Terminator Comic on the iPhone

Warner Brothers Digital Distribution is distributing IDW’s Terminator Salvation: The Prequel comics as its first digital comic for iPhone and iPod Touch - and the company says there are more to come.

The app uses Genus App’s Kamikaze: Le Edition engine, which has also been been used bringing Will Eisner's Contract with God and Robots versus Zombies, which we reported on earlier in the year. This reader allows its user to view either full pages or read the comic panel by panel, and touch the panels or word balloons on the full page view to get to a single panel view or expanded word balloon, or "pinch in" to be taken back to the full page. The app also includes page-turn and other sound effects.

Individual issues of Terminator Salvation: The Prequel, which is written by Dara Naraghi with art by Alan Robinson and set in the future showing what life was like once the machines took over, but before John Conner becomes the leader of the resistance, are available at $.99 each, and the full story at $3.99.

"We see digital comics as an exciting new growth category," commented Thomas Gewecke, president, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. "Consumers want to extend the print experience to their handheld media devices and the iPhone and iPod touch are ideal platforms for delivering rich, immersive, visual experiences.

"We expect the Terminator Salvation prequel to be the first of many digital comic releases over the coming year."

Future Warner comic series for the iPhone will include classic cartoons as well as well-known action titles.

Warner has also produced a six-part online prequel Terminator miniseries, Terminator: Salvation - The Machinima Series, using animation and environments generated by the graphics engine from the new Terminator: Salvation video game. Episodes are available online via iTunes, Xbox Live and the Sony PlayStation Network.

• Terminator Salvation: The Prequel is now available on the Apple App Store