Print vs. Digital: What Will The Future Of The Comics Market Look Like?

[tony ingram]

I tried to read comics on a PC but it didnt worked out for me. I am also not into pay and not hold it in your hands type of thing. I want to back and board it, and i want to pull it out again, and not be so dependent to an ipad.

But i am old school, 35 years old and a collector since i was 6 years old, so screw digital. I will be like a dinosaur one day...extinct.

But you are right, the boy and girl of my girlfriend does not need any cd´s. They all have their pods and youtube. Even a dvd is useless, because you can watch everything for free on the internet...

Right up until something goes wrong and you no longer have access to the internet...

It's never a great idea to be totally reliant on technology.

For you its stress, for me its fun hunting down back issues. No better feeling than to get my hands on an issue i was always looking for. Visiting comic shops in other countrys or citiys is better than sight seeing, and talking comics with real people is always more interesting then talking on the internet (while i do that, too...)

The price point is something i agree with you. But i can store my book and have it all before me in my room, like a giant treasure hall, try that with an ipad. 10000 comics on an memory card is like having 1000 facebook friends...hollow

Absolutely.

[sonicx1977]

But...Tony Ingram...the generation after me, or the generation after that dont think like us. They live digital, they are digital, they embrace digital.

[tony ingram]

But...Tony Ingram...the generation after me, or the generation after that dont think like us. They live digital, they are digital, they embrace digital.

Yeah, but with the way the world's going, they'll all be dead in twenty years anyway due to some environmental catastrophe or other, so screw 'em.

[sonicx1977]

They will die when the internet is going offline, due to a cyber terrorist attack.

Imagine the young fellas without a device in there hands! Like zombies, flipping their fingers through the air, looking for a touchscreen. Or a 20 year old boy then, finds a real hardcopie comic book and tries to slide and zoom the panels. He will throw it away, thinking it is out of order. A few days later they are all dead

[The Adventurer]

The price point is something i agree with you. But i can store my book and have it all before me in my room, like a giant treasure hall, try that with an ipad. 10000 comics on an memory card is like having 1000 facebook friends...hollow

How would you know, since you do do it? I'm pretty stoked about my growing digital collection. It's pretty cool to have access to all these comics any time, any place.

[tony ingram]

How would you know, since you do do it? I'm pretty stoked about my growing digital collection. It's pretty cool to have access to all these comics any time, any place.

Until the day you try to access them and can't...

[The Adventurer]

Until the day you try to access them and can't...

Feh. No more likely then losing all your print comics in a fire or flood. In fact, probably less likely.

[mmehshow]

Hey comic stores...remember Blockbuster?

[Deviancy]

I sure do...

But it's kind of hard to forget about Blockbuster when there's four of them within 2 miles.

[Kid Montana]

Oh yeah, this discussion again!

The day that it's digital or nothing, I will stop collecting. Not remotely the same thing. I have probably 100 digital versions of comics on my Ipad downloaded for when I am bored (and can get permission from the wife to ignore her long enough to read them), but they were all offered 'free' and not something I would spend money on to have.

Physical comics are already a terrible return for your entertainment dollar, remove the collecting aspect and what do you have?

[tony ingram]

Oh yeah, this discussion again!

The day that it's digital or nothing, I will stop collecting. Not remotely the same thing.

Likewise.

Physical comics are already a terrible return for your entertainment dollar, remove the collecting aspect and what do you have?

Well, that depends on what you read!

[Kid Montana]

Likewise.Well, that depends on what you read!

Oh I am not saying that I dont derive entertainment out of what I read, but when your talking $3-5 a pop on something new, on an Ipad versus a movie rental or game, that isn't a market that comics will do well in. Really, if it gets to that point I wouldnt be expecting a whole lot of new content as it most likely means the industry has died.

Even getting digital codes doesnt really do much for me, because I still have to go get the Ipad WHILE I have the comic out to use it, so whats the point? I guess if I have a flight or long car trip planned, even then I am dependant on an internet connection, memory and battery life, might as well pack the comic.

[sonicx1977]

Yeah, this discussion is running in circles. We all have our tastes and we agree that digital is the future, but that is far away. As long as they print i will buy, after that we will see...or i am long dead then...

[PsychoGoatee]

This topic seems to be focusing on direct market single issues versus digital. Though there's always trade paperbacks, not just with stores but also online, especially the immortal Amazon.com. I don't see trades going anywhere, ever really.

[jericko]

Its funny, a year ago I was a die hard print guy, just getting back into comics, I loved seeing my collection grow. But since then I have switched to digital, and have to say I LOVE it. I just read comics for the enjoyment of the story, I am not a collector. I have a Asus Tablet 10.1 screen and the comics looks awesome on it. I can read in bed at night and the with the lights off so the wife can sleep. I also travel allot for my job and reading in airports and hotels on my tablet is awesome.