Raise of hands: who here is reading comics digitally?
Put your hand down, Andy. I know you are. You tell me constantly.
No, really ‘tho. Who here is reading comics on your desktop, your iPad, your Kobo, your Kindle, your phone?
Well, more and more of you, that’s who. And that’s why there’s a yearly Eisner Award for “Best Digital Comic” (among many, many other important awards celebrating the comic book medium).
Earlier this year, The Private Eye won that particular Eisner Award and now the entire series is being published in the old-school hardcover format for people like me who still read that sort of physical thing.
Follow me after the jump for all the detective work on the release!
The Private Eye: The Cloudburst Edition Hardcover
Written by: Brian K. Vaughan
Illustrated by: Marcos Martin
Published by: Image Comics
We’ve highlighted fan favourite writer Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, Y: The Last Man, Pride of Baghdad) many times in this column, but this is the first time that we’ve mentioned him within the confines of a digital comic. Alongside the esteemed artist Marcos Martin (Daredevil, The Amazing Spider-Man), they founded Panel Syndicate, an online publisher designed as being DRM-free and pay-what-you-want for the comics they would create together.
The Private Eye was their first release, back in 2013.
Originally conceived as a ten-part monthly series, The Private Eye tells the story of an unlicensed P.I. on the most important case of his career. Set in the seemingly inevitable future world of 2076 where the internet cloud has burst and everyone’s secrets have been exposed, everyone lives their lives guarded about their identities – so much so that people only appear in public masked to hide their true selves.
It’s brilliant. A world without mysteries is the perfect setting for a mystery yarn!
Publishing comics digitally is markedly different from publishing comics via the traditional physical book route. Technology such as computer screens, cell phones, e-reading devices and tablets mean that the reading experience is different – specifically in the layout of pages. Because of this, the complete 300-page The Private Eye: The Cloudburst Edition hardcover is being presented in the story’s original widescreen format. It’s the physical experience imitating the digital!
I’m betting this book will be on someone’s Holiday Gift Guide list. After all, it’s the future – and the secret is out! Make the run to your local comic book shop today and pick up the astounding Eisner Award winning The Private Eye: The Cloudburst Edition.
