Christmas has come early, because my secret dream of one day enjoying the animated adventures of my favorite Web comic, PvP, is coming true. To quote creator Scott Kurtz:

“It is with great pride that we announce the first season of PvP: The Animated Series. Starting in February 2007, PvP will be offered as an animated feature via the web. Each month, via a subscription service, we’ll be delivering a new 4-6 minute episode. This is not your typical flash animation. These are traditionally 2D animated with professional voice actors all collaborating to bring the staff of PVP magazine to life for the first time.

“The series premieres February 1, 2007. If you sign up between now and January 1, a year long subscription only costs you $19.95. Come 2007, a year-long subscription is $29.95 so be sure to sign up now and get the better deal.

“Pre-order sales will make or break this project. The reason Blind Ferret is willing to risk the money to hire animators, voice actors and production staff is because they believe in PvP and its fan base. We’re confident that once you see our preview (which features the first minute of our first episode), you’ll want to see more. So please sign up now and help spread the word and support the show.”

Color me a word-spreader. With any luck, Santa will slip this little gem into my virtual stocking. If not…well…I can’t be held responsible for the consequences, financial or otherwise. (And actual panda attack? HI-LARIOUS!)

On the serious side, this is quite the intriguing financial model–development based on preorders–and I’m led to understand that this was floated as a possible method of resurrecting Firefly and in some degree is responsible for the direct-to-DVD (D2DVD) continuations of Babylon 5 and Stargate SG-1. Heady company for a Web comic, but hey, PvP did win the Eisner, so who’s to say this isn’t a harbinger of success–and of business models to come.