DC Comics announced the closure today of its online Zuda Comics imprint, with “select titles” moving over onto their new comiXology/PSP Network digitial platforms. On the official Zuda blog, editor Ron Perazza wrote,
[F]rom here on out, Zuda Comics will be folded into DC Comics’ exciting, new Digital Publishing initiative. Expect more Zuda series to be released through the DC Comics and comiXology Apps, the Sony PSP and on both the comiXology website and, eventually, the main DC Comics website as well. You’ll be able to read all of your digital editions and manage your entire library in one place, whether DCU, Vertigo, WildStorm or Zuda. The goal there is convergence of technology and convergence of editorial… I think if there’s one thing that the Zuda Comics community shares is the belief that nothing lasts forever – submissions get rejected, competitors don’t win, stories end. We try stuff, hopefully we learn stuff, we change stuff and still the experiment continues. Zudacomics.com may have come to an end today but the award-winning series will live on and without a doubt, the discussion and lessons learned these past two and a half years will continue to inform, shape and fuel the development of DC’s future digital plans and initiatives.
Already available through the new platforms are original Zuda launch titles Bayou and High Moon, with John Zito and Tony Trov’s Black Cherry Bombshells, Dan Govar’s Azure, Andy Belanger’s Bottle of Awesome, Sheldon Vella’s Supertron, and Adam Atherton’s Lily of the Valley announced to follow. Meanwhile, BleedingCool.com’s Rich Johnston has a round-up of tweets from other Zuda creators that suggest that their strips will not be continuing in this new format, and the ZudaComics.com URL already redirects to Perazza’s post on the Zuda blog, meaning that archives of any strips, continuing or canceled, are no longer available.
The move comes just two months after Zuda closed its open submissions/competition policy, prompting many to assume a move like this was forthcoming.
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