Akira, Vol. 1

Manga (Japanese comics) has grown in popularity outside of Japan in recent years.  In Japan itself, they have moved from paperback Manga to digital Manga – delivered directly to your mobile phone.   The digital Manga has been modified for mobile phone use – for example, you view one frame at a time, and you have autoscroll-like slideshow functions.  They even have the ability to shake your phone during action scenes – so the “Kapow!” really packs a punch!

The other force driving the popularity of digital Manga is the price – they are available at between US 40 cents to 60 cents per story. I know of at least one company trying to replicate the model in the US – Beamable Digital Comics. Their comics cost US$1 per “issue”, and they have a comics reader application for Palm OS, Pocket PC, Windows and Java clients. However, their selection appears quite limited at the moment.

Hopefully we’ll see more content in comic form for mobile phones in the near future. Mobile phone screens are continuously improving, and comics are a great form of easy digestible content – perfect for 2-3 minute breaks. I’d definitely love to read Shooting War or Alien Loves Predator on my Treo.

[ via Web Japan ]

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