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Comic books leap to mobile phones

Wireless services offer subscriptions - and now one comic is phone-only.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Sean Demory realized a long-held dream of becoming a published comic book writer when Thunder Road, a postapocalyptic adventure he developed with artist Steven Sanders, was released.

"I've been plugging away and pitching things for 15-20 years," Demory said. "This is the first one that landed in fertile soil."

But don't look for the tales of Merritt and his buddies on the shelves of a comic book store or even the Internet. Thunder Road is the first comic book released in the United States exclusively on a cell phone, part of a lineup of mobile comic books offered by uClick of Kansas City.

"It opens up a market that wouldn't necessarily be seen as a traditional comic market," Demory said of the August launch.

Several companies are experimenting with putting printed material on mobile phones, including publisher HarperCollins' announcement it would put excerpts of new books on Apple Inc.'s iPhones.

Mobile comic books are in their infancy in the United States - uClick says it's grown to about 55,000 readers a month in the first year of offering its GoComics service.

But it touches on two strengthening trends: Comic book creators looking to leap to the digital arena, where production and distribution are cheap, and the demand by wireless providers for data-rich applications to drive future revenues.

For $4.49 a month on Verizon, or $3.99 a month for AT&T and Sprint, subscribers can view nearly a dozen different traditional comic books. There's a separate subscription service for Japanese comics called manga.

The comics range from well-known names like Bone and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to up-and-coming books, such as crime-noirish Umbra and Hindu folklore-inspired Devi. The site adds chapters or issues for each title every week.

Jeff Webber, vice president of product development for uClick, the digital arm of newspaper feature distributor Universal Press Syndicate, declined to provide revenue figures, saying some of the 55,000 monthly readers include people using free trials.

But he said the company, which lets people view comic strips on their wireless devices, is pleased with the comic book feature's growth.

Wireless companies are undecided on the future of mobile publishing as small screens and short battery lives make online reading a chore.

But Charles Golvin, a wireless analyst for Forrester Research, said comic books could be different because they're what he called "quick hit content," like ring tones and wallpaper.

"There are plenty of niches," he said.

[Last modified October 9, 2007, 00:32:55]