Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/2965
September 2009 33 Trends & Technologies n n n n Lydia Antonini, director of digital de- velopment for Warner Premiere, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, oversees DC Comics' motion comics initiative. Se- quence Post is just one of the many com- panies that she works with to bring the artwork to life in the digital age. "We work in partnership with DC Com- ics to identify titles that have meaningful stories and digitally appropriate art," says Antonini. "en we identify a studio that has a particular directorial vision we jointly feel will elevate the adaptation of the print comic into a motion comic." Antonini notes that while Warner Pre- miere's current motion comics slate focuses mainly on the DC assets within the Warner Bros. family, the future is limitless in terms of using motion comics as a way to adapt all comic storytelling to the digital space. "Comic art and storytelling will always be a big part of our entertainment experiences. ey won't be going away, but will be con- tinually adapting to new distribution op- portunities," she adds. New Medium, New Characters Small comic-book companies are also go- ing digital. And, they're using motion com- ics to introduce all-new characters to the connected world. Catastrophic Comics is currently using a combi- nation of 2D and 3D assets for its next motion comic book, Hench- man #9. Sean Cipher, who oversees a staff of seven on the motion com- ics work there, says being able to mix the two provides the team with the freedom to create some visually impressive motion comics that have t heir own unique style and feel. Henchman #9 is a comedy in which characters from various children's stories have to apply for a job before being placed in the appropriate fairy tale. Within this world, the hero starts off cleaning up after superheroes, and he's quickly recruited as a henchman because of his amazing fighting skills. However, he's so good at fighting that he is ruining every fairy tale he's assigned to because nobody can get past him. Cipher said since they're creating the book from scratch instead of taking it from pre-existing 2D images, the team can be more creative with the camera angles and do some impressive moves within the 3D landscape. "e 3D technology allows us to bring The motion comic Henchman #9 uses a combination of 2D and 3D assets.