What’s better than comic books? Comics that move. That’s the belief behind the burgeoning trend of motion comics, which Marvel joins Wednesday with its first issue of the rebooted Spider-Woman series.

Motion comics, crudely put, are usually Flash versions of their paper counterparts enhanced by voice-over narration, musical scores, camera pans and other cinematic tricks. In other words, animation.

“We’re using the motion comics medium to tell brand new stories that can appeal to so many different people,” said John Dokes, Marvel’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Additionally, we’re turning classic paper comic series into Marvel motion comics and exposing this next generation to some of the greatest creators and top moments in Marvel history.”

The new Spider-Woman follows up on the nefarious narratives of Marvel’s New Avengers and Secret Invasion. The series, which will be released as both motion comic and in the traditional format, lets Eisner-winning writer and self-professed Spider-Woman superfan Brian Michael Bendis take a shot at the story of Jessica Drew Spider-Woman’s alter ego from when the character originally appeared in 1977. The panels and covers are supplied by Bendis’ frequent collaborator Alex Maleev, while acclaimed artist Alex Ross also supplies a cover for the first issue (viewable below).

Marvel’s a bit late to the motion comics game. Last year, Warner Bros. and DC Comics rolled out motion comics for Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen, as well as Batman and Superman titles. From television’s Heroes to Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts to Stephen King’s short story N, the motion comic has rumbled to life as digital distribution has provided a platform to spread comics to laptops and iPhones.

But the emphasis of this brave new digital iteration is on movement, as the Spider-Woman trailer above illustrates nicely. Motion comics can pulse into life more quickly than their pulp counterparts, which is one benefit of the medium. Another plus? A lighter carbon footprint. They’re also cheaper: Most major motion comics top out on iTunes at around $2, while the pamphlet versions still run twice that. (Spider-Woman will cost just $1 during a two-week introductory period. Then the price rises to $2 a pop.)

The emerging digital model is still experiencing birth pangs, but it would seem fair to stop using the term motion comics and instead call them what they are, which is animation. For decades, comics have functioned as elaborate storyboards for possible movies, but have existed in a space apart from cinema. Moore and Gibbons’ Watchmen was a great example of that: Its ambitious layouts took readers’ eyeballs on tangential journeys from one space to another in ways that films simply cannot match. Ever since the comics series arrived in 1986, nearly everyone asked when it was going to be turned into a film. (2009 was the answer to that question.)

But old-school fans of eye-popping art and labyrinthine narratives will be hard-pressed to give up their paper copies for Flash animations with sweeping scores. Part of comics’ inherent charm was the soundtrack, voiceover or extra-textual material they inspired in readers’ heads. By doing that job for them, motion comics could alienate as many readers as they excite.

What’s your take on the trend? Are you a die-hard fan of the old-school printed comics? Do you think motion comics are a fad, or the future of comics in the digital age? Let us know in the comments section.













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