Big Nate Stays Old School in a Digital World

Lincoln Pierce may be the most reluctant success in comic book history.

Ok, so he may not be so reluctant as an artist and writer; Pierce is the creator of “Big Nate”, the comic book franchise that first arrived on the syndicate two decades ago. Big Nate hit the big time in the mid-90s, and since then the strip has gone from being a newspaper favourite to a “Big Nate” book series that spent a year on the New York Times bestseller list, selling more than 3.5 million copies.  It also became part of the wildly popular Poptropica site as “Big Nate Island”, debuting on the site on Valentine’s Day 2009. (It promptly crashed the site’s server after millions of readers flocked to the site).

A year ago, Pierce’s book publisher approached the artist about creating his first app.  And when the publisher had a developer follow that up by developing iterations of the app, there was one small problem. Pierce was incredibly low tech. He had neither the knowledge nor the technology to view the new creations.

The developer sent versions of the app to his publisher, who sent it to Pierce’s editor, who downloaded them to her iPad and delivered that to Pierce—with instructions on how to play it.  Pierce would then write his comments on Post-It notes, then email his reactions back to his editor, who relayed them to the publisher, who…and so on and so on.

But somehow it worked.  And HarperCollins has since announced the franchise’s first app:  “Big Nate Comix by U!”

If you’re one of the world’s four people who aren’t familiar, Big Nate is a fictional sixth grader—a self-described genius, hilarious “king of detention” and cartoonist extraordinaire. He lives with his dad and older sister, and enjoys pestering his family and teachers with his sarcasm.

Create Your Own “Big Nate” Comix

“Big Nate Comix by U!” is an app that allows users to create their own Big Nate comix on their iPad or iPhone and iPod touch.  It’s an interactive app that asks users to be very involved in the creative process.  Users are invited to write dialogue, assemble characters, and choose panels and formats.

The app works on many levels, based on the user’s comfort zone and preference. Users can choose from story starters, fill in the blanks, or they can decide to start from scratch. One level provides a framework of panels and asks for some dialogue. A second level has a “story jump-starter” that provides the user with the first panel to kick off the creative process. A third format lets the user start from the beginning, offering an array of props, sounds and other special effects.   The app also comes with a help screen that users can access at any point by tapping a question mark icon in the upper left of the screen.  And users can save their comics in the “Your Gallery” section and email their work to friends.

“Big Nate Comix by U!” features a warm retro design that’s consistent with the look that has distinguished the comic strip since it was launched 20 years ago.  The look remains the same through the “Big Nate” books and in Poptropica.

Retro-tech might be just the way Lincoln Pierce likes it. While his Big Nate creation stays true to its newspaper roots, it’s also found a new life – and new audiences – in the digital world.

You can download “Big Nate Comix by U!” HD from the App Store for $4.99.  (Note–it’s not a universal app.) The iPhone/iPod Touch version is available for $3.99.