Announcing their existence just a day ago, the new digital horror anthology Razorblades has already sold out of its limited 500 print run of physical editions and is now only available as a pay-what-you will digital edition.
The new quarterly series boasts an already impressive list of contributors, including popular creators such as Scott Snyder, Marguerite Bennett, Jock, Ram V, Lonnie Nadler, and more.
On the risk of doing an anthology project in this way, Tynion notes, "And this IS an experiment. And probably a foolish one. You’d think that reading all the forwards to the late issues of Taboo, warning folks away from the model of oversized anthologies, and generally from becoming a publisher of other people’s work, would have deterred us. But honestly, the moment feels ripe for a move like this. Razorblades will be a quarterly magazine, running for at least one year, but hopefully much longer. As long as there’s an audience for it, we’ll keep making more of it."
Similar digital distribution models have been around for a while, and now does certainly feel like a good opportunity for this particular experiment as comic readers may be facing a new wave of shutdowns in the immediate future due to Covid19. The Razorblades crew could also be reading the room accurately in regard to a fresh demand for horror comics, something Joe Hill has been tapping into currently as well with his Hill House imprint at DC.
We can only hope that there may be more physical reprints down the line if sales support it. While keeping it digital definitely keeps down the costs and risks of this experiment, I still believe there's something to be said about expanding your possible reader base through more format options.
You can purchase a copy of Razorblades at https://gumroad.com/tinyonionstudios, and follow the new venture on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ReadRazorblades.
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