MAGRID’S MAGIC SHOPPE WANTS YOU TO EXPLORE BEYOND THE COMIC PANEL

Wepa! Bobby Chiu and Jim Bryson are getting the band back together, but this time they are pushing comics somewhere between the page, animation and a game. The Emmy Award-winning creators behind Niko and the Sword of Light are launching Magrid’s Magic Shoppe, an interactive comic project heading to Kickstarter on October 6.

The idea is built around something comic readers have probably imagined at least once: what if you could actually explore beyond the borders of a panel? Magrid’s Magic Shoppe uses Bryson’s hand-drawn artwork with technology from An Infinite Story to let readers dig into illustrations, uncover hidden details, hunt for clues and solve puzzles instead of simply moving from panel to panel.

There is a bigger creator play happening behind the comic too. An Infinite Story, co-founded by Chiu, is being developed as a platform that allows independent artists to turn their existing artwork and original characters into interactive experiences without needing programming skills or a massive studio behind them. The company says every experience on the platform is built from original, human-made artwork, which is an important detail at a time when creators are rightfully paying close attention to how technology is being used around their work.

Chiu brings more than two decades of experience across animation, film and art, including character design work on Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, while also founding LightBox Expo and Schoolism. Bryson is a founding member of StudioNX, whose visual development work has included projects for Marvel, Disney, Amazon and Nickelodeon. The pair previously created Niko and the Sword of Light, which went from an animated comic app to an Amazon Prime Video animated series.

The Kickstarter is targeting $19,999 and will offer rewards ranging from digital artwork and access to the interactive experience to physical art books, signed collectibles and original artwork. Higher tiers get considerably more ambitious, allowing backers to potentially become illustrated characters, receive custom characters with dialogue, appear in story roles or grab producer and executive producer credits.

Magrid’s Magic Shoppe launches on Kickstarter October 6, 2026 and is scheduled to run through November 6. I am curious to see this one in motion because the interesting part is not simply adding another digital trick to comics. It is whether Chiu, Bryson and An Infinite Story can make exploring a hand-drawn comic feel genuinely different while still keeping the artwork and storytelling at the center of the experience.

Visit the Magrid’s Magic Shoppe Kickstarter page.