I hate to keep harping on digital price points, but as I watch companies experiment online, it’s one of the factors that jumps out at me.

Customers complain that more than 99 cents an issue is too much to pay for a virtual read they don’t own. Companies prefer $1.99 or even cover price ($2.99 or $3.99), although many run regular online sales, where a selected group of titles is lowered to the 99-cent price point temporarily.

Now, IDW has announced new digital comics featuring one of their most popular brands. They’re calling Transformers: Autocracy “digital-only”, but I suspect “digital-first” is more accurate, because I can’t imagine that they won’t republish it in print after completion. It’s a 12-part series that puts out a chapter every two weeks — but while they’re keeping to the “99 cents” price, they’re doing that by making the chapters only eight pages each. Which should make a 96-page collection, eventually. (DC did something similar with their Fringe digital comics; theirs were 99 cents for 12-page chapters.)

The writers are Flint Dille, who worked on the Transformers cartoon, and Chris Metzen, making his writing debut. His main job is Blizzard Entertainment’s Senior Vice-President of Story and Franchise Development — so he should know brand management, if that’s what you’re looking for in your comic reading. Artist is Livio Ramondelli. The series is available through IDW’s various digital partners.