Win a PSP 3000 thanks to the Geeks!

To celebrate the launch of the Sony Digital Comic Store, top British comics and SF news site Geek Syndicate has teamed up with Sony and Insomnia Publications - publishers of titles such as Cages, Cancertown and Burke and Hare - to bring you an awesome competition to win a Sony PSP 3000 supplied by Sony.

The PSP 3000 will come with the a selection of graphic novels provided by Insomnia Publications, who are one of the first British publishers on board to take advantage of this latest digital comics delivery platform.

To be in with a chance to win all you need to do is send the Geeks an email with the title “Going digital with Geek Syndicate, Insomnia and Sony!” to geeksyndicate@hotmail.co.uk.

The first entry they pull out of the hat will win. The closing date for entry is 1st December.

For folks heading to the Thought Bubble convention in Leeds this weekend you can enter by heading over to the Insomnia Publications stand and filling in an entry form. Please note, this competition is only open to entrants who are 18 or over and have a UK Postal address.

The new Digital Reader on PSP kicks off Sony's Digital Comics service, with the company proclaiming it will revolutionise the way you read and open up a whole range of media to your fingertips.

Sony's Digital Reader service will start with Digital Comics in December 2009, offering a brand new way to read comic books via a huge library of digital comics you can download from PlayStation Store to your PSP – both classic and new comic titles.

The new service will offer content from Marvel Entertainment and IDW Publishing, as well as graphic novels and comics from a variety of local publishers and the latest underground sensations such as Insomnia.

Currently, Insomnia are the only UK indy
who will have books in the Sony Playstation Networks Digital Comics store when it launches in December.

More titles will arrive on PlayStation Store with monthly content updates, offering a huge choice of quality titles at your fingertips, allowing you to take your favourite comic characters with you on the move.

"This is a great new service that offers PSP owners even more options for entertainment on the go and makes PSP a must for comics fans,” says Isabelle Tomatis, European Marketing Manager, Hardware and Platforms, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

“Digital Comics will sit alongside the new PlayStation Network video download service as yet another way that PSP offers a whole world of entertainment in your hands.”

"We are incredibly excited to be partnering with Sony in the launch of the Digital Comics Service," says Crawford Coutts, Managing Director of Insomnia Publications. "Insomnia is committed to nurturing the very best new art, new writing and new concepts in its original graphic novels and the unprecedented scope of this Comics Store will connect independent publishers and readers around the globe."

• Full details of the Geek Syndicate competition here

• More about Insomnia's Digital Comics Plans here on their official blog

UWS Publishing Releases "Soldiers Zero"

Underwater Samurai Studios Publishing have just announced the release of their first made for digital comic, Soldiers Zero, now available on the iTunes App Store.

Written by Rob McClellan with art by Martin Montiel (The Darkness, Legendary), Chris Summers (G.I. Joe) and Charles Pritchett (Noble Causes), the first issue of Soldiers Zero follows the exploits of four prototype super-soldiers deployed to Afghanistan in August 2007, and the tragedy that befalls them.

UWS say the great-looking adventure strip, which runs to 185 screens and costs just 99 cents, is the start of an ongoing digital comic series made exclusively for the digital market, and the first salvo in a bold digital publishing agenda.

Back in January, Rob McClellan, who is a US naval officer, and his two partners Tim Welch and Tom James, formed UWS Publishing to produce content primarily for digital devices, a drastic departure from the current approach to publishing.

"People keep telling me that comics can only make money in print, but there are over five million iPhones out there being used every day," says McClellan.

"Even a quarter of a percent of iphone market share is 12,500 downloads – that's much better than most books by small publishers would ever do in print."

While the digital comic market is something now finally being embraced by large publishers such as Marvel, Rob feels there are opportunities for strong independent titles on mobile.

“I don't view this as a competition thing, actually” he says “Marvel's entrance to the scene is a fantastic indicator for digital comics. By placing their comics to the iphone, they are legitimizing this type of content and bringing a lot of die hard paper fans to the small screen. I think it's fantastic – the better they do, the better the digital comics market will do.”

To provide that quality experience, the UWS team felt it was imperative that the app perfectly synchronize with the book and, after a lengthy search, the right comic book app materialized from a small, Irish software company, Infurious Republic, the team behind Infurious Comics.

Over Skype, Rob and Philip Orr, the CEO of Infurious Republic, hammered out the details and, three prototypes later, settled on the app for Soldiers. The final result, feel the UWS team, is a digital comic experience unlike anything else currently on the market.

The navigation method for the Soldiers app is a simple tap on the far right or left sides of the screen and the word balloons can be removed to allow for better appreciation of the artwork. The reader can also quickly access "visual scrolling", a unique feature which yields fast, accurate navigation through the issue's 185 screens of content. Screen advances are quick, but subtle. The effect is a surprisingly easy and effortless read.

"Going digital required thinking a little differently," says McClellan. "There are a lot of differences between digital and print. We made Soldiers around those differences, fully accepting them and the result is a comic that feels organic to the device.

"I think it will change how people look at digital comics."

At a time when more and more books are gravitating to large Digital Comic Distributors such as iVerse and Comixology, Soldiers stands on its own. "We felt that putting the book behind an "in-app" purchasing application added another barrier for readers to get to our comic," says Rob. "Anyone can search for Soldiers in the app store, or link directly to it and share via blogs, e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook. We wanted to be able to capitalize on the impulse buy nature of digital."

Asked about his digital focused approach, Rob replied, "I realize that many feel this is a risk, but this is where we are going. A year ago video games were only played on massive systems, but now they're everywhere on the iphone. The digital comic audience is rapidly expanding and they're hungry for quality content.”

• Buy Soldiers on iTunes via this link, or search iTunes for “soldiers zero”.

Titan Launches Wallace & Gromit iPhone Comic

Britain's Titan Publishing has just launched its first digital comic for iPhone and iTouch - featuring Aardman Animations' inventors extraordinaire and Oscar winners, Wallace & Gromit.

Launched as the animated pair celebrate their 20th Anniversary, each comic is a complete Wallace & Gromit adventure and is packed with bonus features on the inveterate inventor and his faithful canine companion - and one of them is free-to-view.

“It’s really exciting to see Wallace and Gromit at the forefront of such a cracking new technology," commented Wallace & Gromit Digital Comic editor Ned Hartley, "although I secretly suspect that Wallace would be more comfortable with the type of apple that comes with cheese.”

• For more general information visit: http://titanpublishing.com/iphone/ and to keep up to date on new W&G phone releases visit this Facebook fan page


• Wallace & Gromit Comics are available from Apple’s App store now. Initially there are four comic stories to download...


• The W-Files Download now: US ($free) | UK (£free)

When strange shapes and flashing lights are seen in the night sky, there are only two paranormal investigators that can solve the problem. Sadly they aren’t available, so Wallace and Gromit might as well have a crack at it. After all, what could possibly go wrong?

• Parts & Labour Download now: US ($0.99) | UK (£0.59)


Where does he get those wonderful toys? Ever wondered where Wallace gets the parts for his eccentric, wonderful (and occasionally useful) inventions? Find out here!

• Big in Japan Download now: US ($0.99) | UK (£0.59)


Wallace and Gromit take time out to visit Wallace’s biggest fan in Japan, Hiro Worship. It turns out all is not well in the land of the rising sun, and it’s not long until Gromit has to deal with some monster problems!

• Where there’s Muck there’s Brass Download now: US ($0.99) | UK (£0.59)

Nothing gets Wallace as worked up as the disbanding of the local brass band, despite the fact that they aren’t very good, no-one wants to see them and they don’t really want to play anyway. This calls for... an invention!

Alpha Gods Released on Android, iPhone

British independent comics publisher Orang Utan Comics have extended their presence on mobile phones with the arrival of its Alpha Gods title on Android (and soon, iPhone and iTouch) via Robot Comics.

Written by Ian Sharman with art by Ezequiel Pineda, Alpha Gods is set in the year 2086, when humanity faces the new threat of the Extra Humans. The government is struggling to cope with the growing number of mutants, aliens and supernatural beings who are living amongst us. People are beginning to panic and so, in 2050, the Department for Extra Human Affairs was established with a remit to try and contain the problem. By 2086 the situation has escalated, so they have formed a new rapid response strike force, the Alpha Gods. Who better to police the Extra Human community than Extra Humans themselves?

A standalone Issue 0 is available free, introducing cyborg Paladin and super-powered Impact and other members of the Extra Human Department Affairs. The app offers their first mission in this exclusive prelude to the new superhero comic. Issue 1 now also available as a paid app, containing the free Issue #0 preview plus the entirety of the original Alpha Gods #1.

Alpha Gods was originally released for mobile via ROK Comics and is one of a number of comics now being delivered as part of WAP services in India on platforms designed by the same company for Airtel and other mobile networks there.

• Alpha Gods #0 and #1 will be available for download on iPhone/iPod touch soon


• Alpha Gods #0 is available for free in the Android Market. Scan the QR code right with your Android to receive its url.


• Alpha Gods #1 is available in the Android Market. Scan the QR code left with your Android to receive its url.<


Alternatively, search ‘Alpha Gods #0″ on the Market.