Main menu…

About a year ago I did a job for a movie company called RG Entertainment and their film “Super Capers“, which you can read all about here and here and here. This winter, director Ray Griggs commissioned me to adapt a script he had written into a promotional comic book for the movie’s release, which I worked on with my pal and comic book superstar artist/inker Tom Nguyen (in record time, as usual) and which was given away at WonderCon in San Fransisco. Sadly the film did not do well in limited release and was not picked up for national distribution, but is coming out on DVD later this month.

Ray is quite an idea man, coming up with all sorts of promotional ideas. He and a computer programmer friend of his named Stevo Brock even did an iPhone app for the movie. Ray had told me he and Stevo were working on a second iPhone/iPod Touch app that was an interactive version of the promo comic Tom and I did. Sometimes these sorts of projects actually happen and sometimes they never get past the idea stages.

Well, this particular idea was just announced as being released on the iTunes App Store (See official press release at bottom of post).

After downloading the comic to my iPhone I see they did a fantastic job on it, especially considering they did not have layered files to work from. The “interactivity” seems to mean that you turn the pages like real pages by swiping your fingertip from the lower right corner across to the lower left. The panels themselves have sound effects and some limited animations, which are nice touches and not overdone. This really is pretty cool…

An example of a panel from the digital comic

The page turning feature…

This full comic/page menu is also available

The app costs $1.99 at the iTune App Store. Here is a link to the App Store page (warning, this link needs to open in iTunes). Of course you need an iPhone or an iPod Touch to be able to use the app.

The official press release:

RG Entertainment Releases First Ever iPhone Interactive Motion Comic

Beverly Hills, CA    Jul 02, 2009 in iPhone

[prMac.com] Los Angeles, CA – RG Entertainment, Ltd. today announced the availability of the “Super Capers Comic #1 – Back to the Feature” for the iPhone/iPod Touch. This application is the first of its kind, Interactive Motion Comic, designed exclusively for the iPhone/iPod Touch. The digital comic book is the official prequel/sequel comic to the independent film Super Capers, picking up where the film left off.

RG Entertainment, Ltd. has created a new kind of comic book experience that takes full advantage of the iPhone/iPod Touch. The traditional 2D art style comes alive as you watch and listen as the action pops-in, hovers, bounces, and rockets off, with full sound effects and music from the film! Take control of the interactive experience by physically turning the pages with your finger!

Features:
* Interactive Motion Comic complete with animation and real music and sound effects
* Turn each page controlled by your finger
* Double tap to turn page quickly
* Pages index table of contents
* High Quality film trailer for the film Super Capers
* Quickly return to the last page viewed from the menu
* Complete info on the entire Super Capers Collection and other products from RG Entertainment, Ltd
* No “loading” screens

Credits:
Written and Created by: Ray Griggs (Film Writer/Director)
Pencils and Color: Tom Richmond (Mad Magazine)
Inks: Tom Nguyen (Incredible Comics) and Tom Richmond
Application Design and Development: Stevo Brock

Minimum Requirements:
* iPhone or iPod touch 3.0 or later

Pricing and Availability:
Super Capers Comic #1 – Back to the Feature is only $1.99 (USD) and is available exclusively through Apple’s iTunes App Store.

RG Entertainment
Download and Purchase

RG Entertainment, Ltd. is an entertainment company dedicated to telling compelling and captivating stories to family audiences that they may be swept away from reality and lost in the Silver Screen for a moment in time. RG Entertainment, Ltd. most recently completed the award-winning, independent, feature film Super Capers, coming to DVD on July 21, 2009, and is now pursuing development of the epic, feature film Lucifer, based on the multiple award-winning short created by RG Entertainment, Ltd. Copyright 2009 RG Entertainment, Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

###

Ray Griggs
Producer/Director
RGEntertainment, Ltd.
310-246-1442
United States

Very busy right now but I thought I’d do a quick post recommending a recent comic book series from a King. Not Jack “King” Kirby (don’t we all wish we could see more Kirby work on the comic book shelves)… but a new series based on a novel by Stephen King.

I took Number One Son Thomas to the comic book shop the other day, and I was surprised and delighted to see there is another adaptation of a “King story on the stands… actually “The Stand“. The first three issues are already out. I picked them up with some low expectations, mainly because the adaptation/continuing story series based on King’s fantastic “Dark Tower” books have been (in my opinion) a colossal disappointment.

Not so this one.

The Stand is up there with my favorite of King books. It’s a phonebook-sized monster that takes forever to read, but it’s also a page turner and great re imagining of the classic “plague wipes out the earth except for a handful” story. Tied closely into the “Dark Tower” mythos, it has all the best element of a Stephen King story firing on all cylinders… great characters, entertaining dialog, well moving plot, atmosphere and the fascinating intrusion of the supernatural.

Unlike the Dark Tower comics, this series also is firing on all cylinders. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa‘s scripts capture the essence and mood of the original novel very well. However it’s the art of Mike Perkins and the coloring of Laura Martin that is really bringing the story to life. As much as I respect the work of Dark Tower artist Jae Lee, I think those books suffer from an inability to create a substantial world visually. The entire book series feels like a disconnected dreamworld of misty nothingness just beyond your immediate area. Here the art grounds us firmly in a real world, and as the disease begins to take hold the panic and plight of the human race becomes more and more evident in the visuals.

Only three issues into the five issue series and barely a dent in the full story. Obviously this will series will consist of several chapters and arcs. The official comic website seems to hint that other creative teams might be taking on later chapters. Hopefully they can keep the same level of success this team is capturing.