Carlos Morales
DSTLRY, the next-generation publisher redefining creator-owned comic books and collectibles, today launched its beta v0.1 desktop reader at dstlry.co with the digital release of The Devil’s Cut. The digital debut of The Devil’s Cut is the first step towards a full mobile experience and marketplace, scheduled to debut in 2024.
December 6, readers can purchase The Devil’s Cut digitally for only $1. After today, the digital price of The Devil’s Cut will be $6.66. DSTLRY is recommending customers use the desktop reading experience; mobile reading is available but not fully stable in this beta v0.1 release.
“The DSTLRY Digital Reader beta v0.1—which we affectionately named White Dog—embodies the raw potential of whiskey’s initial un-aged distillate, a.k.a. White Dog—pure and powerful, hinting at a journey that will lead to a unique experience marked by new notes, delicious innovation, and path-finding mistakes,” said DSTLRY co-founders David Steinberger and Chip Mosher in a joint statement. “We hope customers enjoy the beta and we look forward to improving it and adding a robust mobile and marketplace experience in 2024.”
DSTLRY’s digital store and reader beta fuses the excitement of New Comic Book Day with digital reading, while establishing a new revenue stream for creators. Mirroring the limited-run nature of print comics, DSTLRY’s digital releases will be available directly from the publisher on dstlry.co for one week—Wednesday through Tuesday—upon release. Mass market digital releases will follow when collections arrive in print.
“While we’re still crafting the perfect mix of features and innovation, our Founding Creators and friends are already brewing exceptional top-shelf stories that we can’t deny digital readers any longer,” David Steinberger and Chip Mosher continued in their statement. “We look forward to refining the experience and gathering feedback from digital comic fans in the run up to the launch of a robust mobile and digital marketplace experience in early 2024. Oh, and of course, there are surprise benefits to ownership.”
DSTLRY’s first digital release is The Devil’s Cut, the company’s premier issue. Featuring 11 knockout short-stories from the publisher’s all-star lineup of Founding Creators and friends, the digital version of the 88-page mature-readers collection will be available for purchase directly from DSTLRY through December 12th. Gone #1 by Jock will debut digitally on December 13th alongside the first ownership benefit, and Somna #1 by Tula Lotay & Becky Cloonan will debut digitally alongside more digital benefits on December 20th.
The v0.1 beta of DSTLRY’s digital reader will allow fans to enjoy their comics library in full page view, fit to width, with basic +/- zooming controls on their desktops. While also available via mobile web browsers, the best experience for v0.1 is on desktop.
The digital launch of The Devil’s Cut follows hot on the heels of its wildly successful print release on August 30, where it sold out of the more than 50,000 copies at the distributor level—a breathtaking amount which landed DSTLRY’s debut among the top-selling issues of August, according to the ComicHub sales charts. The Devil’s Cut also received rave reviews from fans and comics media, who called it “the must-read book of the month” (Monkeys Fighting Robots) and “perhaps the best anthology issue published this year” (ComicBook.com).
THE DEVIL’S CUT
Edited by the legendary Will Dennis (Y: The Last Man, Snow Angels), The Devil’s Cut features a flight of high-proof work and unfiltered stories crafted by the most innovative pioneers in comics, including DSTLRY’s Founding Creators Mirka Andolfo, Brian Azzarello, Marc Bernardin, Elsa Charretier, Becky Cloonan, Lee Garbett, Jock, Joëlle Jones, Tula Lotay, Jamie McKelvie, Junko Mizuno, Stephanie Phillips, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and Ram V, as well as friends Francesco Francavilla, Ariela Kristantina, Eduardo Risso, and Christian Ward.
The Devil’s Cut digital is available for purchase now at dstlry.co.