Panel Syndicate is an

online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" or ...

publisher of

DRM-free Digital rights management (DRM) is the management of legal access to digital content. Various tools or technological protection measures (TPM) such as access control technologies can restrict the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. ...

pay what you want Pay what you want (or PWYW, also referred to as value-for-value model) is a pricing strategy where buyers pay their desired amount for a given commodity. This amount can sometimes include zero. A minimum (floor) price may be set, and/or a suggeste ...

digital comics Digital comics (also known as electronic comics,Ian Hague, ''Comics and the Senses: A Multisensory Approach to Comics and Graphic Novels'', Routledge, 2014, ch. 2: "Sight, or, the Ideal Perspective and the Physicality of Seeing". eComics, e-comi ...

in multiple languages, founded by

Marcos Martín Marcos Martín may refer to: * Marcos Martín (cartoonist) (born 1972), Spanish comic book artist * Marcos Martín (footballer) (born 1968), Spanish footballer {{hndis, Martin, Marcos ...

to publish his and

Brian K. Vaughan Brian K. Vaughan (born July 17, 1976) is an American comic book and television writer, best known for the comic book series '' Y: The Last Man'', '' Ex Machina'', '' Runaways'', ''Pride of Baghdad'', ''Saga'', and '' Paper Girls''. Vaughan was a ...

's creator-owned comic '' The Private Eye'' in March 2013. To date Panel Syndicate has published comics in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

, and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, with additional languages in development. ''The Private Eye'' has received critical acclaim and media attention for its role as one of the first DRM-free, pay what you want comics by creators of Martín and Vaughan's caliber. Initially an outlet for publishing Vaughan and Martín's collaborations, Panel Syndicate is open to publishing other creators' works by using the same DRM-free, pay what you want model. In November 2014, '' Universe!'', a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

book made of stand-alone stories created and written by

Albert Monteys Albert Monteys i Homar (Barcelona, 15 September 1971) is a Spanish comic writer and illustrator, mostly known for his work in the satirical weekly magazine ''El Jueves'' of which he was the director from 2006 until January 2011. Early life Alber ...

, was published on the website. In December 2015, Vaughan and Martín started releasing their second series ''Barrier'', a five-issue series that finished in July 2017, on their website. It is a

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

about violence and

illegal immigration Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...

. In April 2016, Vaughan and Martín released an authorized ''Walking Dead'' stand-alone story that reveals what happened to Jeff Grimes,

Rick Rick may refer to: People *Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name *Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality *Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...

's brother, called ''The Walking Dead: The Alien''; this story was allowed in exchange for letting

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

publish ''The Private Eye'' in hardcover. In April 2017, ''Blackhand Ironhead'', a

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

that focuses on families with

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

es while not focusing on the superheroes was published on the website; it was created and written by David López. In November 2017, ''Umami'', an adventure about Uma and Ami that are cooks for their king, by Ken Niimura was released. In May 2018, the complete mini-series ''Barrier'' was made available in print by Image Comics, starting with the first issue being part of that year's

Free Comic Book Day Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to attract new readers to independent comic book stores. It usually takes place on the first Saturday of May and is often cross-promoted wit ...

. In May 2018, ''Glacier City'', a police story about a remote Alaskan town, created by Jay Faerber and Michael Montenat was released. In 2019, Ken Niimura's ''Umami'', a work published by Panel Syndicate, won the

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

for Best Digital Comic.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website@PanelSyndicate
Comics publishing companies