Would you go digital for 99 cents a comic?

[samurainoir]

Newsarama | $.99 DIGITAL COMICS?! - MARK WAID's Controversy Explained

Fascinating from the POV that Waid is both EIC at Boom and a creator himself.

I know the traditional brick and mortar retailers would be up in arms, but the low price point would make perfect sense once you knocked off print costs, distribution and the retailer's cut.

Times are tough financially for everyone, and the aps and readers are getting better. We're in the middle of a huge paradigm shift right now.

The future of print might be as limited edition collectible after all. I'm thinking the variants are only going to increase, add in enhanced covers, signed books, chase gimmicks and print-only added material (ie letter columns, backup stories, development artwork etc).

I think this is a huge reason why they decided to bring the prices back down to $2.99.

With your floppy comic books, is it a matter of "your cold dead hands" or is there a price point you would be willing to go digital?

[VintageMike]

I could see myself checking out something for .99 I wouldn't give a look at on paper but for my old standbys (like Amazing Spider-Man) I will buy the print edition for as long as they make one.

[Bizarro Amy]

^^I'm pretty much of the same opinion. It would be kind of like using Netflix vs buying DVD/BlueRay - there are some movies I just want to watch once, but some that I want my own copy.

[LonnieFisher]

I went digital and get them for free.

[BlackKnight]

No.
I Enjoy Hording my books.

[fallensaviour]

No.
I Enjoy Hording my books.

Ditto and hell no I aint going digital I'll just stop if thats the case sorry.

[The Toyroom]

Yeah I think I'd stop....I have both the Marvel and DC apps on my iTouch but it's really a pain in the butt to use/view them...I suppose it'd be better and bigger on an iPad or Kindle but I really don't want to pay x amount of dollars for something to read comic books on

[wilbs518]

I went digital and get them for free.

me too.

[LadyZod]

Free is the ONLY price I would consider going digital for.

If I'm paying money, I want a physical item.

Although, interesting thought: If digital spreads, and physical runs from companies decrease... won't that drive the prices up on the secondary market?

Less physical product=lower supply.

Demand may be less for now, but like everything from the microfiche fiasco (anyone remember THAT?!) to the comics on CD period, everyone goes back to physical product in the end.

[WannabeMego]

You're more likely to loose (or crash) the device that you store your entire collection of comics on then loose the boxes containing the same amount of books.

Once you loose those digital books, TRY to get them all back without paying again.

No Thanx...Give me somethin' to hold on to.

[Hulk]

I don't buy comic books (or download them for free), but I can see buying some for a tablet device in the future on occasion, and that is the point he is trying to make, expand the marketplace in a world where people downloading them for free is only going to expand, and unless they can make it easier and profitable, they are going to continue to have their lunch taken from them.

The idea of 99 cent issues makes a lot of sense in a market that is only going to expand as more people get eReaders, tablets, netbooks and larger and larger smartphones. Let me log in and read my books on several devices, and possibly even via my internet connected TV. Let me have a subscription for a year of a title I want to read at a discount of $8.99 or $9.99 for 12 - 15 issues and you will increase readership over print possibly several fold over time. Heck, I am sure some people might pay a hefty price for an All Inclusive DC or Marvel annual subscription. Sell me a graphic novel for $5, and I know I'd buy a few. $10 or more for some of the larger compendiums. Charge me 50 cents for classics from previous ages, or a couple bucks for every issue of a 1974 title. They could package great story-lines from the past into Graphic Novel like packages that would never see print. Many more possibilities with the right software and device combinations.

[mazinz]

it makes perfect sense, however knowing many people in the scanner world for comics/zines, the main gripe with many people and official releases is that some of the companies are not doing them realy well (low res scan), cover to cover, slightly changing art work and other info, etc.

What the fans have been doing is taking whatever old issue and doing it straight from the front page to the back, no changes (though some do remove the ads). This is what I do support and would support if the comic (and many magazine) companies followed or went in this fashion. Do not give me an abridged version in any way. Give me the digital scan as if I went out and picked up the actual item off the store shelf. If they cannot do that, then going to the fans down the free "illegal route" (in most cases) is the only way to go

[Wise4671]

Nope I want my comics in hand. No way would I go digital some things are better left the way they are period.

[Thor]

This is a sticky issue. I've bought hundreds of old comics on DVD rom mainly as a back up for my originals. Having to dig through boxes of comics for one issue can be a pain If a comic is bought online there must be a way to back it up. If not, no dice.

[ctc]

>won't that drive the prices up on the secondary market?

It's an interesting point. I think you'd see a small cadre of collectors that'd drive up the price of select paper comics; but the current generation of comic fans (not us) seems more concerned with reading the stories over collecting. (And they don't seem too worried over format, which is why the big push for compilations, reprints and different format "graphic novels.") I think that's why the digital thing has been taking off for comics. (Digital comics have been a "thing" for over a decade, but haven't got much press until the last year or so.)

Don C.