InkyPen

Last updated
InkyPen
InkyPen logo.jpg
Developer(s) InkyPen
Platform(s) Nintendo Switch
ReleaseDec 17, 2018

InkyPen is a subscription based comics and manga reading application on the Nintendo Switch, launched worldwide in most regions on December 17, 2018. [1] Developed by a Norwegian startup company located in Norway also under the name of InkyPen. [2]

Contents

History

InkyPen developers attended GDC before launch on March 20, 2018. [3] InkyPen launched on the Nintendo Switch on December 17, 2018, being one of the few non-gaming application launched on the Nintendo Switch [4]

InkyPen launched update 1.2.0 [5] on March 16, 2020, allowing for reading in vertical mode while including performance updates.

InkyPen partnered with Kodansha USA on April 27, 2020 to provide manga through the InkyPen service. [6] They also partnered with Rain Games and Studio Foglio to announce that InkyPen will assist Rain Games in adding a comics reader to the announced Girl Genius: Adventures in Castle Heterodyne video game. [7] This arrangement also allowed for the Girl Genius comics to be freely readable on InkyPen.

Partnerships

InkyPen has comics from publishers, Valiant Comics, Dynamite, IDW, Titan Comics, Humanoids Inc, Archie Comics, Studio Foglio, Dark Horse Comics, Andrews Mcmeel Universal, Papercutz, Daniel Lieske, Zilo Media, TPub Comics, Ubisoft Entertainment, Soaring Penguin Press, Snowcastle Games.

Related Research Articles

Phil Foglio American cartoonist

Philip Foglio is an American cartoonist and comic book artist known for his humorous science fiction and fantasy art.

<i>Weekly Shōnen Jump</i> Japanese manga magazine

Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. It is the best-selling manga magazine, as well as one of the longest-running, with the first issue being released with a cover date of August 1, 1968. The manga series within the magazine target young teen male readers and tend to consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of series that run in Weekly Shōnen Jump are collected and published in tankōbon volumes under the "Jump Comics" imprint every two to three months.

<i>Girl Genius</i>

Girl Genius is an ongoing comic book series turned webcomic, written and drawn by Phil and Kaja Foglio and published by their company Studio Foglio LLC under the imprint Airship Entertainment. The comic won the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story three times, has been nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist and twice for Eisner Awards, and won multiple WCCA awards.

Tsutomu Nihei Japanese manga artist

Tsutomu Nihei is a Japanese manga artist. Nihei has been drawing comics professionally since the mid-1990s. In 1995 he was awarded the Jiro Taniguchi Special Prize in that year's Afternoon Four Seasons Award for his submission, Blame. After working as an assistant to veteran comic artist Tsutomu Takahashi, Nihei went on to launch his debut series Blame! in Monthly Afternoon in 1997. Following the success of Blame!, he next penned Wolverine: Snikt! and Biomega. In 2009, Nihei returned to Afternoon to launch what would become his most successful series, Knights of Sidonia. An architectural student, Nihei's early work were mainly wordless, relying on visuals and backgrounds to tell their stories. His cyberpunk-influenced artwork has gained a strong cult following worldwide.

Clip Studio Paint Digital illustration software

Clip Studio Paint, informally known in Japan as Kurisuta (クリスタ), is a family of software applications developed by Japanese graphics software company Celsys. It is used for the digital creation of comics, general illustration, and 2D animation. Clip Studio is a companion program for managing and sharing digital assets, bundled with Clip Studio Paint. The software is available in versions for macOS, Windows, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and Chrome OS.

ComiXology Online comic distribution platform

Iconology Inc., d/b/a ComiXology, is a cloud-based digital distribution platform for comics, with over 200 million comic downloads as of September 2013. It offers a selection of more than 100,000 comic books, graphic novels, and manga across Android, iOS, Kindle Fire, Windows 10, and the Internet. In April 2014, ComiXology became a subsidiary of Amazon.com.

Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC is a publishing company based in New York, USA and a subsidiary of Japan's largest publishing company Kodansha. Established in July 2008, Kodansha USA publishes books relating to Japan, Japanese culture, and manga, the latter under their Kodansha Manga imprint.

Nintendo eShop Digital application distribution platform for the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U and Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service powered by the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS family, and by a dedicated online infrastructure for the Nintendo Switch. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was enabled by the release of a system update that added the functionality to the Nintendo 3DS's HOME Menu. It is the successor to both the Wii Shop Channel and DSi Shop. Unlike on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was made available on the launch date of the Wii U, although a system update is required in order to access it. It is also a multitasking application, which means it is easily accessible even when a game is already running in the background through the system software, though this feature is exclusive to the Wii U and the Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo eShop features downloadable games, demos, applications, streaming videos, consumer rating feedback, and other information on upcoming game releases.

<i>Attack on Titan</i> Japanese manga series by Hajime Isayama

Attack on Titan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It is set in a world where humanity lives inside cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from the gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to as Titans; the story follows Eren Yeager, who vows to exterminate the Titans after a Titan brings about the destruction of his hometown and the death of his mother. Attack on Titan was serialized in Kodansha's monthly shōnen manga magazine Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine from September 2009 to April 2021, with its chapters collected in 34 tankōbon volumes.

Boichi

Boichi is a pen-name used by Mu-jik Park, a South Korean manhwa-turned-manga artist living in Japan.

The Nintendo Network is Nintendo's online service which provides online functionality for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U systems and their compatible games. Announced on January 26, 2012 at an investors' conference, it is Nintendo's second online service after Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Former president of Nintendo Satoru Iwata said, "Unlike Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, which has been focused upon specific functionalities and concepts, we are aiming to establish a platform where various services available through the network for our consumers shall be connected via Nintendo Network service so that the company can make comprehensive proposals to consumers."

Wii U system software Operation system for Nintendos Wii U home video game console

The Wii U system software is the official firmware version and operating system for Nintendo's Wii U home video game console. Nintendo maintains the Wii U's systemwide features and applications by offering system software updates via the Internet. Updates are optional to each console owner, but may be required in order to retain interoperability with Nintendo's online services. Each update is cumulative, including all changes from previous updates.

Manga Box (マンガボックス) is a manga magazine mobile app developed by DeNA. It was launched on December 4, 2013 as free app for iOS and Android devices and as a website platform. The app hosts manga by Kodansha, Shogakukan, and other manga publishers. Mangaka Shin Kibayashi serves as editor-in-chief of the app and pens several of the app's titles under his numerous pseudonyms. In addition to the original manga series run on Manga Box, several of the titles on the app are based on existing works, including Ghost in the Shell, Kindaichi Case Files, Attack on Titan, The Knight in the Area, Space Dandy, Fatal Frame, and Ultraman.

Nintendo Switch Hybrid video game console by Nintendo

The Nintendo Switch is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a tablet that can either be docked for use as a home console or used as a portable device, making it a hybrid console. Its wireless Joy-Con controllers, with standard buttons and directional analog sticks for user input, motion sensing, and tactile feedback, can attach to both sides of the console to support handheld-style play. They can also connect to a grip accessory to provide a traditional home console gamepad form, or be used individually in the hand like the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, supporting local multiplayer modes. The Nintendo Switch's software supports online gaming through Internet connectivity, as well as local wireless ad hoc connectivity with other consoles. Nintendo Switch games and software are available on both physical flash-based ROM cartridges and digital distribution via Nintendo eShop; the system has no region lockout. A handheld-focused revision of the system, called the Nintendo Switch Lite, was released on September 20, 2019. A revised higher-end model, featuring an OLED screen, was released on October 8, 2021.

Notable events of 2011 in webcomics.

Nintendo Switch system software Operating system for the Nintendo Switch video game console

The Nintendo Switch system software is an updatable firmware and operating system used by the Nintendo Switch video game console. Its main portion is the HOME screen, consisting of the top bar, the screenshot viewer ("Album"), and shortcuts to the Nintendo eShop, News, and Settings.

Cygames

Cygames, Inc. is a Japanese video game development studio established in 2011 by CyberAgent. Mobile and E-commerce company DeNA acquired a 24% stake in the studio in 2012, and Nintendo acquired another 5% stake in 2018, leaving CyberAgent with 69% of the shares and as such, they are the parent company of Cygames. From its formation, the company produced mobile games, initially on the Mobage platform, and from 2013 on Android and iOS. The company headquarters is located in Tokyo while other divisions are located in Osaka and Saga in Japan and Seoul, South Korea.

<i>Dont Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro</i> Japanese manga series and its adaptation(s)

Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro is a Japanese web manga series written and illustrated by Nanashi, also known as 774. The web manga began running in Magazine Pocket, an online and app based web manga magazine published by Kodansha, in November 2017. An anime television series adaptation by Telecom Animation Film aired from April to June 2021. A second season has been announced.

Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) is an online subscription service for the Nintendo Switch video game console. Nintendo Switch Online features include online multiplayer, cloud saving, voice chat via a smartphone app, access to a library of Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) games, as well as other promotions and offers. An expanded tier of the service, Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, adds Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games to the library. Through the Expansion Pack the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Happy Home Paradise DLC expansion was also added. Following an interim period where Nintendo offered online multiplayer free of charge, the subscription service officially launched on September 18, 2018, with the expansion released on October 25, 2021. The service is Nintendo's third generation online service after Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and Nintendo Network.

References

  1. "Release Date Dec 17, 2018". www.nintendo.com. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  2. Leger, Henry. "The Norwegian startup is billed as an "all-you-can read comic subscription service for Nintendo Switch",". TechRadar. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  3. "GDC, March 20th, 2019 - InkyPen, the first comic book subscription service exclusive to Nintendo Switch". inky-pen.com. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  4. Valentine, Rebekah. "Nintendo Switch remains dry on non-game content outside of Hulu. But the console will gain another media app in November when comic subscription service InkyPen launches". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  5. "Switch Comic Book App InkyPen Adds Vertical Mode And More In New Update". Nintendo Life. 2020-03-16. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  6. "Kodansha USA Publishing and InkyPen Bring Manga on Demand to Nintendo Switch". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  7. "InkyPen's Girl Genius Comics Available to Read in Nintendo Switch Video Game". CBR. 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2020-12-18.