Zuda Comics

Last updated
Zuda Comics
Company type Imprint of DC Comics
Industry Publishing
Founded 2007 (launch)
Defunct2010
Key people
 Paul Levitz
Richard Bruning
Ronald Perazza
Kwanza Johnson
Nika Denoyelle
Dave McCullough
Products Webcomics
Comic books
Parent DC Comics (Time Warner)

Zuda Comics was DC Comics' webcomics imprint from 2007 until 2010. Some of the imprints series won awards and nominations from comic industry's Glyph Comics Awards and Harvey Awards. Bayou, Volume 1 was also named one of the 2010 Great Graphic Novels for Teens by the American Library Association.

Contents

History

In July 2007, imprint was launched to publish new material featuring new characters online. The site's content was chosen by the users through monthly competitions, as "the majority of the web comics will be selected by Zudacomics.com's visitors, who will vote on new web comics presented to them in periodic competitions". [1] The first commissioned ongoing strips and material competing for the public vote were published on October 30 the same year. [2] Zuda removed the competition aspect in April 2010 [3] and in July, soon after the launch of DC's digital comics service, Zuda was closed and folded into the new digital publishing arm. [4]

Competition mechanics

Comic creators were invited to submit their own eight-page comics, and each month ten were selected to compete by editorial. Users could vote for their favorite and the winner received a contract to continue their comic on Zuda. When the contract was filled, if the comic was liked enough it could be renewed for an additional "season". Occasionally an "instant winner" was chosen to receive a contract without having to compete. In July 2008, an "invitational" was held in which losing comics were invited back to compete.

Staff

Jeremy Love and Kwanza Johnson Jeremy Love and Kwanza Johnson.jpg
Jeremy Love and Kwanza Johnson

The Zuda staff consisted of:

Titles

Instant winners

Competition winners

Reception

The initial announced line-up of talent included no prominent webcomics creators, prompting Todd Allen at Comic Book Resources to opine: "[T]he vast majority of the initial creators here have already done print comics. Multiple print comics for the most part, and the majority go back a few years. ... This does not look like ushering in a new generation". He conceded, however, "that they've lined up some strips with professional pedigree for the first batch". [12]

Notes

  1. ↑ "Initial Press Release". Zudacomics.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  2. ↑ Matt Brady (October 24, 2007). "First ten Zuda contestants named". Newsarama . Archived from the original on October 26, 2007.
  3. ↑ Perazza, Ron (April 30, 2010). "Important Site Changes". The Bleed. DC Comics.com . Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  4. ↑ Hudson, Laura (July 1, 2010). "DC Comics Closes Down the Zuda Comics Website". ComicsAlliance . Retrieved Feb 9, 2021.
  5. ↑ Talking Zuda with Paul Levitz Archived July 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , Newsarama, July 9, 2007
  6. ↑ ZudaComics Posts Contracts – Submissions Are A Go, interview with Paul Levitz, Newsarama, September 21, 2007
  7. 1 2 DC Announces Zudacomics.com Archived July 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , interview with Ron Perazza and Richard Bruning, Newsarama, July 9, 2007
  8. ↑ Jeremy Love's Bayou Named Aa Zuda's First "Instant Winner" Archived October 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , Newsarama, October 25, 2007
  9. ↑ "Zuda Comics Names the Night Owls as Newest Instant Winner" [ permanent dead link ], Newsarama, December 14, 2007
  10. ↑ "LaMorte Sisters' Vampire Orphanage Comes to DC – Headlines". Broken Frontier. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  11. ↑ "Zuda Weekly: Interview with Team ELDRITCH!". 5 May 2010.
  12. ↑ Zuda's established talent search Archived 2007-11-06 at the Wayback Machine , Comic Book Resources, October 25, 2007

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