Valentine, the fantasy / thriller graphic novel series created by Alex de Campi (the Eisner-nominated Smoke ) and Christine Larsen, will be the first original mobile comic to be released in a mind-shattering 12 different languages!
Fully adapted for multiple mobile platforms – including the iPhone, Android, Kindle, various additional eReaders and even laptops – Valentine has additionally been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Irish (Gaelic), Polish, Hebrew, Serbian (Serbo-Croatian), Japanese, and Chinese!
As a non-traditional comic, Valentine was conceived right from the start as a screen-by-screen reading experience, taking advantage of mobile transitions and the flexibility offered by devices that allow for left-to-right languages (traditional Western) as well as right-to-left (such as Japanese). Nevertheless, for those who love print, Valentine was made with an inevitable print release in mind, and will be a collected into graphic novel form late next year.
For both a sample of the comic and synopses of the series in the numerous different translations, visit the Many Languages of Valentine page!
BREAKING NEWS!! – This just in, as I type up this Press Release, author Alex de Campi has confirmed a 13th Language for Valentine – Dutch. As if the series wasn’t already breaking foreign language debut records across the board!
Creative Commons
Valentine is being released under the Creative Commons license, meaning that if any savvy readers should manage to get their hands on a shared or otherwise free copy of the comic outside official channels, please enjoy the book with our blessing! And spread the word (and the comic) everywhere you can. If you really like the comic, then please consider supporting the creators by purchasing the book on the marketplace of your choice, or by offering a donation at the Valentine website.
Synopsis
- The First Full Panorama – Click to enlarge
During Napoleon’s retreat from Russia in the War of 1812, cavalry officers Valentine and Oscar are separated from the main army by a brutal blizzard. They think the worst thing waiting out there in the snow for them is Death. They could not be more wrong.
The two soldiers stumble across an ancient conflict between beings more powerful than humanity can imagine, a conflict which now threatens to consume the Earth and all upon it – because those who have stood in the horror’s path, the few bastions of light, are going home.
The debut episode of the acclaimed fantasy / thriller graphic novel series by comics writer Alex de Campi and artist Christine Larsen.
Debuting on iPhone, Android, and Kindle
Robot Comics will release Valentine on the Android and iTunes marketplaces in mid-to-late December, 2009, starting with the English language version. Then roughly one new language per week, starting with the more popular languages. On iTunes, the comics will be one individual app per language, with the ability to purchase future issues of the same language within the application itself. For the Android, the comics will be one app per language per issue, as Android does not allow for in-app purchases yet.
Writer Alex de Campi will additionally release the book for the Amazon Kindle, independently, around the same time as the Robot Comics iTunes and Android English Language debut.
Never Tried a Mobile Comic Before?
Free Online iPhone Simulator of Valentine #1
Then you may want to enjoy a preview of Valentine on our special Online iPhone simulator over at the Valentine website. The simulator isn’t nearly as immersive an experience as reading the comic on the proper device, but it’s a great way to get an initial feel for a whole new visual reading experience!
Preview
About Alex de Campi and Christine Larsen
Alex de Campi’s first graphic novel, Smoke, was nominated for an Eisner, and she has since written bande dessinée series for French publisher Humanoids, as well as girls’ manga series for Tokyopop. She directs music videos and experimental films, which you may see here. You can find her online on twitter and facebook and via her regular Bleeding Cool column, Uncanny Valley Girl.
Christine Larsen is a freelance illustrator by trade with a BFA in Illustration & Design from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia. She currently does work for some well and lesser known clients (both digital and print), including Zuda Comics, Ape Entertainment and Applehead Factory. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter, or read her interesting blog, where you will find sketches, project updates and other fun stuff.
For more information on the creators of VALENTINE, visit the Valentine Website.
About Robot Comics
Robot Comics publishes mobile comics for hand-helds such as Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch, Google’s Android mobiles, Nintendo DSi and Amazon’s Kindle. It is one of first and few mobile comic publishers who offer titles specifically designed and formatted to be read on e-devices. For more information contact: contact@robotcomics.net
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February 22nd, 2010 at 9:05 am
[...] release follows closely on the heels of Robot Comics’ Valentine, released in a whopping twelve languages simultaneously. If this is a trend, I like [...]
February 22nd, 2010 at 9:47 am
[...] We got a nice little mention over at Scott McCloud’s site. Apparently we aren’t the only ones releasing a series in multiple languages simultaneously. [...]
February 25th, 2010 at 9:11 am
Could you please make it clear to everyone which Creative commons license is used?
Thanks.
February 25th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Valentine uses a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States license. The full text can be found here: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/
This was something that was not correctly clarified in the original release, but it’s now clearly specified in the official website: http://www.valentinethecomic.com/
May 2nd, 2010 at 2:53 pm
This blog is very interesting