Gone Digital - Mobile Edition

Digital Comics
Gone Digital
By Zak Edwards
Sep 22, 2009 - 23:57

With the release of a print version of Spider-Woman #1, Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev’s motion comic from last month, now is a perfect time to consider the implications of this move and the presense of motion comics on the industry. With Webcomics being a very real alternative to print and, one could argue, replacing the publishers in the near future, are online versions of our beloved funny pages about to join the cassette and Laserdisk (I just bought a CD, so they’re not dead yet, just terminally ill) in abandoned forms of entertainment? Maybe, but this writer is arguing not for a couple of reasons. First, the print comic is a part of a larger physical culture, with many comic book purchasers taking a weekly pilgrimage to their comic book store to engage with the people selling them their addiction. Second, the cost involved will not justify the regular use of motion comic books to justify a complete overhaul. Third, the continued alienation of comic book retailers will eventually cause a scenario where the publishers will have to make a choice, and the cheaper one will be the winner.

Maybe I am being presumptuous, but the idea of a culture of comic book lovers is something I believe to be both quite tangible and profitable. Comic books come with many things at the store besides a bag. The comic book store I make my weekly journey to is filled with staff and people willing to get in passionate discussions of all sorts of things happening with their hobby, and beyond complaints about retcons or perceived character deviations. The store regularly hosts events to cater to the wider, I’ll say it with pride, geek population, from role-playing marathons to Magic: The Gathering nights to 24 Hour Comic Book Challenge charity events and even a weekly anime movie night (it’s a good store, I told you!). This culture is part of the reason why I don’t switch to collecting only trades or simply get my books through a mail order service which may work out to cheaper in the long run. And it only takes one look at any Comic Convention to realize the culture is everywhere and supported outside the Internet. Comic book culture accepts everyone willing to have an opinion and not afraid to display a mutual love for an art form. And I do not believe this to be a romantic notion. People love talking comics, arguing about comics, and learning about new comics (the ‘if you liked this you should read this’ tactic for selling is absolutely the easiest to pull with comic book readers) even if their argument style and ideas are underdeveloped. It is actual engagements with this culture that keeps the fan-boy in the store with print comics.

Another aspect of the motion comic to explore is the cost involved. Where the staff of the average print book may include about six people from writer and artist to editor and publisher, the staff behind a motion comic increases exponentially. Voice actors, casting, animators, directors on top of the usual staff increases the cost of a book quite substantially. I do not have the numbers on how well the iTunes version of Spider-Woman sold, but I have I doubt it could actually sell for two dollars less than a print comic and still make money without the sales being drastically higher than that of a print version. Yes, there are physical costs to consider in the making of a print comic, as well as distribution, but iTunes isn’t doing this for free, either. Therefore, the print comic will survive until a cheaper and more viable option appears to replace the comic book store without the consumer considering its importance anymore.

My final consideration is the relationship between retailers and Marvel Comics. Marvel Comics’ lifeline in their print industry is the retailers and alienating them from making money is something to consider as well. If Marvel Comics feels they are in a situation, despite all my previous arguments, to start to exist solely online, they will have to completely overhaul the way making money being solely dependent on Internet using consumers, alienating many purchasers from the opportunity to buy comic books. Also, the money generated from retailers buying collectible copies of certain books, variant editions, etc. will disappear. A final note of removing the retailer involves the rise in internet theft. I didn’t pay for Spider-Woman #1 and I’m sure many others didn’t either. Now, torrent editions of comic books do exist and I have even resorted to them for papers in school, but I hardly believe poorly scanned and discoloured versions of print comic books, not to mention fitting an 8 1/2” by 11” piece of paper on a computer screen being awkward at best, are replacing the print industry just yet. However, pirated versions of webcomics will be impossible to stop and will make motion comics as profitable as releasing an album in four years, which will generally an advertisement for a band touring.

All in all, this article may be laughed at in a few years time when my beloved comic book store has been turned into a Starbucks filled with people watching comics on iPhones as my beloved bookstore wrestles with dropping literacy rates and the only job I can find is translating classic works of literature into internet slang. But, for now, the tangible culture of of the comic book, the increased amount of money required to make a motion comic and the movement away from a profitable means of selling comic books will keep the books in my hand requiring me to turn the page rather than wait at a loading screen. Until these all change, print’s here to stay.

Also, I would encourage you to make some comments about this subject below. Think I’m way off? Let me know! Agree with me, stroke my ego!