AWA Studios has released an official announcement in regards to a program and policy to support comic book artists when it comes to the non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace. In their statement, AWA Studios has announced AWA artists “may make NFT’s from AWA comic covers and pages and also draw new, original, art with AWA characters and make NFT’s from those pieces. Artists may do that on their own or opt to have AWA handle NFTs for them.”
NFT’s have been in the news in regards to comics for well over a month as creators have seen art go for huge amounts online. The art stems from cryptocurrency technology, which hit the ground running in 2021 following several high-profile digital art sales.
“AWA was founded with faith in the principle that offering creators attractive deals along with extensive editorial and marketing support would bring out the best in them. So far, so good,” said AWA CEO, Bill Jemas via an official statement, “In approaching the burgeoning NFT market, our first steps were to form an Artist Council to help us understand what our artists want and need and to retain Gui Karyo, former Marvel CTO and COO, to guide us through the technical complexities involved in making and marketing NFTs.”
“AWA’s policy about NFT and creators is one to be followed by the whole industry. They have been an example since day one on how to treat creators with the respect they deserve and couldn’t continue to do so with this new opportunity for artists. Well done, AWA,” Says Mike Deodato Jr., artist of THE RESISTANCE and BAD MOTHER.
“I think NFTs and their growing applications are a really new landscape in the mainstream and everyone top-to-bottom is just figuring it all out. But AWA has done and continues to do the research, and is allowing us as artwork creators to be (or not be) involved, addressing our concerns on NFTs and the whole blockchain-business, and applying them to how we handle it as a company. Giving us the permission right off the bat to tokenize our digital works as if we were selling original art, should we choose to, is a sign to me that they’re not only trying to stay ahead of the curve on this developing technology, but are also trying to respect our individual business interests from the start. I think this in turn incentivizes us to be more creative with this new medium and platform when making new works for AWA.” says Mike Choi, artist of MOTHS.
Credit: AWA Studios
For more on this news, read the official press release below.
April 8th, 2021 — New York, New York — Artists Writers & Artisans (AWA), a creative business owned and operated by creators, announces a program and policies to support comic book artists in the non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace. In contrast to the approaches of major legacy comic book publishers, AWA’s policy allows artists to make and market NFTs featuring AWA characters and creates an AWA’s artist-centric program pro-actively supports those efforts. Specifically, AWA artists may make NFT’s from AWA comic covers and pages and also draw new, original, art with AWA characters and make NFT’s from those pieces. Artists may do that on their own or opt to have AWA handle NFTs for them.
“AWA was founded with faith in the principle that offering creators attractive deals along with extensive editorial and marketing support would bring out the best in them. So far, so good,” said AWA CEO, Bill Jemas, “In approaching the burgeoning NFT market, our first steps were to form an Artist Council to help us understand what our artists want and need and to retain Gui Karyo, former Marvel CTO and COO, to guide us through the technical complexities involved in making and marketing NFTs.”
“AWA was founded to give artists and writers the best platform to tell bold and original stories in which they have a real stake. Our decision to embrace NFTs is an extension of our core philosophy. AWA’s Artist Council includes many of industry’s leading artists, including Mike Choi, Kaare Andrews, Jonboy Meyers, Frank Cho, and Mike Deodato Jr., who has been an outspoken critic of DC’s restrictions on NFT art. We feel privileged to work with them and we embrace this new development as a means to help them,” says Axel Alonso, AWA’s Chief Creative officer.
“AWA’s policy about NFT and creators is one to be followed by the whole industry. They have been an example since day one on how to treat creators with the respect they deserve and couldn’t continue to do so with this new opportunity for artists. Well done, AWA,” Says Mike Deodato Jr., artist of THE RESISTANCE and BAD MOTHER.
“I think NFTs and their growing applications are a really new landscape in the mainstream and everyone top-to-bottom is just figuring it all out. But AWA has done and continues to do the research, and is allowing us as artwork creators to be (or not be) involved, addressing our concerns on NFTs and the whole blockchain-business, and applying them to how we handle it as a company. Giving us the permission right off the bat to tokenize our digital works as if we were selling original art, should we choose to, is a sign to me that they’re not only trying to stay ahead of the curve on this developing technology, but are also trying to respect our individual business interests from the start. I think this in turn incentivizes us to be more creative with this new medium and platform when making new works for AWA.” says Mike Choi, artist of MOTHS.
“I am excited to investigate and explore new avenues to share original art! I welcome AWA’s commitment to art, artists, collectors, technology and innovation,” says Kaare Andrews, writer and artist of E-RATIC.
“I think it’s a very forward thinking and progressive move for a publisher such as AWA to support its artists’ (pencilers, inkers, and colorists) ability to sell their original art in the growing NFT digital market. I’m very happy to see AWA working to set a standard on how it’s artists can sell their original works in the NFT market,” says artist Jonboy Meyers.
“AWA’s policy about NFT and creators is one to be followed by the whole industry. They have been an example since day one on how to treat creators with the respect they deserve and couldn’t continue to do so with this new opportunity for artists. Well done, AWA,” Says Mike Deodato Jr., artist of THE RESISTANCE and BAD MOTHER.
Artists Writers & Artisans (AWA) is a comic book and digital media publisher, owned and operated by creators, founded by Marvel alumni Bill Jemas and Axel Alonso, along with Jon Miller, the former CEO of News Corp, Digital Media Group. Fully funded by James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems, Sister Global, and Lightspeed Venture Partners, AWA has some of the biggest names in comics and film, such as J. Michael Straczynski, Reggie Hudlin, Garth Ennis, and Frank Cho working to craft new worlds, characters, and stories for a 21stCentury audience. Find out more about our work at AWAStudios.net.
For more information visit, AWA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and AWAStudios.net.
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