CBR: Tilting at Windmills - Aug 25, 2011

[CBR News]

Brian Hibbs takes a close look at the details in DC Comics and comiXology's digital storefront FAQ and is not at all pleased by what he discovers.


Full article here (http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=34091).

[rpi]

I'm in my early 30s and have been reading comics since I was 7 or 8. I've got thousands of Batman comics, nearly all of which were purchased at various LCSs in a couple of local towns. I've been supporting them for years and was initially very wary of comics moving to a digital format. I mean, tons of comics are already downloaded illegally and look what that has done to the music biz.
The more I've thought about it, though, the more I view comic retailers as like the music business. CD prices continued to increase because the music business didn't really care too much about its customers, just making profits. They took the music buyer for granted and that arrogance ended up making people happier than ever to move to another form of getting music: the download, legal or illegal.
I look at my local comic shop and comic shops in nearby cities and I can't help but look forward to having digital comics available they day the issues are released. With the exception of one store (Cosmic Monkey Comics here in Portland, where the counter staff is always friendly and the store is very tidy and welcoming), most LCSs are nightmares to go through. There is crap all over the place. The counter staff views you with an attitude that is somewhere between hostile suspicion and outright contempt. In all the LCSs I've ever had subscriptions with, getting all the issues I've subscribed to each month has been a battle as there are invariably some that just aren't pulled. One store owner continued to act as though I was totally new to his store even though I'd been going there weekly for a couple years.
I appreciate that these are peoples' jobs. These stores are a passion and they are what is used to pay the bills. I've heard the phrase that opening a comic shop is like becoming a nun: you take a vow of poverty. I understand all that, I've seen it for the past couple decades I've been going to my LCS, and it's gotta be a horrible time for most comic shop owners.
I also see DC switching its sales format as its sales crumble and I have to wonder just how concerned I should feel about it all. I see all these LCS owners who come across as though DC owes them something. Sure, DC has relied on them to sell these comics, to hang on to issues that don't sell, to deal with late buyers, etc. Conversely, DC has been forced to largely sell its product through a retail format that has proven itself incapable of providing adequate marketing or promotion of itself. When was the last time a LCS, or a coalition of them, tried to make a really concerted effort to increase sales? Last month I think there wasn't a single title that sold above 100,000 issues. Yeah, it's tough for comics to compete against video games and movies in a slow economy, but I also don't remember the last time a LCS made a move to really bolster itself in a local community. They expect DC to do it all.
I for one am happy to have the digital comics coming, and honestly I won't miss going to the LCS. Except for Cosmic Monkey, they rock.

[ScotsScribbler]

I wonder why it is that LCS owners can be such knobheads.

It appears to be a great majority. One huge store had surprisingly few good comics, ordered a comic specially for me, and when I came back to claim it had sold it on to someone else. Another ran his LCS as his personal fiefdom for his friends to play D&D. One has a hilariously bad online reputation and his shop is a mess, with nothing in order. I have tried to support his comic shop as I believe in supporting local businesses but he has driven me away. Another is a depressive sulker. Forbidden Planet employees are generally anti-social morons who think body art is a personality substitute. Indie stores tend not to be much better.


The Beguiling has the best selection I've ever seen and some employees are fantastic but I can only think of one very friendly store and it was Big B in Hamilton Ontario, which had a fairly broad standard selection.

[ScotsScribbler]

Anyway the issue is DC being a bunch of Sneaky Petes.

I really do feel for the good LCS owners, because the Big Two are going to start shafting them big time. It is not a nice job to have when your biggest product producers and long time sweethearts are 'dating' someone else.

The irony is they're about to drive away the last of the buyers.

I don't like digital, so I'm going to stick with paper for now.

I have some copies of Hellboy which are in great condition but the pages are now yellowed.

I could be convinced by digital but for the download three times rule, and the price is nowhere near the 99c iTunes level that it should be. I think paper buyers should get automatic access to digital versions.

I can definitely see the appeal of crystal clear pirate versions free and better quality than expensive, not so good quality comics.

[sethysquare]

cool.
10 char

[arch2ngel]

I can't help but compare this to Amazon.com and local bookstores...

It seems to me that it probably would be a bad idea for LCS to take Comixology's offer, based upon the article, but that doesn't mean LCS should ignore the digital side of things either. Barnes & Noble has a good webstore, offers a great alternative to the Kindle, and seems to be doing pretty good. Borders has gone under.

Comixology is pretty good, but has a LOT of room for improvement. I would prefer to have the individual issues purchased be on my computer/iPad/phone rather than viewed by my device, but retained on their website. If a LCS could manage that, I think a lot of people would shift where they purchase their digital comics.

Also, LCS have access to TPBs. Another thing Comixology can't do (as of yet) is to offer a discount on the TPB of comics purchased digitally. I'm thinking give a higher discount for the more issues purchased - so if the customer purchases only the first issue to see if he or she WANTS the trade, give them a 5% discount, but if they purchased every issue in the trade, give 'em a 20% discount - and in either case, have an offer at the end of the digital comic asking if they'd like to be reminded when the TPB comes out (and what kind of discount they could get for each level of comic purchased.)

Unfortunately, I'm not sure that most (if any) LCS have the resources to actually implement something like this, so maybe it's a pipe dream. I really think it would benefit any that ARE capable of doing it, though...

[tradermongers]

http://irepor*****n.com/docs/DOC-653629 "A comic publisher needs to be profitable within both print and digital mediums." However it will be at the cost of local retailers who will be forced to change and adapt to the new environment. Marvel and DC Comics want to slowly get rid of the middlemen which in this case are the retailers to retain higher profits.

[mbsprime]

I really can't see how a brick-and-mortar comic store won't be going the way of the brick-and-mortar record store. There is an inevitability to it.

[Jake Estrada]

Brian, made some interesting arguments, but in many ways the direct market is what killed the newsstand sells of yesteryear and now digital is going to break the direct market. It's the natural order of things. Old business models die, new ones are born. Just sign of the times.

[Trey]

I really can't see how a brick-and-mortar comic store won't be going the way of the brick-and-mortar record store. There is an inevitability to it.

Its not the same thing. Music (the product) is all 1s and 0s, so yes a cd or record is no longer needed. Reading and looking and holding a comic cannot be duplicated on a screen.

Fine, I could care less if a 12 year old wants to buy digital, I will read the physical object

[dfstell]

I really don't know what to say except that we're clearly entering a time of change for comics.

I personally want everything to be day/date digital NOW. I want to choose the format that works best for me. For a few comics that I've collected my whole life (X-Men) I still want the paper copies. But for 90% of comics, I'm just as happy to read them on my iPad.

It's unfortunate that this transition is going to kill the direct market, but if I have to choose between having comics the way I want them or being forced to buy them in my non-preferred format to sustain a dying business model.....Guess what? I choose my interests over the LCS's.

I think this will be a rough transition. LCSs closing. Sales plummet. Publishers have to reduce number of titles to a solid core. Creators out of Big 2 jobs.

[NormanB]

The industry will survive, but many LCS will most likely not.

As always, Brian, your column is a joy to read and debate - informative, in an entertaining fashion.

[joeshan]

Its not the same thing. Music (the product) is all 1s and 0s, so yes a cd or record is no longer needed. Reading and looking and holding a comic cannot be duplicated on a screen.

Fine, I could care less if a 12 year old wants to buy digital, I will read the physical object

I agree, the music-to-comics comparison that is so often made is not really accurate. Listening to a CD vs listening to a MP3, for me and I imagine most other consumers, is an identical experience except MP3s are more convenient. Reading a comic on a laptop/tablet vs reading a physical copy are significantly different experiences. I don't think digital book will ever completely replace hardcovers/paperbacks no matter how good the e-readers are, and I think the conversion to digital will likely eventually claim a significant number of LCS but the best will survive and continue to cater to a niche market.

[Andahaion]

Something I've wondered about ever since I can recall is why isn't there a "BestBuy" model retail outlet for comicbooks? I read a lot of stories/articles about retailers not having the right books, or frankly enough books, for collectors and everyday fans like myself. I certainly am bummed whenever my local store botches up my subscription list. That means that I'm now forced to buy missed books online and pay above cover price as well as pay for shipping.

I realize many of our beloved newspapers, books, and even comics are being pushed to the digital format. Hell, I certainly love the look of a comic on my iPad. But...the main difference here between a Borders or Barnes and Noble is that comicbook fans like to have the good ol' fashioned hard copy to collect. That's why I think that a bigbox store for comics and related media would survive especially in larger markets. If you want mainstream buyers to increase sales, we need a mainstream store. I'd say that most local shops just aren't as inviting, and really don't fit the bill. They're usually small, in crappy locations, and staffed with the stereotypical comic nerd who looks at you weird if you ask a dumb question. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to bash anyone, I'm just trying to put out an idea to help the industry I enjoy and want my sons to enjoy one day.

I'm not a retailer. I don't live their struggles and tackle their issues, but I'm sure somewhere someone has tried this idea or written about it. I'd sure love some other people's opinion on this.

Thanks, and happy collecting!

[Johnson!]

Its not the same thing. Music (the product) is all 1s and 0s, so yes a cd or record is no longer needed. Reading and looking and holding a comic cannot be duplicated on a screen.

This simply isn't true. Comic art is digitized as well, before printing. Music and comics are produced by humans through an effort of their art, or their craft. It is digitzed FOR THE CORPORATION'S CONVENIENCE. You are buying or stealing your MP3s by choice... it's the medium you listen in, but for the most part was NOT the medium it was created in (this is true even for eleectronic music). MP3s are significantly more compressed than CDs, and the devices that are usually used to listen now compress even further... to say nothing of LPs or live performances which cannot be truly duplicated digitally, and which will cease to exist if the only form of music you support is digital. Music retailers switched to digital formats because the big music corporation gave them no choice in the matter, and what happened to the music retailers is exactly what the comics industry needs to be wary of.

In short, it IS the same thing. It's EXACTLY the same thing. You're just used to digital music already. One day you'll be probably used to digital comics.

[Schnitzy Pretzelpants]

If all this info coming in about LCS and comixology is accurate - and I have no reason to suspect that it isn't - it's a kind of a raw deal, and that is putting it more than mildly.

First off, this is really a referral fee - not a cut of any sale - and I think Brian is right to be concerned.

I have to agree with some of you that point to attitude and business sense (or lack of it) with LCS, and as I said in another thread of the 5 shops in my (more or less) immediate vicinity, while I would be sad to see any of them go, if 3 of those 5 closed tomorrow, I wouldn't be surprised given their business practices/acumen. But of the 5 shops there is only 1 shop that I feel any true loyalty to. Frankly, that's because he's been the only one that seems to behave like my business is important.

When the economy took a dirt-nap it was kind of hilarious seeing some of these retailers at the other shops trying to do what 'my man' Aaron at RX Comics had been doing since day one. For Aaron, it came naturally - in spite of being a pretty shy fellow. These other guys? The politeness and customer service riff, just wasn't a suit that fit.

Added to the above is that few of these shops - again, my guy excepted - treat each other as friends and colleagues. Instead they can be downright cutthroat.

Case in point: we had a comic shop here in Vancouver move after 20 - or more - years in the same location. It stayed on the same street, but moved about 2 miles West. Well shortly after that move, I am in a different comic shop (not Aaron's, but I won't say which) and I hear a customer talking to the manager saying 'You know, I used to go to that place over on Fourth, but they closed - went out of business.'

Now, did the manager of this shop I was in set this guy straight? Did he say 'Actually, they moved about 2 miles West?'

No.

What he said was "Yeah, yeah - it's this economy. It's rough on all of us. Guess he had a good couple of years though."

I actually chimed in, and told him it had merely moved, and where. For my interjection I got a big thanks from the customer, and a look that kill from the manager of the shop we were in.

It's when trades and retailers become cannibalistic to each other that I think their end is near. But, this is just what happened in this case, and doesn't necessarily speak to LCS retailers as a whole, everywhere.

[stk]

Its not the same thing. Music (the product) is all 1s and 0s, so yes a cd or record is no longer needed. Reading and looking and holding a comic cannot be duplicated on a screen. Winner of the Insupportable Statement of the Day award.

Holding a comic? Okay, sure. But reading? That absolutely can be duplicated.

And with Records, cassettes, CDs, you had not only the physical media, but you had the other elements like cover art and liner notes, which WERE an important part of the music experience and generally are not represented in today's digital download format. So, even leaving aside the record store experience, the music industry analogy absolutely IS relevant. And comics are no less 0s and 1s than music is (or movies or anything else).

[N Caligon]

"Despite hard promises made by DC many months ago that there would continue to be a respectful delay between print and digital release, DC took a hard right turn, and announced that "The New 52" would instead be accompanied by "day and date" release of the digital comics.

That's certainly their right, and I think that I understand why they made that decision, but it absolutely represents a clear "going back on" promises that were made to retailers."

When did DC ever make a "forever and ever" promise like this? "We will never change our business model, and we will not adapt to changes in technology or respond to consumer demand" is not something I would expect a business to say, and if they did, anybody who relied on it would be utterly foolish.

Comics publishers put all their eggs into the DM/LCS basket for years, and have been rewarded, for close to two decades, with declining sales and an eroding customer base. Yet whenever they try to expand the market, whiners like Hibbs cast themselves as betrayed victims.

If you're going to bitch about the 15 cents/sale cut of digital sales, tell us why that's not a fair return on your investment in digital market mechanisms and infrastructure, which looks to me to be zero.

[Brian from Canada]

Its not the same thing. Music (the product) is all 1s and 0s, so yes a cd or record is no longer needed. Reading and looking and holding a comic cannot be duplicated on a screen.

Disagree. Comics (the product) is all 1s and 0s before you get it — inked pages are scanned, and then handled digitally for colouring, text and printing. Printing plates are made direct now, not from negatives shot from the initial artwork.

THAT's why Marvel is so pleased with their digital service. It costs them relatively nothing, since the modern issues are scanned and a lot of the big classics were scanned for recent trade paperbacks. It's pure profit until you hit the oddities, but that's a small expense comparatively.


Fine, I could care less if a 12 year old wants to buy digital, I will read the physical object

Except that the problem is the 12 year old who will one day be the regular comic buyer.

LCSes got their initial business from the common store rack because they had exclusive product and the guarantee of availability if pre-ordered. They got a few bumps later thanks to the speculator boom. But what have they got since the mid-90s?

Mr. Hibbs can complain all he wants about the deal — and it IS unfair to the retailer to give them just 15¢ — but the reality is that the LCS can no longer reach out for new customers. They aren't where the modern consumer is, and if they are they haven't really pushed the idea that it's a cool thing to buy comics and read them openly like they should be doing. Instead, it's become a niche market where the stores are (for the most part) unfriendly and better known for other things.

[That's how it is here. Out of seven stores, only one has decent parking and friendly staff, but they have 50% of floor space dedicated to anime, 25% to toys, 15% to board games and other peripherals — not much for comics.]

The comics will still be around. Even with all the gloom and doom, Jim Lee notes how they are the cornerstone of the multimedia empire built from those characters. If the LCS wants to share in that they join with retailers to find some way to get readers into their stores and onto their products; they've done such a good job so far that DC is looking to someone else to market their product.

[Brian from Canada]

It's when trades and retailers become cannibalistic to each other that I think their end is near. But, this is just what happened in this case, and doesn't necessarily speak to LCS retailers as a whole, everywhere.

I've seen it happen here in Ottawa. One business actually banned a customer for saying the competition had the latest issue of Dragon three weeks earlier; the worst part was that customer was head of the gaming club for the campus the store was on. :eek: Their competition refuses resumes from employees who work at other stores because the ones who come in are waaaay too bitter.

The bottom line is that most people get into selling comics because they have a passion for the medium, but not a passion for business and retailing as well. You have to be a good retailer to stay in business and for a lot of them, being cannibalistic to stay alive is their only option now. They've killed whatever goodwill they start with in the community and need to find some way to keep the bills paid.

[Pardoz]

The word you're looking for to describe former retailers who essentially become commissioned sales reps for somebody else is "agent"; the model is known as the "agency model", and you can thank Steve Jobs for coming up with it as a response to the Apple ebookstore's inability to compete with Amazon and B&N.

Unfortunately even if the various anti-trust investigations and class-action lawsuits around the introduction of agency pricing in ebooks bear fruit the precedent probably won't carry over to comics (unless Comixology gets Marvel and some of the bigger second-tier publishers on board).

[Brian Hibbs]

I really really try not to respond to most of the Nattering Nabobs of Negativity who post in these threads, but this one really got me, so let's answer some of this one.



When did DC ever make a "forever and ever" promise like this? "We will never change our business model, and we will not adapt to changes in technology or respond to consumer demand" is not something I would expect a business to say, and if they did, anybody who relied on it would be utterly foolish.

One of the publishers of DC comics did EXTENSIVE consulting with a very small group of retailers, of which I was one. I wrote up, at the request of this person, long detailed analysis of how the best way to integrate the DM into digital plans might go. Such consultations included late-into-the-night phone calls, out of business hours, as we discussed many specific details.

We were absolutely assured in these private conversations, that day-and-date was a limited test, and we have been assured, both privately and publicly, that we are DC's primary channel and that our concerns are absolutely essential to them.

This isn't some "Wah, some guy who doesn't know what he's talking about" whine -- this is straight from someone with direct promises made by people at the ABSOLUTE HIGHEST level of the company, who went back on promises that were made to our face.



Comics publishers put all their eggs into the DM/LCS basket for years, and have been rewarded, for close to two decades, with declining sales and an eroding customer base. Yet whenever they try to expand the market, whiners like Hibbs cast themselves as betrayed victims.

Anyone with a bare lick of sense can see that the largest single reason for declining sales in PUBLISHER BEHAVIOR, putting out material that is too expensive, to unfriendly to casual consumers, and too tied-in to other products to stand alone.

Day-and-date digital will do exceedingly little to "expand the market" -- that's done by stores like mine being visible in our communities and exposing hundreds of "civilians" new to comics each and every week why this medium is so stellar.



If you're going to bitch about the 15 cents/sale cut of digital sales, tell us why that's not a fair return on your investment in digital market mechanisms and infrastructure, which looks to me to be zero.

No one is "bitching" about 15 cents/sale -- what we're "bitching" about is a contract that says (effectively): we have the right to harvest your customer data, unilaterally kick you off our service, then market directly to those customers.

Do I expect that's what comiXology will do this week or next? No, I do not, but the contract says they have the legal right to do so. Why would I want to sign such a contract?

-B

[heiro5]

This simply isn't true. Comic art is digitized as well, before printing...

In short, it IS the same thing. It's EXACTLY the same thing. You're just used to digital music already. One day you'll be probably used to digital comics.

Nope. Totally different.

Whether you listen to a cd or an mp3, chances are you are listening via the same medium, and if that medium happens to be speakers, then it is the same going back to vinyl.

Reading off of a paper print and reading on some digital "reader," whatever that ends up being, a phone, a pad, whatever... vastly different experiences.

Add to that the current state of digital comics licensing rights to access a digital copy versus selling the thing itself (which could become the model, where they to sell you a dl'able pdf or some equivalent), and the difference becomes even more significant.

Anyway, as far as the piece goes, yeah, it's a bad direction for comics publishers. I don't know if DC appreciates the damage they will inflict on themselves if they erode the direct market, LCS ecosystem. But that short-sighted corporate approach to this-quarter profits really IS the corporate way.

[poneley]

One of the publishers of DC comics did EXTENSIVE consulting with a very small group of retailers, of which I was one. I wrote up, at the request of this person, long detailed analysis of how the best way to integrate the DM into digital plans might go. Such consultations included late-into-the-night phone calls, out of business hours, as we discussed many specific details.

We were absolutely assured in these private conversations, that day-and-date was a limited test, and we have been assured, both privately and publicly, that we are DC's primary channel and that our concerns are absolutely essential to them.

This isn't some "Wah, some guy who doesn't know what he's talking about" whine -- this is straight from someone with direct promises made by people at the ABSOLUTE HIGHEST level of the company, who went back on promises that were made to our face.


But Brian, it makes NO SENSE AT ALL for DC or Marvel to not do digital day and date. Getting upset about this is like getting upset that Marvel wants to sell books through amazon or some other channel that is not the LCS. It's criminally stupid for publishers to ignore a sales channel for the sake of a different sales channel. And as much as I love and adore my LCS and I want them to succeed forever and ever (and I say those words genuinely), you basically have to "deal with it." At the end of the day, digital is your competitor and that's it.

Folks want digital day and date. I'll repeat it's criminally stupid for publishers to ignore a sales channel for the sake of a different sales channel.

[ComicWorthy]

I also want my movies released digitally and on DVD on opening day. Why won't the studios do that. Some movies do better on DVD anyway, so why not release them at the same time as the theater release.

[greatmetropolitan]

Perhaps I'm just being a little slow, but I'm not understanding quite what's going on. Could someone clear this up for me?

Are ComiXology wanting to install a digital download service in comic book stores, and giving the comic book store 15 cents per customer who DLs from it? And that customer can then go and DL directly from ComiXology themselves if they so choose?

[db105]

I also want my movies released digitally and on DVD on opening day. Why won't the studios do that.

Because the studios expect to make more money that way, not because they want to support theaters. The world is changing and just like brick & mortar book stores are suffering, LCS's will suffer. I'm sorry for them, but the internet exists, and the means to read digitally exist and they are just more convenient. Sure, sentimental value counts for something, but it's not enough. LCS's will have to adapt or disappear.

Now, the complaint about the details of the contract seems reasonable, but in the long run, the bottom line is that publishing companies will not share a significant part of their digital sales profits with LCS's because they do not truly need them to sell digital copies.

I don't like it, because there's something special about a good LCS, but I believe that's the way it is.

[db105]

Are ComiXology wanting to install a digital download service in comic book stores, and giving the comic book store 15 cents per customer who DLs from it? And that customer can then go and DL directly from ComiXology themselves if they so choose?

Something like that, if I understood it correctly. Probably they don't want to install a digital download service in comic book stores, but they want stores to encourage their clients who might be interested in buying digital comics to do so through a web portal created by ComiXology for the store. They problem for the LCS is that ComiXology will then have the contact details for the customer and may advertise directly to them, without going through the LCS.

[rpi]

Its not the same thing. Music (the product) is all 1s and 0s, so yes a cd or record is no longer needed. Reading and looking and holding a comic cannot be duplicated on a screen.

Fine, I could care less if a 12 year old wants to buy digital, I will read the physical object

As a music fan, that is not true at all from my point of view. Music comes with liner notes and album art that is very important to the overall vibe and message of the album, at least if it's done well. Music is primarily an audio experience, but the album is a mixture of audio, tactile, and visual experiences. If anything, comics are more adaptable to the digital format than music as you still have something to hold and flip through, but it's on a glass screen rather than a paper sheet.

[rpi]

Comixology is pretty good, but has a LOT of room for improvement. I would prefer to have the individual issues purchased be on my computer/iPad/phone rather than viewed by my device, but retained on their website. If a LCS could manage that, I think a lot of people would shift where they purchase their digital comics.

Also, LCS have access to TPBs. Another thing Comixology can't do (as of yet) is to offer a discount on the TPB of comics purchased digitally. I'm thinking give a higher discount for the more issues purchased - so if the customer purchases only the first issue to see if he or she WANTS the trade, give them a 5% discount, but if they purchased every issue in the trade, give 'em a 20% discount - and in either case, have an offer at the end of the digital comic asking if they'd like to be reminded when the TPB comes out (and what kind of discount they could get for each level of comic purchased.)

Comixology does have a lot of room for improvement for sure, but any comic you buy does actually download to your device. You don't view it through a remote app. The only problem is that at the moment they have copy protection.
Also, DC's digital titles will all be $2.99 for the first month and then drop down to $1.99 after that. That's a 33% discount, much better than a 5% discount, if you can just wait a few weeks for the issue. Also, they don't offer trades yet (although I suspect they will), but they did just offer their first omnibus: the entire series of Planetary for $25. If that's their answer to the TPB, I'm happy to have a bunch of individual issues. I probably would never have read Planetary if not for that offer.

[ben12]

Its not the same thing. Music (the product) is all 1s and 0s, so yes a cd or record is no longer needed. Reading and looking and holding a comic cannot be duplicated on a screen.

Fine, I could care less if a 12 year old wants to buy digital, I will read the physical objectComics look BETTER on a screen. The colors are bright and vibrant. Even B&W comics look better.

[Daforce]

I think what most people don't get, is that comic book stores are not just LCS', but also the marketing arm of comic books themselves. Without them, sales of comics are going to fall even lower than they already have done in this economy. Where is Comixology going to advertise after the last LCS closes its doors? As a banner ad on Amazon? Do you really think that Amazon wants Comixology cutting into their TPB sales?

Sure, DC does the occasional commercial on G4 for something like the relaunch of the 52, but again are they going to mention Comixology in their ad to pull sales away from the print version? (The answer to this is definitely, 'no' from the ad I saw.) Not to mention that DC advertising on G4 hits only a certain amount of viewers since DirectTv doesn't carry the station.

Then there is the price of digital vs. paper comics. Why would I pay the same price for a digital comic that I pay for paper? Paper is a collectible. It appreciates or depreciates in value depending on condition, rarity, popularity, etc. Digital comics just take up hard drive space, AND the price usually falls after a couple of months time. Now if you were able to get a free digital copy when you bought your paper copy, that would work. Only a moron pays full price for something intangible that costs mere pennies to produce.

As for the whole music industry comparison going on here in this thread, CD's are still roughly the same price they were 10 years ago when this whole thing started. The revolution was being able to buy a single song off of an otherwise crappy CD without having to pay for the whole CD. Since most albums pretty much contained a few good songs and lots of bad ones (a 'quality control' issue in the music industry for a few decades), this freed people to buy what they liked, and not what they were forced to buy as a package. Music stores couldn't exist by selling single songs at $.99 a pop, so they went bust. A comic book issue is a package deal that can't be split up into individual songs, and since the digital version isn't going for a lower price than the collectible print version it's honestly a no brainer as to what version to buy given the same price point.

Comic book stores are in a collectibles market. It's quite a bit different than record shops. A collectibles market ebbs and flows with the economy, and while a new technology may take out a few of the crappier stores out there (mainly the ones without back issues and horrible customer service) I honestly don't see digital comics replacing paper comics in the collectibles market.

[uthor]

This simply isn't true. Comic art is digitized as well, before printing. Music and comics are produced by humans through an effort of their art, or their craft. It is digitzed FOR THE CORPORATION'S CONVENIENCE. You are buying or stealing your MP3s by choice... it's the medium you listen in, but for the most part was NOT the medium it was created in (this is true even for eleectronic music). MP3s are significantly more compressed than CDs, and the devices that are usually used to listen now compress even further... to say nothing of LPs or live performances which cannot be truly duplicated digitally, and which will cease to exist if the only form of music you support is digital. Music retailers switched to digital formats because the big music corporation gave them no choice in the matter, and what happened to the music retailers is exactly what the comics industry needs to be wary of.

In short, it IS the same thing. It's EXACTLY the same thing. You're just used to digital music already. One day you'll be probably used to digital comics.

More than that, music is still generally produced on analog instuments. A lot of comics are produced digitally. Certainly not all, but I think most coloring and lettering is done digitally and a lot of the younger artists at least ink digitally. I'd go so far as to say that a digital comic is going to be more accurate than a printed comic at times. I know I own a couple of comics that were made digitally and did not translate well to print at all.

[uthor]

I still don't understand why I, as a customer, would want to go through the LCS to buy a digital comic, especially if it will cost as much as a physical copy. I don't mind digital comics at all, but what I like best about them is the convenience in addition to the lack of space that they take up. Take away the convenience and they become less desirable. The price would definitely need to come down at that point.

[Paul McEnery]

Do I expect that's what comiXology will do this week or next? No, I do not,

Really?

I do.

[Brian Hibbs]

Really?

I do.

Nah, I expect they'll take at least three months, Paul :)

-B

[Huthaifa]

I am really disappointed by the industry. I want to know who are these people who want to pay current price for comicbook entertainment online. The LCS experience is what has kept me buying comics. Taking time out of my day, to be in environment dedicated to subject that I love, is what keeps me in. I read previes on here at CBR and at other sites all of the time. Digital just doesnt feel right. Paying for it, feels even less right.

Its really different from eating homemade food from the store, and going through a drive window for some fastfood. One sustains you, and the others makes you wonder what you bought after five minutes.

[Huthaifa]

I hated Wizard and I cant stand crappy LCS, but if we look at the big picture, both of these things increase the exposure of comics. When a parent ask me where a local comicbook store is, and if the closest one I can tell them is 30 miles away, then that book is not going to get bought. I rather send them to a substandard store, and have that kid with a few comics in his hand, than frustrated with no place to go.


The sad thing about online purchases, is that the customer only buys what they are looking for, and nothing else. We all have been to the LCS, looking to buy 2 books, and leaving with 8.

[rpi]

I am really disappointed by the industry. I want to know who are these people who want to pay current price for comicbook entertainment online. The LCS experience is what has kept me buying comics. Taking time out of my day, to be in environment dedicated to subject that I love, is what keeps me in. I read previes on here at CBR and at other sites all of the time. Digital just doesnt feel right. Paying for it, feels even less right.

Its really different from eating homemade food from the store, and going through a drive window for some fastfood. One sustains you, and the others makes you wonder what you bought after five minutes.

If you want homemade comics, you'd better start writing and drawing your own. Otherwise, you're making a distinction between buying restaurant food and eating it in the restaurant or buying it and eating it at home. I read comics for the stories and the imagination and the character of Batman. I don't read comics for the act of paying for them in a specific venue. You want to know who wants to read them in digital format? I'm one. I've currently got well over 200 DC, Marvel, and IDW comics on my iPad that I can take with me anywhere and read at any time. No plastic bags, no long boxes, no acres of room needed. And yeah, the art does often look better. JH Williams' art on 'Tec during the Batwoman issues looks AMAZING backlit. Rucka's brilliant writing and Williams' art on characters from Gotham is what makes me love comics, not a dark, cluttered shop in a strip mall.

[colossusmorphlock]

The overwhelming point I was seeing from the original article is the fact of how comixology seems to be acting like a rather obnoxious force, in this equation in particular. Personally from trying their service on Android, I found their interface to be clunky and unpleasant to use.
The main issue seems to be the attempt by Comixology to ignore, skirt around and screw over the LCS', which, if they went under would be an enormous blow to the entire industry. As a fairly recent comic buyer (last two years) I have spent a large amount of money in my excellent LCS (Sub-City, Ireland) and definitely attribute this to how much I enjoy the entire experience, getting to know the staff, receiving recommends from them and most of all never feeling pressured to buy (and encouraged to come in to merely say hello.) I can understand the flipside argument for sure, Forbidden Planet Dublin is mostly staffed by unpleasant staff who are generally rather unhelpful. That said having one excellent LCS for every five terrible is more than worth it and damning the LCS industry to failure because of these bad shops would mean the loss of the excellent ones as well!

[N Caligon]

I really really try not to respond to most of the Nattering Nabobs of Negativity who post in these threads, but this one really got me, so let's answer some of this one.

You realize, I hope, that you're leading off by putting yourself in the shoes of one of the most corrupt blockheads ever to infest US national politics.


We were absolutely assured in these private conversations, that day-and-date was a limited test, and we have been assured, both privately and publicly, that we are DC's primary channel and that our concerns are absolutely essential to them.

What did you think was going to happen if the test was successful? That they'd shut it down unless you guys gave permission to expand it? Nothing you say DC told you was a promise not to change the business model Things changed faster than anybody expected. Blame Jobs and Bezos; those greedy bastards provided products and services consumers wanted!


Anyone with a bare lick of sense can see that the largest single reason for declining sales in PUBLISHER BEHAVIOR, putting out material that is too expensive, to unfriendly to casual consumers, and too tied-in to other products to stand alone.

Because that's what direct market customers responded too, and direct market retailers applauded. The direct market, in no small part due to the behavior of many LCS operators, changed comics from a mainstream product to a niche product targeting adolescent males of all ages. The DM/LCS let a lot of good things happen in smaller publishing niches, but it got a chokehold on the system and slowly strangled it.

I remember quite clearly being at a Diamond retailer meeting well over a decade ago, and making a push to move the onsale date for comics back to the weekend from mid-week. I commented that the shipping change had greatly reduced the family visits to the comic shop, the dad bringing the kids in on Saturday afternoon, and actually reduced shopping time, with working customers just popping in to pick up books on Wednesday afternoons, brief stops on the way home from work, little browsing, etc. The DC folks were interested; it didn't seem like an unfamiliar idea to them/ But the response from other LCS operators was mostly negative. They didn't really care about the effects on demand or customer habits. It was only about the not-so-important logistical and mechanical troubles they expected. Nothing they did influenced customer behavior (not even turning their stores into mancaves that mothers and children were uncomfortable being in. The DM/LCS was seriously dysfunctional, and the publishers' attempts to cater to it were self-destructive. Partners in anorexia and self-mutilation. There were exceptions, but not enough.


Day-and-date digital will do exceedingly little to "expand the market" -- that's done by stores like mine being visible in our communities and exposing hundreds of "civilians" new to comics each and every week why this medium is so stellar.

Just like Kindles and ebooks have done exceedingly little to support the book market.


what we're "bitching" about is a contract that says (effectively): we have the right to harvest your customer data, unilaterally kick you off our service, then market directly to those customers.

Well, you're in a lousy bargaining position, and you have to deal with it. And how many times have we heard this before? Marvel's going to open a Marvel Store in my neighborhood and steal my business. Geppi's got all my sales data, he can just open one of his stores down the block now, he knows what to sell in my market. Ad nauseam. Be thankful you've actually got access to what's being offered in a reasonably fair system rather than being reduced to an Amazon or iTunes affiliate. Be very thankful DC's pricing doesn't reflect the standard ebook pricing structure. It's not like DM/LCS operators tried to create or support an alternative.

[DarkBeast]

The experience of reading something digitally is not the same as reading something on a piece of paper.

There's a psychological difference. The experience isn't the same.

Reading something digitally tends to be a fundamentally superficial experience. When you read something on a screen (especially a backlit screen), you tend to remember less of it.

Studies have proven this (look into the work of Douglas Rushkoff and Nicholas Carr). People were tested on reading comprehension and memorization after reading something digitally, and their scores were consistently lower than when they read something on a piece of paper.

On the other hand, I definitely think a lot of comic artwork looks better on a backlit screen. Too bad an iPad screen is smaller than a comic page. I'm not anti-digital. I love digital. I read digital stuff all the time. I read digital comics. But all you digital utopians drive me nuts, insisting that "there's no difference" between reading something digitally and reading it on paper.

If you don't notice that digital reading tends toward more superficial experiences, it probably means that your reading comprehension has already been dumbed down so much that you can't notice the difference anymore.

When I read a real comic that's printed on paper, the experience is obviously more "special". The experience seems to "last" and stay with me far longer than when I bring up a digital comic and click my way through it. Seriously, none of you digital utopians notice this? Are you all on consciousness-dampening drugs or something? Have you been diagnosed with any mental impairments? How can you guys not notice the difference? I can only conclude that your attention spans and reading aptitudes have been lowered somehow.

And this is not some touchy-feeling argument I'm making. I'm not talking about "the smell of the paper" or anything like that. I'm talking about cold hard quantifiable evidence. MANY studies have been done on this. Digital reading comprehension scores are demonstrably lower in every study.

As someone who has to read and proofread a LOT of material everyday--and oversee other people who do the same--it's unquestionable that digital readings don't have the depth that paper readings have. Seriously, have any of you ever had to proof-read an essay for school or college? Everyone who does that knows that you notice more spelling mistakes when you print the essay out and read it that way. You also can get "into" the material more when you print it out.

You guys are throwing away deep reading experiences because you're not even able to understand what a deep reading experience is anymore.


As consumers, local business is in your best interests. Local businesses keep money flowing through your local economies, local business pay things like licenses, fees, and taxes that keep your local schools and hospitals open -- out of state retailers take that money with them. And I think it is truly a shame that at the end of the day, I'd really love to embrace digital with both arms within my own business, but the terms we've been offered here are, frankly, insulting to any sensible business owner.

Yes, absolutely. Except it's too bad that we've raised a generation and a half now who don't even understand what "local" is anymore, so they have no idea how to value it. It's like they're subconsciously trained to love "global" and glance suspiciously at "local". They're defamiliarized from their surroundings. Their culture is artificial and doesn't impact their souls--as if they didn't have souls to begin with, or as if they didn't know they had souls, or know how to feel their souls and perceive that the people around them were real living beings with souls as well. These people only care about getting their digital drug as soon as possible, and they'd sell out their entire community to get it. They'll feel no guilt about local farmers/workers/LCS's going out of business, because they've been trained to simply say "Well that's progress. It's not my fault."

They clamor for digital comics, but that's not enough for them. They want digital comics at $0.99. They don't fully understand what it means--or what the ramifications are--to reduce the value of a comic, but they want comics to be reduced in value, in every sense of the word. They want to roll back the cost of a comic to pre-1990 levels, even though a buck in 1990 had much more buying power than it does today. But they see no problem here, no disjuncture in logic. All they can do is repeat the mantra that they think "$0.99 is a good price because comics used to cost a buck."

And if you ask them, they'll tell you that they hardly ever even reread their comics anymore. They just want that constant stream of "the new"--their new digital drug--every week. And if you ask them, these are people who hardly even remember what they read anymore. Listen to their podcasts. Half of their conversations are about how they can't remember exactly what happened in the books they read that week. Some of them admit that they have to do their podcasts within three days of reading a comic, because otherwise they'll forget all about it. They often say, with each forthcoming issue, that they don't even remember what happened in the previous issue. They're literally losing their ability to remember, and their ability to think critically, but they don't really even seem to notice this or to mind. "Oh well, that's just the way it goes. I can't remember anything anymore or read anything with a critical eye. You know what I need? More digital drugs that will help me remember even less."

This is the future, and it does seem inevitable. People whose attention spans have been compressed into nothing, who feel no guilt about destroying the industry they're addicted to. They don't value the industry but they're addicted to it, so they'll tear it down in the name of some sort of "progress", which in the end will leave them in a complete cultural wasteland. But by then they'll be too dumbed down to notice.

[rpi]

The experience of reading something digitally is not the same as reading something on a piece of paper.

There's a psychological difference. The experience isn't the same.

Reading something digitally tends to be a fundamentally superficial experience. When you read something on a screen (especially a backlit screen), you tend to remember less of it.

Studies have proven this (look into the work of Douglas Rushkoff and Nicholas Carr). People were tested on reading comprehension and memorization after reading something digitally, and their scores were consistently lower than when they read something on a piece of paper.

On the other hand, I definitely think a lot of comic artwork looks better on a backlit screen. Too bad an iPad screen is smaller than a comic page. I'm not anti-digital. I love digital. I read digital stuff all the time. I read digital comics. But all you digital utopians drive me nuts, insisting that "there's no difference" between reading something digitally and reading it on paper.

If you don't notice that digital reading tends toward more superficial experiences, it probably means that your reading comprehension has already been dumbed down so much that you can't notice the difference anymore.

When I read a real comic that's printed on paper, the experience is obviously more "special". The experience seems to "last" and stay with me far longer than when I bring up a digital comic and click my way through it. Seriously, none of you digital utopians notice this? Are you all on consciousness-dampening drugs or something? Have you been diagnosed with any mental impairments? How can you guys not notice the difference? I can only conclude that your attention spans and reading aptitudes have been lowered somehow.

And this is not some touchy-feeling argument I'm making. I'm not talking about "the smell of the paper" or anything like that. I'm talking about cold hard quantifiable evidence. MANY studies have been done on this. Digital reading comprehension scores are demonstrably lower in every study.

As someone who has to read and proofread a LOT of material everyday--and oversee other people who do the same--it's unquestionable that digital readings don't have the depth that paper readings have. Seriously, have any of you ever had to proof-read an essay for school or college? Everyone who does that knows that you notice more spelling mistakes when you print the essay out and read it that way. You also can get "into" the material more when you print it out.

You guys are throwing away deep reading experiences because you're not even able to understand what a deep reading experience is anymore.

Ugh, where to begin. There's a psychological difference between people who are used to reading paper and are starting to read a large number of things on a screen. There hasn't been enough solid media in digital format to do studies on people who have started reading on digital formats as well as print, so those studies are only done on one group who is being forced to read a new format and is not making a completely graceful transition. More realistic opportunities to conduct such studies probably won't be available for a decade or two.
So the paper experience lasts longer for you. Good, do what works for you. For me, there isn't much difference. I've been bouncing back and forth on Arkham City between print chapters and digital chapters and >gasp< I remember what happens in all of them. What the frig?
Without wanting to sound self-glorifying, I read the New York Times daily on my iPad, I read the Atlantic and the Economist weekly on it, and I'm making my way through War and Peace at the moment. Pray tell, what reading experiences should I engage in to reduce the superficiality of what I read on it?
I don't read comics for the medium they're in. I don't read them for the venue I purchase them in. I READ THEM FOR THE STORIES. If I buy a print version or a digital version, the story is EXACTLY the same. Actually, not true, the story is actually a bit better on the digital version because it's not interrupted with ads every 2 pages.
I am all for the continuation of the printed form of comics if people want to buy them. I've spent decades reading a ton of comic stories in that format, and I've spent many thousands of dollars on it. I'm very excited to be able to make the switch to digital though. Grant Morrison and Greg Rucka will still be writing those stories, Jim Lee and Frank Quitely will still be drawing them (in theory). I just won't have to deal with the stuff involved in dealing with my LCS. If you enjoy it, power to you. I hope you continue to do it for many years. DC's sales totals are pathetically low at this point, and begrudging them trying to find a new venue to sell their stories, when the other options are fewer titles and higher prices just seems very short-sighted. If I'm gonna be completely honest, I'd rather have a few LCSs fail and the industry survive in new forms than have the industry fail and all the LCSs along with it.

[RavenProject]

I've asked my LCS to sign up for this service.

I will be buying comics through Comixology as soon as I get a tablet, no later than Christmas. Some of these will be New 52 books I'm willing to wait a month for to get a discount. Some of these will be "sale books" offered at a particularly great price. Some of these will be books that pique my interest but my LCS may not stock, and I'm not willing to wait two weeks or so to get it.

Without this service, my LCS doesn't see a dime of that money.

With this service, they get fifteen to thirty percent of that money.

I understand the misgivings you have about the deal, Brian. But in a situation like the one I just described, do you think it's rational for a retailer to leave money on the table?

-J

[mistergoodman]

Reading something digitally tends to be a fundamentally superficial experience. When you read something on a screen (especially a backlit screen), you tend to remember less of it.

Studies have proven this (look into the work of Douglas Rushkoff and Nicholas Carr). People were tested on reading comprehension and memorization after reading something digitally, and their scores were consistently lower than when they read something on a piece of paper.

MANY studies have been done on this. Digital reading comprehension scores are demonstrably lower in every study.

I've found no such study, by Rushkoff and anyone else. Certainly some have compared reading on paper to reading off a computer screen, an obviously awkward experience for material of any length. No study has compared reading comprehension on paper with reading the same material on a tablet or iPad, which is much more comparable to reading paper. There are good reasons why the Kindle and iPad were necessary for ebooks, and digital books and magazines to really take off. The majority of digital comics sold through ComiXology appear to be consumed on tablets.

(If I'm wrong and there are such studies, feel free to quote them.)

As for Hibbs column, I found his criticisms to be unusually vague (unusual for him). His problem doesn't seem to be about the money. At the moment, ComiXology doesn't allow retailers to create a custom, curated digital storefront. Right now the storefront is generic, giving customers no reason not to just go to ComiXology.com once the retailer has introduced customers to the service. And there's no promise that ComiXology won't in fact actually encourage that behavior by marketing directly to the retailers' customers. The custom curation issue is a software problem that they've indicated they will address, but it will likely take a while, and one can't be certain it will ever happen. As for the issue of marketing to the retailers' customers directly, that's a concern ComiXology could address immediately by changing their terms... if they so chose. I wish they would. I think more shops would get onboard if they did.

[bluetyson]

When I read a real comic that's printed on paper, the experience is obviously more "special". The experience seems to "last" and stay with me far longer than when I bring up a digital comic and click my way through it. Seriously, none of you digital utopians notice this? Are you all on consciousness-dampening drugs or something? Have you been diagnosed with any mental impairments? How can you guys not notice the difference? I can only conclude that your attention spans and reading aptitudes have been lowered somehow.

-- That is your own flaws you are talking about, not everybody else. This difference does not exist for everyone. You make a gross generalisation from your own experience.

And this is not some touchy-feeling argument I'm making. I'm not talking about "the smell of the paper" or anything like that. I'm talking about cold hard quantifiable evidence. MANY studies have been done on this. Digital reading comprehension scores are demonstrably lower in every study.

-- Because people read comics to be tested on them? What was on the 17th page of the 47th novel you read?

Everyone who does that knows that you notice more spelling mistakes when you print the essay out and read it that way. You also can get "into" the material more when you print it out.

-- Hey, another ridiculous generalisation.


Yes, absolutely. Except it's too bad that we've raised a generation and a half now who don't even understand what "local" is anymore, so they have no idea how to value it. It's like they're subconsciously trained to love "global" and glance suspiciously at "local". They're defamiliarized from their surroundings. Their culture is artificial and doesn't impact their souls--as if they didn't have souls to begin with, or as if they didn't know they had souls, or know how to feel their souls and perceive that the people around them were real living beings with souls as well.

-- And again, there are people who don't believe in your soul malarkey. You are claiming the consumption of Disney products makes you soulless then? ;-)


They clamor for digital comics, but that's not enough for them. They want digital comics at $0.99. They don't fully understand what it means--or what the ramifications are--to reduce the value of a comic, but they want comics to be reduced in value, in every sense of the word. They want to roll back the cost of a comic to pre-1990 levels, even though a buck in 1990 had much more buying power than it does today. But they see no problem here, no disjuncture in logic. All they can do is repeat the mantra that they think "$0.99 is a good price because comics used to cost a buck."

-- You are more than likely a cheapskate yourself, never volunteering to pay $6 or $7 for 22 pages of Batman comic.

Or they think that comics are $2.99 - what is the next obvious price from a business point of view? Oh, yes, it is OBVIOUSLY $3.99. Everything goes up in price by 33% at a time. Comics are significantly worse value for money now than they used to be. This is a fact.



And if you ask them, they'll tell you that they hardly ever even reread their comics anymore. They just want that constant stream of "the new"--their new digital drug--every week. And if you ask them, these are people who hardly even remember what they read anymore.

-- If everyone just reread all their old comics all the time, almost all your comic shops would be toast. If you have read so little that you remember every single thing you have ever read you are likely very slow or a very poor reader or don't read much, or all of the former, so I would have to doubt any reading aptitude claims.


Listen to their podcasts. Half of their conversations are about how they can't remember exactly what happened in the books they read that week. Some of them admit that they have to do their podcasts within three days of reading a comic, because otherwise they'll forget all about it. They often say, with each forthcoming issue, that they don't even remember what happened in the previous issue. They're literally losing their ability to remember, and their ability to think critically, but they don't really even seem to notice this or to mind. "Oh well, that's just the way it goes. I can't remember anything anymore or read anything with a critical eye. You know what I need? More digital drugs that will help me remember even less."

-- Mediocre fiction isn't worth wasting your time remembering, to start with.

This is the future, and it does seem inevitable. People whose attention spans have been compressed into nothing, who feel no guilt about destroying the industry they're addicted to. They don't value the industry but they're addicted to it, so they'll tear it down in the name of some sort of "progress", which in the end will leave them in a complete cultural wasteland. But by then they'll be too dumbed down to notice.


-- Actually, the disappearance of what you state would have zero effect on my local culture. Would even leave it a little better off.

[bluetyson]

Comics look BETTER on a screen. The colors are bright and vibrant. Even B&W comics look better.

Sure. Batwoman Elegy stories look way better at Comixology than the trade I received recently.

[BoozerX]

Another crybaby article.
Digital is the norm just live with it, or close.
And you should be grateful to DC for put the price in digital at the same level than paper.

[Brian Hibbs]

I've asked my LCS to sign up for this service.

I will be buying comics through Comixology as soon as I get a tablet, no later than Christmas. Some of these will be New 52 books I'm willing to wait a month for to get a discount. Some of these will be "sale books" offered at a particularly great price. Some of these will be books that pique my interest but my LCS may not stock, and I'm not willing to wait two weeks or so to get it.

Without this service, my LCS doesn't see a dime of that money.

With this service, they get fifteen to thirty percent of that money.

I understand the misgivings you have about the deal, Brian. But in a situation like the one I just described, do you think it's rational for a retailer to leave money on the table?

-J

Personally? Yes.

Whatever the sum of money might or might not be, it's a lousy lousy contract which binds the retailer, and leaves comiXology free to do whatever they want, however they want. I personally and individually think that a retailer would have to be a fool to sign that deal.

I DO think (as I've not only said in this column, but in several others in the past) that I think digital can be a wonderful thing, and that Direct Market retailers would be wise to be involved with it -- but this specific deal is such an incredible pile of shit, I'd certainly rather leave the money on the table than to bind myself to it.

I'll also note that, as the deal is currently structured, depending on what or how you buy comics, it is entirely possible that your retailer could end up receiving nothing for signing themselves up -- retailers won't get paid until over $100 has been accumulated. If what you buy is 99 cent non-DC comics, then the retailer doesn't get paid even a single penny until the SIX HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FOURTH comic is sold.


-B

[antfromdudley]

The thing is though, comixology does not need the lcs.

Anyone can buy digital comics either via their app or on their site.

Anyone going via an lcs storeFront would presumably be an existing customer of that lcs, converting to digital, but showing their loyalty to the lcs by ensuring they get a piece of the pie.

If the lcs did not have a store front then they would just go to comixology directly, bypassing the lcs.

Also bear in mind that comixology does most of the work, they provide and maintain:
The online store
Servers to store comics and process orders

For their 15 cents the lcs just needs to add a link to their website.
Not bad

[mistergoodman]

For their 15 cents the lcs just needs to add a link to their website.
Not bad

It takes more than a link. As Brian noted, they won't get paid until they make a lot of sales. Which means aggressively marketing digital to their own customers, which could cost them more in paper sales than the storefront brings in. Why should a store bother? Plus the store can't be customized, so it doesn't offer an experience any different than Comics.ComiXology.com. So really, it's a low paid attempt to get retailers to promote ComiXology, instead of focusing on their own shops.

I love ComiXology, and I'll keep buying from them. But if I owned a comics shop I don't think I'd sign on with ComiXology either.

[alekesam]

It takes more than a link. As Brian noted, they won't get paid until they make a lot of sales. Which means aggressively marketing digital to their own customers, which could cost them more in paper sales than the storefront brings in. Why should a store bother? Plus the store can't be customized, so it doesn't offer an experience any different than Comics.ComiXology.com. So really, it's a low paid attempt to get retailers to promote ComiXology, instead of focusing on their own shops.

I love ComiXology, and I'll keep buying from them. But if I owned a comics shop I don't think I'd sign on with ComiXology either.

It is a bad deal and I wouldn't take it either. They should try to get some kind of renegotiation or something before they take that deal. However...as far as why should a store bother? To stay in business, of course. If Digital is where it's going (I actually shouldn't say if), then the LCS needs to figure out how to get a piece of that action. Evolve or die.

Me personally? My connection with any of the LCS in my city died in my mid-twenties. WHy? Because no one talks comics at the shop anymore. Not just comics, but just general friendly banter. When I was a kid, folks actually hung out at comics stores. It was fun. All the stuff we do on forums/websites we used to do in the stores. Except now when you go to the store, it's just...different. Cold. It's not because I'm in my mid-30s either. Most LCS just aren't as inviting as they were back in the day. I quit regularly going to the comic store around 2003 or so and when I do pay a visit, I get in/get out...get my books and get the **** out of dodge. Occasionally I'll ask a few questions about upcoming comics and such, knowing they're just going to get irritated because...they have to do their job? And then they sit and wonder why no one comes and visits?

As far where will people find their comics if the LCS goes under? Online and forums. Isn't this how we find out a majority of what's coming out anyways? Talking to others on a forum somewhere? I certainly don't find out anything from my LCS. So for me, it's not exactly "good riddance" but I'm perfectly happy going completely digital. I like the idea of having my collection available to me at all times, wherever I go. And with three growing kids, I definetly look forward to the soon to be free space.

And lastly, in regards to print vs digital quality, digital by a mile. I draw myself, both traditionally and digital and BOTH ways look better on a screen (any screen, laptop, PC, TV, e-reader, etc) than on paper. No matter how high a quality print you can make, it's never a perfect presentation of the art. Ever. Earlier I was going to mention that the only comics I wouldn't want to see on a e-reader/digitally would be oversized books or maybe artbooks but then I got to thinking how much I like reading my comics on my laptop at screen width and that made me change my mind about that as well. Oh, yeah, to all the anti-digital guys, on a laptop, you can view the comic art at roughly the size it was originally created at (depending on the size of your laptop screen anyways...mine is almost 11 inches so it's like looking at the 10x15 or 11x17 artboard itself, fully inked and colored). Man, it looks so much better bigger, tho' since I'm used to reading manga books, a 7 inch screen is fine for me when I read 'em on my e-reader.

[OldCurmudgeonComics]

But Brian, it makes NO SENSE AT ALL for DC or Marvel to not do digital day and date. Getting upset about this is like getting upset that Marvel wants to sell books through amazon or some other channel that is not the LCS. It's criminally stupid for publishers to ignore a sales channel for the sake of a different sales channel. And as much as I love and adore my LCS and I want them to succeed forever and ever (and I say those words genuinely), you basically have to "deal with it." At the end of the day, digital is your competitor and that's it.

Folks want digital day and date. I'll repeat it's criminally stupid for publishers to ignore a sales channel for the sake of a different sales channel.

I'd like to make three points regarding this topic.

First, the main thrust of Brian's article was regarding the egregious terms Comixology is mandating to the DM retailers, if those retailers wish to help grow the digital business by promoting, what is essentially a direct competitor, through the retailer's business. Let me rephrase that, not only a direct competitor, but one who sells the same essential product at a lower price after a month.

What businessperson in his right mind would cultivate a clientele over many years only to serve up, not only that clientele's business but their personal information as well to a direct competitor? The terms are all stick without the carrot on the end.

Second, poneley, you state that " At the end of the day, digital is your competitor and that's it". That's a true statement. Evidently, what you're failing to realize is that there's absolutely no reason for the DM retailers to be the marketing and advertising arm for our direct competitors. There has to be something in it for retailers as well, and not something that can be pulled out from underneath us on a whim.

Third, I've seen multiple comparisons of digital comics to digital music. Here is my take on it: When you purchase an MP3 for download to your computer, let's say, you own that song. You can turn it into a physical object by burning it to a CD and you can enjoy that piece of music for as long as you have that clean, physical object.

When you purchase a digital comic for your computer, you don't own a darn thing. You haven't downloaded it. You can't turn that digital comic into a physical object. You can't print it out or turn it into a PDF. You are limited to when you can read that book, since you need an internet connection to get to it. You are at the mercy of that company and any future owners of that company to supply you access to that product. And that's not even in the event that, god forbid, Comixology goes out of business.

In terms of downloaded product for your tablet or phone, you still have limitations. Each purchase allows you to download your digital comic 3 times. Screen size, memory space, battery charge and overall reliability also limit your access, because everyone knows these gadgets don't break or have their memory wiped.

What you're really doing is renting the comic. Which is fine, I suppose. Hmmm, I wonder if setting up a reading room where customers could read the "store copy" of a book for $1.99 a crack for new books and $.99 per book after the book's been out for a month...

Thanks for your time.

[OldCurmudgeonComics]

I've asked my LCS to sign up for this service.

I will be buying comics through Comixology as soon as I get a tablet, no later than Christmas. Some of these will be New 52 books I'm willing to wait a month for to get a discount. Some of these will be "sale books" offered at a particularly great price. Some of these will be books that pique my interest but my LCS may not stock, and I'm not willing to wait two weeks or so to get it.

Without this service, my LCS doesn't see a dime of that money.

With this service, they get fifteen to thirty percent of that money.

I understand the misgivings you have about the deal, Brian. But in a situation like the one I just described, do you think it's rational for a retailer to leave money on the table?

-J

J, you do realize that a) your LCS isn't going to be around much longer for you to use his website as a portal to get to comixology working on a 15 - 30% margin minus overhead, b) that you can get to comixology directly and c) that, as stated in Brian's article, comixology reserves the right, once you've used the portal, to directly market to you and boot the LCS from the system when comixology feels that they can't squeeze another customer out of the LCS which means you will end up going to comixology in the long run anyway?

[OldCurmudgeonComics]

I suppose in retrospect my posts read rather harsh. I should probably make my overall stance on digital comics clear; I'm all for it. I was extremely excited when Diamond announced that they would be supporting digital comics through their Diamond Digital program.

I own a small, well-lit, friendly (which belies the name) shop in Iowa. At 300 sq. ft., I have to weigh what takes up shelf space in my store very carefully, so, while I am very happy to special order or pre-order comics for my customers and order copies for myself to read and keep myself informed if ever asked, there are books that I cannot devote space to. That's where digital comics play a part for us.

Our overall plan for digital was to add a "Red Box-esque" kiosk in the store devoted to digital comics and a link for digital books from Diamond Digital to our website. We'll still more than likely add the link on the website, but not to comixology until the terms are a tad bit more favorable.

[PeterJC]

In terms of downloaded product for your tablet or phone, you still have limitations. Each purchase allows you to download your digital comic 3 times. Screen size, memory space, battery charge and overall reliability also limit your access, because everyone knows these gadgets don't break or have their memory wiped.

Maybe you're referring to something different, but you can download digital comics purchased through comixology apps as many times as you'd like. You can purchase on the web and then download to your ipad or android tablet as well. You can also keep the file on your tablet for as long as you'd like (and access it offline) and then delete it to free up storage space on the tablet; and then re-download when you want to read it again. And if your tablet dies you can still access the comic through comics.comixology.com or through the device you buy to replace the dead tablet. You own the digital comic forever, even if you don't store it locally (on your tablet), but download it from the cloud each time you read it.

And regarding the screen size issue - you might argue that there's an inherent limitation in the size of comic book pages, since they're always the same; but in fact there's less of a limitation in the actual screen size, since you can zoom in and out (and with the comixology guided view, someone has already gone through the book and set up those zooms).

[mistergoodman]

Each purchase allows you to download your digital comic 3 times. Screen size, memory space, battery charge and overall reliability also limit your access, because everyone knows these gadgets don't break or have their memory wiped.

I wish I knew where this rumor started. It's not true. You can redownload as often as you want, to whatever devices you've got. Hell, they practically encourage it, by giving you an option to automatically delete old comics from your device, in accordance with whatever space limit you decide to give the app. Cloud storage is a beautiful thing.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

Another crybaby article.
Digital is the norm just live with it, or close.
And you should be grateful to DC for put the price in digital at the same level than paper.

If the Direct Market was to stop selling DC's books, DC would go bankrupt.

Digital isn't self-sustaining, and it will take a long while for it to be that way.

So it's very far from the norm.


The thing is though, comixology does not need the lcs.

DC needs the LCS's though - they don't currently make close to enough money on digital sales to survive, and they are only hoping for massive influx of digital buyers in September.
And comixology needs DC - they are the biggest company to commit to the service on such a large scale. This will make or break comixology.
So if Comixology needs DC, and DC needs the LCS - then comixology needs the LCS.



For their 15 cents the lcs just needs to add a link to their website.
Not bad

No, there's a whole bunch of conditions they have to meet, including signs in their stores, and handing customer information over to comixology.
And I think it's the latter that makes it such a big deal - customer information, and buying habits, is very valuable information.
Worth a lot more money in any other industry than comixology is trying to get here, and once Comixology has it, they don't need the LCS - so to hand it over, the LCS is slitting their own wrists for 15cents.

[antfromdudley]

DC needs the LCS's though - they don't currently make close to enough money on digital sales to survive, and they are only hoping for massive influx of digital buyers in September.
And comixology needs DC - they are the biggest company to commit to the service on such a large scale. This will make or break comixology.
So if Comixology needs DC, and DC needs the LCS - then comixology needs the LCS.


What I meant was, in order to sell their comics, ComiXology do not need to go via an LCS stroefront.
They have their own app + website.
By going through an LCS storefront, they're giving some of their profits to the LCS.

[antfromdudley]

I wish I knew where this rumor started. It's not true. You can redownload as often as you want, to whatever devices you've got. Hell, they practically encourage it, by giving you an option to automatically delete old comics from your device, in accordance with whatever space limit you decide to give the app. Cloud storage is a beautiful thing.

It must the famous internet rumour fairies!!

[Fancoms]

I think a lot of Brian's points are valid from his point of view. The deal being created does leave the LCS who signs on in a precarious position.

The real problem here is the the LCS is being shoe-horned into a arrangement that wasn't designed for it. Most people won't bother being sure to connect through an arbitrary portal. At some point, when asked where they get their comics from, the buyer won't say "I get them through my Comics Experience link to Comixology". They'll say "Comixology". After not very long, the distinction will fade away. I think the Border's analogy is a pretty good one.

Also, no one will go to their local comic shop to somehow enable a download and then go home and download the comic. To think that is to not understand the way the internet functions in 2011.

From DC's perspective, I see why this make sense. You could say that they are turning their backs on a system that has carried their product for 40 years. You could also say (notwithstanding any personal commitments that were made to Brian), that they have been part of a system for 40 years that has perennially made them second best to a company (Marvel) that has done nothing over the last 20 years but try to undermine the very system that they have had so much success in (Heroes World or no overprinting anyone?). DC, on the other hand, has been a friend to the Direct Market retailers, has the more recognizable characters, has been the most innovative (Vertigo, Paradox, etc.). All this buys them a distant second place finish month after month. See John Jackson Miller's awesome site for details http://www.comichron.com/vitalstatistics/marketshares.html

Why is DC second best in the DM? I don't know. I'm sure a lot of the blame can get laid right on their own doorstep. Besides DC's own problems, most direct market retailers over the years have been hostile to the type of consumers that could greatly increase DC's market share. If you've been a customer in a comic shop in the last 30 years, you'd see why women (Sandman, Wonder Woman, Fables), children (Teen Titans, Looney Tunes) and even older adults (Superman, Batman) would be put off by the unprofessional, dirty, hostile, unorganized mess that some percentage of these retaliers (what percent??? 45% 55% 70%???) present to the public.

Probably the best way to look at this is to ask: What will comic distribution look like in 10 years?

-MPS

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

What I meant was, in order to sell their comics, ComiXology do not need to go via an LCS stroefront.
They have their own app + website.
By going through an LCS storefront, they're giving some of their profits to the LCS.

The digital store fronts are all profit for DC, as it is underwritten by the direct market.
Without the money made on the direct market, there wouldn't be comics on Comixology.

Comixology NEEDS the direct market - not the other way around.
And when you look at it like that, Comixology is offering a pittance, in return for a whole of profit, where all the risk/burden was carried by someone else.

It's not like DC is offering a larger profit margin to retailers, now that, ideally, they will be getting more customers for the same fees paid on producing the books.

[PeterJC]

If the Direct Market was to stop selling DC's books, DC would go bankrupt.

That's kind of a ridiculous assertion. DC (or Marvel) makes more money off of one successful movie than the entire industry makes off of print comics in a year. DC doesn't really need to make any money at all off of comics books. And if the 'direct market' were to fail overnight, it wouldn't take that long to set up new distribution channels for selling print comics - through the web, say. Or at kiosks in malls. Wherever, it doesn't really matter. Comic book revenues are really small potatoes to Time Warner and Disney.

[mistergoodman]

If the Direct Market was to stop selling DC's books, DC would go bankrupt.


That's kind of a ridiculous assertion. DC (or Marvel) makes more money off of one successful movie than the entire industry makes off of print comics in a year. DC doesn't really need to make any money at all off of comics books. And if the 'direct market' were to fail overnight, it wouldn't take that long to set up new distribution channels for selling print comics - through the web, say. Or at kiosks in malls. Wherever, it doesn't really matter. Comic book revenues are really small potatoes to Time Warner and Disney.

DC doesn't need to publish comics for Time Warner to keep making movies or TV shows off the properties. If the publishing division stopped making money, Time Warner would shut it down, and without the direct market the publishing division would definitely lose money. There are no "new distribution channels" for paper comics for DC to pull out of their butts- if they were viable channels DC would be selling there already. DC may be relatively small potatoes, but money losing divisions get shut down if they can't turn things around.

[bluetyson]

When you purchase a digital comic for your computer, you don't own a darn thing. You haven't downloaded it. You can't turn that digital comic into a physical object. You can't print it out or turn it into a PDF. You are limited to when you can read that book, since you need an internet connection to get to it. You are at the mercy of that company and any future owners of that company to supply you access to that product. And that's not even in the event that, god forbid, Comixology goes out of business.


If you don't know what you are doing, certainly. All Comixology on the web is doing is serving up obfuscated jpegs. So of course you can save them, turn them into a pdf or print them if you know what you are doing. Simple screen capture programs or print screens will do the same thing.

So will bittorrent/rapidshare or whatever else if you want to find them and back them up that way after you have bought them.

The no longer having nice web access to them when Comixology dies as all companies do is certainly true.

You can also do the BT/RS thing when a company you have bought from goes belly up, too.

A small percentage of comics you can download though. Top Cow, for example, if you buy at DriveThru or MyDigital. Morning Glories appeared at the latter this week, too. So support those.

More importantly 2000 AD also sells CBR/PDF.

The ability to offer downloading so you can read it on whatever you want and with no internet is a competitive advantage - and in marketing. 'The Mouse doesn't want you to share comics with your little sister, they have too much Fear' or whatever. So companies that do it should sell more than those that do not, proportionately speaking.

[antfromdudley]

The digital store fronts are all profit for DC, as it is underwritten by the direct market.
Without the money made on the direct market, there wouldn't be comics on Comixology.

Comixology NEEDS the direct market - not the other way around.
And when you look at it like that, Comixology is offering a pittance, in return for a whole of profit, where all the risk/burden was carried by someone else.

It's not like DC is offering a larger profit margin to retailers, now that, ideally, they will be getting more customers for the same fees paid on producing the books.

That sounds a bit anti-competitive - imagine if someone decides to produce and sell a new type of coke:
Ah but Coca Cola + Pepsi will say, without us there wouldn't be a coke market so give us some of your profits!!!

Yes I see how that works!!!

[DarkBrainComics]

Interesting topic - change can be exceedingly painful on the established marketplace. The question, not yet answered, is how to evolve with digital as a local comic store distributor.

I see the local comic store as a "tour guide" to the world of comics. People can come, browse, get advise, interact, and find better content due to the local store. Can't that also work with digital? Sure. The question is how to establish an economic system that works for it.

The basic problem, and this faces every industry, every product, is what happens as you shrink the sale price and collapse the chain of hands between the content creator and the consumer. Digital clearly jumps over the print machine and allows DC/Marvel to sell nearly direct to end users, bypassing the entire distribution channel - including Diamond and the local comic shop.

As a business - well, we know what businesses can and must do - they will cut unnecessary cost. If there is no inherent true value to the local comic shop, then it will get axe'd. So, the trick is to find a way to present and defend that value as the comic industry goes digital. And this is not very easy - as Comixology evolves (as it must) - it will begin to offer more and more free content to compensate for consumers not being able to browse like they can in a local comic shop.

No easy fixes here, this is tough and will continue to be tough as it evolves. As mentioned many times, this pattern is repeating in all sorts of industries and the inevitable conclusion seems to be elimination of the mom and pop in favor of massive distributors with direct online storefronts.