Gadgetwise: Review: ‘Shifter,’ From Anomaly Productions

Comic book publishers have embraced the digital realm, incorporating entertaining features like motion and sound to attract new readers. But one start-up, Anomaly Productions, is taking a bigger step, adding augmented reality to the pages of its sci-fi graphic novels.

The graphic novel "Shifter" from Anomaly Productions offers augmented reality content.

Last year, the publisher introduced “Anomaly,” a hefty 370-page tome that the company says was the longest original full-color graphic novel ever published. The epic story was written by the company’s founders, Harry M. Brittenham, an entertainment lawyer who is known as Skip, and Brian Haberlin, a comic book artist and writer. Using a type of mapping technology that recognizes augmented images on the page, “Anomaly” provides additional details, back story and more than 50 3-D models via an accompanying mobile app.

“Anomaly” was followed by “Shifter,” which was published on Nov. 15 and sells for $30. Initially, “Shifter” included augmented-reality content on 14 of its 224 pages. And as it did with “Anomaly,” the publisher plans to add digital content as time goes on. An additional eight digital pages of “Shifter” will come out on Nov. 22, followed by 10 or more pages early next year.

The bonus content includes 3-D images and voice-overs from actors, including Wil Wheaton, who portrays Noah, the story’s protagonist. (Other actors include Ryan Cooper, Olivia D’Abo, Dave Fennoy and David Lodge.) Caught in a government conspiracy, Noah stumbles on an artificial intelligence that gives him the power to inhabit the bodies of prehistoric creatures, like an archaeopteryx, smilodon or spinosaurus. With the app, which is available free on iOS and Android devices, the animals burst from the book; tap the screen and they will fly, roar and run across the page.

Even without the digital features, “Shifter” is an engaging tale. Kunrong Yap’s illustrations are vivid, and the story, written by Mr. Brittenham, Mr. Haberlin and Brian Holguin, is fast-paced and captivating. Still, I would have liked to see more augmented-reality content available with the book was released. It’s not likely that I’ll go back and read it again later after the new digital pages are offered.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: November 20, 2013

An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of a voice-over actor. He is Wil Wheaton, not Will.