1) Why don't I use all the fancy gizmo's in my digital comic books... like touch an area and something pops up or video, or sounds?
- The answer is simple. Am I creating a book or a game? I am creating a book... and the book translates into the printed format easily if you don't have all these gizmo's incorporated into the digital book. Print is still important. Print is the cherry on top with PRINT ON DEMAND orders for stores and direct customers.
2) Wait a minute, why the heck are you telling everyone this?
- Most of my life and especially for the last 20 years while doing my own comic books (TBDE), I have helped people whenever and wherever I can... FOR FREE! I even created a learning site - http://www.georgepetergatsis.org to help people understand that creativity and technology go hand and hand. All you need is the passion to learn and the drive to seek out the knowledge that is available to you... most of the time FREE!
Example:
- a) Want to learn how to animate? Thinking of going to school for it? Thinking about the 20k to 30k cost? HECK... for the cost of a computer, the software and the wide-ranging tutor lessons on the internet... both free and available for purchase... You can learn animation at the fraction of the cost. b) Want to learn how to draw? Thinking of going to school for it? Thinking about the dollar amount? There are wide-ranging tutor lessons on the internet... both free and available for purchase... You can learn to draw at the fraction of the cost. c) Want to learn how to make a comic book? Go to the internet. Google or YouTube the question "How to (fill in this area) ?"
You see what's going on? Technology has leveled the playing field. There are people in their basements creating hollywood level animation ( see ROSA: http://www.rosamovie.blogspot.com/p/see-rosa.html ) There are people in their basement creating comic books of all size and shapes ( see a small fraction of what's out there at: http://belfrycomics.net/ or my personal favorite: http://egestacomics.com/ for which I helped these guys out in the mid 90s by packaging their printed collection. )
3) There was a Kickstarter fund that an artist raised 12k to make an App for his book.
- WHOLEY SMOKES! 12k!!?? Need I say more? Out of curiosity, I bought the App... and I still don't see what the 12k was spent on.
4) Yeah, that's fine-in-all... but this is all for "the little guy."
- Nope. Not true. If I can do what I just did, with the cash flow of less than $200.00... Think what the big boys can do... Build your comic App and sell it to the customer directly, with as little "middlemen" as possible other than Apple.
5) At a recent comic book convention here in Toronto ( FANEXPO 2011 in August ) I was approached by a few people who asked me the same question... "Will I raise my price from 99cents?" I told them, "no, I don't see any reason to do that." Surprisingly they couldn't hide the upset look on their face after my answer.
6) Angrybirds sells for 99cents and all the levels have been free updates.
- I love this. It's exciting and fun! So I thought of the buy once update forever comic book app idea and incorporated it into one of my digital comic books... which sells for 99cents and all the issues after that are free updates!
7) How to add to your storytelling and panel compositions, but also make it easy to translate into a printed book.
- One simple solution is to do a HUGE multiple page single panel... It's been done before. I think Dark Horse did something like that in print the mid 90s. Artists are doing this now on their web comics. Well I did something similar for my second issue. A single panel broken down into 25 pages!
8) What about 3D in all it's beautiful forms?
- Yep, you can Google to find tutorials on how to create your own 3D digital comic by separating the red and blues... AND now that 3D animation software has gotten so much more AWESOME... You can download a FREE high end software like GOOGLE SKETCHUP or BLENDER, for which you can start learning right away! And eventually, you can add cityscapes or spaceships or other complicated backgrounds and props into your comic book.
9) I really don't like it when people try to ( fleece/gouge ) take advantage of comic book artists who are afraid of the technology or just don't understand what or how it's done.
- Getting my comic onto the AppStore.
- To become an APP DEVELOPER with Apple:
- Get an ISBN number:
- What is an ePUB?
- BUT do you need the AppStore?
- Thoughts behind this passing of knowledge.
- If all this is still rocket science to you...
How about this to get the New Year started off:
- Wait a minute... Who the heck is George Peter Gatsis?