Neon Ichiban, the digital comics platform started by former Comixology executives, has signed up another major publisher. Abrams ComicArts is bringing its graphic novels to the service, Comics Beat reports.
The deal covers both Abrams ComicArts’ backlist and new releases. Titles headed to the platform include John Byrne’s X-Men: Elsewhen, Alex Ross’s Marvel Dimensions, Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki’s Billy Bat, and the upcoming Dune: Messiah graphic novel. Books from Kana, the French manga and comics imprint, are part of the agreement too.
“A reader might come to Neon Ichiban for John Byrne’s X-Men and discover Derf Backderf, Nate Powell, or a manga series from Kana. We want to encourage that curiosity,” said Joseph Montagne, vice president and publisher of Abrams ComicArts. “Bringing our backlist and new releases to the platform gives readers more ways to follow the artists they love and try books they might otherwise have missed.”
Neon Ichiban was founded by David Steinberger and Chip Mosher, who both held senior roles at Comixology before Amazon folded it into Kindle. “For more than 15 years, Abrams ComicArts has published graphic novels that show just how far this medium can go,” said Steinberger, the company’s CEO. Mosher, its chief content officer, said Abrams “champions creators who push the form forward, from acclaimed literary adaptations to bold original graphic novels.”
The platform is one of several trying to fill the gap Comixology left in digital comics. Its pitch includes digital remarques and signatures, digital comics that can be resold, and the option to import DRM-free comics bought elsewhere. It recently launched its 3.0 update, which added in-app purchasing and expanded desktop features.
Abrams ComicArts joins DC, Marvel, IDW, Dynamite and Udon Entertainment, which offer new releases on Neon Ichiban the same day as print along with their back catalogs.
The news comes as the comics business continues to reshape its distribution, with publishers only now reclaiming books stuck in Diamond’s warehouse after the distributor’s bankruptcy.
