First Six Pages Of The Stand

UGO has the first six pages of the Marvel Comics adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand.

More Online Content Everyday

FearNet.com has made the entire comic (or is it graphic novel?) 30 Days of Night: Dust to Dust available online. The online video production is available from the source at FearNet, and is also on Hulu.

I think we'll be seeing a lot of this type of cross-promotion online in the future. Goes like this: 1) release storyboards (with or without sound/acting like Stephen King's 'N is Here') for free, then 2) release a super low-budget video version in 5-7 minute webisodes (or, in King's case, publish the novel), 3) make your money by selling advertising during the webisodes, or by selling copies of the novel.

This approach seems very well suited for horror and sci-fi. Gemini Division, a plucky sci-fi thriller, just rolled out yesterday with two webisodes. There's no comic book teaser to go with it, however NBC doesn't really need that kind of thing to hook an audience.

Here's an episode of Dust to Dust I snagged from Hulu.

N Has A Lot Of Backstory

Stephen King's 'N is Here' has finally gotten somewhere. After 15 expositional episodes, each about two minutes, patient N has described some sort of monster which has been kept captive inside a ring of stone monoliths (similar to Stonehenge), and how he, N, had become responsible for keeping the monster trapped within the monoliths. This is a typical King device -- The protagonist becomes aware of some strange supernatural goings on, then becomes involved, then attains a level of responsibility for how events are to unfold.

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SPOILERS: This backstory is told through compressed sessions with a psychiatrist, Johnny Bonsain. In episodes 14 and 15, N decides he doesn't need the help of a psychiatrist anymore and stops the sessions with Dr. Bonsain. A few days later N has committed suicide. Then, for reasons unknown, Dr. Bonsain decides to visit the monoliths and he also then commits suicide.

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This type of online episodic story probably has a future but I don't think the model 'N is Here' is using will succeed. It's too choppy at two minutes each and the style of animation gets a little old after several episodes. Plus, there are only 25 episodes and it took 15 of them just to lay out the exposition -- that's totally lopsided. Ten episodes for Act II and III? Maybe I'm missing something. I keep watching but I don't think most people would be as into it as I am. Still, I think we'll be seeing more of this kind of production in the future. The web is the perfect medium for this kind of storytelling. Would recommend jumping into the main plot quicker and delivering backstory on the fly, though.

Mini King

Beginning today Stephen King is making original short videos available for mobile devices through a partnership with Marvel Entertainment and CBS Mobile.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

Beginning Monday, July 28, mobile phone users and web surfers can enjoy Stephen King's latest work in a groundbreaking series of 25 original video episodes. The series of video episodes was created through a unique partnership between Scribner and Simon & Schuster Digital, Marvel Entertainment, and CBS Mobile and is believed to be the first comic-style book adaptation specifically developed and produced for viewing on today's most popular small screen platforms.

and...

At the same time, paid download customers will be able to purchase blocks of 5 episodes for $0.99 or buy a Season Pass for the entire series for $3.99.

The video is available at NisHere.com

The Mist

TV mini-series energy with B-horror gore, plus some committed performances.