- Who are you and what are you working on right now? (2 questions in 1, I know!)
My name is Brockton McKinney and I write the comic book series Ehmm Theory for Action Lab Entertainment. I have another book with them called Jon Bodyhunter: Intergalatic Mofo coming out later this year, as well.
- What drew you to digital comics?
Well, Ehmm Theory is distributed in print & digital, but (and I never thought I’d say this) I find digital is my preferred choice these days. I like to read the books on my Ipad, and I love the storage capabilities. Even little things like not needing a lamp to read, matter to me. I still buy TONS of printed comics, but I buy even more digital.
- Webcomics or digital comics?
Either! Both! Apples & oranges to me, really. Any way you can get your vision out there is a good one. I don’t believe you should ever limit yourself to one format or the other. There are pros & cons to every medium. Find what works best for you.
- What do you think works with digital comics?
In terms of audience, I think it’s much easier to reach a wide array of people. It’s also incredibly helpful for review purposes. Plus, and maybe most importantly, the overhead is extremely low, so it’s easier to offer it for a decent price that benefits both sides.
- Can digital comics replace print comics?
Nah. Some folks will always want to hold the book in their hands, smell the fresh paper when you crack it open for that first time. I have a large collection of both digital and print and I would never want to give up either. We’re a spoiled group of collectors.
- How can print comics work with digital comics?
I really like some of the stuff the big 2 are doing as far as offering a free digital versions if you purchase the print. Also, we’ve been talking about offering some mini-stories to our books that would only be available in digital. Little extras for the fans.
- What don’t you like about digital comics?
I’m pretty cool with it all! I’m not a huge fan of having to turn my pad sideways every time there’s a double page spread, but that’s the definition of lazy, right?
- What digital comics/webcomics do you read?
I read about half my stack digital. That’s a mix of everybody’s stuff. As far as webcomics, I’m a big fan of the super clean & cartoony art style that Chris Wharton has on his Giant webcomic (http://www.giantcomic.com/comic/giant-001-2/) and I love the shear insanity of http://ravensdojo.com/ by Raven Perez. That one is pure awesome but also NSFW!
- Where do you see digital comics going from here?
Up, up, and away! There’s no limit to digital and that’s what’s so exciting about it. I have fans of Ehmm Theory in South Africa that get to read the book because Action Lab offers the same day & date as print through Comixology. That’s amazing! Our book can make it around the world in a matter of seconds thanks to the incredible technological times we live in. I can’t impress enough how much of a tremendous tool digital is in getting your book into peoples hands.
- Who do you think we should look out for in digital comics?
I’m biased, of course but Action Lab has just added a digital-first section to their group. http://www.actionlabcomics.com/action-lab-digital/
They just released the first wave of books and, man, they really are good.
And the guided-view stuff is pretty spectacular. I’d love to see more of that. Action Lab is gearing up a guided-view Ehmm Theory for the new launch in July so I’m super-stoked about that. Plus, they’ve got some other secret stuff that’s gonna blow people’s minds. I can’t talk about it yet or our creative director Dave Dwonch will murder me, put I’ve seen it in action and it’s tops, I promise.
Thanks for having me, guys! Happy reading!
