Dennis the Menace on Your Mobile Phone

Comments ⁴

1. Rich

   ROK comics is an interesting approach using alternate media. I’m participating in it, but time will tell how viable it is. I think it, or one like it, will work. It is especially well suited to strip comics (vs. single-panel). Since I mostly do single panel, this is a stretch for me. If your interested, it’s very easy to sign-up and put out a few trial cartoons and see what you think. FYI

2. John Platt

   It’s worth noting that this is the British “Dennis” from Beano magazine, not Hank Ketcham’s famous creation from our side of the ocean.

3. Rich

   I didn’t realize that, but they are also running with Garfield, Doonesbury, and some other big name syndicated cartoons, while encouraging pro and free cartoon submissions of all kinds.

4. John Freeeman

   Thanks for the link to the Times article. If anyone has questions about ROK Comics, please feel free to get in touch with me via the customer services e-mail on the site.

   We took a decision early on to provide a platform not just ‘expected’ licensed content but run it side by side with independent creators work. We’re also promoting some independent strips (like Rich’s) on WAP subscriber sites we’re creating solely for ROK’s telecom partners in countries like Pakistan, where there is interest in comics but, as I understand it, only a small comics industry and access to net services is via mobile rather than PC. Creators receive revenue shares on these services too, as well as downloads from the main web and wap sites.

   One reaction to the project we get a lot is that ‘regular’ don’t want to read comics on their phones, and as a former editor for Marvel and Titan, and a big comics fan myself, I can understand that: but we don’t expect mobile comics to replace printed ones, just supplement them and, in some countries, actually introduce some comics and comic creators to an audience they may never have been seen by before.

   It’s all early days but we’re genuinely pleased by the response so far, and the encouragement and suggestions from creators involved has been absolutely fantastic.