New digital comics store taking aim at Amazon

For decades, comic book fans have had only one option for getting digital editions of Spider-Man, Batman, the Transformers or many other colourful characters on the same day they hit comic book shops.

- GEORGE GENE GUSTINES

That platform, Comixology, was acquired by Amazon in 2014 and eventually absorbed into its Kindle service. The takeover left some fans grumbling that comics shouldn't get the same treatment as eBooks.

Now, two industry veterans, David Steinberger and Chip Mosher, are betting they can beat Amazon at e-commerce by catering more intentionally to die-hard comic book fans. Next month, they plan to launch Neon Ichiban, a site they intend to be “a dedicated experience for comics,” Mr Steinberger said, after raising more than $7 million from investors in the game and movie industries.

“Understanding how comic book fans and people who should be fans want to shop and think about and browse doesn’t exist anymore,” he said. “The Comixology app, where you can have all your comics in one place, does not exist anymore. It’s all just part of Kindle.”

It is a head-turning statement from Mr Steinberger, who also founded Comixology — and approved its sale to Amazon. Mr Mosher was the head of content at Comixology.

“At the time, it seemed like the right decision,” Mr Steinberger said. “Our mission was to make everyone on the planet a comic fan, and Amazon clearly had the resources and the population connected to Kindle that we thought would carry that mission.”