Comic book legend Alan Moore is diving into the world of digital comics, and launching a new app called Electricomics that will feature original comics, but in a twist, will also be open-access. That will allow other creators to bring their comics to the platform as with an “easy-to-use open source toolkit.” The app is both open source, and free, which opens up the world to comic creators, fans, and even organizations wanting to dip their toes into comic creation.

The app is being put together with the help of Leah Moore, Moore and Mitch Jenkins‘ company Orphans of the Storm, with some financial support from the Digital R&D Fund for the Arts. The app developer is Ocasta Studios.

The goal of the app is to “test the storytelling limits of this unprecedented technology.” They’ll be joining others who are already doing so like Thrillbent and Alex De Campi who was one of the first to take advantage of comiXology’s Guided View.

Electricomics will be a 32-page showcase with four very different original titles:

Big Nemo – set in the 1930s, Alan Moore revisits Winsor McCay’s most popular hero;

Cabaret Amygdala – modernist horror from writer Peter Hogan (Terra Obscura);

Red Horse – on the anniversary of the beginning of World War One, Garth Ennis (Preacher, The Boys) and Danish artist Peter Snejberg (World War X) take us back to the trenches;

Sway – a slick new time travel science fiction story from Leah Moore and John Reppion (Sherlock Holmes – The Liverpool Demon, 2000 AD).

The Digital R&D Fund for the Arts is a £7 million fund to support collaboration between organisations with arts projects, technology providers, and researchers. It is a partnership between Arts Council England, Arts and Humanities Research Council and Nesta.