Digital comics aren't a big business yet, but they're definitely here to stay. CNET goes behind the scenes at the home of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman to see how comics go digital.
DC Entertainment publishes its comic books to four digital platforms: Comixology (the Android and iOS app that's also on the Web), Apple iBooks, Amazon's Kindle bookstore, and Barnes & Nobles' Nook platform. Mad Magazine, while not a comic, is also handled by the company's production team in Burbank, Calif.
Each platform has its own format and limitations. In addition to its new comics, DC is constantly converting previously published books to digital. Each week, DC adds between 75 and 100 digital books to its cross-platform online catalog.
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Not literally the same thing
One challenge that DC's digital production team faces is when a story works one way on the printed page, but must be read differently on a screen for it to make sense.
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Chadwick explains Batman '66
DC Comics Senior Editor Jim Chadwick explains that DC2 brings the feel of the show to the new digital comic. "It's its own unique thing. It wouldn't be good for every comic."
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Reliving the 60's
The artwork in the new Batman '66 digital comics series captures the feel of the show without being photo realistic. It requires extra production because of the tech that the company is using to animate panels.
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Changes big and small
While in the previous slide, a slight color change makes for an effective tool to emphasize the action, in this sequence you can see Batman has been completely removed from the panel, only to appear with your next mouse-click or tap.
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Explaining the DC2 Multiverse
Hank Kanalz, DC Entertainment's Senior Vice President of Vertigo and Integrated Publishing, diagrams how the story paths work in DC2 Multiverse, the company's new take on the classic choose-your-own-adventure tales.
