• by Cory Treffiletti , Featured Contributor, December 24, 2008

It's Christmas Eve -- and all through house, not a creature is stirring, not even the in-house media team!

Yes, it's the day before Christmas, and hopefully you've started to close up shop and are ready to spend some much-needed quality time with your family. If you're still reading this article, I applaud your commitment and I thank you for inviting my voice to be heard! As a thank you for engaging with me today, I wanted to let you in on a little secret; one that might become more prevalent in 2009 if the trend I see continues.

I've said it before and I will say it again: Comic books are hip once again! Comic books have very quickly climbed from the delirious depths of dork-dom and into the mainstream in the last couple of years, with one of the biggest films of all time being "The Dark Knight." As the medium continues its trajectory, we're seeing digital become integrated into the mix in some interesting and exciting ways.

The two most interesting to me are digital comics and motion comics. Digital comics, in the definition that I'm referring to, are when comic books are offered to the reader directly online and appear in a "page-scroll" format.

Some companies are more digitally savvy than others, but Marvel is probably one of the best with this format, making new as well as back issues available to readers for a subscription fee. The format is reminiscent of the digital magazine concept from a few years back which never really took hold, but they present an intriguing option for those of you inclined to read this way.

Personally, I still prefer the feel and mobility of paper, so I stay away from the digital versions. That being said, digital comics do provide for a highly targeted, highly engaged audience -- one which can be advertised to. Whether the ad or sponsorship model comes via sponsored access or more traditional ad units integrated into the comic is up to the publisher.

The more interesting developments are the motion comics I've seen for such titles as "Watchmen" and Batman. Motion comics come closer to the actual experience of a comic book and can come off as corny if done poorly. If they're treated as a medium in and of themselves, they can be done very well! They're also a strong opportunity to reach a highly targeted audience and they present a nice mix of digital and interactive advertising opportunities. The benefit to publishers is they're not as expensive to create as traditional animation, and the barrier to entry is actually quite low.

The Motion comics arena has some overlap with Machinima, the creation of short-form movies that consist of dialogue laid over video game footage. With the integration of comic book characters into gaming, Machinima can actually be used to create a virtual motion comic in a way that was not foreseen -- and once again provide an outlet for creativity.

I think these two formats, though niche, could see some interest in 2009. I don't think they should be subscription-based, but I do see them as strong revenue drivers via sales and advertising. Hardcore fans will buy a season while a casual fan may purchase individual episodes, especially if they're used to create continuity between a movie and some other offline experience.

2009 may be a rough one for some categories of business, but comic books should continue to do well.

See you next year!