Marvel to Offer Digital Archive Online

[CBR News]

The first 100 issues of "Amazing Spider-Man" are some of the comics to be offered online in a new pay-to-read initiative called Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/ne...m.cgi?id=12370

[ColonelLee]

Marvel launches Digital Comics Unlimited with a free sampler of 250 titles. Going forward, additional content will not include new comics until six months after their print publication, as, said Peter David, "If [Marvel] put their monthly comics online at the same time, they'd be cutting their own throats and undercutting the retailers."

This is just wrong. The number of comics sold at comic shops is small. The top seller is around 100,000 copies. Whereas the internet downloadable/viewable market is huge. In the many millions. Two different markets...only one is being marketed to.

Look at what TV is now doing. They are offering their current shows (with ads, of course) for free download immediately. Right now I can go to NBC.com and watch tonights HEROES episode. A lot of people don't want to watch HEROES on their computer...but then, a lot of people do. And HEROES Season 2 DVDs will still sell big when they come out...with all the added features, etc.


This is the 21st century. Digital content is here. It ain't going away.

[Silent Phantom]

I'll think the coming reactions to this service will be very interesting.

I would prefer a model where you can actually own the copies, since this one seems more like you're renting the titles. But if I am reading this correctly, you do get access to the whole archive whenever you want. I'll definitely be checking out the 250 samplers.

[Akelexre]

I'm so happy to see Marvel at least venture into the digital comic realm...

...but this is just horrible, horrible, horrible. A subscriber's fee for old content that I cannot download?

Fail.

[StoneGold]

I'm so happy to see Marvel at least venture into the digital comic realm...

...but this is just horrible, horrible, horrible. A subscriber's fee for old content that I cannot download?

Fail.

What do you expect, new books for free? You need bit torrent or news groups for that.


And really, given the nature of the things, it's not like you were going to be able to download them and then later read them on a non-internet capable portable device. And given that you have access to their entire online library for at least a month at a time, I'd say it's a decent trade-off and a way of keeping content under control.


Now, you might complain about the lack of new books, but that's to stop the retailers from freaking out. I'd like them too, but I can understand the economic realities of the situation.

[Akelexre]

What do you expect, new books for free?

Strawman.

I never said or implied as such.

What I would like is to be able to purchase digital versions of my comics the day they are released in comic stores. Just like buying music from a legal site (one that doesn't suck, ie Calabashmusic.com): I pay a one time fee, I download the product I want, and can listen/read/view it whenver I want however many times I want in a non-DRM format without having to pay each time upon use.

I'd gladly pay 2, 3 bucks to be able to legally download a high quality copy of the newest issue of Ultimate Spider-man in .cbr format (preferably with a few extras exclusive to the digital version, ie character art, the script, etc) instead of having to truck either across town or out to the county to reach a comic store.

I'm happy to finally see Marvel venturing online somewhat seriously. However, what Marvel is currently proposing, ie a subscriber fee to outdated content that I cannot download, is something I just can't get behind.

[StoneGold]

Strawman.

No, it was a question. All you said was it was a subscription, old books and fail. I was asking for further information.


And seriously, why would you want to pay $3 for data when you could have a hard copy for the same price?

[MakeshiftHero]

Its not surprising at all. I've been waiting to hear about something like this for a long time.

Comics are going the way of the newspaper. And by that I mean that you have newspapers trying to find more ways to get to readers by reaching them through the internet because sales are drasticaly declining and they are preparing for the day when the majority of the news is no longer recieved through the paper. Nowadays writers for the paper also do their own pod casts, blogs, radio shows, and even online videos.

Print media in 20 years (give or take) will start to become a thing of the past and comic books are headed in the same direction.

[Akelexre]

I was asking for further information.

Ok. Consider your wording a bit more carefully next time. Reading your sentence, it REALLY seems like you're forcing the opinion on me just to knock it down.

And seriously, why would you want to pay $3 for data when you could have a hard copy for the same price?

Um, because I live in a place where getting to a comic store is a time consuming, pain in the rear? Or I live abroad and there ARE no comic stores near me? Or I simply prefer electronic media when applicable, as the efficiency of time, space, etc. is preferable to me? Or the electronic format provides options (for example, the zoom in feature) that aren't available with physical copies? Or I like to make back-up copies of as much of my stuff as possible in case something bad happens? All the above?

Truth be told, if I could buy my comics online in .cbr format, I'd probably double or triple the amount of comics I buy in one month (definitely triple if Indy vendors started doing it en mass). The money and time saved on transportation, along with the convenience of electronic usage and the insurance that comes with electronic back-ups are the primary factors I think of.

[StoneGold]

Ok. Consider your wording a bit more carefully next time. Reading your sentence, it REALLY seems like you're forcing the opinion on me just to knock it down.

To the same extent, you might want to wait a sec before yelling out strawman.

[Brian M.]

It's a good idea. Is Marvel the first to do something like this? If their is a market for it, it'll work. It might be tweaked, price might lower, but it's a good idea.

[littleredhat]

Will you be able to read them on an iphone or DS.

Just curious. I won't be useing this service because the my comic shop is just down the street from me and offers a 30% discount.

[Shellhead]

Eventually, Marvel and DC and others will move to purely digital comics. The publishers lost the huge kid market when they priced comics out of their reach. Of that $3.00 cover price, a significant portion must cover the cost of paper, ink, printing equipment maintenance and depreciation, and of course distribution. And those distribution costs will continue to climb in synch with the price of gasoline. And the comic shops need some profit, too. By cutting out all the costs of materials and distribution, Marvel could easily cut the price by a lot and still make decent money.

[Shellhead]

Will you be able to read them on an iphone or DS.

Would you really want to read comics on your phone? Those would be some teeny tiny word balloons.

[HIK248]

Eventually, Marvel and DC and others will move to purely digital comics. The publishers lost the huge kid market when they priced comics out of their reach. Of that $3.00 cover price, a significant portion must cover the cost of paper, ink, printing equipment maintenance and depreciation, and of course distribution. And those distribution costs will continue to climb in synch with the price of gasoline. And the comic shops need some profit, too. By cutting out all the costs of materials and distribution, Marvel could easily cut the price by a lot and still make decent money.

Well an album in itunes costs 10$ while it costs 15-20 in the store.It is of course different in comics and I don't know the percentage of that price that goes to printing and distributing but I guess a 2$ price would be feasible.