Exploring: Motion Comics

With the growing technologies and exploration of new means of story telling we must ask: What are the next steps for comics and comics creators?  Marvels answer:  Motion Comics.

What Are Motion Comics?

A storytelling format that remains true to the heritage of comics panel-by-panel graphic storytelling and imagery but adding limited motion and sound.

This process was first explored by Broken Saints and a few others in 2001.  At the time they were calling them flash graphic novels and not Motion Comics.  Though the name is was different the process was similar.  They contained comic page images, panning camera effects to create the illusion of limited motion, and audio.  Justice League of America Heroes also released a really neat motion comic as a promotional tool for the video game.  For more on Broken Saints check out their official page or the Wikipedia article.

Why Make Motion Comics?

"They're being built to reach out to our fans as well as our comics readers..." "...Basically [we want] to have it for them when they want it, where they want it and how they want it."  Said Quesada.

This is a great answer… making motion comics so that their stories can be brought to the fans in a more attractive and convenient manner.  No better aim needed.

How Will they Distribute the Motion comic?

“Plans currently include iTunes and other digital distribution outlets, Marvel.com, probably our Marvel YouTube channel and other streaming websites, and we're also exploring distribution via DVD and mobile as well."

I like that they are exploring multiple avenues keeping in line with making it available to everyone.  The final plans are still being ironed out but I hope they explore other monetizing avenues too like donations and add supported models in addition to being able to just buy it.

Will Marvel do something original for Motion Comics or will we see only the older comics being translated over?

For now they have been translating Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men into a Motion Comic.  For more read Exploring: Astonishing X-Men Motion Comic.

They have also started working on Spider-Woman which will be an original Motion Comic made exclusively for that format.

"Then the idea of Spider-Woman sort of came out of that. [We thought] let's try to do something original and brand new that perhaps is constructed for the motion comic, instead of taking something that's been previously done and trying to animate it."

For more check out the Marvel Motion Comic Page.

(via Marvel)