Technology Archives - Graphic Policy

Category Archives: Technology

NYCC 2026: Marvel Launches a New Digital Comic App with Webtoon in November replacing Marvel Unlimited

Posted on October 5, 2026 by Graphic Policy Team Leave a comment

Comic book fans will soon have a new way to discover, read, and follow the stories they love: the new Marvel Comics app. Attendees at New York Comic Con this week will be the first to preview the new app in a booth experience on the show floor at Booth #2435. Officially launching November 16, the new Marvel Comics app will make it easier than ever for fans to find and read the stories they love with a single convenient subscription.

The Marvel Comics app will give fans access to a deep and growing library of current and classic comics from Marvel, Star Wars, and 20th Century Studios, and will continue growing with more features and stories from across Disney’s portfolio. Developed from the ground up by WEBTOON Entertainment for mobile and web, the app is designed to make comic discovery faster, reading more flexible, and ongoing series easier to follow. The Marvel Comics app will include archived comics, current comic book runs, and will support both traditional page-based comics and vertical-scroll formats.

The app will replace the current Marvel Unlimited App. Users of Marvel Unlimited will be able to transfer over their current library, reading progress, redeemed comics and saved issues and will need to do so by December 7, 2026 to be able to validate it migrated successfully from the Marvel Unlimited app. You can find out more information in Marvel’s FAQ with more details to come.

The new app is built for discovery ease and features a dynamic cover-scroll interface that makes thousands of comics browsable at a glance, or turn to personalized recommendations tailored to their reading history and interests. Character and creator pages let fans follow journeys across arcs and storylines, and Pull List surfaces new issues from followed series, characters, and creators the moment they’re available. Fans can also browse upcoming releases to see what’s coming soon and add titles to their Pull List in advance. An enhanced smart panel mode, which zooms in on individual panels, makes every issue easier to follow on mobile devices.

The Marvel Comics app will offer two subscription tiers. The Base tier is $9.99/month (plus tax) or $69.99/year (plus tax) and provides access to the full Marvel Comics digital library, with the latest issues available as soon as 3 months after their print release. For fans who want the latest issues sooner, the Ultimate tier gives access to new comics as soon as 1 month after their print release in addition to the full library. Ultimate will be available for $12.49/month (plus tax) or $99.99/year (plus tax).

Fans can pre-register now and claim a limited-time founding member price of $59.99 (plus tax) for their first year of Ultimate Annual.

Pre-order: $59.99 + tax for year one, charged today. Subscription starts when you redeem your code after service launch, then auto-renews at $99.99 + tax/year until canceled. 18+. Subject to the Founders Offer Terms of Use.

The Marvel Comics App at New York Comic Con

The Marvel Comics app will make its New York Comic Con debut October 8–11 at booth #2435, where fans can get an early look at the beta version of the app, learn more about the upcoming service, and pre-register ahead of the app’s launch on November 16, 2026.

NYCC attendees will also have the opportunity to claim the limited-time founding member price on-site. The first 2,000 fans to claim the offer will receive a limited-edition Marvel Comics print ID card, available exclusively at NYCC.

Founding MemberID Card available at booth #2435 while supplies last; limit one per person. Card designs are subject to availability and may vary.

Neon Ichiban Launches Version 3.0 with In-App Purchasing and Digital Comic Importing and Organizing

Posted on October 5, 2026 by Graphic Policy Team Leave a comment

The buy button is back. Neon Ichiban has announced Neon Ichiban 3.0, bringing in-app comic and manga purchasing back to iPhone and iPad. Beginning today, readers can discover a comic, buy it, and start reading it directly inside the Neon Ichiban iOS app, without being sent to a web browser or separate storefront.

Neon Ichiban features 60,000 titles and 200,000 users and in this announcement has revealed 80% month over month growth.

Launching just two months after Neon Ichiban 2.5, the 3.0 release also brings in-app purchasing to Neon Ichiban’s Android public beta and significantly expands the Mac Desktop beta, where readers can import and organize DRM-free PDF, CBZ, and CBR comics from outside Neon Ichiban—including comics acquired through Kickstarter campaigns, Humble Bundles, publishers, creators, and other sources—alongside their Neon Ichiban library.

WHAT’S NEW IN NEON ICHIBAN 3.0

THE BUY BUTTON IS BACK

Readers can now browse Neon Ichiban’s catalog, select a comic or manga title, purchase it directly through the iPhone or iPad app, and begin reading immediately. For a medium driven by weekly releases, recommendations, covers, creators, and the thrill of finding the next book, removing those extra steps matters.

The restored buy button is also part of Neon Ichiban’s larger goal: creating a digital comics experience built around how fans actually discover, purchase, read, collect, and talk about comics.

The return of in-app purchasing isn’t limited to Apple devices. Neon Ichiban’s Android beta now includes in-app purchasing, allowing Android readers to move directly from discovering a book to buying and reading it without leaving the app. Fans wanting early access to the Neon Ichiban Android in-app purchasing experience can sign up here.

THE MAC DESKTOP BETA IS BUILDING A HOME FOR THE COMICS YOU ALREADY OWN

While Neon Ichiban 3.0 makes buying new comics dramatically easier, its expanding Mac Desktop beta tackles another problem digital comics readers have lived with for years: Where are all the comics you already bought?

For many fans, the answer is: everywhere. Years of Kickstarter campaigns, Humble Bundles, direct-from-creator purchases, and other digital releases have created sizable personal comics collections scattered across downloads folders, external drives and cloud storage. Those files belong to the same reader. But they have rarely felt like the same collection.

The Neon Ichiban Mac Desktop beta is designed to change that. Alongside comics purchased from Neon Ichiban, readers can import existing DRM-free PDF, CBZ, and CBR files, bringing books acquired elsewhere into the same comics-focused library. Rather than pretending those comics don’t exist because they weren’t purchased from Neon Ichiban, the company wants readers to bring them along.

Neon Ichiban is also in the process of integrating the Grand Comics Database into its desktop experience to help identify and categorize imported comics, transforming directories of often inconsistently named files into an organized, browsable collection.

Tapas releases Details of its Closure

Posted on October 1, 2026 by Brett Leave a comment

In late September, news broke that Kakao Webtoon and Tapas were shutting down or possibly transitioning to Kakao Page. Details weren’t released at that time, leaving a lot of questions for readers as well as the creators who use the platform.

Now, in two posts, Tapas has released details for both readers that use the platform and the creators who use it.

Tapas will end its service on March 31, 2027. Users will no longer be able to acquire ink starting October 1, 2026 and any remaining must be used by March 31, 2027.

The FAQ doesn’t have all of the answers, but there is a lot featuring key dates, account access, and information for creators.

There’s no information for easily transitioning from the platform, the platform and its comics will just cease to exist it seems.

The shutdown is another example that highlights the lack of ownership with some digital entertainment and consumers are at the mercy of the corporation and platform.

BookWalker Expands its Webtoon and Manhwa with Ecomix Media Company

Posted on October 1, 2026 by Graphic Policy Team Leave a comment

Promotional image for Ecomix showcasing four new comic titles: 'Living with the Dangerous Beast', 'Villainess Behind the Mask', 'The Maid and the Vampire', and 'To You Who Will Ruin Me'. The announcement highlights extended free chapters and a 30% discount, with a deadline of October 15.

BookWalker has announced a new distribution partnership with Ecomix Media Company. Beginning October 1, 2026, readers can access an extensive collection of Korean webtoons and digital comics directly on bookwalker.com and through the BookWalker apps on iOS and Android.

A true pioneer in the digital comics industry, Ecomix Media Company launched Korea’s very first internet comics service in 1998. With decades of localization expertise and global distribution experience, including its U.S. subsidiary NETCOMICS, Inc., Ecomix brings a rich, diverse library of romance, fantasy, and drama webtoons to BookWalker’s international community.

18 Hit Series Arrive October 1st

The launch lineup features 18 titles spanning popular ongoing serializations and complete binge-worthy series:

Ongoing Series:

Completed Series:

Special Launch Celebration: Extended Free Chapters + 30% OFF

To celebrate Ecomix’s arrival on the platform, BookWalker will host a special launch promotion starting October 1st. Readers can dive into new stories with Extended Free Chapters on select titles and take advantage of a 30% OFF discount across the Ecomix launch catalog for a limited time. View the promotion here!

The Comics App Sweet Shop Officially Opens Its Doors to Comics Fans

Posted on September 24, 2026 by Graphic Policy Team Leave a comment

The digital comics app Sweet Shop has officially opened to comic and manga fans alike, for all of their reading needs.

Publishers available on the app include: Image Comics, Fantagraphics, Dark Horse Comics, Oni Press, IDW Publishing, Ignition Press, Silver Sprocket, Mad Cave Studios, Manga Mavericks, Living the Line, Panic Entertainment, Second at Best Press, Good Trouble Comics, ABLAZE, Alien Books, Avery Hill Publishing, and White Ash Comics.

And joining their stellar list of publishers for launch are: Kodansha, Glacier Bay Books, Titan Comics, Abrams ComicArts, Fanbase Press, Iron Circus Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, and Seven Seas Entertainment.

The Sweet Shop app allows for in-app purchases, creation of wishlists, offline reading, library management, a PDF backup download for DRM-free issues, and is available in 170 countries worldwide on Android and iOS across tablets and phones. Additionally, fans of Sweet Shop will enjoy fast, high resolution in-app reading that transitions between vertical and paging mode. No AI or AI translated comics are allowed on the Sweet Shop app.

To celebrate the much awaited launch, Sweet Shop is offering customers a sweet sale with generous bundles of comics available from day one from Image Comics, Dark Horse, IDW Publishing, Ignition Press, Fanbase Press, Goats Flying Press, Oni Press, and more. And select titles from Kodansha, Avery Hill Publishing, Iron Circus, and Image Comics among others will be featured as part of the launch sale. A portion of the bundle proceeds will go to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC) in support of bookstore and comic shop employees and owners with unforeseen emergency needs.

Developed without the help of venture capitalist aid or angel investments, Sweet Shop was built organically by a group of dedicated comic fans who wanted to answer the questions where do I get started, and what’s next.

Kakao Webtoon and Tapas Shutting Down or Being Merged into Kakao Page?

Posted on September 22, 2026 by Brett

There’s news swirling that Tapas, the U.S. based webtoon platform will soon be shutting down… or is it being consolidated into a new platform? As reported by Maeil Business, Kakao Entertainment is consolidating its webtoon and web novel platforms under Kakao Page. That would mean that Kakao Webtoon and Tapas would be shut down in their current form, and it’s unclear as to what will be moved over to Kakao Page.

Currently Kakao Entertainment runs Kakao Page, Kakao Webtoon, and Tapas, covering webtoons and web novels. Those platforms would instead be merged into Kakao Page. Kakao Page was launched in 2013 while Kakao Webtoon was launched in 2003 by Daum which was acquired by Kakao in 2014. Kakao acquired Tapas and Radish Media in 2021.

The news says the new platform will “enhance the content, user data, artificial intelligence technology and operational capabilities accumulated by each platform.” It would also centralize 16,000 original stories.

The reaction online from creators is negative with the common theme being they haven’t been informed of the change. The original article said they’d be informed “shortly.” Kakao Entertainment stated it will inform users of specific integration timelines and methods on the 29th.

It’s unclear if the content on Tapas will be moved over to the new platform or completely shutdown and Kakao Entertainment and Tapas haven’t made an official announcement. We’ve asked for more details.

The Kakao Labor Union has criticized the company stating that “explanations regarding the Tapas closure process, financial losses, and measures for employee relocation, voluntary retirement, and user refunds, as well as content and data protection, were insufficiently communicated to employees.”

We’ll have more information when Kakao makes an official statement and releases more detail.

BookWalker Celebrates 10 Years of its Kodansha Partnership with a Major Global Anniversary Event

Posted on September 5, 2026 by Graphic Policy Team

BookWalker has announced a landmark milestone: a 10-year anniversary celebration honoring its decade-long partnership with leading manga publisher Kodansha.

To celebrate ten years of bringing hit series to international audiences on BookWalker, the two companies are teaming up for a massive global promotional event running from September 4 through September 14, 2026.

Decade of Stories, Unbeatable Deals

Throughout the 11-day event, fans can take advantage of some of the platform’s biggest offers of the year:

Buy Volume 1, Get Volume 2 FREE: Double up on the fun across a curated selection of 10 hit Kodansha series. Readers who purchase the first volume will receive the second volume at no additional cost.
Catalog-Wide 20% Coin Back: Fans can expand their digital shelves across the vast majority of the Kodansha catalog and earn 20% back in BookWalker Coins to use on future purchases.
Exclusive Bonus Digital Wallpapers: Readers who purchase any volume of the acclaimed yuri seriesI Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day during the campaign period will receive exclusive desktop and mobile wallpapers to customize their devices.

View the event details HERE.

BookWalker Welcomes Crossed Hearts: Expands Catalog with Manga, Manhwa, GL, and Novels

Posted on August 13, 2026 by Graphic Policy Team

BookWalker has officially launched its highly anticipated partnership with Crossed Hearts, a global publishing house. Fans can now access a rapidly growing library of localized Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, Chinese manhua, and Asian novels directly on the platform, featuring both immediate chapter purchases and a massive slate of future volume pre-orders.

The partnership launches with several key titles already live, anchored by the ongoing bi-weekly digital serialization of the hit romance “You’re Way Too Cheeky, Chigaya-kun!”

Volumes Now Available for Purchase

Readers can skip the wait and immediately dive into the following titles, available right now on BookWalker:

You’re Way Too Cheeky, Chigaya-kun! Vol. 1
OctoPiece Vol. 1
The Abandoned Villainess Became a Zombie (Novel, Volume 1)

Chapters Now Available for Purchase

For fans who prefer reading chapter by chapter the following titles can also be found on BookWalker:

You’re Way Too Cheeky, Chigaya-kun! (Chapters 1 – 9)
Glam Beat Updates

Crossed Heart’s Imprint Glam Beat! focuses on women-driven narratives that are intimate, bold, and unapologetically romantic, celebrating girls’ love (Yuri) in all its intensity and emotional complexity. The following titles are available to read:

Afternoon Tea for Two (Chapters 1–3)
Time is a Closet (Chapters 1–2)
Borrowing your Textbook (Chapters 1-4)

Upcoming Digital Volume Release Schedule

A robust lineup of full-volume digital editions is locked in through late 2026 and early 2027, with pre-orders currently live on the BookWalker platform:

August 11, 2026
- The Executioner of Grenimal (Volume 1)
- The Matchmaker’s Fiancée: My Fiancé Won’t Leave Me Alone While I’m Finding Him the Ideal Bride (Volume 1)
December 1, 2026
- The Executioner of Grenimal (Volume 2)
- You’re Way Too Cheeky, Chigaya-kun! (Volume 2)
- All-Rounder Maid Connie Wille (Volumes 1 & 2)
- A Gaze Like Lightning (Volume 1)
- The Bird in the Cage Dreams
- The King of Owls and His Troubled Attendant
- Until We Fall in Love
- Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion (Novel, Volume 1)
- Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion (Novel, Volume 2)
January 12, 2027
- The Abandoned Villainess Became a Zombie (Volume 2)
February 2, 2027
- You’re Way Too Cheeky, Chigaya-kun! Vol. 3

Paizo and DriveThruRPG Expand their Partnership to offer Paizo’s Full Title Catalog

Posted on August 12, 2026 by Graphic Policy Team

Paizo and DriveThruRPG have expanded their partnership to offer Paizo’s full title catalog in PDF from both DriveThruRPG and the Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite marketplaces. Over 1,200 Pathfinder and Starfinder titles will now be available as PDF, with printed options and connections to Paizo’s store coming soon. These PDFs include the latest Pathfinder and Starfinder second edition remastered titles, as well as first edition materials, fiction, and audiobooks. This will give players the chance to dive deeper into the world of Golarion or the Pact Worlds, opening up new adventures and creativity to bring to the table.

Paizo and DriveThruRPG have a long history of working together, most notably on the Pathfinder and Starfinder Infinite programs and marketplaces which offer independent creators the opportunity to publish works within the official Pathfinder and Starfinder settings. Until now however, Paizo’s own official titles were not available on DriveThruRPG.

The companies also announced that in the months ahead, DriveThruRPG would also offer most Paizo titles for sale in print, and that the companies would be implementing Paizo Connect. With Paizo Connect, customers will have the option to connect their accounts at Paizo’s website with DriveThruRPG and sync their PDF libraries and purchases across both sites. Ownership of PDFs offer Paizo fans several benefits with Paizo and its licensed partners, while ownership on DriveThruRPG allows fans the conveniences of DriveThruRPG’s library including apps to keep your library up to date on PCs and devices.

Disney and TikTok cut a Short-Form Content-Sharing Deal

Posted on August 7, 2026 by Brett

Disney has been on a roll with cutting deals with terrible technology. In late 2025 the House of Mouse cut a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI. That deal lasted about 6 months as OpenAI shut down Sora and with it Disney’s investment in May 2026.

Now, Disney has a new collaborator in TikTok, the tech platform that was formally owned by a Chinese company but Donald Trump couldn’t have that and forced its sale to his buddies, including Larry Ellison who is currently helping fund the purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery by his son David and Paramount.

The Disney/TikTok deal will pilot in the US in the coming months and “will bring an expansive collection of thoughtfully curated Disney-centric fan-created content from TikTok to the Disney+ app.”

Participating creators who opt-in will see the content they create live on TikTok and in Verts on Disney+. They can feature characters and stories across Disney’s brands including Pixar, Marvel, Star Ears, and more.

TikTok will provide creators access to assets related to hundreds of films and series from Disney’s library.

Mentioned in the announcement is the ability to “unlock special rewards” as well as increase the visibility of creators. It also will feature exclusive events and “career development pathways.”

The deal, which the press announcement calls a “first-of-its-kind global deal” sounds similar to Disney’s deal with OpenAI which would have provided access to Disney IP while bringing the AI creations to Disney+.

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