62-525: Iconology Inc. , d/b/a ComiXology (styled comiXology ), was a cloud-based digital distribution platform for comics owned by Amazon , with over 200 million comic downloads as of September 2013. At its height it offered a selection of more than 100,000 comic books , graphic novels , and manga across Android , iOS , Kindle Fire , Windows 10 , and the Internet. In 2023, the ComiXology app
124-541: A DVD . Some companies, such as Bookmasters Distribution, which invested US$ 4.5 million in upgrading its equipment and operating systems, have had to direct capital toward keeping up with the changes in technology. The phenomenon of books going digital has given users the ability to access their books on handheld digital book readers. One benefit of electronic book readers is that they allow users to access additional content via hypertext links. These electronic book readers also give users portability for their books since
186-451: A Kickstarter campaign for the first issue. A television adaptation is currently in development at Netflix . In July 2021, Snyder announced an eight-title digital first deal with comiXology Originals , all to be published through his creator-owned imprint Best Jackett Press, with the books set to receive print versions via Dark Horse Comics . The first three, We Have Demons with Greg Capullo, Clear with Francis Manapul, and Night of
248-399: A degree in creative writing , and then worked at Walt Disney World for about a year. He initially worked as a custodian, but after he injured his shoulder and started to have some problems with his co-workers, he auditioned and worked as some of the characters. Snyder's Disney World stint strongly influenced his writing; he later recalled, "it did a world of good for my writing ... All
310-405: A major publisher of science fiction and fantasy books, started to sell e-books DRM-free by July 2012. One year later the publisher stated that they will keep this model as removing DRM was not hurting their digital distribution ebook business. Smaller e-book publishers such as O'Reilly Media , Carina Press and Baen Books had already forgone DRM previously. Online distribution is changing
372-432: A reader can hold multiple books depending on the size of its hard drive . Companies that are able to adapt and make changes to capitalize on the digital media market have seen sales surge. Vice President of Perseus Books Group stated that since shifting to electronic books (e-books), it saw sales rise by 68% . Independent Publishers Group experienced a sales boost of 23% in the first quarter of 2012 alone. Tor Books ,
434-574: A retailer is the Canadian music chain Sam the Record Man ; the company blamed online distribution for having to close a number of its traditional retail venues in 2007–08. One main reason that sales took such a big hit was that unlicensed downloads of music were very accessible. With copyright infringement affecting sales, the music industry realized it needed to change its business model to keep up with
496-696: A rogue Talon from the Court. It was announced at the 2012 New York Comic Con that Snyder would be writing a new Superman ongoing series, titled Superman Unchained , with art by Jim Lee . The series began publication in June 2013. Snyder left the Swamp Thing series as of issue #18 (May 2013) and began writing The Wake , a 10-issue, ocean-based horror miniseries drawn by Snyder's American Vampire: Survival Of The Fittest collaborator Sean Murphy . The series follows marine biologist Lee Archer, who along with
558-474: A selection of titles from Image Comics, Dark Horse, IDW Publishing, BOOM! Studios, Dynamite Entertainment, Kodansha Comics, Oni Press, Valiant Entertainment, Archie Comics, Fantagraphics Books, Humanoids, Action Lab Entertainment, Aspen Comics, Magnetic Press, Zenescope Entertainment and more. ComiXology Unlimited is currently limited to the U.S. ComiXology's Guided View technology allows readers to read through comics in full screen or from panel-to-panel, mimicking
620-416: A small, inset image violated Apple's restrictions on sexual content. The issue was available through the ComiXology and Image Comics digital comics website stores. The ban was criticized by artists and writers, who pointed to similarly explicit content in previous issues and in other works sold through iTunes . William Gibson and others suggested that the restriction could have occurred specifically because
682-425: A subscription service that gives digital access to thousands of comics to read from most major publishers for a monthly fee of $ 5.99. The service offers more than four thousand issues to its subscribers and launched on May 24, 2016, with available content updated on a monthly basis. According to the company, the service offers the widest subscription selection of digital comics in the world. ComiXology Unlimited contains
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#1732772211436744-617: A user's request, or "on-demand", rather than allowing a user to store it permanently. In contrast, fully downloading content to a hard drive or other forms of storage media may allow offline access in the future. Specialist networks known as content delivery networks help distribute content over the Internet by ensuring both high availability and high performance. Alternative technologies for content delivery include peer-to-peer file sharing technologies. Alternatively, content delivery platforms create and syndicate content remotely, acting like hosted content management systems . Unrelated to
806-422: Is gog.com which has a strict non-DRM policy while most other services allow various (strict or less strict) forms of DRM. Digital distribution is also more eco-friendly than physical. Optical discs are made of polycarbonate plastic and aluminum . The creation of 30 of them requires the use of 300 cubic feet of natural gas , two cups of oil and 24 gallons of water. The protective cases for an optical disc
868-560: Is an American comic book author. He is known for his 2006 short story collection Voodoo Heart , and his work for DC Comics , including series such as American Vampire , Detective Comics , a highly acclaimed run on Batman , Swamp Thing , and Justice League as well as the company-wide crossover storylines " Dark Nights: Metal " and " Dark Nights: Death Metal ." He has also written creator-owned comics published through Image Comics , including Wytches , Undiscovered Country , and Nocterra . As part of his DC work, he co-created
930-416: Is made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a known carcinogen . A general issue is the large number of incompatible data formats in which content is delivered, possibly restricting the devices that may be used, or making data conversion necessary. Streaming services can have several drawbacks: requiring a constant Internet connection to use content; the restriction of some content to never be stored locally;
992-579: Is the delivery or distribution of digital media content such as audio , video , e-books , video games , and other software . The term is generally used to describe distribution over an online delivery medium, such as the Internet , thus bypassing physical distribution methods, such as paper , optical discs , and VHS videocassettes. The term online distribution is typically applied to freestanding products; downloadable add-ons for other products are more commonly known as downloadable content . With
1054-904: The All-Star Batman series as part of the DC Rebirth relaunch. Snyder and Greg Capullo launched the Dark Nights: Metal limited series in August 2017. Snyder and artist Andy Kubert created the New Challengers , part of The New Age of DC Heroes line. Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque crafted "The Fifth Season" chapter in Action Comics #1000 (June 2018). Snyder co-wrote Justice League: No Justice with Joshua Williamson and James Tynion IV , with art by Francis Manapul . Following that, Snyder re-launched
1116-496: The ComiXology Originals banner with four titles; Savage Game, Superfreaks, Elephantmen 2261 , and Ask For Mercy. New titles would follow in 2018 with the launches of Goliath Girls, Grave Danger, Hit Reblog: Comics That Caught Fire, Teenage Wasteland, The Dark, Delver and The Stone King . In March 2019 they launched Stone Star and picked up the second volume of the previously independent series The Pride . In
1178-568: The Department of Homeland Security , discovers a potential threat to humanity that may involve strange, humanoid creatures that inhabit the ocean depths. The story shifts between three time periods: the near future, two centuries in the future and the distant past. The covers of the first five issues form a mural when placed side by side. The same month, DC published a Free Comic Book Day sneak preview of Superman Unchained , an ongoing series written by Snyder and illustrated by Jim Lee, which
1240-410: The third generation iPad and its Retina Display , ComiXology released a high-definition comic format dubbed CMX-HD. The company also provides tools for brick-and-mortar comic book retailers to participate in digital comic sales. The company was founded in 2007 by CEO David Steinberger, CTO John D. Roberts, and Peter Jaffe. Subsequent to winning the business plan competition at New York University ,
1302-583: The 2011 Eisner Award for Best New Series, as well as the 2011 Harvey Award for Best New Series. Snyder's run as writer of Detective Comics began with issue No. 871 (Jan. 2011) of that title, which marked the beginning of his exclusive contract with DC Comics . He and Kyle Higgins wrote the Batman: Gates of Gotham miniseries which debuted in May 2011. Beginning in September 2011, Snyder became
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#17327722114361364-717: The Ghoul with Francesco Francavilla , debuted in October 2021. In October 2022, Deadline reported that a film adaptation of Night of the Ghoul was in development at 20th Century Studios. Snyder was among a group of creators with whom fellow comics writer Nick Spencer formed a deal in August 2021 with the subscription-based newsletter platform Substack to publish creator-owned comics stories, essays, and instructional guides on that platform. Snyder indicated that he would offer advice to aspiring writers in his published pieces. An animated television series adaptation of Wytches
1426-577: The IPs you signed, your art direction would not change, and so on. Now it's the opposite extreme: we can put something up on Steam, deliver it to people all around the world, make changes. We can take more interesting risks.[...] Retail doesn't know how to deal with those games. On Steam [a digital distributor] there's no shelf-space restriction. Since the 2000s, there has been an increasing number of smaller and niche titles available and commercially successful, e.g. remakes of classic games. The new possibility of
1488-521: The Marvel #1 promotion. The ComiXology servers were unable to keep up with user demand, preventing users from obtaining the promotional comics, as well as from reading comics they had purchased. This led to a formal apology and the promotions being delayed. Soon afterward, the promotion was offered again and was reported to have "worked flawlessly". In the aftermath of the ensuing difficulties some users have raised concerns regarding access to their files should
1550-497: The above, the term "digital distribution" is also used in film distribution to describe the distribution of content through physical digital media, in opposition to distribution by analog media such as photographic film and magnetic tape (see: digital cinema ). The rise of online distribution has provided controversy for the traditional business models and resulted in challenges as well as new opportunities for traditional retailers and publishers. Online distribution affects all of
1612-426: The advancement of network bandwidth capabilities, online distribution became prominent in the 21st century, with prominent platforms such as Amazon Video , and Netflix 's streaming service starting in 2007. Content distributed online may be streamed or downloaded, and often consists of books , films and television programs , music , software, and video games. Streaming involves downloading and using content at
1674-592: The age of nine, he attended a summer camp where one of the counselors read Stephen King 's Eyes of the Dragon to him over the summer, an experience that Snyder says "really jump-started my love of story-telling." He was also influenced by the writing of Denis Johnson , Raymond Carver , Rick Bass , Joy Williams , Elizabeth McKracken , Stephen King , Tobias Wolff , and George Saunders . In comics, he has named Alan Moore and Frank Miller as his favorite writers. Snyder graduated from Brown University in 1998 with
1736-407: The app, and closing ComiXology's Submit program in favor of Kindle Direct Publishing, which is also used to self-publish eBooks on Amazon Kindle. The new changes on publishing have also led to concerns about the lower amount of royalties, as well as requiring publishers to manually format their works in order to make them available on the new website. In September 2011, ComiXology's Comics application
1798-457: The buildup to San Diego Comic-Con 2019 they announced Promethee 13:13 and a second season of Ask for Mercy, while at the show itself they announced a second season of Delver and new series Adora and the Distance and Afterlift. In September 2019 they launched four brand new titles with Breaklands, Field Tripping, The Black Ghost and Quarter Killer. In November 2019 they launched
1860-500: The characters, The Batman Who Laughs , Mr. Bloom , and the Court of Owls . Snyder has garnered acclaim from critics and fans for his work, such as his run on the New 52 version of Batman that debuted in 2011, and has won numerous industry awards, including three Eisner Awards , a Harvey Award , and a 2012 Eagle Award for Best Writer. Scott Snyder was born January 15, 1976. At
1922-475: The coming changes which were brought about on February 17, 2022, to which ComiXology is only available on Amazon.com or through their update to the ComiXology app that was done two days earlier on February 15, 2022. On December 4, 2023, the ComiXology app was officially retired, and all of the material was made available on mobile devices exclusively on the Amazon Kindle app. In 2018, ComiXology launched
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1984-421: The company received seed financing from Kit McQuiston, New York Angels and Rose Tech Ventures. In April 2014, Amazon acquired ComiXology for an undisclosed sum, which The Motley Fool argued was an attempt to control the comic book market after Amazon Publishing 's Jet City Comics imprint failed to achieve major market share after its July 2013 launch. In May 2016, the company launched ComiXology Unlimited,
2046-462: The company removed the option of purchasing comics inside the iOS app. This change resulted in immediate internet backlash from the comic book reader community, criticizing Amazon's acquisition of the distributor. This change to ComiXology's structure has made readers concerned about the future of digital comic distribution. On February 17, 2022, Amazon replaced the original ComiXology website using Amazon's native online storefront, as well as updating
2108-487: The content owner directly or from third-party services. YouTube , Netflix , Hulu , Vudu , Amazon Prime Video , DirecTV , SlingTV and other Internet-based video services allow content owners to let users access their content on computers, smartphones, tablets or by using appliances such as video game consoles, set-top boxes or Smart TVs . Many film distributors also include a Digital Copy , also called Digital HD, with Blu-ray disc , Ultra HD Blu-ray , 3D Blu-ray or
2170-715: The digital distribution stimulated also the creation of game titles of very small video game producers like Independent game developer and Modders (e.g. Garry's Mod ), which were before not commercially feasible. The years after 2004 saw the rise of many digital distribution services on the PC, such as Amazon Services , Desura , GameStop , Games for Windows – Live , Impulse , Steam , Origin , Battle.net , Direct2Drive , GOG.com , Epic Games Store and GamersGate . The offered properties differ significantly: while most of these digital distributors do not allow reselling of bought games, Green Man Gaming allows this. Another example
2232-414: The drawings at issue involved gay sex. A day later, Comixology announced that it had been they, not Apple, who had chosen not to make the issue available, based on their interpretation of Apple's rules, and that after receiving clarification from Apple, the issue would be sold on iOS devices. Brian K. Vaughan then issued a statement apologizing for the miscommunication. After Amazon's purchase of ComiXology,
2294-518: The four-issue miniseries, Iron Man : Noir , which debuted in April 2010. By the late 2000s, Snyder had taught writing at New York University , Columbia University , and Sarah Lawrence College . Vertigo began publishing American Vampire , Snyder's first creator-owned ongoing series , in March 2010. The first five issues feature an original storyline by Stephen King. American Vampire won
2356-478: The launch of ComiXology Unlimited was mostly positive, with journalists and bloggers focusing on the low price point, the 30-day free trial and the diverse collection of independent comics, graphic novels, and manga available at launch. Some critics pointed out, however, that only some trades in the series are available in the program, undermining the "unlimited" aspect of the subscription. After Comixology became integrated under Amazon's native store front as well with
2418-598: The main Justice League series with art from Jim Cheung and Jorge Jimenez, while Williamson and Tynion wrote the companion series Justice League Odyssey and Justice League Dark , respectively. In 2018, Snyder, along with co-writer Tony Patrick and artist Cully Hamner , launched the mini-series Batman and the Signal , featuring Duke Thomas as Gotham's daylight protector, The Signal. A spin-off limited series from Dark Nights: Metal , The Batman Who Laughs ,
2480-484: The natural movement of the eye as though readers were experiencing reading a print comic book. In June 2018, the company announced ComiXology Originals, an initiative to publish creator-owned titles. During 2021 Amazon.com was to close the ComiXology website in a move to integrate ComiXology into Amazon Kindle , but was delayed to 2022, due to community feedback. During February 2022, the ComiXology website updated their FAQ on their website with new information to indicate
2542-565: The new app to replace its original store and reader in February 2022, it received massive negative criticism by both readers and its creators. Many criticized the new storefront as well as using the Kindle app as to read comic books which were considered unreadable by many readers. Digital distribution Digital distribution , also referred to as content delivery , online distribution , or electronic software distribution , among others,
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2604-403: The original graphic novel Liebestrasse on the platform. In July 2021, writer Scott Snyder announced an eight-title digital first deal with ComiXology Originals. The first three, We Have Demons , Clear , and Night of the Ghoul , were all launched in October 2021. In March 2013 during SXSW , an issue arose when Marvel Comics attempted to distribute over 700 comics for free via ComiXology for
2666-509: The platform ever shut down. To respond to this concern, in July 2014 selected publishers allow for DRM-free downloads of their comics. On April 9, 2013, writer Brian K. Vaughan issued a statement on Fiona Staples's blog that Apple Inc. had prohibited the sale of Saga #12 through iOS. This statement was quickly reported by the media, the impetus for the "ban" was speculated to be in response to two panels that depicted oral sex between men in
2728-424: The rapidly changing technology. The step that was taken to move the music industry into the online space has been successful for several reasons. The development of lossy audio compression file formats such as MP3 could take 30 MB for a typical 3-minute song and bring it down to 3 MB without any serious loss of quality. Lossless FLAC files can be up to six times larger than an MP3 while, in comparison,
2790-533: The restriction of content from being transferred to physical media ; and the enabling of greater censorship at the discretion of owners of content, infrastructure, and consumer devices. Decades after the launch of the World Wide Web , in 2019 businesses were still adapting to the evolving world of distributing content digitally—even regarding the definition and understanding of basic terminology. Scott Snyder Scott Snyder (born January 15, 1976 )
2852-474: The rise of music streaming services . In 2017, physical formats overtook downloading again for the first time in six years, but despite the vinyl revival and CDs holding its own, the physical formats account for only 11% revenue as of 2023, while streaming services are dominant with 84% of the US industry. Many traditional network television shows, movies and other video content is now available online, either from
2914-451: The same song might require 30–40 megabytes of storage on a CD. The smaller file size yields much greater Internet transfer speeds. The transition into the online space has boosted sales, and profit for some artists. It has also allowed for potentially lower expenses such as lower coordination costs, lower distribution costs, as well as the possibility for redistributed total profits. These lower costs have aided new artists in breaking onto
2976-404: The scene and gaining recognition. In the past, some emerging artists have struggled to find a way to market themselves and compete in the various distribution channels. The Internet may give artists more control over their music in terms of ownership, rights, creative process, pricing, and more. In addition to providing global users with easier access to content, online stores allow users to choose
3038-400: The songs they wish instead of having to purchase an entire album from which there may only be one or two titles that the buyer enjoys. The number of downloaded single tracks rose from 160 million in 2004 to 795 million in 2006, which accounted for a revenue boost from US$ 397 million to US$ 2 billion. Downloading peaked in the US in 2012, after which it started falling due to
3100-490: The structure of the video game industry . Gabe Newell , creator of the digital distribution service Steam , formulated the advantages over physical retail distribution as such: The worst days [for game development] were the cartridge days for the NES. It was a huge risk – you had all this money tied up in silicon in a warehouse somewhere, and so you'd be conservative in the decisions you felt you could make, very conservative in
3162-441: The things I ended up writing about, those things that are deeply frightening to me—fear of commitment and growing up, fear of losing loved ones, the wonder and terror of falling in love—all of it was constantly being played out all around me in this weird, cartoonish, magnified way at Disney." Snyder then enrolled at Columbia University where he received an MFA in fiction. Snyder's first collection of stories, Voodoo Heart ,
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#17327722114363224-419: The top 20 grossing iPad apps for the year and also powered two other apps in the top 20 — Marvel and DC. In 2012, comiXology was ranked as the number 3 top grossing iPad app — the only app from 2011 to stay on the top ten list. After Apple reported annual iPad rankings in late 2013, it was revealed that ComiXology's Comics application had been the top non-game iPad app for three years running. Press reception for
3286-473: The traditional media markets, including music, press, and broadcasting. In Britain, the iPlayer , a software application for streaming television and radio, accounts for 5% of all bandwidth used in the United Kingdom . The move towards online distribution led to a dip in sales in the 2000s; CD sales were nearly cut in half around this time. One such example of online distribution taking its toll on
3348-522: The writer of both Batman and a new Swamp Thing ongoing series as part of The New 52 , DC Comics' company-wide relaunch of all of its titles. Snyder's Batman series reinivisioned the classic character for the New 52's rebooted continuity , garnering acclaim from critics and fans. Snyder later became the co-writer of Talon , a spin-off of the " Court of Owls " storyline in Batman , which focused on
3410-582: Was announced by Amazon Prime Video in February 2023, with Snyder serving as co-showrunner. DC revealed in July 2024 that Snyder would return to the company to spearhead DC All In, an initiative that would introduce the Absolute Universe characters and titles, including Absolute Superman written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Rafa Sandoval, Absolute Wonder Woman written by Kelly Thompson and drawn by Hayden Sherman, and Absolute Batman written by Snyder and drawn by Nick Dragotta. Snyder
3472-403: Was later published on June 12, 2013, and intended to coincide with the feature film Man of Steel , which opened two days later. Snyder explained his approach to the series: "The way to approach a character as iconic as him is you just come at it from a standpoint of what you love the most about the character, and then write a story that explores that, tear it down and build it back up." Snyder
3534-485: Was launched by him and Jock in 2019. In 2020, he and Greg Capullo released the DC Black Label miniseries Batman: Last Knight on Earth , described as "the grand finale" of their New 52 run. That same year, the two launched the follow-up to Dark Nights: Metal — Dark Nights: Death Metal . Snyder's Image series Nocterra , drawn by Detective Comics artist Tony S. Daniel , was launched in March 2021 following
3596-467: Was officially retired and the material was made available exclusively on the Amazon Kindle app. ComiXology's digital platform with Guided View reading technology is used in the company's own branded applications, and is the engine used by most major comic book publishers in the United States, including Marvel Comics and DC Comics for their privately branded digital services. With the release of
3658-644: Was one of the co-writers of the Batman Eternal series which launched in April 2014. The second run of Batman Eternal , retitled as Batman & Robin Eternal launched on October 7, 2015. During this time, Snyder and Detective Comics collaborate Jock launched the Image Comics series Wytches , the media rights to which were purchased by Brad Pitt 's Plan B Entertainment in October 2014. In 2016, Snyder and artist John Romita Jr. collaborated on
3720-587: Was published by the Dial Press in June 2006. The collection received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist , and was a Kirkus Reviews "Hot Debut" of the year. The New York Times published a positive review by author Andrew Sean Greer in the Sunday Book Review. Stephen King picked two of the included stories—"Wreck" and "Dumpster Tuesday"—for the 2007 The Best American Short Stories anthology shortlist. Voodoo Heart
3782-410: Was shortlisted for The Story Prize in 2006. In 2008, Snyder wrote a short story called The Thirteenth Egg for the anthology Who Can Save Us Now? Brand-New Superheroes and Their Amazing (Short) Stories . In 2009, Snyder began writing for Marvel Comics . His first foray into the genre was a one-shot focusing on the first Human Torch , part of Marvel's 70th anniversary celebrations. He later wrote
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#17327722114363844-459: Was the highest-grossing application in the App Store , and together with the branded applications for other comics publishers, accounted for a majority of the five top-grossing iPhone Book apps. Having consistently ranked as one of the top-grossing iPad apps in iTunes, ComiXology was called the " iTunes of comics" by The New York Times in May 2012. In 2011, comiXology ranked as number 10 in
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