Almost since the first hushed mention that Apple was working on what was to become the company’s newest “magic” (read: “hot for a minute then mostly forgotten once the new iPhone hit”) product, the comics community began to wonder what kind of effect the iPad would have on the medium they loved so dear (read: obsessed over.) While the Comixology App (more on this later) had been available on the iPhone for some time, the prospect of a full color, completely tactile, 8x10inch (more or less) tablet with which to view and interact with comics digitally became an intriguing concept for some and an infuriating one for others. With this week’s launch of the DC Comics App, the game officially changed and the first glimpses of how the industry will use this technology moving forward became a little more clear…and since I’m the only one on staff that was bold (read: foolhardy and financially reckless) enough to buy an iPad (on Day 3 no less), I was tapped to take a look at what the device has provided so far, and muse on where it will take us in the future.
Looking back for a moment, Marvel was ahead of the curve a bit with their own app launching the same day as the iPad itself and becoming the first individual company to corner the market on its own books. Before this, while Comixology did license some Marvel (and DC) books, their focus was overwhelmingly on more independent and creator owned fare (to date: almost everything Robert Kirkman has written for Image is on there.) Containing a wide variety of both classic and modern digital comics powered by the Comixology viewing engine, the Marvel app certainly appeared to be a sign of what was to come. Following this, Boom! Studios launched its own similar app for its catalogue, but much like the Marvel app its output ended a few months back in the production cycle, lacking any “current” books. However,, upping the ante a few months later, Marvel revealed that the upcoming Invincible Iron Man Annual would launch on the Marvel App the same day the physical issue hit stores…however, the digital version would reportedly cost slightly more than the physical version (which itself clocks in at a whopping 4.99.) Despite this setback, the industry was abuzz with this new (but ultimately easy to see coming) development.
Then, almost out of nowhere, DC launched its own App this past Wednesday, one week before the release of the Iron Man Annual, with one special detail: Justice League Generation Lost #4. DC had beaten Marvel to the punch in the digital/physical simultaneous release game by one week, and with none of the pre-release fanfare Marvel had put into its announcement. Furthermore, they announced that the remaining 22 issues of the mini-series would ALL be released simultaneously in stores and on the DC App and the kicker? They would both cost 2.99. Just like that, the game changed. I think it would be silly for anyone to genuinely think this is NOT the way the industry will function moving forward…in fact, if I had to place my bet now, I’d say that within two years, ALL releases (at least by the Big 2) will be released physically and digitally at the same time.
Now, to use a cherished Multiversity convention, I’ll list the cons and pros (in that order) of the digital approach:
CONS:
-Loss of Physical Ownership: Let’s face it, for many comic fans; a lot of the fun of reading comics is the collectivity the medium has maintained for decades. The digital approach would, obviously, do away with that to a certain extent.
-Data loss: It’s a lot easier to lose a bunch of data files than to lose a longbox. To assume that all digital technology will work consistently 100% of the time is incredibly foolish. There is currently no username system or login of any kind for any of these apps, which means there is no real record of who downloads what…all it takes is a power surge, a virus or some other traditional technological malady and all the money spent to read those comics is thrown out the window…effectively making your reading of a given comic a rental that you still paid full price (or more) for.
Continued below-Potential to Make Physical Comics Obsolete: Look what happened to the recording industry once downloading music became a primary form of distribution. If Digital Comics take off at the level Mp3s have, there may be no going back.
PROS:
-The Comixology Engine (which powers not only their App, but the Marvel, Boom and DC Apps as well) is a fun little piece of work. It simulates the viewing experience so precisely but at the same time allows itself to be malleable to fit different reading preferences. You can either rock a page by page view, or zoom in and go panel by panel and with a flick of your finger follow the story whichever way you like. Even as a long time comic reader, I admit that the way they went about making comics readable in this format is intriguing as hell.
-Portability: Carrying one light-weight tablet in your bag VS multiple single issues or even trades. Regardless of what you prefer, are able/willing to carry, or what your own definition of acceptable portability is, for the vast majority of functional human beings, the tablet wins.
-Digital Comics are Greener than Physical Comics: fact.
-Possibility for One Stop Shopping: Can anyone say “download code”? If these companies had any sense at all, they’d bundle all physical books with a download code for the digital copy. It not only helps them push the entire idea of digital comics forward, but it sure as hell would keep customers happy.
-Cheaper Distribution for Independent Artists: This format takes ALL printing costs and the vast majority of distribution costs out of the equation, giving artists with enough drive, ingenuity and a decent scanner unprecedented access to an audience than ever before. While no format exists currently, I would not be surprised to see a MySpace (or at least an iTunes) for comic artists hit the App Store sometime very soon.
-Potential Cost Decrease: Now, I’m no financial wizard (I suck at math and, generally, dislike capitalism with a burning passion despite being a slave to it), but I don’t think I’m making too many jumps in logic when I say the following: digital comics, especially ones priced on par with their physical counterparts, provide much more profit (not PURE profit by any means, but certainly more) for the companies putting them out as they cost less to get out to the reading public. Now, I may just be grasping at straws when I say this increase in overall profit and decrease in overall production cost could very easily lead to lower cover prices across both distribution channels or at the very least freeze them where they are currently…but hey, I’ve always been a dreamer.
My Take:
As with most things in life, I am skeptical of this approach. Despite the fact that even I can see the pros to digital distribution, I generally disagree with paying to download anything ever, at this point in the game. Sure I may just be old fashioned (I buy most of my music on vinyl), and I do acknowledge this method may be better for the planet as it takes fewer physical resources and reduces the amount of physical product that could one day end up in a landfill (shut your yaps, fanboys, it does happen…even comics get thrown out eventually.) However, I believe that if someone is paying for something, it should provide a much more secure sense of ownership than digital downloading currently provides, especially given how interconnected all these devices are. Remember a few years back when Amazon decided to pull hundreds of thousands of books off thousands of Kindles without any warning because they didn’t secure the rights properly before distributing them? Regardless of the fact that all those people were refunded the money they paid, I still dislike the idea of companies being able to just come in and take stuff back with no warning and without permission. While it’s not guaranteed the same thing would happen in the realm of digital comics, we HAVE seen the comic industry do some despicable things before (after all, Jeph Loeb and Chris Claremont are still allowed to write), so I wouldn’t rule something like this out.
What do you think, nerdlings? Sound off! Digital Comics: yay or nay?
