Acknowledging the popularity and dominance of Comixology as a retail destination for buying digital comics, digital comics vendor Graphicly will halt its storefront operations and cease selling digital comics and focus on its recently launched self-publishing and distribution platform.
In a message sent to users, Graphicly CEO and founder Micah Baldwin said Graphicly will retire its “marketplace applications” for iPhone, iPad and Android and its Adobe Air desktop application.” While Baldwin said “Have we lost our love for comics? No,” but he also said, “we know that comics are just one way to tell great stories; there are many others, and all deserve to be seen.”
In February 2011, Graphicly launched a new automated digital publishing platform that allows publishers or self-publihsers to upload, convert and distribute digital content across a wide range of mobile devices and e-book marketplaces. Since the launch, Graphicly’s new publishing and distribution platform has proved to be very popular. In addition, the decision essentially acknowledges that digital vendor Comixology continues to dominant retail digital comics sales.
Baldwin said that while users will no longer be able to purchase digital comics through its Apple device apps, they will still be able to access and read their comics through the apps as well as through their online Graphicly accounts. Users will also be able to access their comics through the Graphicly Facebook app as well.
