The Kid B. App–now available!
June 1, 2010, filed under: News, Studio, by Lex
For those of you with an Iphone or Ipod Touch who always wondered how a 200 page graphic novel would read on the device, we’ve now got the slickest answer for you: The Kid Beowulf App! The first of three Kid Beowulf Apps is now available in Itunes. I’ve been working on this app for awhile and with the help of my developer, Martin Robaszewski of Bioroid Studios and my publisher, Bowler Hat Comics, I think we’ve created a very unique app that works and reads quite nicely for the Iphone (the following images have been scaled to fit this blog).
I wanted to create an app that was more than just the comic and took advantage of the Iphone’s capabilities, including its access to multi-media and the internet. Each app features links to the Kid B. YouTube trailers, Amazon to purchase the book and other off-app links. I also wanted to make it as intuitive as possible and easy to use–above is the main menu page.
Instead of cramming an entire comic onto one tiny screen, we created a way to read the graphic novel that was tailored to the device. The entire app is read in landscape mode and scrolled through right to left. I wanted to take advantage of the wide display so I cut-up each comic page to feature one panel per screen (one 60 page chapter equals roughly 400 screens). To help navigate through all those screens readers can scroll ahead in 1, 10 or 100 panel intervals. The app also has a nifty bookmark feature so you’ll never lose your place if a phone call tears you away.
We wanted to make the app interactive too, so we placed “easter eggs” throughout. Whenever a new character appears an “info” icon will appear that reveals who that character is and some background on them.
The links to the various Kid B. trailers open up automatically in YouTube. Each app is a little different and features its own unique content, including links to Facebook, the Kid B. Cafepress Store, Bios and other goodies.
Here’s the real deal: each app is going for a mere 99 CENTS! How can you go wrong? Part 1 is available in the App Store now, so go ahead and give it a try. If you like it give it a good rating and spread the word. We’ll be releasing Parts 2 & 3 in the comic weeks and will announce them on the blog. Start downloading for your Iphone now, with some FREE Kid Beowulf Wallpapers!
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Congratulations Lex. Looking forward to giving it a try.
Comment by Brian — June 1, 2010 @
Thanks, man–let me know what you think!
Comment by Lex — June 2, 2010 @
I was reading it on BART today and enjoyed how well it flowed in the app. It’s interesting that the read is different in some ways since you can only see one panel at a time.
Comment by Brian — June 2, 2010 @
Glad to hear you’re enjoying it (and that trailer is epic)! If you get a chance, be sure to rate it in Itunes and give a review. Thanks!
Comment by Lex — June 2, 2010 @