DC’s Zuda Shutters Website, Shrinks Lineup

Bleeding Cool was the first to notice it, and there's no official word from DC yet, but Zuda creators on Twitter are commenting a great deal about something bad happening to them today. 

At the same time, we just received a press release from DC stating www.zudacomics.com will be shut down immediately, and that select Zuda titles will be available through their comiXology app, as well as the Playstation Network.  First issues are free, and subsequent issues will go for $.99.  They're starting with Bayou by Jeremy Love, as well as High Moon by David Gallaher and Steve Ellis.

Later titles will include Black Cherry Bombshells, Azure, Bottle of Awesome, Supertron, and Lily of the Valley.

Ron Perazza, who heads Zuda, posted this explanation on the Zuda blog.  You may remember that they ended their competition a month or so ago, and now, they're shutting it down in its existing form entirely. 

"As for the site, from 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"

I think Zuda was a noble and valuable experiment, and one that was always an uphill battle in terms of actually making money for DC Comics.  We can look at some of their successes and the careers that were started from Zuda, and that's a wonderful thing. It is sad that yet another avenue of "breaking in" to comics will be closed, but it's also important to remember that another will open.  People who want to make comics will always have to make it on their own one way or another. 

Comments

  1. I hope High Moon continues to be made and collected in tpb form. This is one of the best comics today in any sense, and it would be a shame if it came to an end.

  2. I loved the idea of Zuda. A democratic way for people to break into comics. Seems like it did more for "nobodies" than for the publisher so it was a business decision. Too bad, but like you said Josh, something else will spring up again. 

  3. Ouch. CMX and Zuda gone, and Vertigo getting a few series cancelled (most notably Swamp Thing). I’m a bit worried.

  4. Swamp Thing wasn’t actually a series. It never started.

  5. Makes sense that this would happen, with apps and whatnot being "in" Not the end of the DC webcomics world. In fact, looks like Zuda will be going for $$

  6. Vertigo publishes 3 of my favorite comics, not to mention the ones that they published before. I hope it never goes away!

  7. I picked up the first volume of The Night Owls and really liked it. Hopefully, it will continue in some form.

  8. "Shink" sounds like a gentler "shank." 

  9. Is anybody even REMOTELY surprised by this? I’m pretty sure Josh said something hilarious that forshadowed it’s end a few months back…

    now if i can only remember what it was…

    I’m never good at repeating these…, the humor is clearly lost in translation.