Cbr: One Fan's Opinion - Jan 15, 2010

[CBR News]

This week, Erik looks at the future of comics and comes down firmly on the sides of both print and digital formats as being the way comic fans be reading about their favorite characters as the industry adapts to new technology.


Full article here.

[EMTonner]

I'm really surprised the Big 2 aren't full force into digital downloads already. Sure, there's a market there for new monthly comics, but the big bucks are in the BACK ISSUES. Think about it. How would you like to make your own collection of everything Bernie Wrightson ever drew for 99 cents an issue? Or Neil Adams, or Jim Aparo, or Jim Steranko, or Steve Ditko... They're all there.

When they do it, I hope they do it right. I don't want to read a comic on a 5 inch screen. Doesn't work. Full size pdf please!

[dogboi]

I could write a whole essay about this, but I'll try not to do that here. Just a few quick points, though.

It's a pretty good bet that digital comics will destroy comic book stores. Already, specialized music stores are struggling after the MP3 revolution. The same will happen with comic book stores. Casual purchasers will go away entirely (since they will like the fact that digital comics are cheaper and delivered instantly), and many of even the most rabid fans will buy a lot of the books on their pull list in digital (since they'll have no obvious collective value).

The death of the comic book store will be the beginning of the end for the medium. That's because a large volume of sales are from specialty stores. Since those stores will no longer be able to maintain themselves, a large market will vaporize (they'll last in the urban lands a lot longer than in the rural. My local comic book store will probably be gone within a few years after the advent of easy digital purchase).

All of this, though, depends on some assumptions. First, that digital comics will be available in a format that makes them portable from device to device. If they have DRM, digital comics will simply be pirated. (Comics are pirated now, but it takes a while, since they have to be scanned. It's a lot easier to break DRM than it is to scan in a 32 page comic.)

Secondly, we have to assume that the reading experience will be equal or better to reading the paper books. This is a no brainer, though. Imagine being able to view video right in the middle of your comic, during the epic battle. Or being able to interact with the book in a multitude of ways. Digital comics will change the way we read comics.

I'm sure someone will bring up the fact that e-books haven't truly killed physical books, and that MP3's haven't killed CDs. That's because many of these things are purchased by Baby Boomers. It is the Baby Boomers that keep these physical media alive. Generation X, to a lesser extent, contributes to this phenomena. Gen Y and the Millennials, on the other hand, are much more likely to use digital media. It's also due to DRM on books (which stops a lot of people from purchasing) and the unsettled marketplace (multiple formats, multiple devices, etc). This will change when the format war is over and a clear victor (probably ePub) emerges. When that happens, physical books will decline and physical book stores will go away.

Comic books aren't like music, nor are they like books. They are more like newspapers and magazines. They are periodicals. Notice how digital media (in this case, the web) has devastated both newspapers and magazines. What you are witnessing will also happen to comic books eventually, when a good digital format arises. (And I know that a good form already exists in CBR/CBZ. I'd love to see the big companies adopt it. I doubt they ever will, though. At least, not by choice).

But it is not a reason to be sad. There will be several advantages. There will be a much lower barrier to entry, so there will be a lot more independents out there. Prices will drop. Chances will be easier to take. Once back catalogs are available, the entire history of comics will be available for purchase at the touch of a finger. Comics will become more interactive.

It's going to be awesome.

[dogboi]

When they do it, I hope they do it right. I don't want to read a comic on a 5 inch screen. Doesn't work. Full size pdf please!

CBR/CBZ is even better than PDF, IMO. There are plenty of great programs to view them on every platform, and they are easy to make (no special software other than an archiving program).

[Paradox]

dogboi needs to hold off a bit:

It's a pretty good bet that digital comics will destroy comic book stores. Already, specialized music stores are struggling after the MP3 revolution. The same will happen with comic book stores. Casual purchasers will go away entirely (since they will like the fact that digital comics are cheaper and delivered instantly), and many of even the most rabid fans will buy a lot of the books on their pull list in digital (since they'll have no obvious collective value).

More slowly than you think, though. There's still a lot of people that prefer print for reading out there. With music, the medium doesn't make a difference. It sounds the same. Visual media there's quite a difference.

[Slugger]

More slowly than you think, though. There's still a lot of people that prefer print for reading out there. With music, the medium doesn't make a difference. It sounds the same. Visual media there's quite a difference.

As a creater, I sure as hell hope so.

[dogboi]

More slowly than you think, though. There's still a lot of people that prefer print for reading out there. With music, the medium doesn't make a difference. It sounds the same. Visual media there's quite a difference.

Sure, that's true, but I live in a rural area. Trust me when I tell you that in rural areas this will happen very fast. I, for example, have to travel 45 minutes to the nearest comic book store, and most of the customers of the same store are traveling similar distances. Most of us will give that up for instant delivery. The gas savings alone will make it worth it.

And we just don't know what will happen because it hasn't happened yet. What if the digital experience is superior to the paper one? Then paper will lose quickly. (That's what killed newspapers, really. Online viewing of newspapers is a superior model. Also, of course, the fact that they gave it away for free without a viable income stream).

The internet is a disruptive technology, and it disrupts every business it touches. Comics are no different.

[Paradox]

dogboi reads statistically:

Sure, that's true, but I live in a rural area. Trust me when I tell you that in rural areas this will happen very fast. I, for example, have to travel 45 minutes to the nearest comic book store, and most of the customers of the same store are traveling similar distances. Most of us will give that up for instant delivery. The gas savings alone will make it worth it.

True enough, although by very virtue of population density, rural areas are a decidedly smaller part of the market.

And we just don't know what will happen because it hasn't happened yet. What if the digital experience is superior to the paper one?

Unlikely, unless the format changes radically (as it probably should). Not talking about just page layout, but computer screens are markedly worse on the eyes than paper and ink. Certainly I've gotten reports on Kindles and other readers lessening this effect, but that'll take a bit to get going. Best they can hope for, IMHO, is "equal".

Then paper will lose quickly. (That's what killed newspapers, really. Online viewing of newspapers is a superior model. Also, of course, the fact that they gave it away for free without a viable income stream).

And the immediacy factor. It's not because reading online is easier or better, because it's not.

The internet is a disruptive technology, and it disrupts every business it touches. Comics are no different.

Again, true enough. We're really only disagreeing on hypothetical time-frames.

[dogboi]

Again, true enough. We're really only disagreeing on hypothetical time-frames.

And I can agree to that. :-)

[krushjudgement]

It's all about comfort.

Here's what will change the game:
-A sleek device
-A large attractive screen.
-In color
-Affordable to middle-America
-An iTunes-like medium that gives you a comics store with issues at $0.99 to $1.50

Could it be the iSlate? Only time will tell.

And for the record mp3's have nearly killed cd's. They are already a thing of the past. Within five years almost no one will buying cd's or even Blu-Ray discs.

[Slugger]

It's all about comfort.

Here's what will change the game:
-A sleek device
-A large attractive screen.
-In color
-Affordable to middle-America
-An iTunes-like medium that gives you a comics store with issues at $0.99 to $1.50

Could it be the iSlate? Only time will tell.

And for the record mp3's have nearly killed cd's. They are already a thing of the past. Within five years almost no one will buying cd's or even Blu-Ray discs.

Well, I don't know about blu-rays but CD's sounds likely.

[krushjudgement]

Well, I don't know about blu-rays but CD's sounds likely.

Mark my words: 5 years tops.

[StoneGold]

More slowly than you think, though. There's still a lot of people that prefer print for reading out there. With music, the medium doesn't make a difference. It sounds the same. Visual media there's quite a difference.

I'm pretty sure you can find large groups of people who think you're wrong about that, still clinging to their vinyl.

[Paradox]

StoneGold picks the nits:

I'm pretty sure you can find large groups of people who think you're wrong about that, still clinging to their vinyl.

Point, although those people who fiddle with the damned equalizer for an hour while everyone else can't hear any difference at all are a much smaller subset than people who prefer reading in print.

Although, eventually...

[Slugger]

Mark my words: 5 years tops.

You're a creater, doesn't it bother you?