Like pogs, pets.com, and linear TV before them, NFTs aren’t quite as peppy as they once were. But they are still around – because the blockchain is forever, after all.
And to prove it there is yet another new comics platform on the scene: VeVe Comics, a spin-off of the digital collectible company that is launching as an app for digital comics. VeVe has long had a partnership with Marvel for various digital collectibles, so they are launching with 300+ Marvel Comics, available day and date with physical release – and new comics will continue to be released on the platform. Titles at launch include Avengers #1, Black Panther #1, Captain Marvel #1, Fall of the House of X #1, Fantastic Four #13, GODS #1, Immortal Thor #, Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant #1, Ultimate Spider-Man #1 and more.
Significantly, VeVe is the only digital comics platform outside Marvel Unlimited and Amazon/Comixology to offer Marvel Comics, so there’s that.
VeVe promises a panel-by-panel reading experience, and tools to organize collections with Quick Lists. According to the pr, “VeVe has dedicated significant effort to ensure that the entire app experience is an enjoyable one for comic enthusiasts. Each page is meticulously converted into a panel by panel experience by hand – creating a seamless reading and viewing experience for app users.”
It’s a bit reminiscent of Comixology’s pioneering Guided View, which is still available for some titles on Amazon.
“Being passionate readers and collectors ourselves, we recognized that digital comics fans have been calling for a more immersive experience,” said David Yu, CEO and co-founder, VeVe in a statement. “Our aim is to create a platform that makes comics discovery fun and easy — one that’s centered on function and design, fosters community and accessibility for all. “We understood those pain points and created VeVe Comics to be the solution.”
There were some pain points with the launch of the app today – the payment system glitched out, meaning many people couldn’t buy any comics.
VeVe Comics will work in tandem with VeVe, the digital collectibles/NFT side of the company – one account accesses both comics and the NFT collections. The PR we received didn’t go into details about the NFT side, but an article on Decrypt has more. Basically each comic will also have an NFT version.
The limited edition NFT versions are available in various rarity levels, each with a unique edition number. These NFTs—minted on the Ethereum scaling network Immutable X—can also be resold on the Veve marketplace, include up to five different comic book covers, and can be read in an augmented reality experience on the VeVe app.
“Whether you’re building a library to read online or offline, collect issues from your favorite comic cover artist in VeVe Comics or seeking to sell or buy limited edition comics and explore other limited edition digital collectibles in VeVe, we want the experience to be seamless,” Yu continued.
“We’re embracing the opportunity to revolutionize digital comic book publishing, particularly when it’s done with the same fandom and passion as our incredible audience,” said Dan Crothers, COO and co-founder, VeVe. “We agreed that it had to start with the fans around the world. Our goal is to help unlock access to the world of comics and give the comic book community greater access to mobile-first experiences – all while preserving the artistry, storytelling, and heritage of the world’s most iconic comic book characters.”
So digital comics, collection records stored on the blockchain, and aftermarket sales – with a little augmented reality thrown in.
VeVE has been involved in the comics space for a while: they sold physical copies and variants at NYCC 2023, and a digital version of the classic Return of the Jedi comic late last year.
For what it’s worth: “VeVe is committed to 100% carbon neutral NFTs; VeVe uses Ethereum’s layer 2 scaling protocol, Immutable X, which provides instant trade confirmation, scalability (over 9,000 trades per second), zero gas fees, and a 99.9% reduction in environmental footprint.”
