Scott McCloud gives away "The Right Number"

ginohn sez, "Scott McCloud (who understands comics) has put part one and two of his graphic novella online, with a really nice flash interface."

McCloud is the author of the incredible Understanding Comics and the inspiring Making Comics, and I'm always up for whatever he's made.

The Flash UI for this is genuinely novel, cool, and improves the art. I generally hate Flash on websites, but this is an exception.


The Right Number was originally presented in June 2003 using a micropayments system offered by a company called Bitpass, sold for 25 cents each. Since Bitpass ceased operations in January 2007, I'm offering Parts One and Two for free now.

Part Three was delayed due to severe hand strain problems on my part a few years ago and delayed again when I began work on my recent book, Making Comics. I do still hope to finish the third and final chapter and make it available at some point in the future. Part Three will also be offered free through this page. (Sorry for the delay!)"

Link

(Thanks, ginohn!)

Update: Clay Shirky sez,

I had a bit of a trip down memory lane today, seeing your item about McCloud's "The Right Number." Though I am a McCloud fanboy for his graphic work, he and I disagreed, violently, about the likely effectiveness of micropayments back in 2003 (me here, Scott here.) My core thesis was that the internet doesn't turn creators into publishers, it turns them into artists with printing presses, and that the desire of artists for attention would make it hard for them to to voluntarily keep their work opaque, in order to support payment regimes. With McCloud's release of The Right Number, it looks like that prediction came true, even for the staunchest of supporters of the micropayment idea.