Dark Horse Comics, one of the last “name” publishers to hold out and stick with their own app instead of piggybacking on ComiXology for distribution of their digital comics, announced today that they will join Felicia Day, Wil Wheaton and other genre-savvy stars in the April launch of Geek & Sundry, a premium YouTube channel where those contributors can bring their original content.”We’re so incredibly excited to produce and develop a channel based on what we think the fans will enjoy the most,” said Felicia Day, co-founder, producer, and star of Geek & Sundry in a statement released by Dark Horse. “From Dark Horse Comics to Wil Wheaton, there’s a killer team of talent on camera and off that will help build on the success of The Guild and Dragon Age: Redemption.”In Dark Horse’s case, that means bringing motion comics to the mix. The publisher, who have one of the best-selling motion comics of all time in Buffy the Vampire: Season Eight, also brings titles like Hellboy, Conan the Barbarian and The Umbrella Academy to the table. Says the publisher in their press release, “With all-new motion-graphics techniques and compelling storytelling, these are sure to set a new standard for motion comics. Directed by Erik Bruhwiler and produced by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse motion comics offer comics fans an experience unlike anything they have seen before.”Many have tried to revolutionize motion comics, but few have had real success with it, so Dark Horse’s effort–being high-profile and being made by a mainstream publisher–is notable and should it succeed, that success will likely breed a number of imitators. Certainly there are elements of motion comics at play in Marvel’s recently-announced Augmented Reality app, but the focus of the content is mostly different.
