Just one day after the release of three enigmatic teasers (see "Teasers for New Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin Comic"), comes the announcement that the first 32-page installment of the 10-issue, old-school-length maxiseries The Private Eye is available for downloading at PanelSyndicate.com where it is can be purchased at a Radiohead-like "Name Your Own Price" in a number of DRM-free formats including CBR, CBZ and PDF.  Getting rid of the DRM elements should be a hit with fans since it makes the download much easier for consumers to collect and use, but it also opens the door to "free" distribution by second parties that could quickly erode revenues.

In a message to readers on the PanelSyndicate site, Vaughan noted that all the money earned by the first issue will go to the creators to defray the costs of production of subsequent issues (and to compensate the creators for their work).  He also stated rather categorically "Sorry, no plans for it to ever be in print."

 

The Private Eye, a serialized sci-fi detective story, examines one aspect of superheroes that ordinary people might in fact be able to acquire.  It is set in a future in which everyone has a secret identity. No superpowers, but lots of masks.

 

The Private Eye, which was written by Vaughan, drawn by Marcos Martin, and colored by Muntsa Vicente, is available (so far) in English, Spanish, and Catalan.  Its release marks what could be a landmark effort to exploit the Internet-enabled world market for digital comics by creators selling directly to the public without benefit of publishers, distributors, or retailers.  The "name-your-own-price" gambit certainly worked for Radiohead, though it has hardly become the music industry norm.  It should be interesting to see how it works out in the world of comics.