Perspectives on Digital Comics: Print vs. Digital

Originally posted on my blog, The Comics Cove, not too long ago...

A lot has been happening in the last year with digital comics, and I think at this point it's a safe bet to state that digital is beyond simply emerging on the scene. It's arrived, and for better or worse, it's here to stay. From the e-bookreader wars to same day digital delivery to digital-only content, there is simply too much going on to ignore its impact on the comics industry, reading habits, and even purchasing habits.

I've had a couple of conversations lately about digital comics with various people, and I've been more than a little astounded at the range of opinions out there about it. Many comic shop workers feel the medium is a long-term threat, in the form of an attempt to remove the middleman and cut them out. Comic readers have a wide range of opinions on it, ranging from hating it and staying with print only, to loving it so much that they would buy it instead of print if it were only cheaper. And as always, there are plenty of permutations of in-between perspectives on them, with issues of price, interface, platforms, and much more coming into play and influencing how comics enthusiasts view this new beast.

I find myself somewhere in the middle, balancing an excitement for the possibilities of digital with a reverence for the old-school ways of collecting print. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, to be sure. Print collections are the only way to guarantee perpetual access to what you purchase--which is something most comic book collectors find sacrosanct--but you do have the worries of making space for them, the possible ravages of time, well-meaning but clueless mothers, and a number of environmental factors that simply don't exist with digital comics. Digital comics--being as light-weight as a comic collection can be--can potentially travel with you anywhere, depending on what device and services you use, but those considerations and others like them create some potentially unsettling long-term choices if you're into owning everything you pay for.

I told a buddy of mine a couple days ago that I was excited about Marvel's decision to offer free digital access to digital versions of their $3.99 titles when you purchase the print version. He responded that access to the digital version of a title you already had in print was silly, and that Marvel should instead offer free digital access to another comic of your choosing. I can understand how that might seem redundant, but as someone who's curious and enthusiastic about digital in addition to print comics, it really gives me a chance to experience both forms of collecting without any extra expense.

I responded with a hypothetical situation to him. With the print version of, say, Amazing Spider-Man, I could purchase it, read it if I wish, and store it in my collection or personal library. But if there was a particularly cool scene or spread of pages or artwork from the comic that I wanted to show my buddy (who is not a big comics reader), I could simply whip out my phone, pull it up, zip to the scene in question, and show it to him, no problem. With print, I'd have to transport it from my collection to my car to our destination, take it out of the bag and backing board, flip through the pages, show him the scene, and then re-bag and re-transport it back home, all the while risking environmental damage to the print artifact.

A touch paranoid, perhaps, but collectors know I'm talking about a very real possibility. My friend acknowledged that, when I put it that way, it made sense, given the way I approach collecting and reading.

Another gentleman I spoke to recently said something that genuinely astounded me. He enjoys reading comic books, but treats them in much the same way most consumers treats magazines: he reads them and then throws them away (!). He basically sees no value in the print artifact, just the story, and once he's gotten that, he's good. To that end, he resents the high price of comics these days, and would like to go digital-only, if they'd only start lowering the prices to less than what print costs. He makes some good points: digital distribution, at least in theory, shouldn't have the overhead that print would; and the technology will only improve over time, despite a lot of the current gripes people have with it. His most fervent was was, of course, that it would all get here as soon as possible; yesterday, if they didn't mind.

Playing devil's advocate, I acknowledged his points, but also brought up the fact that digital content providers have not always been steadfast in guaranteeing digital access to the content you pay for. Who's to say that purchasing a subscription to Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited is going to always guarantee you access to the library they currently make available when other content aggregators continue to raise prices, re-package their digital libraries, and rewrite the terms of usage for the access they provide? These things are done in the name of making money, and you can bet that Marvel Comics, as well as the others, are in the business of making money.

There are and continue to be a wide range of opinions about digital, in various situations and scenarios and among different types of comics enthusiasts. I'm well aware that I'm only touching the tip of the iceberg with this, and am eager to hear about others' experiences, opinions, praises and issues with regard to digital comics, how they will affect print comics, and where this will all lead us in the years to come.

I will maintain my stance on digital comcs(which applies to most digital media as a whole). It is not practical enough for a total conversion yet, and will not be so for awhile(several years, contrary to what the man you talked to thinks). Not everyone can afford internet stable and fast enough to download the comics. Not everyone has iPads, smart phones, or good computers. I'm also hesitant to leave my ability to access my comic collection at the mercy of a TOS, so until they can guarantee my collection it's not a good choice.

And price. Price for digital comics should be significantly lower than print copies because the materials used is less. You don't need paper, ink, pencils, and you don't have to reproduce multiple copies of each issue. You make it once, upload the file containing the comics, and you have your book. Print is currently $2.99-$3.99, which is somewhat understandable for the materials. But digital does not have this excuse. Besides maintaining data systems to store the files, I don't see what other expenses they need.

Then there's the fact that I grew up on physical copies. I like holding the actual comic in my hand and being able to turn the pages and read through it. Newer fans who grow up with this increased technology and growing digital focus might not mind as much. But I will, because physical has always been the traditional format for me. So I myself will probably keep going to comic shops until they completely disappear.

@ZombieBigfoot said:

I will maintain my stance on digital comcs(which applies to most digital media as a whole). It is not practical enough for a total conversion yet, and will not be so for awhile(several years, contrary to what the man you talked to thinks). Not everyone can afford internet stable and fast enough to download the comics. Not everyone has iPads, smart phones, or good computers. I'm also hesitant to leave my ability to access my comic collection at the mercy of a TOS, so until they can guarantee my collection it's not a good choice.

And price. Price for digital comics should be significantly lower than print copies because the materials used is less. You don't need paper, ink, pencils, and you don't have to reproduce multiple copies of each issue. You make it once, upload the file containing the comics, and you have your book. Print is currently $2.99-$3.99, which is somewhat understandable for the materials. But digital does not have this excuse. Besides maintaining data systems to store the files, I don't see what other expenses they need.

Then there's the fact that I grew up on physical copies. I like holding the actual comic in my hand and being able to turn the pages and read through it. Newer fans who grow up with this increased technology and growing digital focus might not mind as much. But I will, because physical has always been the traditional format for me. So I myself will probably keep going to comic shops until they completely disappear.

My thoughts exactly. Took the words right out of my mouth. :)

I agree with that.

If they would make digital comics a little bit cheaper then I might think of purchase some of those (though I'm afraid it wouldn't feel the same).

I just like to hold them in my hands and to store them in my room. I even like to go to my local comic store and buy them.

Plus, I could only read digital comics on my computer since my mobile phone isn't big enough to enjoy reading them, and I like to read while traveling.

As an independent creator I would have to say that I prefer working with digital media as opposed to print as it is cheaper on production. However I think that the mainstream publishers need to take a page from the book of folks like myself. Why charge full price for something that cost almost nothing to create? People know that once you have a digital file you can easily make it a pdf and release it for public consumption. So why would you price it at the same 2.99-3.99 tag that you do for a normal paper comic? It's not a successful marketing strategy and the only way it can actually work is in a place where one no longer has access to comic book shops ect and you can still get them in the mail. Secondly I realize that people prefer holding paper in their hands but the problem is space. Back home I had a really small room My comics were in stacks on the ground  and not everyone has the space to accommodate for the inventory. That said I'm all for digital comics in the main stream once they stop asking for the same amount they ask for print.