One major perk of the transmedia ecosystem is the way interactive content can be used to expand upon and enrich the world of a show. And one of the most intriguing ways interactive content has been used to that end has been through the digitalization of a rather old-fashioned medium: the comic book.

AMC has been a leader in this regard, releasing digital comic books for “Walking Dead,” “Breaking Bad,” and more recently, for “Turn,” which premiered on Sunday. Over the course of “Breaking Bad’s” run alone, the network put out a total of three digital comic books, with the last installment surfacing during the lead-up to the show’s final eight episodes. The brief but dense online volume efficiently and eerily recapped the previous four-and-a-half seasons by way of a graphical journey through Walt’s twisted mind as he relived the chaotic series of events that had brought him to the final act.

“Turn: Origins” marks the first time AMC has released a comic book before a show has premiered. Reflecting on its creation, Mac McKean, SVP of digital media for AMC, told Brief that “Turn” is “the type of show that could appeal to the type of person that really enjoys comic books. It’s a spy thriller. It has a lot of action. It has a great story, and it’s kind of it’s own immersive world – the world of the revolutionary war.”

Written by one of the show’s own writers, LaToya Morgan, and illustrated by seasoned comic book artist Steve Ellis, “Turn: Origins” digs into the backstories of the members of the series’ focal point, the Culper spy ring. From the vibrantly impressionistic feel of the drawings all the way to the fluid in-house comics reader AMC built to display its comic books, every aspect of the publication oozes quality.

“We do it at a very high professional level,” said McKean. “At a level that would appeal to true comics fans. We worked with the show very closely. This comic was written by the show. LaToya Morgan scripted the comic, with [show creator] Craig Silverstein’s blessing and oversight and input. We worked with them to produce it but it was very much their creative vision.”

McKean said he expects many fans of the show to stumble across the comic book after the series’ premiere. While it’s release prior to the debut did prompt a bit of buzz, McKean is quick to point out that “Turn: Origins” is “promotion in a way, but it is also a piece of content… It’s not a naked promotional play like an advertisement or something like that. It’s like, ‘Turn’ is a spy thriller taking place during the revolutionary war. It’s pretty cool and if you’re into comics you’d be attracted to this great looking book and start to read it and go ‘hey this is a pretty cool world and I do know want to know more about it.’”

Tags:


  Save as PDF