. We need to find the reliable, repeatable, sustainable way to make money on the net with entertainment. As I write this (March 2009) I have the feeling that the shape of that money-making thing is emerging from the fog. While some ideas weren’t the billion-view-hits we hoped for when we made and promoted them, I wonder if we won’t be revisiting all of them when we do know what the reliable money-making thing is. I would be willing to bet there are a number of projects like “Invincible” that a sponsor could take real ownership of – presenting content with a pedigree to an audience that has never seen it before.

I hope so. I think Invincible is a great title and motion comics could be a way to expand the shrinking audience of the comics medium. While a sponsor might not share the spotlight with “motion comics” in the heyday of their 15 minutes of fame, they could take full credit for sustaining and building the foundation for comics you can read on your phone.