Now Available - The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 2

The second volume of "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit" is up and running!  From the book's description:

"Bruno the Bandit is at it again! Within these pages is another dozen stories from the long-running webcomic (www.brunothebandit.com) by Ian McDonald. What happens when the outcome of every situation truly depends on the roll of the die? What if Bruno went legit and joined the Rothland Imperial Guard? Who is Sour Ron and what connection does he have to Bruno's past? Most importantly, what is the senses-shattering secret of "The Babe" and what will Bruno do to find out? The answers to these questions and more lie in wait inside! Read on as once again, some of the best comics on the web become some of the funniest comics in self-publishing!

Featuring a fantastic cover by classic Conan artist Geof Isherwood and pinups by a talented roster of independent artists, this second volume is sure to amuse and delight you!"

This volume collects some of my personal favorites of the early stories, including the Bill Watterson inspired "Sour Ron" and "Clonin" in which Bruno meets Rothland's version of a certain fur diaper wearing wilderness-enhanced individual.  In addition, it's got some great new art, not least of which is our cover by legendary Conan artist Geof Isherwood, a new Table of Contents illustration by Ian McDonald himself, and pinups by Mike DeStasio, Mike LeGan, Danos Philopolous and John McDowell, as well as a few spot illustrations by my own industrious self.  It's packed cover to cover with bandit-y goodness and I think Bruno fans old and new will really enjoy it.

"The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit, Vol. 2" is available through these stores right NOW!

Print: 
Createspace

Digital:
DriveThruComics
Wowio Comics

Coming soon:
MyDigitalComics
Kindle

While you're at it, don't forget our other books that are still available, including "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 1" and "Why Comics?" (a free comic at our Wowio store).

Run out and grab a copy of Brutal Blade Vol. 2 right now, then come back here and tell me what you think of it.  We'd love to hear from you!

Distributor Profile: MyDigitalComics

Digital distributor MyDigitalComics is one of the new kids on the block when it comes to selling comics online.  Nevertheless, in their early stages, they've managed to put together an impressive roster of publishers willing to sell in their market.  Boom Studios, Devil's Due, Dynamite, Top Cow and Twomorrows top the list of recognizable names in their array...not to forget our own humble presence.  Besides "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit", you will find such titles as "28 Days Later", "Farscape", "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" and "Witchblade".  Even better, some of the top titles have free issues in their "Free Products" section.  There you can sample issues from "28 Days Later" (well worth a look), "Alter Ego", "Back Issue" and "Darkness" among many others. 
MDC may be new, but they've clearly got some chops.  The front page is clean and fast-loading, and nicely highlights their featured titles.  The rest of the site is easy to navigate and the follow-through to purchasing is quick and easy. 
The feature that really sold this service for me was their choice of formats.  Like Wowio and DriveThru, MDC offers their books in pdf format.  In addition, there is an option to read the entire book online (once you've paid, natch!) and...here's the kicker...they sell cbz files.
Much embraced by comic pirates everywhere, the cbz format is basically just a zipped folder of jpg images that can be read in a lovely full-screen interface using programs like CDisplay (my own preference) or any number of other viewers.  It is, of necessity, a DRM-free format that is very portable and easy to navigate.  I've used the format under several flavors of Windows dating back to Windows 95, as well as on WinCE, Linux and lately on iOS, all using free software.  Due to its wide acceptance, admittedly thanks to the aforementioned comic pirates, it is a format that I think any digital publisher should consider using.  There's a built-in demographic tied in to the format that I don't think has been properly approached yet.  A service like MDC is a real step forward in leveraging that audience.
Of course, MDC is still far from perfect.  This is understandable as it's new and has room to grow.  They need time to build their catalog, and they are clearly in need of more big-name first run books.  Their own promotion is not as extensive as it should be, nor do they offer any built-in promotional tools for publishers like DriveThru does.  Also, they lack a proper reporting tool for sales, which is something essential to any publisher who cares about their product.  I'm hoping and betting that all of this will come together in time.

Nevertheless, for what they do have, MDC is a great service.  I highly recommend trying out their online reader with one or more of their free books, just to see if you don't agree with how easy it is to use.  Of course, I also highly recommend buying a copy of "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit", in any format, but especially in cbz.  For the price, it's a great way to get an introduction to the format, and to try out digital comics if you've never done so before.

Digital Comics!

I'm pleased to announce that AIM Comics has just signed a publisher agreement with My Digital Comics for distribution through their service.  This is important to me because they offer an option to download their books in .cbr format, which I've been looking for since I started this thing.
The .cbr format is kind of the mp3 of digital comics.  It's a DRM-free, highly portable and user friendly format that works with some of the best comics readers out there (such as my own personal favorite, CDisplay).  One of my goals at the outset was to make the offerings from AIM Comics available in as many formats in as many places as possible so that they will be available to anyone who reads comics in any format.  Thanks to My Digital Comics, I'm a huge step closer to that goal.
As with our other digital distributors, Wowio and DriveThru Comics, we'll be in good company at MDC, who boast work from publishers such as Top Cow and Boom Studios.  I'm really looking forward to seeing "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit" among their offerings when we go live before month end.  Meantime, you would do well to go to MDC's site and check out their other offerings.  In addition to the books they have for sale, there is a great selection of free books to be downloaded or read online, so you can really get a taste for what they can offer.

Now, if only I could find a way to get this stuff on iOS that won't cost me an arm and a leg.  If anyone's got any suggestions, please feel free to email me; I'd love to hear about it.