Physical AND Digital Comic Collectors have Every Reason to Celebrate…
BAD IDEA, the boundary-pushing indie publisher known for flipping the script on how comics are distributed, has partnered with VeVe Comics to offer their groundbreaking series PLANET DEATH as digital asset, further increasing engagement across platforms. While some might see “digital” and think “here with go with these NFT things again,” this move signals something far more exciting: the comic collecting industry is growing, not withering.
Launched April 30, 2025, the digital debut of PLANET DEATH #0 on VeVe Comics marks the start of a new chapter, but this isn’t a digital-first experiment. This book is already historic.
According to Deadline, PLANET DEATH #0 is “the biggest-selling indie comic of the last 30 years,” with a staggering 909,650 physical copies hitting comic shops around the globe. Danged crazy too, 665,000 copies were sold from Bad Idea & Lunar Distribution before they even shipped to stores! That’s a win for brick-and-mortar stores, collectors, and the entire print industry.
This moment unites both sides of the comic collecting aisle: traditional + digital. VeVe’s digital ease & augmented reality panel-by-panel reading experiences and blockchain-verified scarcity bring in new readers and collectors who may never have stepped into a comic shop before, potentially leading them to discover the physical format next.
Meanwhile, physical collectors benefit from the increased visibility, cultural buzz, and collector engagement that a high-profile digital release brings. Further, many collectors instantly pack or grade their physical assets, where adding a digital counterpart adds full utility to read, share and even sell when finished to a market open around the world.
Pretty noteworthy too…VeVe & Bad Idea only released 2025 digital assets, basically .25% of the total print circulation, making the digital comic collectibles incredibly scarce comparatively.
EVEN BETTER: VeVe "Full Set Holders" (all cover variants) to receive a limited FREE AIRDROP
Make no mistake: PLANET DEATH has serious creative firepower. Written by John Wick creator Derek Kolstad and acclaimed writer Robert Venditti (Green Lantern, Superman '78), with art from Tomás Giorello and colorist Dave Stewart, this series is poised to become a modern classic. More titles are to follow, which will only expand the spotlight.
BAD IDEA’s Peter Stern captured the spirit of the move in a recent interview with DEADLINE : “We started by shaking up physical distribution - now we’re bringing our best-in-class comics to digital.” But the key phrase is “in all the formats they want.” This isn’t a pivot, it’s a platform expansion.
Peter Stern, BAD IDEA’s Chief Operations Officer, addressed the significance of this strategic evolution. “Partnering with VeVe marks a major milestone in the evolution of BAD IDEA. We started by shaking up our physical distribution - now we're bringing our best-in-class comics to digital. This next wave of titles represents some of the absolute best our medium has to offer, and we’re committed to ensuring those comics are delivered to our readers in all the formats they want.”
VeVe Comic’s sophisticated platform enables fans to experience PLANET DEATH #0 in an engaging, high-quality digital format with panel-by-panel reading, preserving the meticulous artwork and pacing envisioned by its creators.
David Yu, CEO of VeVe, emphasized the transformative nature of this partnership. “VeVe is committed to enhancing how readers engage with comics, offering innovative, immersive digital experiences. Collaborating with BAD IDEA, a publisher synonymous with groundbreaking storytelling and truly unique fan engagement, is a natural fit with our vision to bring the best of traditional comic collecting to the digital space.”
This isn't the beginning of the end for physical comics, it’s the beginning of something much bigger. The growing integration between digital platforms like VeVe and powerhouse physical publishers like BAD IDEA offers more visibility, more value, and more excitement for collectors on both sides of the page.
After finishing Issue #0, you could tell the detail & thought that went into this. It was very similar to the paperback novels I used to read years ago, like Jurassic Park (Michael Chrichton) where you just felt "inside" the story and could visualize the experience. I also really enjoyed the artwork the team put out, and found myself going back page after page to re-inspect each panel. Compelling read indeed!
Whether you bag and board your books, scroll through and re-inspect digital panels or read comics in A/R on your phone, PLANET DEATH is a shared win for everyone, proving great story ideas, creative visualization and distribution across digital and traditional comic worlds can not only co-exist, but enhance each others best features. At the end of the day, what a wonderful way to expand our beloved world of storytelling to its full potential.
AND JUST GET A LOAD OF PLANET DEATH #1 hitting store shelves July 9th, 2025 - LET'S FRICKIN' GO!!!
Thanks for Reading!
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