Comic books and graphic novels delve into digital

Comic book visionaries are bringing their favorite characters to the iPad, in a multitude of ways, according to TrendCentral:

DC Comics’ Same Day Digital, now releases digital versions of their comics simultaneously with print editions. Available for iOS devices, Android handsets, and PCs, the comics are initially priced the same as the printed books ($2.99), but drop by $1.00 after four weeks. DC timed its digital launch with The New 52, a reboot of 52 iconic characters with updated stories, costume redesigns and a series reset to issue #1.

Chris Ware’s new work, Touch Sensitive, is a 99-cent comic available within the free McSweeney’s app -- which is great way to connect with a specific audience. Available only on the iPad, the 14 swipe-able pages of art and animation feature Ware’s trademark social commentary, contemporary layout, and annular characters.

And digital comics leader IDW Publishing, who offers several comic storefront apps, now has the largest collection of graphic novels available in the iBooks store to date. Titles include Dead Space, Dragon Age, and G.I. Joe: Hearts & Minds, all of which utilize the new fixed-layout ePub format, for $6-$10 a pop.

Do you enjoy digesting comics digitally?

The Art of Writing

The majority of my time at my job is spent working on a computer, typing. Whenever November comes around and I attempt to write holiday cards, it is not uncommon for me to literally get a cramp in my hand. How pathetic!

I wanted to share this awesome project, because many people are in a similar situation to mine-- the art of writing is slowly dying.

Ecriture Infinie is an art project by Bili Bidjocka: eight giant-sized books made of blank, silent pages placed around the world one at a time. Each installation includes a large writing desk, a lamp, a pen. One by one, people approach the pages and leave their mark. They are invited to write as if it were the last time they could write by hand. The focus is not so much on the words, but on the gesture, the flow of the pen on paper, recorded on video. When each book is completed, it is sealed, wrapped, and hidden in a secret place, as in a time capsule. Will the people who will find the books in thousands of years be able to decipher it?

Track the travel of the current eighth book here.

20 re-imagined book covers from Flavorwire

Under the influence of characters, setting, and plot, a number of artists have recreated book covers of some of the most beloved literature. Check out 20 of Flavorwire's top picks inspired by the likes of J.D Salinger, The Brothers Grimm and Roald Dahl here.

Borrow Kindle books from your library

File this under "A" for "Amazing" or "Amazon." You can now check out a Kindle book from your local library by grabbing it from their website (already 11,000 libraries are down with the program) and read it on any generation Kindle device or free Kindle reading app. Don't worry, when you borrow a Kindle public library book, you'll still have access to all the unique features of Kindle books. And after it expires, if you check it out again or choose to purchase it from the Kindle store, all of your annotations and bookmarks will be preserved!

Your bed time story just got 100 times cooler

The Infinite Adventure Machine (prototype 01) from David Benqué on Vimeo.

You've got to check out this bedtime story ipad app being funded by Microsoft (called Infinite Adventure Machine). The creators set out to explore the links between imagination and computation. Tales and myths; the core narratives of human culture, have been transmitted for generations through various technologies and media. So they were curious about what new forms might they take through digital formats and artificial intelligence.

This app takes 31 different narrative elements from tons of fairytales to initiate story plots. The user then uses their imagination to fill in the details, or can reload the page for another story plot. Is it really a bedtime story app if you never want to go to sleep?

(Via @brandflakes)

Check out a "living book"

In an effort to combat budget cuts and ebooks, City Centre Library in Surrey, British Columbia, which is scheduled to open next month, has created the first ever "living books" program.

Basically in addition to bound volumes, the library will also provide residents with access to people. The librarian staff will maintain a list of local residents who have volunteered to share their knowledge of any topic, and other library patrons can make appointments for 30-45-minute conversations.

According to Good.is, librarian Ravi Basi told CTV British Columbia that the Surrey library staff initially imagined the living books initiative as a way to break down barriers between people of different races or religions, but people with interesting careers, life experiences, or academic research topics would make good volunteers as well.

The library is connecting local neighbors in a social atmosphere and advocating for open-knowledge sharing. My only question is how long until this hits the US?

A new kind of ink book

McSweeney's brand new children's imprint has a book coming out in December that you'll want to get your hands on- literally. Remember those cool hypercolor tshirts you wore when you were in elementary school that changed color when you touched them? Well, the book equivalent has been created!

Keep Our Secrets by Jordan Crane will be printed with thermally-activated color-changing ink that lets kids discover hidden illustrations as the heat from their fingers rubbing the pages causes some ink layers to become transparent (check out the video below). It's a fun way to encourage children to learn and explore on their own.

In an industry ripe for innovation, we're seeing some exciting changes recently. Push Pop Press, acquired earlier this year by Facebook set out to re-imagine books on the iPad. Now we've got a publisher re-inventing the wheel with a hard-cover. How would you change books to enhance the way we interact with them?