Digital comics site Neon Ichiban officially launches

Former Comixology executives/DSTLRY founders David Steinberger and Chip Mosher have gotten back into the digital comics game. Today they officially launched Neon Ichiban, which has been in beta since September.

The site is a marketplace, similar to what they launched as a part of DSTLRY back in 2024, where users can buy and sell digital comics from publishers and from each other. They call it “fusing frictionless reading with creator connection, resale and collectible culture” in the press release. The idea is that you own the digital release like you would a physical copy — and are able to sell it and even get it signed by the creators, using their Remarques technology. It’s essentially what they were doing with their own DSTLRY titles, but now includes other publishers.

Currently the site offers books by Dark Horse, DC, Dynamite Entertainment, IDW Publishing, Kodansha, Marvel Comics, Oni Press, Titan Comics, Vault Comics and, of course, DSTLRY, with content from Legendary Comics, Mad Cave Studios, Rebellion and UDON Entertainment coming soon.

“The comics business needs a cutting-edge digital marketplace built by people who care about comics and know how to build a platform that fans want to use,” said Damian Wassel, CEO and publisher of Vault Comics. “It needs to be a one-stop shop offering all the fan-favorite publishers. It’s hard to imagine a better team than David and Chip to get that done. After all, they already did it once. Everyone at Vault is excited to be a part of the launch of Neon Ichiban.”

In addition to allowing creators to sign books, the Remarques feature will also them to provide sketches on your diigtal copies … which can then be sold to someone else. From the PR:

Coming soon: Commissionable Remarques—a Cameo-style model where fans request sketches and signatures from their favorite creators, no convention lines required. Instead of requiring fans and creators to meet live, artists can accept signature and sketch requests on their own schedule, from anywhere in the world. For fans, it means global access to their favorite creators; for artists, Commissionable Remarques creates a new revenue stream where creators can set their own prices, work on their schedule, and connect without convention constraints. 

They are also planning to release a Neon Ichiban Reader application for Apple devices; you can sign up to test a beta here. Here’s the big question I have about it: will I be able to buy comics directly from the app? Amazon decided to remove the ability to buy things from their apps because they didn’t want to pay Apple the percentage they charge on in-app purchases, including the Comixology app, so it would be great to have that option again.

I should also add that DSTLRY had a great web reader for comics, which has made its way to Neon Ichiban, so if you’re looking for an alternative to the Kindle app, it’s worth checking out even without the native iOS app.

“Neon Ichiban is more than a store—it’s a platform devoted to bringing reading and collectability to a united global audience for comics and manga,” Steinberger said “We’re empowering fans with access, control and engagement—and with features like providing creators with tools to directly connect with their audience like never before.”