Comics fans have been on the fence for years about the transition to digital. Many feel that the change from a hard copy to digital takes away part of the comic book experience. Marvel has reportedly signed a deal to not only expand their digital platform, but also innovate the comic book experience itself.
According to a story in The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Comics will now be available on the Madefire platform. The award-winning platform will host a collection of Marvel titles for the first time including Avengers vs X-Men, Civil War, Planet Hulk and Amazing Spider-Man: Worldwide. Marvel President Dan Buckley stated that the company is “truly excited to bring our fans closer to the Marvel brand by adding our feature collections and graphic novels to Madefire,” also adding that Madefire “is the perfect addition to our digital portfolio. Their award-winning technology is an excellent complement to that portfolio allowing us to reach more fans and broaden our digital comics offering.”
Co-founded by Wonder Woman artist Liam Sharp, Madefire is a digital publisher that not only features works from DC Comics and now Marvel, but they also produce motion format books as well which feature multimedia elements. The company also has some serious comic industry pedigree on its board of advisors including Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons and Moon Knight artist Bill Sienkiewicz. The company is responsible for the motion comics on Battle.net for the game Overwatch and they want to bring that kind of integration into the comic book world.
Madefire released a short video highlighting the announcement.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH9Qoaubpk4&w=560&h=315]
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