Sweet Shop is one of the newer digital comics players in the space, starting beta testing this week with “24 of the best shitty publishers” signing on.
Publishers that have signed on include Image Comics, Kodansha, Fantagraphics, Dark Horse, IDW, Manga Mavericks, Ignition Press, and Panic. Image Comic will be available in the beta at launch, and the full publisher list will be available at Sweet Shop.
The invite-only beta launches simultaneously on Android and iOS, but as of this writing, the app is still awaiting approval. Features available at launch include in-app purchases, offline reading, the ability to download DRM-free PDFs, and more. Reader recommendations, deals and bundles, reading lists, and other tools coming soon.
Sweet Shop is the brainchild of Kenny Meyers, whose technology company has already launched several software apps into the comics industry, including BINDINGS, a marketing tool for creators, and Find Your Comic Store, a tool for readers to find physical comic shops. Throughout the app’s development, Meyers has emphasized improving the UX and tools for readers and collectors. And he has some fans along the way.
“I’ve been looking for a digital comics company that’s thinking about how Steam and Letterbox work and how they can bring that to life in comics, so I’m thrilled that Sweet Shop has landed,” Kieron Gillen, bestselling comic book author of Power Fantasy, X-Men, and Young Avengers, said in a statement.
Kelly Sue DeConnick also offered words of praise. “Sweet, um, sweet (sorry!) is the first real, viable vision of a connected comics ecosystem I’ve ever seen that honors creators, readers, and, above all, the brick-and-mortar stores that make our communities possible,” she said. “Sweet Shop feels like it was made for us, not away from us. I don’t really trust technology these days, so I try not to get too ahead of myself, but…to be honest, the people at Sweet have personally proven to me that they have hearts as powerful as their big brains. I’m borderline wild waiting for the beta.”
Lorelei Bunjes, VP of Digital Strategy at Image, also joined in the chorus. “Everyone at Image is so excited to be working with Sweet to literally and meaningfully meet comic book readers where they are. Not only will we make our titles accessible to everyone in the world, but the discovery tools within Sweet will allow our readers to explore and discover new titles they love. We can’t wait for our readers to check out all the comic book adventures we have in store!”
In a nod to staying true to the human DIY ethos behind the comics industry, Myers points out that Sweet Shop doesn’t accept venture capital into development, and therefore doesn’t embrace AI comics.
To join the waitlist for the beta release, creators, publishers, journalists, and comics fans can register the username https://sweetshop.app as features and publishers are rolled out in stages.
In the meantime, I created a video about the beta test with a nice thumbnail.
Something like this:
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