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Comment by klez | Hacker News Reader

Maybe I'm a bit cynical, but to me this doesn't even sound as innovative.

To say it better, I don't think this will enhance the reader's experience, so maybe I see it more as eye candy (a well executed one, no doubt) than something really useful.

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You could say the same for graphic novels in general. Why have pictures if text can suffice? Also take a look at Andrew Hussie's online graphic novel Homestuck. It features not only animated (in flash), but also interactive segments. These serve to give better representation to the action than simply explaining all the stuff that happens. Then he goes back to posting large blocks of text with only a static image on top, when exposition and clever word-play is in order.

A artistic medium doesn't need to enhance the reader's experience. It just has to deliver the artist's intent. New art forms do not have to be "better" than previous ones to work. They simply have to work. The usefulness of a medium is actually usually related to the logistics involved (how accessible is the medium, how easily can an artist procure and use this medium, etc etc) rather than anything else.

Perhaps not innovative, but certainly a positive addition to the artistic expression of the medium. Similar to the addition to animation that "3D" CGI brought- they're still cartoons but now there's a new depth at the disposal of the artist.

It sounds attractive to me, I like the idea of separate animated panels. I also think the idea of localized animation, to coin a phrase, could lead to some interesting presentation methods in more traditional books.

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