Crypto & Comics

Yes, It's A Discussion Again

Apr 21, 2025

At least it is on my part.

In recent times, I’ve come across comics involving or advertising cryptocurrency. Going back to InterPop, I’ve seen people try to implement NFTs into the storytelling mediums. The kind of things that speak about decentralization, financial freedom, etc.

Disclaimer

Please note that this is not a bash or endorsement of blockchain and related terms. We are trying to be as objective as possible by focusing on the effects.

Speculation At Your Fingertips

Anyone who’s been observing blockchain the last few years knows this is basically like a modern, digital, speculator market. Which history vindicates as a novelty that came and went. It’s just that crypto is more efficient with decentralized transactions, lower fees, and more security including a capped supply to prevent inflation.

For that reason, NFTs or digital collectibles have seen much use in digital trading cards. In comics as well with VeVe as the forefront market. Between Marvel and a few originals, they’ve outlasted a few other experiments.

InterPop was bold for its experiments and voting systems to influence stories until the hype crashed. Along with their currency of choice losing investment competition with Ethereum.

One Blue Land’s comics are basically crypto PSAs. Wonder if Atop-the-Fourth-Wall would be interested in covering this.

They’re not limited to North America either. In Africa’s fintech leader Nigeria, there’s co-production called Metaiye Knights with the company of the same name and The Comic Republic. It goes into less about the representatives of what crypto is supposed to fight against and is presented more like a YA dystopia.

GlobalComix meanwhile put me on the path of three crypto startups. in/habitants was brought to my attention ages ago by focusing on the effects people looking for the escape crypto could provide them.

The next was a comic dealer’s investment into VeVe with The Addiction. More of a byproduct of the financial freedom they espoused. Unless there’s an angle I’m not seeing.

Finally Maincard Multiverse popped up. Equal parts fantasy sports leagues app advertising, world building, and dramatizing the effects of crypto as universal basic income.

To say nothing of DSTLRY’s marketplace. Although it’s not really the same.

Unbuilt Highs and Lows

Both in/habitants and Maincard have demonstrated that there are still plenty of problems that come with the prospects. That often means funding, debts, technical knowledge, social engineering, marketing, and competitive business strategy. It’s the kind of stuff that overlaps with gambling and confidence schemes.

The Ideals of Crypto vs. Reality

Almost every story around blockchain deals with the promise of financial freedom. Banks, materialists, the entitled, and the work for living status quo are all antagonists in these stories.

To their credit, now that Bitcoin and Ethereum have become officially recognized, people have more opportunities to change their situations.

But now that the speculator boom is over and regulation has come in, blockchain has mostly made the financial systems more efficient. Not so much financial freedom as it is less pitfalls.

Comics Funded Through Crypto

What about comics that don’t go into blockchain but formed because of it? Like InterPop, VeVe, and DSTLRY(?).

First let’s compared InterPop to DSTLRY. InterPop’s comic issue NFTs allowed more community engagement like polls. DSTLRY’s digital collectibles are only focused on comic collecting including selling them to people on their servers. Basically, all of the creator revenue and royalties and not much else.

Not that InterPop could keep themselves going. Casuals readers saved money by just waiting for the next issue than buy the next one. Even if they did tend to be cheaper than most new releases.

Plus after a while, it looked like the polls didn’t matter like they used to. Creative differences between creator and audiences mostly. Plus, the trading card game they were betting on didn’t get off the ground when Tezos lost ground to Ethereum as the proof-of-stake crypto.

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As for the VeVe “originals”, it’s more like how musicians and other artists use NFTs as part of a royalty-sharing model and limited releases. For example, Vincent Zurzolo, the “world’s biggest comic dealer” and creator of The Addiction. Or Ron English, licensing his creations out to third-parties under his label. Most of the time, it’s about connections and wealth you already have. Course good sales pitches to the more accessible marketplaces never hurts.

Hence why I found The Addiction’s first issue on GlobalComix. It had already become a bit of sensation, getting it out to the general public is…I’m going off track.

Maincard Showing Its Hand

Let’s look back at Maincard for a moment. It keeps all its blockchains on its app and card game, while Multiverse is like…G.I. Joe in making stories out of its universe. Nothing that involves high entry complexity like with Punks or Renga. No point setting up a wallet or minting tokens if you just want a story. Gotta know if the story’s worth the cash anyway.

Even now I experience a few too many extra steps with Lightningworks’ stuff. I never heard of this before researching and I can’t find anyone telling me what the content’s like. And then there’s the Telegram platform…ugh…this is like Discord all over again.

Blockchain Comics Going Forward

So while Blockchain has shifted from its disruption phase, it has integrated itself into the cultural landscape. Because despite the many, many complaints it’s got, it’s gonna touch everything while working out the kinks.