If You Have An Ipad!
WOW.
I strongly recommend you download the free MADEFIRE app. This isn’t an ad, I have no connection to this company, except that they seem to have hired a lot of people I respect.
It’s an app for ‘motion books,’ which are all told in comic form. And all the content is free, no charge anywhere.
There are a couple amazing things here.
First, they got some freaking TALENT to do this. Dave Gibbons, Mike Carey, Brian Bolland, Gary Erskine…it’s kind of an amazing line-up. All the the stories are all new, and they look spectacular.
Second, these might be the first guys EVER to make limited animation work in comics. There is minor animation in almost every panel, and a little bit of sound.
I’ll be honest, I hate limited animation comics. I have never, ever found it to be effective. Until now.
These guys are doing this stuff so artfully, and so unubtrusively, that it really does feel cinematic. It does pans and scans and close-ups and uses pop-ups in a clever way that adds to the storytelling, instead of distracts.
I am not yet totally sold on the ambient background noise…but the animation absolutely nails the storytelling.
It’s very impressive. It’s mature, it feels very fresh, and it’s completely free. My favorites so far are TREATMENT and HOUSE OF THE HOLY, but I haven’t yet read all of the others.
VERY worth a look. Madefire.com is the website, or just put MADEFIRE COMICS in your app search with the ipad. It’s IPAD only right now, but I suspect that won’t be the case for long.
This is top quality comics in a brand new format. I really, really came away impressed and excited by the possibilities. Check it out!
