Zander Cannon '95 and Kevin Cannon '02 say Big Time Attic is no longer accepting sides of beef as payment

Potential clients, take note: The Minneapolis art studio Big Time Attic is no longer accepting sides of beef as payment.

"We were hired to design a logo for a meat market, and they asked if they could pay us in meat," explained studio co-owner Zander Cannon.

"It was during our 'We don't say no to any project' phase," added his business partner, Kevin Cannon (no relation; more on that later).

But just because they're now using more traditional forms of remuneration doesn't mean they've quit challenging normal business practices. On the contrary, they have generated a considerable amount of buzz for their latest graphic novels — Zander's "Heck" and Kevin's "Crater XV" — by using a new medium.

Starting last summer, the Cannons decided to go "digital first." The newly popular publishing method found them releasing serialized versions of the books online, long before the bound copies will reach book stores on June 26 (published by Top Shelf). They launched a Web magazine, called Double Barrel, where they've been posting the books in monthly installments. The website also offers extra material that isn't in the books.

While digital comic sites aren't unique, the Cannons' jump into the digital-first waters has onlookers taking note. Publishers Weekly quickly flagged their site when it debuted last year. USA Today called the Cannons' move "very promising." The online magazine Boing Boing went a step further, heralding it as "the true beginning of the future of digital comics."