I began by relying mostly my own instincts as to what kinds of features would be needed to merge the visual language of comics with interactive screens. That effort really kicked into high gear in 2011 when I discovered the Unity game engine and realized that by leveraging its capabilities I could move forward much faster than I had expected. This lead to a wonderful collaboration with Ezra Claytan Daniels on our app Upgrade Soul, built using the first iteration of the tools.
As my interest in the field grew, I began to gain an appreciation for the many different forms of digital comics being produced in the U.S. and around the world, and their antecedents in other media, bringing that knowledge to bear on the development. Then, once it became clear that the tools could be a viable commercial product, it still took another few years to improve their functionality and usability to the point where a public release was possible. And now that release is here!
Panoply: Comics & Splitscreen for Unity is now available on the Unity Asset Store—and if you’re looking to make use of the visual language of comics in your game or story-based app, I invite you to check it out! Here’s a tutorial on the basics:
Panoply’s strongest suit is in the experience it provides readers. Every panel transition is calculated in real time, bringing a smooth, momentum-style feel as readers move from step to step. This approach also means that readers can move forward or backward in the story in a very readerly way, when and where they choose; they aren’t forced to wait for canned animations to start and stop. And yet, because each panel is also its own camera in 3D space, the range of creative possibilities for storytelling remains wide open. Panoply is the only digital comics tool that provides this combination of features.
I can’t wait to see what people do with Panoply, and frankly I’m looking forward to using it more myself—the ability to fuse sequential art, interactivity, and a features of a 3D game engine is still very new, with much territory remaining unexplored. It’s my hope that Panoply will help contribute to the experimentation already underway as artists stretch digital comics to their greatest potential.
]]>I’m kicking off the site with the release of a YouTube video called “Space Into Game, Time Into Book: What Comics and Screens Do Together,” adapted from a talk I gave earlier this year at City University of Hong Kong as part of the at the Roundtable on New Technologies and the Future of the Humanities. A text-and-media version of the talk can also be found at the site, which was created using a free platform called Scalar that I’ve been helping develop over the last several years at The Alliance For Networking Visual Culture.
]]>
With the Leap, “Breathing Room” users can push and pull, wave and swipe to channel winds which blow through the leaves of a solitary tree in a 3D world. Each movement triggers the sound of a breath, as if you’re inhaling and exhaling for the world. Panel layouts are completely dynamic, and accompanied by optional captions which unfold a story in different ways each time you play. “Breathing Room” is a step into the world of programmatic, gesture-driven comics—fascinating territory to explore.
Watch this space for more on “Breathing Room” as it develops.
]]>If you’re at all interested in making games and you’ve never been to IndieCade, we highly recommend it. There’s a huge variety of speakers, events, and of course games themselves that can really energize your thinking about the medium–for example, the story mode in Strange Rain is a direct result of inspiration that came out of an IndieCade talk. Get more info about the festival at indiecade.com.
]]>Ezra Claytan Daniels and Erik Loyer presented Upgrade Soul and joined a panel discussion with the individuals behind Monde Binaire, Wagnerwahn, and The Art of Pho, all excellent projects in their own right. Erik and Ezra brought a theoretical bent to their presentation, discussing the unique function of time in motion comics as well as thoughts on reader participation in narrative across multiple media. An exhibition at the DoK Gallery gave festival-goers the chance to experience all of the projects first-hand.
In the end, the event offered a great opportunity to showcase that “motion comics” aren’t just comics with extra bells and whistles, or animation produced on the cheap, but their own legitimate form deserving of exploration and study. Thanks to Christian Ströhle for assembling the panel, Fantoche for hosting the event, and the comics festival Fumetto for helping sponsor the proceedings.
]]>How do we harness new technologies to take comics storytelling beyond the existing digital comics templates? What will come next? Ezra Claytan Daniels (Upgrade Soul) leads an open group discussion on the concepts and philosophies behind using technology, from gesture control to artificial intelligence, and new delivery platforms, like tablets and smartphones, to tell truly new types of stories.
If you’re lucky enough to be at Stumptown, keep an eye out for Ezra’s table where you’ll have the chance to purchase a very limited black and white print edition of Upgrade Soul that includes the yet-to-be-released Chapter 6. (Rumors say he might have some soul-shaped cookies there for your consumption as well!)
Knock ’em dead, Ezra!
]]>