Since You Won't Have the Bastard to Kick Around at Nerd Prom This Year...

I thought we could do some special posts this week for those not attending the nerdtivities...

To spark things off, I want to talk about the future of comics, and in particular I want to speak about a comic demo for the IPhone that I saw last week called SPARKS from Catastrophic Comics.

From the press release:

"SPARKS PART 2", the first-ever iPhone/ iTouch motion comic book with lip-synch - - released by Catastrophic Comics

Voiced by Hollywood actors Michael Paré, William Katt, and Michael Bell

(July 7, 2009) Los Angeles—"Sparks Part 2,” the first motion comic book with lip-synch, created specifically for the iPhone and iTouch, is proudly presented by Catastrophic Comics. The SPARKS PART 2 Application, which includes original artwork, in addition to the original motion comic, can be downloaded for 99 cents at the iTunes Store (keywords: "Sparks Part 2" or "Catastrophic Comics"). A superhero noir-thriller that was published as a comic book series in 2008, “Sparks” bridges the gap between the printed page and full-fledged animation.

"Part 2” is voiced by actors Michael Paré ("Eddie and the Cruisers"), Michael Bell ("Transformers"), Charlie Brill ("Star Trek"), Kevin Sherwood ("Gamers"), Courtenay Taylor (“Justice League Heroes”), and Ashley Bell ("United States of Tara").

And here's the introduction by William Katt:

And if the preview was interesting, you can buy it on ITunes.

CHRISTOPHER FOLINO, the Creative Director of Sideshow Productions which created the animation and the writer / co-director of SPARKS 2, thinks this is one of the futures of comics - and I don't disagree. I think the IPhone will be for more animated projects like this and the Kindle will be for mimicking the print experience.

BOTH are comics and both play to their format's strengths.

As creators we should think of how we want the work to be received by the user. I like that comics creators are jumping into new media and creating something that pushes limits - because those limits need to be pushed (folded, spindled and sometimes mutilated). These things need to be tested, developed and made plentiful.

Because seriously - we need cheaper and better comics that travel well.