Do you agree with DCP?

[rZi]

Being a spider fan i sometimes have to resort to downloading DCP's (civil war) due to my local store not supplying anything moderatley recent for example Ive only just gotten the full "The Other" collection , all 12 of them.

So i guess my question is...if your short on cash..or your not certain it will be a good title will you download it instead of purchasing it?

[MythicBrawn]

That question should be asked of the people who create the comics. It really doesn't matter if I agree with him or not. What do they think about someone taking their work and putting it on the internet for anyone to download for free?

[Tater]

Here's how I see it. If it's a new comic, download one. That way you can know if you like it or not. But only one, unless you can only find it in a bundle or something. As for old back issues, hell download all you want. I mean ones like from the 80's and such. I don't see how this really hurts anyone, well besides local comic shops. But often time they don't even have all the back issues. Thats why I did download some like the first 30 Amazing Spider-man. Yes, they are in TPB. But I don't like the Black and White. So basically my view is that if you can't find it anyone else because it's old, then download it. In your case though, I don't know. I guess it would ok, as long as you buy the comic when you can.

[tonearcher]

I think that the comic companies sometimes don't give readers a choice. I know the Civil War is a cross-over, but if you want to know what's happening (really know what's happening) you have to read all the issues. Some readers are on a budget, and between variant covers, Frontline, thunderbolts, X-men, Fantastic 4, Spiderman, sometimes you can't afford everything that they're putting out. So I agree with the DCP to an extent, as long as you're buying something. Right now in comics they're trying to get as much money as possible, and the stories aren't always even up to par and worth the extra bucks people are dishing out. I think the DCP will get the comic creators back on their toes to create books that you NEED TO OWN.

Also, it's good for people who want to catch up with older comics or just getting into comics. Spiderman is on 535, X-men is on 478. How much do you think it would cost to become a fan and actually know what's going on?

[rZi]

you make a good point tonearcher...the whole budget thing applies to me becuase im a studet at university so money isn't exactly bursting from my wallet but i don't want to miss out on anything so sometimes i have to resort to DCP =(

[Lobo]

I live in Brazil and here we don't have all the comics that you have avaliable in there (and even if we had, I couldn't buy all of them). So, I resort to DC++... But since it's possible I prefer to have the comic book in my hands.

http://www.gotriad.com/apps/pbcs.dll...5/-1/gtcom0200

That is an article about digital comics... I agree with everything Didio said.

[DoctorDoom]

I prefer to just read issues I'm not going to buy inside the comic shop. Most owners don't mind, especially if they know you're going to give em business anyway by picking up a book or two.

[Cody H]

Even if I did download a comic, I'd still rather have the actual comic book. I'd download the comic only if I couldn't really find it anywhere else, and I'd still make efforts to find the actual physical one.

[Mister Mets]

It's morally wrong, but I'll do it.

[The Batman]

i don't see this as being any more or less moral than downloading songs or movies from the net except perhaps with the fact that the revenue lost might be more noticed by the creators who generally reach a smaller audience.

also, is this substantially any different than people who read comics off the racks at the stores without purchasing them?

[moebius]

also, is this substantially any different than people who read comics off the racks at the stores without purchasing them?

Only in that you don't take the comic home without paying after you read it.

My problem is I live in Europe 2/3rds of the time, but my FLCS is in Cambridge, MA. I'm not going to make them ship internationally, and German/Austrian comic stores with English titles are hard to find. So what I will do is download the books I read anyway, then come in every 3-6 months to pick up and pay for the physical copies. I figure everything's square that way.

If there was actual, available downloading at a reduced price through the Big 2, I would probably switch to all digital. Just more convenient.

[cactusmaac]

It's a great way of sampling titles without committing money to something you'd rather not have spent the money on.

[The Batman]

well even with downloading you're not really getting a physical copy of the comic and both options seem to place the value of the comic in it's entertainment rather than as a physical object but i do see your point.

still i am in a similar predicament to you. i've just moved from Windsor to Fredericton and i haven't got a reliable comic store available. so i've got my hometown shop holding my titles for me to pick up when i get back home and i read them online as i can.

i'd be surprised if offering comics to download doesn't become something that at least one of the Big Two doesn't do within the next 5-10 years.

[Gilda Dent]

I don't download comics that aren't legally available in digital format, new or old. I have the Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and Avengers DVDs, and like those a lot.

You always have a choice. Nobody is forcing you to spend your money on comics. I hate the way the big crossovers can't really be fully understood unless you buy a ton of issues, but that doesn't mean I'm forced to buy them all. I can always choose not to get any of them.

[JuggernautRM]

As a college student with a mininum wage job, my budget is really tight, which means I only collect Incredible Hulk, Civil War, Annihlation, and Justice. Once in a while I will get a trade or two. In the past year or so I've collected about 2 shoeboxes full of comics and about 10 trades.

But with the DCP downloads and archived downloads, I can follow the stuff I can't afford to buy, and get a chance to read entire runs without having to hunt down back issues and pay enormous amounts of money for them.

I have the entire Thor collection, Deadpool, Punisher, Justice League, Ultimate Universe, Green Latern, and several other collections. And this also includes DCP weekly releases starting from Feburary of 2006. In total I have about 70 gigs of comics, and am constantly getting more.

My love of comics surpasses my means, so Im forced to download comics, and buy as much as I can afford to.