Inkblazers.com (formerly MangaMagazine.net) was an international comic platform helping to monetize webcomics and manga.[1] The company had offices in Boston, Massachusetts and Bangkok, Thailand. It was founded in 2011 by Victor Chu and Bancha Dhammarungruang, and received $1 million in seed funding.[2] Inkblazers.com supported artists via paid subscription, merchandise sales, and ads sales. It also offered free online comic and manga hosting without requiring artists to give up rights to their works.[3]

In an interview, co-founder Victor Chu said that the company aimed to provide the technology behind online comics publishing, in terms of hosting, promotion of great titles, monthly sponsorship and print on demand book publishing.[4][5] The company was more a service provider to independent artists and this sets them apart from other e-comics initiatives.[6][7]

Crowdsourcing

Inkblazers.com took a crowdsourcing approach to publishing.[8] Key benefits of crowdsourcing drove the company's decisions included:

1. Fan support for authors.
2. Data backing up decisions on marketing and content rights acquisition.
3. More sales resulting from content aggregation.[9][10]

Furthermore, the website created an environment in which authors and member contributors can interact and share advice as well as an area in which project collaborations become possible.

Inkblazers shut down on February 1, 2015, as the creators could no longer financially support the continuation of the site, causing many members to search for another webcomic site.

References

  1. ↑ Aoki, Deb (December 29, 2012). "Making a Living in Manga: Part 5 5 Ideas for Fixing America's Manga-Making Economy". About.com. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  2. ↑ Annear, Steve (June 6, 2013). "Harvard Alum Plans on 'Disrupting' the Comic Book Publishing World". Boston Magazine. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  3. ↑ "MangaMagazine.Net Aims to Pay Contributors to Provide Free Comics Online » Comics Worth Reading". Comics Worth Reading. December 21, 2012. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  4. ↑ "292 Manga Magazine TGT Media". Two Geeks Talking. February 11, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  5. ↑ Raymundo, Neil (June 30, 2013). "Toonbarn Feature: Interview with MangaMagazine.net's Victor Chu". Toonbarn. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  6. ↑ "An Interview With Victor Chu of MangaMagazine.net". Muse Hack. July 8, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  7. ↑ "An Interview With Victor Chu of MangaMagazine.net". Comics Bulletin. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Manga Magazine takes a crowdsourced approach to publishing". Techie.com. May 28, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  9. ↑ Chu, Victor (July 8, 2013). "How crowdsourcing turned a comic fan's fantasy into a reality". Nerd Reactor. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Crowdsourcing: Why Publishers Should Rethink Content Acquisition". July 1, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
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