TOKYOPOP's "Pilot Program"

From TOKYOPOP's "Pilot Program" series The Hidden

So TOKYOPOP has their own Zuda-like webcomics thingie: Pilot Program.

I didn't even realize they were hosting webcomics.

As their site specifies, Pilot Program is not a competition, but more of a "proving ground" in which comments and feedback by fans help direct editorial as to what comic should go on to a full-length run:

"Manga Pilots: You Read and Review--You Help Decide What We Publish!

TOKYOPOP is launching an exciting new stage in our manga development program--and we need your help. We want YOU to read, review and tell us which TOKYOPOP Manga Pilots should be made into full-length manga.

In this new program, promising manga creators are selected and hired by our editorial team to create a 24-to-36-page “pilot”—a short-form manga that will be used to determine whether or not a full-length manga will be created. The Manga Pilot will be published online for TOKYOPOP community members to review, rate, and discuss.

The Manga Pilot program is not a competition. It's a proving ground that will give manga creators exposure to an enormous audience and help TOKYOPOP develop the next generation of manga superstars. And we want YOU be part of this process. Your positive reviews, for example, may very well catapult a pilot into the stratosphere!"

The flash comic reader mimics real page turning & fits the entire "book" comfortably on the screen. Of course, there is a right-to-left page navigation.

This is on top of the fact that with blogs, private messages, fans, "clans," and more, TOKYOPOP is turning their site into an honest-and-for-true social network. More on that another time -- but it's something I think publishers are going to have to get more and more into.

My pick for Pilot Program?

The Hidden, by Barb Lien-Cooper and Preston Park Cooper.












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