The TfC Ramble is a weekly digest of content from the intersection of technology and comics.
AI
“Mantra, AI service provider that translates manga, has developed a service using Chat GPT. It improves translation accuracy and reduces translation time to 1/4 of existing services.” ~ @sandman_AP
https://twitter.com/sandman_AP/status/1692141646920798368
I’m not sure Chat GTP picks up context well enough for this to work independently. Instead, this may just generate a first pass needing human editing.
NFTs
CBS
CBS Studios Applied To Use “Star Trek Continuum” Name For NFTs
Not that way! 🤦♂️
The Beat recently ran an excellent article about the troubles at Heavy Metal magazine (The Uncertain Death of Heavy Metal Magazine), and I felt it was a good time to bring this May 2022 article from a digital art/NFT publication forward: Heavy Metal and the fifty thousand NFTs: a new beginning, or the end? If you’ve read my book, you’ll be able to spot places where they went wrong.
nft.dcuniverse.com
It was great seeing the movie tie-ins this week.
Aug. 17 Blue Beetle (2006–2009) #1.
List Price: 9.99 (Still available) Total Editions: 4000
McFarlanetoys.digital
Blue Beetle collectibles. 1939 editions. 70 Matic (~$40 USD) for the public mint.
Veve.me
Aug. 15 Uncanny Avengers (2012) #1 The first appearance of the Uncanny Avengers. Published: 2012 Price: 6.99 (Still available) Total Editions: 7,500
Aug. 17 Fantastic Four (1961) #66 The first cameo appearance of Adam Warlock.
List Price: 6.99 (Still available) Total Editions: 10,000
Industry News
(The Verge) A key feature of NFTs has completely broken
TL;DR NFT marketplace OpenSea will make royalties optional early in 2024.
This follows a trend in the industry on blockchains where the royalty feature is optional, and it is sad to see OpenSea cave to competitive pressure on this issue. However, OpenSea has lost its number-one position to other marketplaces who have already bypassed royalties, so the move is not really a surprise. (I alluded to this possibility in my book.)
It should be noted that if long-term royalties are important to your NFT strategy, there are blockchains that enforce royalty payments at the chain protocol level, HBar and Wax being examples, so it is a bit of an overstatement to say the feature is completely broken. It just makes picking your blockchain a little more complicated.
Just Charts
One of the best sources of on-chain analysis for NFT sales is Dappradar. This is a snapshot of recent trading data for OpenSea.
Writer Accountability
Sunday, I tabled at Westcoast Comic Con. If you missed it, I debriefed my experience in a post earlier this week.
It has been a super hot week here in Vancouver aka the land without air conditioning. I’ve enjoyed sitting outside in the early morning reading “Spy x Family.” It has given me pause to think about the differences between manga and traditional North American floppy comics and has, among other things, challenged me to add more humour to my writing.
I wrote a quick critique for a friend’s script. It’s so cool seeing work that started in a class at Comics Experience slowly develop and improve each iteration.
Tuesday, I attended another awesome class via Zoom with Brian Michael Bendis. His guest this time was Jacob Edgar.
Wednesday, Gamal Hennessey presented “Making a Living in Comics.” It was a great overview and a reminder of why I enjoy the weekly events provided to members of Comics Connection.
While waiting for my Lump Dog quote, I’ve been wasting time writing a pitch for a Batman event. Realistically, at this point in my career, I haven’t earned enough credibility to put the pitch in front of an editor. That said, it’s been a great exercise. Can I just say the DC canon is more than a tad complicated?! I was researching one relatively minor character that has different versions in over twenty universes. Eep! At some point, I’ll need to call in
Brada canon consultant.
Just for Fun
OK, ignoring the hyperbole in the initial caption, this is truly awesome.
… and while I’m in “Yay! Do the Sports” mode, I have to give a shout-out to local BC boy and BC Lions CFL alum Nathan Rourke for this gem. Here’s hoping this “rookie” third-string QB gets a roster spot!