Humble Bundle, the website that bundles digital content and offers it to consumers for whatever they wish to pay, is teaming with Image Comics to offer its first all-graphic novel digital bundle. The Humble Image Comics Bundle launches today and for the next two weeks fans can name their own price for digital editions of such bestselling graphic novels as Walking Dead, Fatale, East of West, and Lazarus.
Originally launched as promotional vehicle for videogames, Humble Bundle has expanded its offerings to e-books. While HB has offered comics in its previous e-book bundles, the Image Comics Bundle is the first to offer all graphic novels. Each Humble Bundle is DRM-free and offered online for two weeks and lets users pay what they wish for the bundle, splitting the payment between publisher, a charity of choice and Humble Bundle itself. The site attracts millions of visitors each week and sends out a twice-weekly newsletter to four million subscribers. For this all-graphic novel, Humble Bundle has added a new nonprofit charity, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a first amendment watchdog focused on protecting the rights of comics artists, fans, publishers and retailers.
While there have only been about three e-book bundles, they have been downloaded more than 200,000 times and generated more than $2 million, according to HB. Overall, HB has sold more 15 million bundles, generated more than $80 million in revenue, and raised more than $30 million for charity.
Kelley Allen, director of e-books at Humble Bundle, said that Humble Bundle is launching a “Book Tab” on May 13, a page on the Humble Bundle site dedicated to e-book and audiobook promotions going forward. Beginning May 13 HB will offer two e-book/audiobook bundles every month.
Fans can pay what they wish for the basic Humble Image Comics Bundle which will offer digital editions of East of West Vol. 1, a sci-fi dystopian Western by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta, Lazarus Vol 1. by Greg Rucka, Michael Lark and Santiago Arcas, the story of a future world run by high-tech Mafia families, Morning Glories vol. 1 by Nick Spenser and Joe Eisma, the story of six students at a sinister and deadly prep school, and Fatale Vol 1. By Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, the story of an immortal, supernatural femme Fatale.
If fans pay more than the average donation, they will also unlock access to three more of Image’s most popular graphic novels. The bonus editions include Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples blockbuster bestseller, Saga Vol. 1, a sci-fi/fantasy tale of love and war, Revival Vol. 1 by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton, the story of a Wisconsin town in which the dead have come back to life, and Chew Vol. 1, John Layman and Rob Guillory’s hit series about a police detective that’s a Cibopath or someone who gets psychic impressions from whatever they eat.
And if the fan pays $15, they also unlock Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard’s bestselling zombie graphic novel/TV series the Walking Dead (volume 1 and volume 20), for a total of nine graphic novels. In addition, HB will also offer a “mid-promotion addition,” a week after the graphic novel bundle launches, HB will add three more books (to be named at the time) if the consumer pays more than the average donation.
Allen said that HB plans to offer more graphic novel bundles in the future and added that she hopes the agreement with the CBLDF "is the beginning of a long partnership.”
