🚀 The Tech for Comics Ramble: 2023.12.16
dReader.app knocks it out of the park with Discord comic signing feature + We have a winner!
The Tech for Comics Ramble is a weekly firehose digest of news from the intersection of technology and comics.
NFT Infrastructure
dReader.app
There was a ton of news coming from dReader this week as they launched Season 1.
In summary, for those new to the project, dReader is to VEVE what GlobalComix is to Marvel Unlimited. dReader is a platform allowing creators of all sizes to launch digital collectible comics without coding experience. [GT: I plan to post a how-to demo of dPublisher in the new year.]
The first public release of the web and Android apps are available now; iOS is a work in progress. Based on the carbon-neutral Solana blockchain, dReader introduces gamified features, including multiple covers, rarities, blind pulls, and mint conditions, enhancing the collectible experience.
One feature that I didn’t see coming is the ability for creators to “sign” dReader comics (see the video below). While signature crafting isn’t that new, what is new is the ability to plug & play this feature into your own Discord server! Creators can invite people to a Discord AMA or similar event and sign their comics for attendees. The founders are on record saying that one of their guiding principles is, “Can creators use this to create experiences that reward supporters & grow their community?” This certainly fits that criteria.
The dReader community also supports creators by providing a jobs board in its Discord channel, which has generated over $10,000 for artists, and monthly storytellers' calls are held to discuss web3 comics, interview storytellers, and offer paid bounties.
I am starting to feel like a hype man for this project, but I am truly excited by the potential of dReader and impressed with how the founders are committed to doing WEB3 right. To learn more about dReader and its upcoming developments, you can visit https://dreader.io/links.
Currently, the ecosystem is invite-only (to filter out bots), and welcome gifts are being offered to new users. I have 10 invite codes available if you want to check out the early days of this potentially game-changing ecosystem. You do not need any WEB3 knowledge to sign up and look around, but you will eventually need a Solana wallet if you want to mint any free welcome gifts. The founders prefer that the codes not be posted publicly (again, bots), so I’ve added my invite link after the paywall. If you are not a paid or comp subscriber, I can still get an invite to you via DM. Just message me on Instagram or Twitter X.com (@gregtjosvold).
DC NFT on Candy.com
The DC NFT Marketplace is now open and initial impressions are very positive, with the new platform offering several features not available on the original platform. The availability of in-depth sales stats for individual collectibles is just one example.
Something I believe has longterm potential is the fact that the Candy.com platform hosts NFTs for several different IPs, including Stranger Things (Netflix), Major League Baseball, Candy Racing (NASCAR), and more. While NFTs for these properties do not provide readable comics (those offered are more like trading cards or stickers), I can’t help but think there will eventually be some digital collectible fans who will discover comic NFTs for the first time via the platform.
NFT Drops
Oddkey.com
Oddkey inadvertently created one of the rarest animated comic-related digital collectibles this week. The drop, Monolith x SheSpawn by Mark Spears & Todd McFarlane, coincided with a sudden surge in the price of Solana, making this collectible go from a modest list price to well over $100 each to mint at one point.
In the end, the final mint total was 96. Specifically:
50 colored versions (Mark Spears)
46 black & white versions (Todd McFarlane)
Out of the 96, there are 87 unsigned & 9 signed, including:
1 double sig/sketch on B&W
1 double sig on B&W
2 black Todd McFarlane sigs on B&W
4 black Mark Spears sigs on Color
1 green Mark Spears sig on Color
It will be interesting to follow this collectible in the aftermarket.
Star Atlas
Core Act 2 - Episode 5 (Star Atlas). Time-limited mint. Star Atlas marketplace edition: $20 USD. Ends in 6 days.
Veve.me
Dec. 12 Sentry (2000) #1 The first appearance of the Sentry. Price: $6.99 (Cover Variants: 5) Total Editions: 7,500
Dec. 14 Avengers (2012) #1 The first issue of Jonathan Hickman writing the Avengers. Price: $6.99 (Cover Variants: 5) Total Editions: 7,500
TBD Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) #1
From VeVe: “…to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Return of the Jedi, with this first-of-its-kind digital comic release on VeVe! Legacy cover artist Bill Sienkiewicz has returned after 40 years to join Nicoletta Baldari, Brian Rood, and Diogo Saito to create these beautiful VeVe variant covers for this Return of the Jedi (1983) #1 digital comic drop. Each comic variant will be eligible for a free, redeemable digital poster replica of the comic cover you receive!”
This drop was scheduled for the morning of the movie’s anniversary, December 15th, but it did not go as planned. From Discord: “Unfortunately, backend issues persist, so in order to ensure the integrity of the drop, we will be postponing Return of Jedi #1 comic + poster craft to a later date/time.” There was no details of these issues given, but one visible symptom was the absence of the wait list button in the app.
I, for one, was really looking forward to this drop because of the Bill Sienkiewicz covers. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I believe this is the first time an artist of the legacy print cover has returned to do an exclusive variant cover for a VeVe digital collectible. I hope they can resolve the technical issues soon.
DC NFT on Candy.com
Dec. 14 More Fun Comics (1936–1947) #73 Featuring the debut adventures of Green Arrow and Aquaman. Price: $19.99 (Max purchase: 2 per account) Total Editions: 3,500
Dec. 14 Exclusive Batman #428: Robin Lives! (2023) airdrop + physical comic for all Bat Cowl holders.
In addition to delivering a free digital collectible of the comic, DC is also mailing a physical copy to the first 3,400 Bat Cowl holders who submit their addresses (yes, to anywhere in the world!).
In my book, I talk about using NFTs as club memberships like this. This unexpected seasonal gift for holders of the Bat Cowl NFT will also provide the DC NFT team with a lot of key marketing data from this largely anonymous “VIP Batman fan club.”
Writer Accountability
Woot! Lump Dog, the next edition in The Lump Sum Saga, is officially in production! It took a little work to send the necessary funds to the correct person across the border, but thanks to the Wise app and a slightly melting credit card, stage one of the project is good to go!
Do you send money to collaborators internationally? If yes, I’d be curious what tools you use to make that happen. Leave a comment below, and I’ll try to aggregate the best ideas into a future post.
I got some writing done this week! Yay!
Health
So, one of the benefits of being a teacher is learning what to look for in terms of learning disabilities. And sometimes you end up going… “Oh, my. That sure sounds like me.”
I’ve suspected I’ve had ADHD for years now and finally did something about it, adding a low dose of Vivance to my morning old-man pill cocktail. I’ve pretty much confirmed my suspicions.
Anecdotally, I feel no different. But wow, did it ever bump up my productivity and ability to stay glued to my seat for longer than four minutes. I also don’t instantly fall asleep while reading now. It’s been an interesting experiment so far.Woot! I finally was able to walk some distance this week. I still need a knee brace, and I use hiking poles, but my LCL knee injury is finally healing. 🎉
What I am reading
So I finished the Spawn (Compendium) this week and, when I finished, the Globalcomix app recommended… you guessed it… the second compendium! I’m a few pages into that giant volume now. I am reading on an older iPad, and I have to say the app provides an excellent way to read digital comics.
What I am watching
This week, I finished season two of Doom Patrol. This show is full of “What the heck did I just see?!” moments and is meant for a
14-year-old whose parents are awaymature audience. Yet, amid the mayhem, these broken heroes ultimately tug at my heartstrings. This show is an acquired taste and not for everyone, but I’ll definitely be moving on to Season 3.
🎉 We Have A Winner!
We have a winner for our 100+ Posts Celebration Contest! I’ve reached out to them via e-mail for address information.
The prize was a CGC 9.8 slabbed Jeffrey Veregge variant cover of The Lump Sum Saga #1 worth $179 CAD courtesy of my web store (tlsscomics.com). If you didn’t win but you are still interested in this very, very, very rare slab, I am making it available to all subscribers at a discount. From now until New Year’s Eve, you can use the discount code “LumpDogIsComing” to get 20% off everything in my store.
Please note that in the new year, I will continue my policy of raising the price of this rare collectible $10 after each sale until it is sold out. Only 50 copies of this variant were ever offered to the public.
🚀 This substack can be reached via two easy-to-remember domain redirects: techforcomics.com and tech4comics.com. Bonus points if you can remember and spell correctly, tjosvold.substack.com .
Just for Fun 😂
Can anyone else relate?
Happy holidays, everyone! This will be the last issue of The Tech for Comics Ramble until January. Christmas is a big deal in our house, and I want to leave room to celebrate with intention with my family and friends.
May you and yours find peace and joy this festive season. See you in the new year!
🌟
🎁 Hey Tech4Comics subscribers, here is the dReader referral link (CLICK HERE) with embedded code. I only have ten codes to give so far, but please leave a comment if they are all gone by the time you read this. I may be able to get more. Enjoy!