"In comics at its best, words and pictures are like partners in a dance and each one takes turns leading."
Scott McCloud (Writer/Artist of Understanding Comics)
My first comic and how you can have your first one too
I’ve been a fan of superheroes ever since I was a kid. However, I never used to read (like at all). I was what comic fans of today would call the “Wikipedia fan” as I would get my knowledge from Wikipedia and whatever movie or game was out.
That all changed back in 2012, I stumbled upon a The Amazing Spider-Man behind-the-scenes disc set. However, the coolest thing in that set was the fact that it came with a copy of The Amazing Spider-Man #6, the first appearance of The Lizard. Steve Ditko’s amazing art style paired with Stan Lee’s hilariously dated, but charming dialogue hooked me and from then on, I have been a massive comic book fan.
Sadly, I didn’t know anyone in real life that also read comics
Quite honestly, comics are not that hard to get into. You don’t have to be an expert, you don’t have to read everything, and there are so many places where you can go to find your first book. To add on to that, it’s easier now than it ever has been to get into them.
So what’s the issue (I’ll show myself out) anyway?
To understand the problem with getting into comics, it’s important to dive into the key issues (I will not let this bit go) with the current perceptions on them and how things are changing for the better:
Manga’s accessibility
People feel overwhelmed with the sheer number of comics
The success of the movies don't always translate to sales
Manga is considered more accessible because of its much simpler and affordable structuring. It was the “Volume 1” of manga versus “Issue #1, but not THAT Issue #1” of comic books. Even with this being said, there is a clear rise in sales over the years and that is thanks to the increased credit given to comics (look at the release of 2025’s Superman for example). How do we take advantage of that?
Going to the batcave for a competitive analysis
There are multiple ways to talk about comics online whether it be Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, etc. There are also several community based apps where discussion is had on various forms of entertainment.
Letterboxd (Influencer)
Great app, but it's only for movies
Considered the staple of online discourse for film
Reddit (Indirect)
So many communities to choose from
Great place to ask any question you have
League of Comic Geeks (Direct)
The current go-to for comic book discourse
A slew of features
Key takeways from analysis
When coming up with a tech solution to navigating the world of comics and analyzing some of the competition, I set some goals of what I believed the app needed to have or accomplish:
The ability to interact with a community of comic readers hardcore or casual (a pro of Letterboxd & Reddit)
A clear and easy to understand UI (a negative of League of Comic Geeks)
Tailoring the app for the unique needs of comic readers (a pro of League of Comic Geeks)
What is a comic column?
Comic columns (or letter columns) have existed for decades and are a huge part of the community. It allows readers to send letters with feedback to their favorite creators on ongoing series. Just like how those letter columns create community between creators and readers, why not bridge the gap between the hardcore fans and casuals?
An early focus on helping people
As soon as I began wireframing, I kept my mission statement in mind. This app is for fans AND newcomers. I have to cater to both. The accessibility of this app was important to me so I did not lose sight of that. See below for early stages of a page where users could find their local store, online stores, and even learn comic lingo.
Look out! Here comes the Comic Column!
The color scheme is based off of comics from the 60s to the 80s.
When fleshing out the app, there were several aspects of it that I had to keep in mind while designing to keep the app new user friendly:
Starting point labels on series.
Star ratings to see what people like or dislike.
Top recommendations for quick access on great books.
A way to see buying options.
Final prototype video
See the story unfold.