Madefire Heats Up iPads With Launch of Weekly Digital Comics; DC Digital Editor Joins Storytelling Team
Weekly Release of All New Motion Books Fires Up With Three All New Titles and Four New Episodes; Industry Veteran From DC Digital, Ben Abernathy, Joins as EditorSAN FRANCISCO, August 28, 2012 - As webbed superhero Spider-Man turns 50 and looks toward his golden years, the new heroes and myths of the 21st century are being born on the Madefire App for iPad. Madefire, a digital publishing and content company that is revolutionizing the comic and graphic novel industry, is heating up the summer following its June 21st launch with its announcement today of weekly 'Motion Book' releases, including three all new titles and four new episodes of currently available Madefire titles. Each title -- exclusive to Madefire -- features the artistry and story worlds of renowned comic book creators, including Dave Gibbons, Brian Bolland, Doug Braithwaite, and Liam Sharp, as well as up-and-coming creators like Kinman Chan and Ben Wolstenholme.
Madefire is the only publisher offering episodic digital comics in the immersive Motion Books format, which are continuously delivered on the free, five-star rated (overall) Madefire App for iPad 1, 2 and 3.
"Madefire's 'Motion Books' offer readers an immersive, dynamic experience that cannot be had anywhere else," says Dave Gibbons, creator of Watchmen and member of Madefire's Board of Advisors. "In transforming the reading experience, Madefire is equally committed to delivering a steady dose of innovative, original content that gets readers excited about coming back every week for more."
The weekly content push rolls out with new titles and episodes that will be released throughout August and September, and will include:
"Captain Stone Is Missing. . ." (episode 02) by Liam Sharp & Christina McCormack
"The Engine" (episodes 01 and 02) by Guy Adams & Jimmy Broxton (ep. 01 released August 15)
"The Irons" by Haden Blackman & Gary Erskine (released August 8)
"Mono" (episode 02) by Ben Wolstenholme and Liam Sharp
"Treatment: Mexico City" by Dave Gibbons, Doug Braithwaite and Robbie Morrison
"Treatment: Tokyo" (episode 02) by Dave Gibbons, Kinman Chan and Robbie Morrison, with cover by Brian Bolland
As part of its ongoing commitment to delivering original content created by industry leaders and up-and-coming talent, Madefire also announced that 14-year industry veteran Ben Abernathy will join the company as Editor. Abernathy most recently served as Group Editor for DC Digital, a division of DC Entertainment, where he was instrumental in every platform launch and initiative including the daily content release of digital first material. Abernathy began his career with Dark Horse Comics as an Assistant Editor. He later worked in creative services and editorial for both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Abernathy will assume his new editorial role on September 4.
"Having Ben join the Madefire team is a huge step forward for the company," says Liam Sharp, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Madefire. "Releasing this many original new titles and episodes within a three month period is virtually unheard of in the comics space. Ben's experience and vision will be vital as Madefire continues to deliver original, high-quality, episodic content to readers on a weekly basis."
Since launching, the Madefire App has maintained a 5-star average rating in the Apple App Store. Madefire stories are optimized to take full advantage of iPad's leading features and functionality, including the gyroscope, accelerometer and Retina display. Madefire's titles are built on its Motion Book Tool, which is currently in private beta and is being made available to the wider creator community through phased betas.
The Madefire App for iPad is available for free from the App Store, and all Madefire titles are available for free through the app. You can view the Madefire launch video, and download Madefire images and the media kit from the online press kit.
About Madefire
Founded in 2011 by Ben Wolstenholme, Liam Sharp and Eugene Walden, Madefire provides artists and writers a publishing solution for iPad allowing them to build their stories in an exciting new format called Motion Books. Madefire is backed by Toni Schneider at True Ventures, with angel investors including Sina Tamaddon, former Senior Vice President of Applications for Apple Inc -- both of whom are on Madefire's Board of Advisors. The Advisory Board also includes industry leaders Mike McCue, CEO and Founder of Flipboard, Dave Gibbons, co-creator of Watchmen, the bestselling graphic novel of all time, and Bill Sienkiewicz, widely recognized as one of the greatest innovators of sequential art. For more information go to madefire.com, or download the Madefire App for iPad.
