Why $1 Extra For Digital Is Better For Retailers

Much is being made of the Avenging Spider-Man free digital copy with every print copy. Great for customers, to some extent, but shitty for retailers.

Why?

With the extra dollar charged for the JUSTICE LEAGUE copies that have a digital code, the retailer at least knows they're sending their customer to a competing delivery service and is getting their money up front.

With Marvel's plan, the retailer gets a $.50 credit somewhere down the line for every redeemed code.

But how do they track that?

Is it reliant upon the customer filling out a referral field that says they bought the book at BOB'S BIG COMICS? Or is it reliant upon Diamond records having the right batch assigned as being shipped to the right store and that batch matching up with all the proper codes?

And what system could possibly be in place for a retailer to be assured that they're getting the full credit they earned? Seems like it comes down to "hey, trust us, we're Marvel...have we EVER done you wrong?"

PR: MyDigitalComics.com Goes BOOM!

For Immediate Release: MYDIGITALCOMICS.COM GOES BOOM! BOOM! STUDIOS ANNOUNCES NEW VENUE TO OBTAIN BOOM! STUDIOS' DIGITAL COMICS WITH MYDIGITALCOMICS.COM HIT RECENT RELEASES AVALIBLE TODAY ENTIRE BACKLIST AVALIBLE SOON! Thursday, October 7th, 10am PST – Los Angeles, CA, / NYC, NY / Fort Wayne, IN – BOOM! Studios proudly adds MyDigitalComics (www.mydigitalcomics.com) as another venue to bring you some of the finest, award-winning BOOM! Studios comics digitally this fall. Take your digital comics anywhere as MyDigitalComics offers BOOM! Studios' comics online through MyDigitalComics new page flipper format that fans everywhere can read on a either Mac or PC! MyDigitalComics now makes it easier than ever to read your favorite BOOM! Studios titles! MyDigitalComics launches its partnership with BOOM! today with some of BOOM!’s most recent top-selling comics, such as 28 DAYS LATER, DIE HARD, the Eisner Award-nominated graphic translation of Philip K. Dick’s DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, as well as BOOM!’s bestselling original Mark Waid penned Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated IRREDEEMABLE, companion series INCORRUPTIBLE, and supernatural thriller THE UNKNOWN among a host of others. All BOOM! Studios single issue digital comics are priced at $1.99 with the first half of each series’ first issue available to download for free. “BOOM! Studios is always looking to further our commitment to getting our comics and graphic novels into the hands of fans everywhere ,” said BOOM! Studios Marketing Director Chip Mosher. “This new agreement with MyDigitalComics only shows how strong the commitment to our fans is. BOOM! Studios publishes some of the most diverse comics out there, and the addition of MyDigitalComics shows that we have the most diverse options for new and old fans alike to experience our comics digitally.” Fans of BOOM! Studios should also be aware that the entire BOOM! Studios backlist will be released through MyDigitalComics in the coming months, so make sure to frequent www.mydigitalcomics.com to keep up to date with all the latest BOOM! Studios digital releases. MyDigitalComics' groundbreaking association with online print retailers Discount Comic Book Service (DCBS) and InStockTrades also allows fans an immediate opportunity to buy print versions of their favorite BOOM! titles at a price point sure to excite readers! BOOM! Studios’ addition of MyDigitalComics (www.mydigitalcomics.com) as a digital distributor of a BOOM! Studios front and backlist comes soon after BOOM!’s summer 2010 release of the BOOM! Studios Comics App on the iPad and iPhone, developed in partnership with comiXology, which came in at #7 in all ebook free app downloads on the day of release, coming right behind Marvel's app. MyDigitalComics joins a growing list of digital distributors such as comiXology, iVerse, Graphic.ly, and Panelfly, offering BOOM! Studios publications digitally and extending BOOM!’s commitment to reach comic fans everywhere. Long a leader in the digital comics space, BOOM! Studios shocked the comics industry in early 2008 with the first day-and-date print and digital release of their comic book NORTH WIND, in partnership with MySpace.  BOOM! is also noted as one of the first comic book publishers to make their comics available through mobile devices such as the iPhone, iPod Touch and Android mobile devices. Along with an aggressive digital distribution strategy, BOOM! Studios also has some of the most varied and diverse print distribution of any comic book publishing company. This past spring, BOOM! Studios announced that Haven Distributors would be carrying the full line of BOOM! Studios and BOOM Kids! new releases to the direct market. In the Summer of 2009, BOOM! Studios announced mass market distribution deals with Simon & Schuster and HarperCollinsCanada, with Simon & Schuster distributing BOOM! Studios and BOOM Kids! lines of graphic novels in the United States and HarperCollinsCanada distributing in Canada. In the Spring of 2009, BOOM! announced a newsstand distribution deal for their BOOM Kids! line through Kable Distribution Services, Inc., best known amongst comic book fans for distributing Archie Comics throughout North America in the United States and Canada. The entire BOOM! Studios and BOOM Kids! line of publications are also offered in the direct market by Diamond Comics Distributors and Haven Distributors. About BOOM! Studios: BOOM! Studios (www.boom-studios.com), 2009 "Best Publisher" of the year, generates a wide-ranging catalog of multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated comic books and graphic novels featuring some of the industry’s top talent, including Philip K. Dick's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, 20th Century Fox's 28 DAYS LATER and DIE HARD, The Henson Company's FARSCAPE, and the original Mark Waid series IRREDEEMABLE. This fall sees BOOM! teaming up with the legendary Stan Lee, creator of Marvel Comics’ characters Spider-Man, The Hulk, and The X-Men for a line of original superhero series, the legend’s first new superhero creations in nearly 20 years. BOOM!'s youth imprint, BOOM Kids!, is an undisputed industry leader publishing Disney/Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES, CARS, and TOY STORY, as well as Disney's THE MUPPETS, DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE and WALT DISNEY'S COMICS AND STORIES. This year, BOOM! Studios celebrates its fifth anniversary. About MyDigitalComics: An up and comer in the digital comics market place, MyDigitalComics (www.mydigitalcomics.com), provides fans a digital option for their comics and offers titles in PDF, CBZ, and page flipper formats. MDC works in affiliation with Discount Comic Book Service (www.dcbservice.com). DCBS is one of the nation’s largest comics retailers and its sister store, InStockTrades (www.instocktrades.com), is a mainstay of the collected edition market, keeping over 11,000 individual trade paperback and hardcover titles in stock.

The Answer? About 20 Days

On April 3rd, I asked How Long Until This Gets Shut The Fuck Down about HTML Comics, a site making whole comics available for viewing in your web browser for free.

Then Rich Johnston covered it several days later.

Of course, Lucas Siegel covered it over a year before either of us.

But, according to a press release, it was only shut down on April 22.

I know a lot of you out there are pro-torrents and other illegal methods of reading comics free on the 'net and just think those of us who get outraged at this stuff are just tools of our corporate masters, maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan. But as much as the profits lost for the corporations are the bigger numbers, the complete denial of possible royalties to the creators would be the more important factor involved. I know it is why this stuff bothers me, personally, when I see it happen in such ridiculous fashion.

Johanna Draper Carlson's angle seems to suggest that the publishers targeting such sites is a pathetic alternative to coming out with their own competing offering. Seems off the mark to me. If I were a publisher, I'd want to try to clear as much of the illegal competition out before ramping up my version.

Let Me Get This Straight...

Jim Lee is, apparently, more excited about the iPad as a content CREATION device than he is about it being a content DELIVERY device? That's what his responses about digital comics on the iPad and his posting a step-by-step sketch done on the iPad via his Twitter account would suggest.

With the quality of that Wonder Woman sketch, I guess you can't blame him...

Jim Lee: My Digital Comics Comments Were Misconstrued

At a Wonder Con panel, Jim Lee suggested that his comments on digital comics were taken to mean that DC had no interest in pursuing them.

Given that he said they were talking to software companies, I find it hard to understand how that happened.

What I took his comments to mean, though, was that DC's answer is the same as it has been for years: we're always looking into it, but we don't see anything all that exciting about it, so we're not making it a priority.

Would it be misconstruing his comments to think that DC Comics is, officially, still adverse to change and progress in how they make their product available?

How long has Marvel's digital offering been around while DC has made no apparent strides? When a killer device/app comes along, they still basically say that print is where it's at? That they can't just offer scans of books because that's already (illegally) out there?

I read Jim Lee's comments as being tone deaf on the issue of digital comics. Pretty sure I didn't misconstrue them.

Wow...For Such A High Tech Man, He Has Low Tech Vision

Jim Lee said, according to Newsarama coverage of the DC Nation panel, the following about digital comics:

4:36

Next question concerned "digital initiatives." Lee said he's never seen anything on the digital side that is as compelling for him as a printed comic, saying you can't replicate things like the four-page spread in Blackest Night #8.

4:37

Another advantage of printed comics, according to Lee: "You can read them on an airplane as you're taking off."

4:37

"They're not a huge part of anyone's business, regardless if you're on the iPad tomorrow or not," Lee said of digital comics.

4:38

"We're talking to a bunch of different vendors, software companies about it," Lee continued. "It's going to be more than, 'hey, here are some scanned comics,' because frankly, that's out there already."

Really? A gatefold, four page spread (that isn't really quite four pages) can't be replicated on a computer screen?

And I sincerely hope tongue was planted firmly in cheek with that "read them on an airplane" comment. Besides, that's really more of a trade paperback selling point than a periodical selling point. One clearly travels better than the other.

They aren't a huge part of anyone's business, even if they're on the iPad tomorrow...when the effects of being on the iPad haven't been seen yet? When the question was forward looking, not asking about how digital has performed thus far, seeing as how DC hasn't really even dipped their toe into the water yet?

The offerings have to be more than "hey, here are some scanned comics" because illegal scans are already out there? Seriously? Even when we're seeing that motion comics aren't setting the world on fire and the more bells and whistles that get added, the higher you have to price the content to make a profit, which inadvertently pushes readers back to the printed version?

This is the guy that just got promoted to one of the most important positions at DC Comics? All of a sudden, I'm much less enthused about that move.

What DC Needs To Do...Or Doesn't Need To Do?

Tom Spurgeon put together an article on the moves that DC Comics needs to make coming out of their restructuring. There is a lot in there to like. Spurgeon comes up with some heady stuff.

But in his third and final part of the list, he breaks out its own three part list.

1) a commitment to stricter schedule-making in a way that de-emphasizes crowding similar titles on certain dates, doesn't stack potentially series-strengthening runs into mini-series for a reason that isn't clearly obvious and builds an expectation in the audience for when certain books come out

In a paragraph after this, Spurgeon starts listing the ways companies have dominated the market and how DC needs to pay attention to that. One of the ways Marvel has managed to be the lead dog right now (which Spurgeon doesn't cite) involved a commitment to large stories that placed more emphasis on similar titles coming out on certain dates.

It can currently be argued that the customers want an emphasis on an immersive world where the continuity between titles is strong. Marvel made a huge commitment to just that approach with Civil War and hasn't looked back since. This includes several times where books had to miss their scheduled releases for the greater good of the story.

Don't get me wrong: I really think scheduling needs to be a focus. But doing it to the detriment of other aspects the consumers seem to like that contribute more directly to the product itself seems to be a perilous course.

2) an aggressive program facilitating comic shop store openings that favors neglected areas of coverage and a variety of store models, focused on opportunities provided by the current economy that has led to more people than ever looking towards franchising and small business opportunities

Ten years ago, I'd be all behind this one. But now? Especially given what follows this suggestion?

3) a move towards a proactive digital strategy that involves transparency so that decisions made in terms of price point and timing could be an industry driver and not just a series of in-house contingency plans based on some ill-defined, anticipated event that may or may not ever happen

Move towards a digital age, while encouraging new folks to get into the Direct Market game? Really? I think that would be irresponsible.

There's a lot of talk about what might or might not happen to the DM as publishers start to embrace digital offerings of their product. I've known so many DM retailers that have struggled and either had to shrink their business or fold altogether.

That is without prominent, legal competition via digital downloads. That's without having a LongBoxDigital or iPad to compete with. Yes, independent bookstores still exist with there being a Kindle and other digital delivery options. But less and less independent music stores are left after the move to MP3s.

I'd argue that the push to digital would make collected editions represent a much larger percentage of the physical product they sell. Collected editions are readily available through the big chain bookstores and online booksellers. The only way a DM retailer stays in business 5-10 years down the line is by their focus being on one or two non-comic-book products. A store that sells comic books in addition to their main focus on collectible card/miniature gaming might survive, but is that the sort of business major comic book publishers should make a concerted push to prop up?

But that's just me. I feel for DM retailers, but am against all the push for publishers to find ways to keep them in business. It's like saying petroleum companies should have tried to keep leaded-only gasoline retailers viable. Technology is forcing the publishers to evolve, but we're making them responsible for keeping alive the organisms that lack the traits needed to survive on their own in this new world. Of course, I don't think all the people the health insurance industry employs is a good argument against moving to single payer, either.

But what do you think?

Kindle 2: Killer Comics App Closer Than You Think?

Brian Heater shows how comics imported into Kindle 2 can look over on Gearlog. They don't all look as good as BONE, at least in pictures taken of the Kindle 2 screen. As one person in the comments points out, the aspect ratio on the porting over of these comics is a bit off and certainly not wholly indicative of what comics sold by Amazon for the Kindle would look like.

I, for one, welcome our new electronic comic book store overlords.

Amazon's Electronic Book Offerings No Comic Book Killer, Eh?

Well, Amazon now can sell ebooks to be read on iPod Touch and iPhone. Color screens. Already a small market for electronic comic books. Hmmm...

NYCC AIM Roundtable

Being as how I had to skip NYCC largely due to a domestic emergency (more on that when I get the pictures uploaded), I decided to hold a bit of a roundtable discussion of the news coming out from the convention amongst some online friends to see what they were thinking.

So...what is the biggest announcement from the convention as far as you're concerned?

[18:38] Steve: i'd have to say the restructuring of the Ultimate line.
[18:38] James: biggest announcement for me? hrm... yeah
[18:38] James: the Ultimate Relaunch
[18:39] Greg (Anderson, of Bludblood.com & The Minds of Greg): Me personally didn't care much for announcements going on. Was more excited hearing about the new stuff coming from Radical Comics
[18:39] Schwapp!!!: what in particular about that relaunch makes it so high on your list, Mud & Steve?
[18:39] Schwapp!!!: Any particular project that Radical caught your eye with, Greg?
[18:39] Steve: Ultimate Spider-man is constantly in the top 25 sellers as far as i know. it seemed odd to relaunch a bestselling book
[18:39] Aaron: I'd say, for me, the Batman news. But there wasn't that much that seemed like big news to me.
[18:39] James: ultimate spider-man was the comic that brought me back to comics after the late 90s drove me away (in particular astonishing x-men v2 issue 2 was the end for me)
[18:40] Steve: though i'm happy as long as i get more Millar on Ultimates/Ultimate Avengers (with Pacheco, yay!)
[18:40] James: so now.. the book that brought me back... even with it coming back.. it feels like leaving school.. like when you graduate junior high, becaue yknow your friends are still gonna be with you in high school
[18:40] James: but it will still be different
[18:41] Steve: U. Spidey brought you back to comics?
[18:41] James: yup
[18:41] Steve: that's cool.
[18:41] James: ultimate spider-man 13 to be exact
[18:41] Aaron: brb -- bladder about go nuclear
[18:41] Schwapp!!!: Aaron, what is a particular Batman nugget that caught your attention?
[18:41] Greg: Well, theres FVZA and Rider of a Storm by David Hine, Hotwire by Steve Pugh, their upcoming Aladdin book, Steve Niles' City of Dust, new Hercules, Rick Remender's The Last Days of American Crime, Cholly and Flytrap
[18:42] Steve: i've heard similar stories before. Ultimate Spider-man is one of those books that converts people.
[18:42] Greg: seems Radical Comics are literally gonna be knocking stuff out of the park
[18:42] Greg: great writers and just superb art
[18:42] Schwapp!!!: Ultimate Spider-Man grabbed me at the time, too...not sure it brought me back, but it kept me in the shop.
[18:42] Greg: heck, Hotwire by Steve Pugh was so much darn fun, 30 something pages for only 3 dollars?
[18:42] Steve: Hine is at Radical now? i may have to check that out..
[18:44] Aaron: I found it interesting that they are trying all these diff. books.
[18:44] Aaron: I'm not sure how it's going to work, but they're definitely giving it a shot, to run off the RIP and movie momentum.

What are the top three projects you're looking forward to that were showcased at NYCC?

[18:43] Greg: Damn... hmm
[18:43] Steve: i tend to ignore press releases for companies i'm unfamilar with. perhaps i should pay better attention...
[18:43] James: hrm.. gimmie a sec on this one
[18:44] James: Okay The Marvels Project by Brubaker and Epting
[18:44] Greg: Well, FVZA by Hine, Image United by the original Image dudes, Aladdin: Legacy of the Lost from Radicals
[18:44] James: thats prolly my number one right now
[18:45] Aaron: The Spider-Woman motion comics thing has the POTENTIAL to be huge, like we talked about. But it could also flop like a used tampon.
[18:45] Schwapp!!!: ...
[18:45] Steve: Hickman on F4 with Eaglesham, Millar and Pacheco on Ultimate Comics Avengers, and Morrison doing new Seaguy
[18:45] Schwapp!!!: You have a way with words.
[18:45] Aaron: Why thank you!
[18:46] Steve: What excellent manners you have, Aaron!
[18:47] Aaron: Oh!
[18:48] Aaron: DC FINALLY coming out with something significant on Free Comic Book Day: Blackest Night #0
[18:48] Steve: whoa...blackest night zero?
[18:49] Steve: color me intrigued.
[18:51] James: The Bronx Kill is another book that I'm looking forward to btw
[18:51] James: Peter Milligan and James Romberger

Any strong feelings on iTunes getting the Spider-Woman motion comic 2 weeks before the comic shops get the traditional comic?
Do you see the potential for spoilers as a huge drawback?
Or not worth being concerned about?

[18:46] Greg: Heh, that's what they're doing?
[18:46] Greg: Hmm, undecided
[18:46] Aaron: I don't have strong feelings, no. And I understand why they're doing it that way.
[18:47] Greg: As long as it gets new people to check out some books.
[18:48] Steve: i'm okay with iTunes getting the comic 2 weeks early
[18:48] Steve: though i won't be reading/watching the book anyways.
[18:48] Greg: I'm one to avoid spoilers like the plague if it's a book I'm reading
[18:48] Steve: SUCK ON THAT, BENDIS! ;)
[18:48] Aaron: Hux, it might be more trouble for the people running the boards than for anyone. :)

Would your opinions about the move be different if it were a more high profile property?

[18:49] Greg: I actually never get the mentality of people wanting to be spoiled when it comes to a book they enjoy
[18:49] Aaron: Hmm.
[18:49] Aaron: I would just have to be more careful to avoid stuff, I guess.
[18:49] Aaron: But I AM looking forward to Spider-Woman. So I hope I'm not spoiled on it.
[18:50] Steve: i might respond with unbridled fanboy rage and write a hate-filled post on a message board if it was a higher profile book
[18:50] Steve: but that's about it.
[18:51] James: spoilers do not bother me...
[18:51] James: i mean i sometimes actively seek them out, if i dont then what happens happens
[18:51] Steve: certain spoilers bother me. like the big reveal of a mystery character, unexpected deaths
[18:52] James: my only concerns for this iTunes model - is exclusivity and format
[18:52] James: exclusivity wise i dont want to see a digital version of diamond here
[18:52] Aaron: Good point.
[18:52] James: and format... i have concerns about how much of a COMIC will be kept.. i watched a very interesting digital comic today
[18:53] James: http://balak01.deviantart.com/art/about-DIGITAL-COMICS-111966969
[18:53] Greg: I really hope comics dont go full on digital.
[18:53] James: that I think would be much better than a step between animation and still life
[18:53] Greg: I know TokyoPop is going to start releasing some of their stuff digitally and I absolutely hate that idea
[18:54] James: I would have those concerns regardless of whether or not it was Amazing Spider-Man 600 or if it was Vigilante #8

Do we think that this move with Spider-Woman is a sign of comics moving closer to regular digital delivery?

[18:56] James: i think its too early to say, but i think it - along with things from tokyopop (like Greg hinted at) is a push towards taking it seriously
[18:56] James: the watchmen motion comics seem like pure novelty let me cash in on this movie
[18:56] Aaron: Well, it's an experiment. Like in that digital comic James linked to.
[18:56] Steve: i do think that is where everyone seems to feel comics should go, but i'll always prefer reading an actual book in my hand with paper.
[18:57] James: and if you look at the digital comic world - i mean torrents and hubs teeming with such a large percentage of the entire comic industry - its a market that is there
[18:57] James: it does fascinate by the way that right now marvel and DC have people finding, scanning and cleaning up digital files for them for free of ultra obscure material digitally
[18:57] Steve: i thought the same about the Watchmen motion comic, James.

Thinking of the Watchmen motion comic, how do you feel about the likelihood of voice overs accompanying motion comics? Is this an added value or a drawback?

[18:58] James: definite drawback
[18:58] James: with a cartoon or a movie having the character have a specific voice is one thing
[18:58] Greg: Wow. Hearing this stuff is news to me.
[18:59] James: but doing it to a comic - it starts getting, in my mind, a conflict of styles
[18:59] James: and i also thing it further fills in that bastardized animation/comic middle ground
[18:59] Aaron: Also, that completely alters the way you interact with the comic.
[18:59] Aaron: IMO
[18:59] James: no, you are right
[18:59] James: now its MORE PASSIVE
[19:00] James: and who the hell is gonna deliver grant morrison written dialogue? :-D
[19:00] Aaron: HAHA!
[19:00] Greg: The thought of not going out to buy comics from a shop, not having it in your hand and having to read on computer screen just irks me
[19:00] Greg: People are getting damn lazy
[19:00] Aaron: Yeah, where's the motion comic complete with voiceover and sound effects of FC? :)
[19:01] Steve: Who's going to deliver Grant Morrison dialogue? The answer is Matt Fraction.
[19:01] Steve: or Gerard Way.
[19:01] Steve: Both are mini-Morrisons.
[19:01] James: no no.. i mean the actors Steve
[19:01] Aaron: Shit there's a 2-page spread in Alias with Luke and Jessica with 51 text balloons.
[19:02] Steve: oh...i should probably go back and read all of the stuff before i comment on things after i've been afk :P
[19:02] James: hehe :-D
[19:02] James: Aaron - must of them are "the hell?" it be like a remix album
[19:02] James: "the hell?" "the hell?" "the hell"?
[19:02] Aaron: LOL

Who in the group has read comic books in CBR or CBZ formats, downloaded via torrent?
Is the difference in experience worth the cost benefit you'd likely get if they were offered legally?

[19:02] James: ill say i have
[19:02] Aaron: I have once. And it was a pain in the ass.
[19:03] Steve: I used to before i officially started buying comics.
[19:03] Steve: Now the only comics I will read digitally are Miracleman and Flex Mentallo, and I plan on buying those if they're ever reprinted.
[19:03] James: most things I DL are out of print older stuff and/or books that i have purchased and do not have access to at that time..
[19:04] James: for instance, when i was up in dallas for 4 months, towards the end i was jonesin

Is the difference in experience worth the cost benefit you'd likely get if they were offered legally?
Obviously, you're not paying for the current CBR/CBZ offerings. If offered from publishers, they'd certainly cost less than the physical product. Would the $ saved compensate for the difference in the experience (electronic vs. in your hands on the toilet)? ;)

[19:04] Aaron: Hux, I seriously doubt it.
[19:04] Greg: I can totally understand people torrenting titles that are long out of print like Miracleman and Bishop: Last X-Man, or Milligan's Enigma. I mean, where else are you going to get them?
[19:05] Greg: Heck, I'm still wondering each passing day when Marvel will finally release Priest's full Black Panther run.
[19:05] Steve: the difference would be worth it
[19:05] Steve: Paper books ALWAYS >>>>>>> digital
[19:05] Greg: And dammit! I wish I thought of that to ask Joe Q that at the con
[19:06] James: so for me, as long as i can still buy a trade of certain material eventually, i would switch like that ::snaps fingers::
[19:07] Steve: I will always prefer the physical product. Even if it costs more.
[19:07] James: if i had legit low cost CBR/CBZ files for issues, but could get trades? done!
[19:07] Aaron: I'd hang onto the paper as long as possible.
[19:07] James: can i add one thing to this whole digital comic thing, Khux?
[19:07] Greg: I do like, though, when certain sites let you read an issue for free as a way to test out the book
[19:07] Schwapp!!!: you all can feel free to add whatever you want to the discussion, so go ahead, James
[19:08] James: i wont name names or places, but i can say without a doubt that some of the most excited, passionate, well-tempered friends ive ever encountered have been in hubs
[19:08] Greg: Like Image Comics. On their site they have a lot of the first issues of their books up and you can just read them and see what's your type of book before jumping in.
[19:08] James: i have seen discussion in there that blows away anything on message boards - especially in terms of respect for each other
[19:08] James: if you could keep THAT aspect with the digital comics, i would be even more happy
[19:08] Schwapp!!!: By hubs, we're talking about torrent sites? or usenet?
[19:09] James: dc++ hubs
[19:09] James: direct connect servers
[19:09] Schwapp!!!: ah, OK

If the companies started to offer more of their comics digitally, would their availability to you earlier in digital format than in physical format influence you to adopt digital sooner?

[19:11] Greg: I don't want to accept digital reading.
[19:11] Greg: As I stated before, maybe an issue to preview a whole series
[19:11] James: for me? not so much :-D
[19:11] Aaron: Take for instance these Batman books coming out ...
[19:12] Greg: but I can't get myself excited at all for that
[19:12] Greg: Actually
[19:12] James: im like the anti-Greg here :-D.. or Greg of earth 2
[19:12] Greg: I'm looking at it wrong
[19:12] Greg: I'm looking at it as digital replacing the solid product entirely
[19:12] Aaron: If they were $0.99 each on iTunes, I would consider getting some of them that I wouldn't buy for $2.50 at my LCS. But it wouldn't be a complete shift.
[19:12] Greg: if they can do both solid paper and digital, by all means
[19:13] Greg: but if digital is to replace the solid product, I'm against it.
[19:13] Aaron: But I'd still buy Blackest Night in actual paper form.
[19:13] Aaron: I'm with Greg.
[19:13] Schwapp!!!: but you still wouldn't personally be in the market for the digital, Greg?
[19:13] Greg: Me? No.
[19:13] Aaron: I'd just have to wait until the trades, honestly.
[19:14] Steve: The availability would of digital comics would not affect me.
[19:14] Steve: I'd also wait for the trades, like Aaron.
[19:14] James: ill say one thing - digital pull lists like podcast subscribing would at least mean you never miss an issue :)

If the publishers offered a model where you purchased trades in advance but received digital delivery of the chapters while waiting for physical delivery of the trade, would that interest you?

[19:14] James: Khux i would sign up for that right now
[19:15] Aaron: Yeah, I could see that.
[19:15] Aaron: I usually buy stuff I already know I'm getting anyways.
[19:15] Greg: Man, watch comic readers really get fat due to them not taking the steps to go to a comic shop to buy the actual books. Everything now is ordering online.
[19:15] Aaron: And that way, I wouldn't have to worry about being spoiled.
[19:15] Aaron: Heh
[19:15] Greg: I'm one to prefer going out and tracking down my stuff.
[19:16] Steve: I'd be okay if I received the digital comics in addition to the paper books.
[19:16] Aaron: If I get the collected edition in the end, I'm ok with it.
[19:16] Schwapp!!!: So, Greg, you'd miss the thrill of the hunt?
[19:16] Greg: Hell to the yeah
[19:16] Aaron: Of course ... that would make dropping a book problematic. :)
[19:16] Steve: I'm with Greg 100% on this one.
[19:16] James: dude there is going out and tracking things, and then getting fucked over because your comic shop forgot to pull something for you and know its sold out diamond - as my previous shop did MULTIPLE times
[19:16] Greg: Only time I ever ordered a comic was Elephantmen and that was because the site was giving about a 40 or 60% discount
[19:17] Steve: The thrill of the hunt through shop after shop and longbox after longbox is part of the draw of collecting comics.
[19:17] Greg: The thing is, when my LCS don't have my books, I got elsewhere to where they do have it.
[19:18] James: and that can be occasionally fun to track down the holy grails.. i did that with certain back issues (first beta ray bill)... but no other industry is okay with bad service sparking an adventure
[19:18] James: if the adventure is personal, it is of course different

With the TPB/digital idea discussed above, would you expect to pay less than full price for the TPB, regular price or have to be additional for the added value of digital delivery?

[19:17] James: between a dollar less to a dollar more
[19:17] Aaron: I'd still expect to pay less.
[19:17] Steve: Well personally I'm not big on the digital thing, so I'd only get it if there was no extra charge beyond the regular trade price.
[19:18] Aaron: Wait. No, that's not true. I'd be willing to pay list.
[19:18] Aaron: Because it's still (usually) cheaper than buying the floppies.

Unless anyone has some thoughts they want to add, I think this is pretty good for the first experiment

[19:19] Aaron: Glad to help. :)
[19:20] Greg: heh, was kool
[19:20] James: all i will add is that if they move forward digitally they need to remember that the content will become more and more important
[19:20] James: i could download a million comics any time i want, and yet i still dont read spider-man :)
[19:20] Aaron: HA!
[19:21] Steve: I'd just like to say hi to all of the ladies out there, and that despite what the doctor says, the rash is NOT contagious.

What are your thoughts?

Amazon Set To Become eBook Monopoly?

Amazon is quite clearly the most notable online bookseller. According to PW Daily, they have notified publishers that they will no longer sell eBooks in the Adobe or Microsoft formats. Instead, they will only be selling ebooks in the formats they own (Kindle and mobipocket).

With talk of a new Kindle on the way and Amazon rivaling Apple in MP3 sales, could they wind up the leading retailer of the digital comic book evolution?

Digital Comics: Eagle One Media

At first glance, I thought this site had to be hosted somewhere outside of the States and only pretending to be legit. But after seeing that the About Us page claims they are based in Michigan, I'd have to guess that it is either legit or run by some not-so-bright people.

Looking at the site, I believe there are more than a few not-so-bright people involved, regardless. The site design is low budget and unattractive. It surprises me that this is a partner that IDW, for instance, would choose to work with to offer their product online.

They aren't alone, of course. Chimaera Comics, Lone Star Press, Heroic Publishing, Antartic Press and others are, also, offered on the site. They're selling the product as protected PDFs, but those PDFs can be used on multiple computers (which seems to mean they're just as ripe for torrenting as an unprotected version). So, for serving up the product in a format inferior to .cbr files, they're getting...absolutely no benefit.

I encourage you all to visit the link at the beginning of the blog and share your opinion in the comments.

How Will They Know?

From Geoff Boucher's HERO COMPLEX over on the LA Times website:

GB: There's wildly mixed levels of excitement about webcomics. Some people shrug, others see the future, albeit one that may be difficult to monetize. There's also the huge bookstore market now for trade paperbacks, hardcovers, etc. Talk a bit about format and the future -- what is the comic book of the future?

DD: Realistically speaking -- and this is just my opinion -- we're in the pamphlet periodical format right now and we're going to stay in that for the foreseeable future. Primarily for the reason that our consumer audience is accustomed to that, understands it and they are driven by the collectible nature of it historically. It's something you buy, something you own, something you possess. As new readers come in we will address their styles and their understandings. As people get more comfortable with reading material online, we will turn toward that expectation. There is a great improvement and growth in bookstore market and that is a key area. So we have three delivery systems: Online, in periodicals and in bookstores. Realistically, one of those could collapse and we could still be strong but it does require an adjustment in who and how you sell to them. No matter what, our future is in great characters in great stories created by great talent.

As far as I know, the only real online DC Comics material is all illegal scans found on bittorrent sites. So, I'm a bit perplexed at how they're supposed to know that people are more comfortable reading material online if they're not testing the waters similar to Marvel Comics' ironically named DCU (Digital Comics Unlimited) offering.

Surveys will only tell you so much. I know they've used some online surveys regarding such things, but we're talking about the same readers that make basement dwelling titles sound like they're in the top ten and top ten titles sound like they're in danger of cancellation.