We all know Stan Lee (an American comic book writer) co-created prominent superheroes like spider-man, x-man, iron man, black panther, and much more. But then, Stan Lee has also created (co-created, rather!) the Indian superhero Chakra: The Invincible with a comic book debut in 2011. If you know Stan Lee and are not aware of Chakra (The Invincible), that’s what this blog’s core is all about.
The Book starts with a teenage tech genius named Raju Rai when he unintentionally activates a blue jumpsuit that unleashes the chakras (energy centers) in his body. Chakra had the characteristic mix of Spider-Man and Iron Man with a desi touch, which spurred the much-need transformation (in the world of comics). The blue jumpsuit granted him special abilities that enabled him to keep Mumbai (a city from western India) safe.
But then,
What Comics have to do with the NFTs?
Well, let me first start with a happening earlier this year – the digital artist Beeple sold his artwork for $69 million. The record-breaking NFT sale kick started things off in March 202, followed by a number of NFT sales. Since we’re speaking about a desi superhero, I also should mention about the recent Amitabh Bachchan’s NFT auction which harnessed a whopping $9,66,000 in NFT sales. The super-premium NFT, which featured Big B himself reciting the famed Madhushala poetry, was sold for USD 756,000.
An NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is a verified and traceable way to buy authentic digital art from an artist. NFTs are a method to reward individuals who support your work with something really one-of-a-kind, similar to a physical limited edition print, but this time it’s digital and on the blockchain. The NFT is one-of-a-kind once it is permanently recorded on the blockchain. From its inception to the present day, it becomes a provenance, a certificate of authenticity, and a trail of ownership that can never be distorted, hacked, fabricated, or destroyed.
Comic (book) NFTs are tokenized versions of the original comic books. It allows the fandom to own a digital comic book issue by buying an NFT that represents that particular issue. Essentially, digital NFT comics allow for digital “first editions” that have collectible value similar to the physical editions.
Instead of tokenizing something that doesn’t exist, it’s a wise thing to transform a comic book – I believe this notion will drive comic NFT space forward.
Major Comic NFT launches till now
DC Comics, an American comic book publisher, has recently launched its comic collectibles to enter the rapidly rising world of non-fungible tokens. Jose Delbo, a former DC Comics artist, has sold Wonder woman artwork in the form of the aforementioned gif sets, thereby raising nearly $2 million.
On the other hand, Marvel dropped its comic book NFTs in partnership with VeVe (the NFT launchpad). Digital versions of Marvel Comics #1, Fantastic Four #1, and Journey Into Mystery #85 were included in these NFTs. They sold 60,000 copies of the Marvel and Fantastic Four series NFTs and 50,000 copies of the Journey Into Mystery 85 after their publication. In less than five minutes, they sold $1 million in gross revenue.
With numbers like these, now suddenly comic book publishers think about NFTs as a monetization way. Let’s talk about one such comic NFT announcement in the next section.
Indian Superhero Chakra’s NFT foray
POW entertainment, Graphic India, and Orange Comet today announced Stan Lee’s Chakra The Invincible NFT along with GuardianLink and BeyondLife. The NFT collection will include 7,000 Chakraverse art works made by Lee, Sharad Devarajan, and Gotham Chopra a decade ago, based on the characters from the comics, which span cartoons and comic books. Moreover, Chakra also had its animated movie in 2013 that aired on the cartoon network in English, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi languages. Commemorating Stan Lee’s 99th birthday, it seems like the chakra NFT launch will be on December 28, 2021.
Conclusion
Whatever the future holds for NFTs, they will undoubtedly have a greater impact on the comics business in the following months. The industry will adapt, just as it has for decades, whether it’s in the form of collecting digital comics or providing new revenue sources for artists, or whole new uses that haven’t even been considered yet.
