Cartoonist John Gallagher, creator of the popular self-published kid’s comic Buzzboy, has released Buzzboy: Sidekicks Rule, a new graphic novel about the tween super sidekick, in three different formats this month. The book is being published as a print graphic novel by Red Giant Entertainment; as a digital comic through Gallagher’s iPad app and as a web comic serial on Keenspot.com.
Buzzboy is an ongoing kid’s superhero comic that Gallagher has self-published for a decade through his own Sky Dog Press. In this case, Gallagher was approached by Red Giant publisher Benny Powell about issuing the print edition as well as distributing the book as a serialized webcomic through its media partner/principal Keenspot.com. Red Giant is a multi-faceted media company offering print, development, production, licensing and marketing services.
Gallagher will release a digital version of the book through iTunes and his Comic Book Jukebox, an iPad app created with fellow cartoonist Steve Conley, that offers both for-pay and free kid-friendly comics, including Buzzboy and other age-appropriate comics. Gallagher said that making the comic easy to find in a variety of media was critical and expected by consumers in today’s digital marketplace. An Android version of the Comic Book Jukebox is in the works.
“I read Calvin and Hobbes every day in the newspaper when it was originally ran, but that didn’t stop me from purchasing collections of the comics in the bookstore,” said Gallagher. “I don’t think today’s audience cares where the story is told, be it on the web, in a book, or on the side of a building—as long as it is where they want to read it.”
Gallagher has long believed that his combination of fun, lighthearted comics for kids along with improved distribution will bring him new readers. “I’ve always focused on creating comics that everyone can enjoy,” said Gallagher, “and this lets me reach out to people other than the average comic book fan—essentially, the 200 million people who aren’t going into comics shops.”
