Comics/ Digital Comics

Digital Distribution Not The Future For Comic Books

By Eli Green
Jul 6, 2008 - 18:00

Well, it seems that I've been served. In a recent article I wrote about digital distribution being a necessary move if comic book publishers want to keep readers while gas prices continue to rise, I claimed that because of the rising cost of gas, comic book readers would begin purchasing fewer comics in stores and more through digital distribution services, like Marvel Comics' Marvel Digital Unlimited. I found out that some of our readers disagreed with that point of view, believing that, no matter what, consumers will still want to have the physical comic book. As it turns out, those readers were quite right.

Penny Arcade comic books

During a recent interview between myself and creative duo Jeff Moss and Dan Simon, the creators of No Reason Comics , it was explained to me that, despite the growing digital community, print will remain the staple format of comic book distribution for years to come, specifically because people want to have the physical object in their hands. No matter what that object may be, whether it is a comic book, DVD or even a print collection of one's favourite Web comic, people prefer to have something tangible that they can hold in their hands, turn over, flip through and, most importantly, feel.

“ Digital distribution is definitely a new way for people to get comics, and music and movies, and all that, but eventually, you're going to want that hardback cover,” said Moss. “You're going to get tired of watching Rambo on a screen this big (holds fingers and thumbs to form a small screen) because you can't get it any bigger without it getting all grainy, and you're going to go buy the DVD, or rent the DVD.”

As Simon explained it, because of greater access to the content, there are simply more people that want to get there hands on the physical version of that content. Simply having access to the content is not good enough. Recalling the beginning of his career, working in jobs that surrounded the Internet, Simon said that everybody expected that, thanks to PDF documents and the ability to send and receive documents via email, this would be the end of the paper trail. Instead though, he says he expects that he produces more paperwork now than eight years ago. “I think what the Internet does is actually allow more people to get more things out there,” he said. “ And everyone loves having the thing, the thing in your hands. They want that piece of paper. So, with music, with film, with comics, digital distribution is a method of communication, but as far as getting a product out there, there's always going to be a material thing.”

If this is the case, what does this mean for the future of print comics? According to Moss, print runs will get larger in size, publishers will fall back on things like variant covers and, much to the chagrin of collectors like Ken I'm sure, will be making less

Marvel Digital Unlimited homepage

collectible products and just more products in general. “They're going to move away from that,” said Moss. “They're going to move away from that because of the success of things like Iron Man and The (Incredible) Hulk , video games, that kind of thing, because more people are reading comics now.”

So it seems our readers have got me dead to rights as far as print distribution sticking around for some time to come. However, for those of you who don't mind living without the physical object, aren't worried about collecting the comics you want to read or just can't pull together the gas money to make that trip to the comic shop, it looks like digital distribution will still be coming, but not necessarily in such a big way.

I suggest checking out the Web comics portion of the interview, below, to see everything Moss and Simon had to say about digital distribution and other Web comic related topics. You can also watch the portion of the interview where we discuss No Reason Comics here . The full interview, uncut and unedited, will be available for viewing on the site later this week.

Last Updated: Jan 7, 2012 - 7:41
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I completely agree that in most cases, people prefer the physical book in their hands over reading something digital on a box of light (computer or mobile device). That said, just because readers may prefer print format, doesn't mean that they can afford that format. As costs rise for print books, it will force buyers in tough economies (like ours) to cut down the amount of books they can afford to purchase. It comes down to basic economics; "Do I have the money to pay for 5 books a month anymore? Or just 1 book?" That's the question. As the print readers purchasing power decreases to 1 or 2 books a month, that urge to read those other 3 books a month won't go away. It will go online.

Therefore, it wouldn't surprise me if digital distribution numbers will eventually eclipse print numbers, especially if digital is cheaper. Plus if some tech company ever figures out how to make the online reading experience enjoyable without the eye strain, then books will take another hit as well... perhaps even a devastating one.

I've thought about this quite a bit, not just because I do both print comics and webcomics, but also because I am in the process of completing a science fiction novel called "Star Chosen" where books are completely obsure and only a few fragments remain.

#1 - Joe Chiappetta - 07/08/2008 - 08:51

I predicted the same thing you did and was surprised to find that you proved us both wrong. I wrote an article when Marvel first offered its digital service (bubblegum:bubblegumblog.mygeeklifebubblegum/articles/2007/11/14/hey-true-believers-you-may-never-read-marvel-comics-the-same-again/) and assumed that eventually all comic companies would go digital. I, for one, am glad this doesn't seem to be the case now, as I love to COLLECT comics probably more than I like reading them.

But I wonder if you're right that the same thing can be said for other media? I keep all my music on files in my computer. I have some cds, but I rarely pull them out because I can listen to the same tracks with the click of a button. I can pull that music off and put it in an mp3 player to listen elsewhere and in the car, and there isn't anything important to me about it being tangible. And if it weren't for the fact that I like to watch movies from my couch and not in front of my desk (not to mention the space movie files take up on a hard drive, though that eventually will be a problem of the past), the same might be true about them. However, I recently bought a TV that can double as a computer monitor... and so I imagine it's possible that someday, with a much bigger hard drive, I might turn in my DVD collection for more space in my living room, so I can watch whatever I want to with the touch of a button.

Your article was fascinating and well-researched. Thanks for writing it!

#2 - Cap'n Logan - 07/08/2008 - 09:14

Other media

Thanks for the insightful comments, both of you,

I want to bring up a thought about other media formats. One thing the movie industry is doing now to try to continue to drive the sales of physical discs is including Digital Copy (a computer transferable file) with the disc.

With music, digital is extremely popular, and there are a number of people who have given up discs altogether. However, there are other physical formats that have been considered. I recall Steven Page from The Barenaked Ladies saying something about USB keys a couple months back.

The point is, the physical copy for electronic media may still end up being purchased, but people will simply want it coming off of the physical thing, like converting your CDs to MP3 format.

#3 - Eli Green - 07/09/2008 - 20:23