Zuda Comics

In July 2007, Zuda Comics imprint was launched to publish new material featuring new characters online. The site's content was chosen by the users through monthly competitions, as "the majority of the web comics will be selected by Zudacomics.com's visitors, who will vote on new web comics presented to them in periodic competitions".{{cite web|url=http://www.zudacomics.com/?action=press_release |title=Initial Press Release |publisher=Zudacomics.com |access-date=August 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712143914/http://www.zudacomics.com/?action=press_release|archive-date=12 July 2007}} The first commissioned ongoing strips and material competing for the public vote were published on October 30 the same year.{{cite web |url=http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=134038 |title=First ten Zuda contestants named |author=Matt Brady |date=October 24, 2007 |work=Newsarama |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026023911/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=134038 |archive-date=October 26, 2007 |url-status=dead}} Zuda removed the competition aspect in April 2010{{cite web |first=Ron |last=Perazza |url=http://zuda.blog.dccomics.com/2010/04/30/important-site-changes/ |title=Important Site Changes |work=The Bleed |publisher=DC Comics.com |date=April 30, 2010 |access-date=July 1, 2010}} and in July, soon after the launch of DC's digital comics service, Zuda was closed and folded into the new digital publishing arm.{{Cite web|last=Hudson|first=Laura|date=July 1, 2010|title=DC Comics Closes Down the Zuda Comics Website|url=https://comicsalliance.com/zuda-comics-website-closes-down/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=Feb 9, 2021|website=ComicsAlliance}}

Comic creators were invited to submit their own eight-page comics, and each month ten were selected to compete by editorial. Users could vote for their favorite and the winner received a contract to continue their comic on Zuda. When the contract was filled, if the comic was liked enough it could be renewed for an additional "season". Occasionally an "instant winner" was chosen to receive a contract without having to compete. In July 2008, an "invitational" was held in which losing comics were invited back to compete.

Image:Jeremy Love and Kwanza Johnson.jpgThe Zuda staff consisted of:

• Paul Levitz – Publisher[http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=120113 Talking Zuda with Paul Levitz] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712085913/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=120113 |date=July 12, 2007}}, Newsarama, July 9, 2007[https://archive.today/20070623103614/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=130286 ZudaComics Posts Contracts – Submissions Are A Go], interview with Paul Levitz, Newsarama, September 21, 2007
• Richard Bruning – SVP-Creative Director[http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=119800 DC Announces Zudacomics.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712085950/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=119800 |date=July 12, 2007}}, interview with Ron Perazza and Richard Bruning, Newsarama, July 9, 2007
• Ronald Perazza – VP of Creative Services
• Kwanza Johnson – DC Comics Online Editor
• Nika Vagner – DC Comics Online Assistant Editor
• Jessica Numsuwankijkul – DC Comics Assistant Editor
• Dave McCullough – DC Comics Online Technology Manager

{{Main|List of monthly Zuda contestants}}

Instant winners

• Bayou by Jeremy Love[http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=134156 Jeremy Love's Bayou Named Aa Zuda's First "Instant Winner"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027022510/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=134156 |date=October 27, 2007}}, Newsarama, October 25, 2007
• The Night Owls by Peter Timony and Bobby Timony[http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=139696 "Zuda Comics Names the Night Owls as Newest Instant Winner"]{{dead link|date=July 2016|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}, Newsarama, December 14, 2007
• Street-Code by Dean Haspiel
• The Imaginary Boys by Carlos López Bermúdez
• I Rule The Night by Kevin Colden
• Bottle of Awesome by Andy Belanger and Ian Herring
• La Morté Sisters by Tony Trov, Johnny Zito & Christine Larsen{{cite web|url=http://old.brokenfrontier.com/headlines/p/detail/lamorte-sisters-vampire-orphanage-comes-to-dc |title=LaMorte Sisters' Vampire Orphanage Comes to DC – Headlines |publisher=Broken Frontier |access-date=2011-02-03}}

Competition winners

• High Moon (November 2007 – 2010)
• Pray for Death (December 2007)
• Supertron (January 2008 – 2010)
• Road (February 2008 – 2010)
• The Black Cherry Bombshells (March 2008 – 2010)
• Melody (April 2008)
• Celadore (May 2008)
• Dual (June 2008 – 2010)
• Re-Evolution (July 2008)
• Gulch (August 2008)
• Blood Hunter (September 2008 – 2010)
• Azure (October 2008 – 2010)
• Extracurricular Activities (November 2008)
• Devil's Wake (December 2008 – 2010)
• Safe Inside (January 2009 – 2010)
• The Hammer (February 2009)
• Deadly (March 2009 – 2010)
• Earthbuilders (April 2009 – 2010)
• Lily of the Valley (May 2009 – 2010)
• Sidewise (June 2009 – 2010)
• RockStar (July 2009 – 2010)
• Absolute Magnitude (August 2009 – 2010)
• Goldilock (September 2009 –2010)
• Eldritch (April 2010){{Cite web|url=http://www.multiversitycomics.com/interviews/zuda-weekly-interview-with-team-eldritch/|title = Zuda Weekly: Interview with Team ELDRITCH!|date = 5 May 2010}}

• Bayou by Jeremy Love, June 2009
• High Moon, September 2009
• The Night Owls, March 2010
• Celadore, October 2010

The initial announced line-up of talent included no prominent webcomics creators, prompting Todd Allen at Comic Book Resources to opine: "[T]he vast majority of the initial creators here have already done print comics. Multiple print comics for the most part, and the majority go back a few years. ... This does not look like ushering in a new generation". He conceded, however, "that they've lined up some strips with professional pedigree for the first batch".[http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=follies&article=2913 Zuda's established talent search] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071106144850/http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgi?column=follies&article=2913 |date=2007-11-06}}, Comic Book Resources, October 25, 2007

{{Reflist}}

{{More footnotes|section|date=August 2009}}

• [http://comics.ign.com/articles/802/802354p1.html Interview: DC's Web Comics Imprint], IGN
• [https://archive.today/20070623103614/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=134931 The Opening Team: Talking to the First Wave of Zuda Creators], Newsarama, November 1, 2007
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070713222706/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=120411 Comic, webcomic pros respond to Zuda], Newsarama, July 11, 2007
• {{gcdb brand group|id=4842|title=Zuda}}
• {{comicbookdb|type=imprint|id=506|title=Zuda}}

{{DC Comics imprints}}

Category:DC Comics imprints

Category:Webcomic publishing companies

Category:Publishing companies established in 2007

Category:Publishing companies disestablished in 2010

Category:2007 establishments in the United States

Category:2007 in comics