Written by Chris Albrecht
Posted Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 12:56 PM PT

 

The Rise of Motion Comics Online

Somewhere between standard cartoon strips and full-blown animated work lies what’s known as the “motion comic.” This emerging style of entertainment is increasingly being put to use online, either to promote big-name offline works, or in some cases, just to make an extra buck.




Motion comics look like traditional comic books, but incorporate voice acting and a musical score. And only certain elements of the “page” are animated: a zoom-in, a pan, someone raising their arms.

The most recent example of this style can be found in the “graphic video” version of Steven King’s short story N. The first three episodes are out, and there will be a total of 25 released each weekday until August 29th. It’s all to promote King’s upcoming book of short stories of which N is a part.

Warner Bros. has been a big believer in the motion comic. It used the style to create animated prequels for Will Smith’s I Am Legend. The studio is also giving the motion comic treatment to the acclaimed graphic novel Watchmen, releasing the animated version on iTunes in advance of the feature film due out next year, as well as the Batman story Mad Love, which is available through Xbox Live. Warner Bros. is also digging though its massive comic book archive to find other properties that it can deliver this way.

And they aren’t the only comic book publishers getting into the game. Marvel is co-producing N, and MTV is doing a motion comic series around the Image comic Invincible.

Is this just a trend or are motion comics here to stay? This first generation is admittedly crude, but there is enough “motion” in these motion comics to keep the viewer’s attention, and so far the music and voice acting have been great. Plus, the level of experimentation and sophistication will grow as more are produced.

I don’t think motion comics will be a huge moneymaker, or replace traditional animation, but they are so easy to produce (compared with full-blown animation and live action) and these studios have thousands of stories to choose from, so there’s no reason not to create them. Plus, they are perfect for the web, and when you allow embedding (like N), they can be a cost-effective, entertaining way to promote a bigger project.

Sphere
Topic: Shows & Stars
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Comments & Trackbacks

  1. This is hardly the first generation; comic book companies have been putting comics awkwardly into Flash for years and years, with very little interest on the part of the readers. Heck, the old Spiderman cartoon was essentially what’s being called “Motion Comics” today.

    The problem from my position is that once you animate it, it ceases to be a comic book, and becomes an animation. And you wouldn’t call comic adaptations of animation “static animation,” or some such, would you?

    Brian Hogg on July 30th, 2008 at 6:21 pm - Permalink

  2. At LA TV Fest on Wednesday, YouTube Director of Partnerships Jordan Hoffner was asked what type of online content has the best upside for monetization. He answered: “Animation.” It’s relatively inexpensive to produce, has an audience that loves comics, manga, etc., and is easily dubbed into different languages for international distribution. Smart.

    The Watchmen “Motion Comics” on iTunes are cool, too.

    Alec McNayr on August 1st, 2008 at 11:01 am - Permalink

  3. [...] Jill Weinberger provides a closer look at Stephen King’s N, the previously covered horror master’s foray into online video. Does the moving graphic novel format make the story [...]

    Batman’s Vote, Stephen King’s Comics on NTV Station Today « NewTeeVee on August 1st, 2008 at 5:00 pm - Permalink

  4. [...] d’accord encore un mot d’informaticien ;-), le motion comic va pourtant certainement faire parler de lui assez rapidement. Alors Kezako …  Le motion [...]

    e-bullition.fr » Archive du blog » Après la BD, le motion comic ! on August 2nd, 2008 at 1:56 pm - Permalink

  5. I think the idea is really cool. Just like reading the watchmen with a little motion and some good voice acting. Works best in an IPOD format, I’d guess.

    Scooby Dooby Doo on August 5th, 2008 at 1:00 pm - Permalink

  6. [...] pans and zooms or by giving characters simple movement; voice actors provide the dialog. Marvel created a 25-episode motion comic out of “N,” a short story by Stephen King, as a promotion for “Just After [...]

    From Ink to the Internet: Comic Books Evolve - GigaOM on August 22nd, 2008 at 7:21 am - Permalink

  7. I’m a little bit disappointed with the article because for more than a year the Heroes Transmedia Department has been doing this with a great sucess. It’s a huge case of solving the gaps from paper to digital. You should do a better homework.

    Maurício Mota on August 22nd, 2008 at 7:35 am - Permalink

  8. [...] comic books can now enjoy they favourite stories in fully explosive motion videos and according to NewTeeVee, motion comics are on the [...]

    Comic Books Gains Motion « Social Media Elevation on August 25th, 2008 at 12:11 pm - Permalink

  9. [...] books can now enjoy their favourite comic stories in fully explosive motion videos and according to NewTeeVee, the trend is on the [...]

    Comic Books Gain Motion « Social Media Elevation on August 25th, 2008 at 12:18 pm - Permalink

  10. I just released a new motion comic for my zuda series, “The Night Owls.” Check it out.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZX3RaFZx24

    Bobby Timony on September 16th, 2008 at 8:17 am - Permalink

  11. I’m working on a motion comic adaptation for a UK publisher’s series and from my point of view it certainly has its place. A place that is very exciting actually.

    It allows you to pull focus where you can’t in static print formats. You can guide the reader the way the original writer intended the panels to be seen, drive the emotions with the soundtrack and add drama with camera motion.

    It’s a mix of various genres. Audio books, music, graphic arts, animation. The key here is to cast your voice actors well. And have voice actors, not just announcers. Get a great soundtrack that makes it unique. And lastly the original property should be worth the effort, if it’s a turd it will stay a turd, no matter how much you polish it.

    Frank Jonen on September 20th, 2008 at 6:32 am - Permalink

  12. [...] video production studio! Simon & Schuster, after seeing success with Stephen King’s motion comic series N (for which we gave a rave review on NewTeeVee Station), is jazzed about online video. The [...]

    Simon & Schuster Goes It Alone for Original Video « NewTeeVee on September 25th, 2008 at 2:58 pm - Permalink

  13. [...] Motion comics look like traditional comic books online, but incorporate voice acting and a musical score. And only certain elements of the “page” are animated: a zoom-in, a pan, someone raising their arms. The most recent example is Steven King’s short story N… More about motion comics [...]

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  14. [...] Here and here, just two more reasons why my dissertation topic is proving so difficult (so wide), and so [...]

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  15. [...] to this point, Warner Premiere has focused on motion comics, such as Batman: Mad Love, Watchmen and Peanuts. Its slate is expected to be more balanced with [...]

    Warner Premiere and Bryan Singer Do H+ « NewTeeVee on November 24th, 2008 at 12:01 am - Permalink

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