Philadelphia comic book artist Box Brown is being commissioned as one of a rotating cast of artists that will be filing strips for Engadget: The Comic, published by the popular consumer electronics news site. We wrote about Brown, who relies on social media and a blog to get his message and work out, back in January.

The weekly comic strip focuses on developing tech news and the funny stories therein. See the comic here.

With any luck, comic artist Brian “Box Brown” will get a little closer to paying off his student loans with the delivery of the latest web and print installments of his Everything Dies comic series.

When Brown, 30, moved to West Philly near Clark Park in August 2008 for his then girlfriend (now fiance), he planned to work on comics for a few weeks before getting a day job in communications. Funny thing about late 2008, looking back, it turns out the economy was headed for the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Unable to find full-time work, Brown dug back into freelancing. He now works on comics “every single day including weekends” and also continues taking on illustration and design work on the side.

“So I kind of fell backwards into this as a career,” Brown tells Technically Philly. “But, in many ways, I’m thankful because I might not have had the courage to do it otherwise.”

In August, Brown, a 2002 University of Scranton English graduate — “Still paying off the loans. It’s awesome” — finished off a popular, 805-strip webcomic called Bellen!, which had become something of a signature of his. Soon after, he launched Everything Dies, a new print comic series ‘about religion as myth throughout the world’ that was funded by a campaign on a popular online pledging platform.

“I was able to raise funds for the printing of the first two issues of Everything Dies through the use of a Kickstarter campaign. But, Twitter is the real hero to me. I use it to promote, rant, goof around and link to stuff. It’s mind blowing how fast word can spread on it,” Brown, who tweets from @boxbrown, says. “I’ve come to the conclusion that any artist must have a Twittter account with a link to their work on it. Even if they never tweet, it makes it so much easier for people to link to your work and talk about your stuff.”

Brown uses the internet to sell original artwork, and he’s finding his way balancing printed comics and their web counterparts. Everything Dies was meant to be just a print product, but he later added a web component.

“I had come to the conclusion that only a few hundred people had read the print comics,” Brown says. “But on just the launch day of the webcomic something like 15,000 people read them.”

While the metrics are compelling and the technologies transforming, Brown is clear in his stance that the past was gentler to a man in his line of work.

“It was a much a more acceptable career path back then,” he says of what he’d be doing if sent back in time 50 years ago. “I’d be making comics and probably making a much better living doing so.”

DEFINITE READS

• The Pittsburgh Business Journal reports that the Pennsylvania budget cuts mean less money for startups. H/T Philly Tech News
• The Green Skeptic and the Inquirer’s Mike Armstrong give their takes on Founders Factory from Philly Startup Leaders. See our review here.
• Dude from Philly Eco City wants to try a DIY car share and wants help.
• NJBIZ reports on a Camden startup focusing on cyber threats like flash mobs. H/T PTN

After the jump, CoTweet gets big name clients, Viddler video of Jay Adelson and Kevin Rose and more.

MIGHT BE WORTH YOUR TIME

• The Philadelphia Business Journal reports that President Obama has named University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann to chair a new Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.
• Ad Ops online has news of a host of big corporate clients coming on board as paying clients to CoTweet, formerly of central Pennsylvania.
• Philadelphia Business Journal reporter John George reports on nine poster winners who participated in a competition at Biotech 2009, the annual biotechnology industry symposium.
• Geekadelphia reports on another webcomic set in Philadelphia.

GIVE A GLANCE

• An Irish newspaper reports on the recession-motivated expansion there of Exton-based software firm Bentley Systems. H/T PTN
• Geekadelphia shares photos from its third anniversary party at North Bowl.
• The Inquirer covers a Berwyn nonprofit that wants to certify the good deeds of businesses.
• Philadelphia Business Journal tracks the ugly stockholder fight around Malvern-based USA Technologies.

The company blog of Bethlehem-based Viddler shares video from the Web 2.0 Expo 2009, specifically a keynote conversation between Digg CEO & Revision3 chairman Jay Adelson and Digg founder Kevin Rose about the company’s strategy, the video of which can be seen below.

• Our Most Trafficked Story of the Week: SEPTA to launch Google Transit bus routes this week, more redesign details

Every Friday morning, we make sure you didn’t miss anything with Friday Tech Links.

A quick read of Ben Franklin;s bio will tell you that Philadelphia is home to many American firsts. Now you can add another: the first iPhone-exclusive comic.

According to the publisher, StopWatch Media, “The Carrier” is the first comic available only on the iPhone. That is, it was not also published in print or online. [iTunes link: paid, free]

“The Carrier” is a story about a man who awakes in Thailand to find a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist and must figure out the origins of the briefcase while he regains his memory.

“If you are a fan of the Borne movies, you;ll love it,” says writer Evan Young, who lives near South Street.

The story takes full advantage of all the features available in a programmable, GPS-enabled device. The story’s 35 chapters unfold in real-time. If chapter two takes place 45 minutes after chapter one, it will be available on your phone exactly 45 minutes after you view the last panel of chapter one.

The application also utilizes the iPhone;s push notification system along with the reader’s GPS position to customize messages that relate to the development of the story.

“As you get further into the story you will be invited to a restaurant in your area or a coffee shop,” says programmer (and Evan’s older brother) Geoffrey Young.

The push notification the reader receives when chapter two is available.

For example, when the reader unlocks the second chapter, he or she receives an email and a notification telling him or her the current weather in London compared to wherever they are currently located (see right). The location of the next chapter? London.

Geoffrey says that StopWatch uses the Yelp API to “invite” readers to local restaurants, Yahoo for traffic updates and GeoNames for the weather information.

Despite the new way of presenting the comic, the application did have its challenges. When drawing a comic on the iPhone, none of the art can overlap into adjacent panels as they can in print. The limitation is one of the many reasons that some comic book fans aren’t as receptive to the new form of consumption.

“I find it interesting that many people want to recreate a print experience, and that’s not how we wanted to handle this at all,” said Geoffrey. “We wanted to create this as a new experience.”

“Sometimes the idea flies over some people’s heads,” agreed Evan. “More so to those in the comic industry than those outside it.”

The application has seen a “moderate” amount of downloads with readers downloading the app from as far as Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Japan and Hong Kong, and StopWatch offers a free “lite” version for those who are unsure of paying the six dollars.

“You can’t do this on a Kindle [e-reader],” said Geoff, “You would need something programmable and with an Internet connection.” He pauses for a beat and then continues; “I guess we could launch it on [Google] Android for the one person I know with an Android phone.”

Every Monday, Technically Not Tech will feature people, projects, and businesses that are involved with Philly;s tech scene, but aren;t necessarily technology focused. See others here.

Disclosure: StopWatch provided TP with a promo code to download the application for free.

“All during school I just wouldn’t pay attention to the teacher. It looked like I was taking notes but I was just writing code on graph paper,” he says. “I have a thing for creating.”

The 31-year-old founder of South Street-based J1 Studios spent his youth making board games, card games and video games and hasn’t let up since. Richardson is taking the hobbies of his youth and slowly building a geek media empire complete with anime-style comics, podcasts and video game development and will have a booth at the upcoming GameX expo.

But, if you ask Richardson, he’ll tell you it all started with an Apple II and a Zelda instruction manual.

A tank and truck created using ASCII art. Source: Wikipedia

“As a kid I was making games on an Apple II. I used to write code in BASIC,” he says.

Because the computers of the time lacked any sort of graphical interface, Richardson would� create the game’s “graphics” using ASCII art by plotting out the art on graph paper. He would then “publish” the games on 5�-inch floppy disks and sell them to friends and family.

Soon, he became so proficient, he included Easter eggs and sold a “Nintendo Power” -like gaming publication to help people beat his games and unlock the hidden codes.

He even packaged detailed instruction booklets with his creations.

“You can blame Zelda for that. When I first saw the Zelda instruction manual, I became obsessed with them,” says Richardson.

THE BIRTH OF J1 STUDIOS

After graduating high school in Delaware County, Richardson attended the Art Institute of Philadelphia where he met other artists and eventually, in 2007, decided to turn his obsession into a company.

The main characters of "Hero EX"

“It’s a side project that’s slowly turning into a full time thing,” he says.

When it began, the studio only had three titles and a handful of people working on them. Now, the studio boasts nearly a dozen titles and is working on its first video game.

If J1 doesn’t create something in-house, the company will offer outside artists a chance to feature their work in exchange for a small percentage of ownership. When any web comic or podcast receives traffic or gets reviewed, Richardson says that all of the titles under J1 receive a bump, which benefits everyone.

“I take people that have a hard time getting out there and I just bring them over to me,” he says.

For now, the studio is looking to get back to its roots with the development of the Hero E.X., a video game featuring illustrations and characters that Richardson created in his youth. The title will be a side-scrolling fighting game, similar to Double Dragon.

The game is scheduled to be released on the PC and then, hopefully, to the Xbox Live Arcade.

“We want to do 2D video games that don’t look like a pile of pixels,” he says pointing to the recent success of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix as an example of the market’s desire for quality 2D titles.

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Every Monday, Technically Not Tech will feature people, projects, and businesses that are involved with Philly�s tech scene, but aren�t necessarily technology focused. See others here.

Earlier this week, we covered Northeast Philadelphia’s favorite graphic novelist Duane Swierczynski.

We talked about social media – his blogging and tweeting – and other junk.

But dude’s dry humor is too good to not enjoy twice. After a ride through YouTube, watch our favorite posted interview experience of Duane’s from years passed.

In 2006, Duane was in Houston for some reason. (We didn’t realize people lived in Houston who didn’t work on or own oil rigs).

Interviewer: “Swierzer.. Swiz… How do you pronounce that?”

Duane: “Smith.”

So, Duane, here is your much belated and deserved laugh.

Crazed graphic novelist and Philadelphia-native Duane Swierczynski isn’t the first comic-author using social media.

Last month, we spoke to the South Philly minds behind the Black Cherry Bombshells. But Swierczynski, 37, who has blogged since October 2004 and tweeted since last summer, recalls when fan chasing was a real game.

“I remember writing a fan letter to Clive Barker back in 1988, and I went through a lot of trouble trying to figure out the address, typing the letter, retyping the letter when I realized that I made a few bone-headed mistakes, and finally, waiting many, many weeks for a response,” Swierczynski said. “I still have the letter framed.”

“Now it’s extremely easy to reach out and say “yo” to your favorite writer. This is great, but perhaps some of the magic has been lost, too.”

That’s because fans of the man behind the newest editions of The Punisher for Marvel Comics can just get online and come find Duane Swierczynski in an instant.

“To me, stuff like Blogger, Facebook and Twitter is one big bar. I hang out on a regular basis, so people know where to find me. There are also other people who hang out at this same bar, and I like to say hi to them, too — share a joke or a bit of news or gossip or whatever,” Swierczynski said. “The beauty is I can pop in and out of this bar at will, and sometimes only for a minute or two. No pressure, no hangovers.”

Fourteen months ago, Duane left his post as editor of  alternative-weekly newspaper Philadelphia CityPaper, after more than three years at the helm. It wasn’t for a lack of love, the man’s career as graphic novelist has just gone viral.

“I miss the energy and fun of a dozen creative minds trapped in the same room, trying to come up with a cool story idea, or headline, or cover concept, or dumb joke. There’s nothing like it,” he said. “I stay in touch a little, but I don’t want to be a nuisance. “Oh crap, here comes Old Man Swierczynski again”

He now lives in the Rhawnhurst neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia with his wife, 7-year-old-son and 5-year-old daughter, but in 2005, while still editor at City Paper, he wrote a seminal profile on his native Frankford, a confused Philly community that interestingly bridges the dilemmas of the Northeast and the city’s river wards.

Going from Frankford to bullet-riddled graphic novels might not be such a big leap, but he likely has a lot more fans now.

He has written five graphic novels, been anthologized in a half-dozen published collections, and has movie producers nipping at his heels (See his library of critically-acclaimed works on Google Books, or, you know, support the man and buy something, for goodness sakes).

Oh, and he is the hottest comic writer on the planet right now. He’s gotten some attention for absurdly delightful plot twists, like the Philly cop mutual masturbation club. He’s big enough that Philadelphia Weekly reached across Broad Street and featured the former editor of their arch rival CityPaper in a recent cover story. If none of that impresses, you know he’s legitimate because he has a Wikipedia page, and it isn’t even flagged for removal.

But dude keeps it real and still calls Philly home – within city limits.

Below see Duane handle a nervous, squirrel-ly-looking interviewer at last April’s New York Comicon, just around news broke that one of his stories would be optioned for a possible movie in the future.

Maybe that’s why he seems a bit cooler than some of his fans and the stereotypes that surround comic books. Still he says he loves technology – “I do love me my gizmos” – so his use of social media is no surprise.

“My motivation was to stay in touch with like-minded writers and readers, and that’s still pretty much the case. I don’t blog or Tweet as a “marketing platform,” or some such crap. I do it because it’s fun,” he said. “The moment it’s not, I’ll stop.”

You know, or if he somehow gets too busy.

At the moment, he’s working on two more monthly series for Marvel – X-Men title Cable and Immortal Iron Fist, which is, of course, focusing on the adventures of a Kung Fu billionare. He’s aso adapting his novel Severance Package for Lionsgate, who optioned the film rights last summer. Then in his free time, he’s working on two more novels, a collaboration with another writer and a solo piece he calls his “most Philly-centric novel yet.”

“It’s been a crazy busy year, and I’m grateful for it,” he said. It hasn’t kept him from being available for readers. “I do think it helps for a writer to be reachable. And I love the chance to talk to people who like the same kinds of books, comics, etc. that I do. I learn something every time I check Twitter.”

As for whether Philly’s tech scene is booming, well, Swierczynski can’t be sure.

“I’m more plugged into the nerdy pulp, hard-boiled noir scene here in Philly. And all three of its members.”

Every Monday, Technically Not Tech will feature people, projects, and businesses that are involved with Philly’s tech scene, but aren’t necessarily technology focused. See others here.

Like other media, comic books have had to deal with the paradigm shift of the Web. Comic book artists that were previously limited to just ink on paper, now can use a wide variety of technologies to show the world their work. Just like the Internet has given independent musicians an alternative to record labels, the independent comic book artist can reach audiences like never before.

Tucked away in South Philly are two members of the city’s booming comic book scene, John Zito and Tony Trovarello who are riding the new wave of comic distribution. The two have been using the Web to publish Black Cherry Bombshells, a comic about a post-apocalyptic world where all of the men have been turned into zombies leaving the women to fend for themselves.

What sounds like a description of last week’s South by Southwest festival, is actually a entertaining read full of everything a comic fan for ask for: “gratuitous” violence, zombies and women who could take you in a bar fight. Technically Philly sat down with John and Tony to talk about the city’s comic book scene, the Web’s effect on comic books, and who played Lynne Abraham in their Ed Rendell musical.

Who are you guys and what are your roles on the Black Cherry Bombshells?

Tony: I’m Tony Trov, and he’s Johnny Zito, South Philly residence. Together we write the Black Cherry Bombshells.

John: The Bombshells is a Web comic on DC’s digital imprint, Zuda. You can read it for free at Black Cherry Bombshells. The comic is about a world in which all the men have been turned into flesh eating zombies and women band together in ultra violent gangs to survive in post apocalyptic Las Vegas. The BlackCherry Bombshells are an up and coming gang of bootleggers. Regina is their leader. Megan, the ex-magician, is their newest recruit. There’s lots of twists and turns along the way.

Is it available in paper form? Or only online?

Tony: It will be available as a collected grapgic novel next holloween-ish.

So, for now, strictly Internet distribution. What do you guys think are the advantages and disadvantages to that?

John: The Internet is the future. Magazine and newspapers are shutting down everyday. But I’m on CNN.com like a fiend.

Tony: Also, floppy comics are dying. Embrace the Web.

John: I think we are part of a new model of distribution: find an audience online and collectors will follow you to Borders.

Tony: The iPhone comic apps are awesome too.

I’ll admit, usually when I read comics I stole them from my older brother. Reading yours was the first time I read one online.

Tony: Exactly but you probably saw the Dark Knight. Franchise!

John: So the Internet becomes R&D for something bigger. The freedom and smaller overhead allows for experimentation.

You alluded before that newspapers and magazines are getting hammered by the Web. Do you think comics are in the same boat?

John: Comics, like usual, are ahead of the curve. DC is adapting to the Web, and other publishers are following. The editorial cartoons are all syndicating online too.

Tony: But one will never fully replace the other. Bands still print vinyl records while releasing mp3s.

John: All of these things will coexist. And thanks to Amazon, iTunes and eBay you can get the Watchmen as a hardback book, Web comic, DVD motion comic, several different cuts of DVD, and I’m sure there’s a novelization around. Franchise.

Is that what you guys plan down the road?

John: We should be so lucky.

So, to change gears, how is the comic scene in Philadelphia?

John: Booming. There’s a thriving cartoonist scene. Lots of art and indie projects. The Philly Cartoonists Society is full of talented sequential artists. There’s always events too.

How are you guys and other comics using the Internet for promotion?

John: We’re on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter (Tony|John). We’re always looking to make new friends. It’s great to meet people with similar interests. Social Networking has a wide reach and makes it possible for those people to get in touch.

Tony: But most people know us from our hit show: “Ed Rendell: The Musical”

John: I played Lynne Abraham.

And finally, What makes you Technically Philly?

John: You mean some historical factoid you woudln’t know unless you lived here?

No, I mean, what are your ties to the area? Although an historical factoid would be appretiated.

Tony: We’re townies. Born and raised, and both went to Temple U.

John: I’m from East Passyunk Ave. Trov is from the other side of Snyder.

Tony: And I’m listening to Motown Philly as I type this.

John: And uh, an historical factoid?

I know you have one, don’t hold out.

John: Poe wrote the first dectective story EVER while living in Philly. Murders at The Rouge Morgue. Take that Baltimore.

Nice, you win.

John: Philly wins.

Every Friday, Technically Philly brings an interview with a leader or innovator in Philadelphia’s technology community. See others here.