Tag: digital comic books

Digital Death Part V: Truth About Placing Digital Comics on Sale

Jul. 12 Comic Book Collecting, News Comments Off on Digital Death Part V: Truth About Placing Digital Comics on Sale

Next week at Comic-Con, comic book fans are going to be inundated with news and information about digital comics. I am sure announcements will be made by various companies about digital comic sales and digital comic promotions. Think about the reason for the reasoning for these sales before jumping on the digital bandwagon.

Don't believe the hype over digital comics sales. You can usually find physical comics for less.

Don’t believe the hype over digital comics sales. You can usually find physical comics for less.

Reasons for Digital Comics Sales

Digital comics have been around for a few years now, but the publishing companies still need more customers. I am sure many are surprised by the fact that after a few years of marketing, digital still has not become a more prevalent force in the comic book industry. We know that the reason is because comic book readers traditionally want a physical comic to read, to enjoy, and to store away in the hopes of it gaining value over time. Digital comics do not gain any monetary value at all.

Are Digital Comics Sales Actually a Deal?

A perusal of the digital comics for sale will find thousands (if not tens of thousands) of titles for $0.99. Chances are good that most of these will be traditional items you would find in a dollar box anyways. If you were to walk around a comic book convention, you are sure to find vendors who are going to have sales on their dollar boxes where you can purchase 12 or 15 for $10. You will find other vendors who have some of the same comics you could find on digital comic download sites for $0.50.

Near the end of a convention or show, some dealers will deeply discount dollar boxes so they do not have to take them home. It is not out of the range of thought to see people picking up 50 dollar comics for $30 or less as dealers try to figure out how to repack everything they came with and everything they purchased.

The New Comic Shenanigans

Someone said to me recently that searching dollar boxes at conventions was useless if you are collecting newer comics. WRONG! Many vendors start putting comics in their dollar boxes four to six months after initial release. Not all comics, but ones from lesser lines which are not moving. Some wait a year for titles which do move, but place the slower issues in the dollar boxes.

At Gem City Comic Con, I picked up Suicide Squad #2-#11 in a bundle. It was ten comics for $8. #11 had just come out five months before the convention. At C2E2, I scored a complete run of Frankenstein Agent of SHADE, a complete run of Voodoo, have of the Batman & Robin issues I had missed, and about a third of the Avs.X run. The average price I paid per coming was $0.74 when all was said and done. Much lower than digital comics, and I still had something physical to show for it.

If you happen to be at a convention like Comic-Con international and are enticed by digital comics sales,  walk away and look around the convention. A keen eye will probably find better deals on the physical comics the digital comics market just can’t seem to kill.

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Digital Death Part IV: Time to Wake Up Comic Book Fans and Retailers

May. 02 Comic Book Collecting, News Comments Off on Digital Death Part IV: Time to Wake Up Comic Book Fans and Retailers

While attending the Diamond Retailers Summit and C2E2 in Chicago last week, I noticed two disturbing trends in the industry which could lead to the digital death of physical comics, but I also noticed an important glimmer of hope in the fight against digital comics. The glimmer of hope reinforced my push to open people’s eyes to realizing how change is not always a good thing, especially when the change is to digital comics.

The death of the comic book industry will be caused by digitally downloading comic books.

The death of the comic book industry will be caused by digitally downloading comic books.

Little Note to Start Off

I don’t want to bog this article down by giving my points over again about how digital comics will destroy the industry. I don’t want to have to tell you again how digital comics will cause for massive amounts of job loss, the exodus of comic book fans away from the entertainment medium, and how digital comics are a slap to collectors. If you have not heard these arguments, please read the following Digital Death parts first:

Digital Death Part I: Illegally Downloading Comic Books

Digital Death Part II: Dark Reason Behind Digital Comics

Digital Death Part III: Digital Comics and Collecting

Some Retailers Counting the Days

At the Diamond Retailers Summit and C2E2, I noticed how many comic book retailers are essentially counting the days down to their demise. Either they have given up the fight against digital comics or they do not realize retailers have a voice in the transition to digital comics. I found myself explaining how readers, collectors, and retailers do have a strong voice and Marvel and DC Comics will be forced to listen to us if we can collectively become loud enough.

Diamond Giving Up the Fight Against Digital Comics?

Earlier this week, I told you about how Diamond Select showed retailers products which will be in upcoming issues of Previews. The company is not only planning on expanding its kitchenware section, it is also going to carry party favors just like Party City and other chains which would easily be able to knock out a comic book store on selection and buying power.

The addition of a dozen types of ice trays, half a dozen pizza cutters, and Spider-Man party favors shows me that Diamond figures it needs to fill catalogs with something (anything). The company is trying to find a way to stay relevant once the “Digital Comics Armageddon” takes place. Diamond needs a swift kick in the back pockets right now to be forced to realize how digital comics do not have to take over.

The Glimmer of Hope

At the Diamond Retailers Summit, I met many retailers and vendors who are just as mad as I am about digital comics. At C2E2, I found more vendors and retailers, but I also found comic book creators, comic book readers, and comic book collectors. They all have a voice but were either too scared to voice their opinion against the large corporate entities which “control” the market or they did not know how to get their point across.

The Future of Digital Death

I don’t want to say we need to “organize” against digital comics because the word “organize” has become synonymous with unions and I am not interested in starting a union to submit grievances in fashion to Marvel and DC Comics. Instead, I would prefer to use the term “band.” It is time for all of us to band together in this fight. More of us need to vocalize our concerns about the potential future of the industry because once more voices are heard, more voices will emerge.

In storytelling, characters are often allowed to see the future. Characters always wonder if the future is set in stone or if it can be changed in some way. The Digital Death of comics could refer to the death of the print form of the medium or it can mean the death of the push towards digital comics. WE (not a publishing company) are the ones to make that decision!

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Digital Death Part II: Dark Reason Behind Digital Comics

Mar. 12 Comic Book Collecting, News no comments

In Digital Death Part I: Illegally Downloading Comic Books, we discussed the dangers of downloading comics and the negative impacts on the publishing companies (especially the smaller ones), the distributors, and the comic book stores. In this installment, we will look at another side of digital comics and the negative impact on the market. We will look at the secret intent of digital comics which Marvel and DC don’t want you to think about and what this intent will lead to.

The death of the comic book industry will be caused by digitally downloading comic books.

The death of the comic book industry will be caused by digitally downloading comic books.

What If Digital Comics Took Over?

What if we all switched tomorrow to digital comics? Where would that leave the comic book stores and distributors like Diamond? There would not be a need for them in the end. There would not be a need for the printed pages since they were all digitally rendered. Marvel and DC would love to have the opportunity to cut out levels of distribution and eventually sell directly to the consumer. The Big 2 need their profits and if it means they would put over two thousand small businesses out of business, what do they care? What do they care if digital comics could cause for tens of thousands of people being added to the unemployment lines if they (Marvel and DC) can make more money?

Price and Cost of Digital Comics

Think about the profits Marvel and DC would gain if they did not have to give a piece of the action to the comic book stores and to the distributors. You might be saying “Well, the digital comics I have been buying are only $0.99. Marvel and DC can’t be making that much money.” Do you really think the Big 2 would leave the price of digital comics at $0.99 if the other levels of distribution were eliminated? Once the levels of distribution were eliminated, the price of the digital comics would go up to the price of printed versions, or higher.

Where Does this Leave Comixology?

Of course, Comixology and other digital distributors of comics are making some money now, but what is going to happen if Marvel and DC are able to eliminate physical distributors and comic book stores? Digital distributors would be next as the Big Two march towards complete domination of the market and sell the digital comics to you directly through their websites and apps.

Where Does this Leave Smaller Publishers?

Smaller publishers fight to get as much of the market as possible. Most of their push comes in the comic book stores as workers introduce you to titles from smaller companies you did not consider. Business also comes from Previews, which is published by Diamond. How long with Previews be around if Diamond was forced to go belly-up because of the domination of digital comics? The smaller companies would be casualties of the digital comics war between Marvel and DC.

Illegal Downloads

Again, we have to revert back to illegally downloading comics. With more digital comics out on the market, the downloaders would take their piece of the pie. The stage could be set for a battle where Marvel would have to team with DC to ensure the illegal downloaders did not completely kill the market. Funny, the Big Two would have to fight to keep the market they are killing alive.

Gone!

Gone would be the days of walking into a comic book store to peruse the shelves for new titles. Gone would be the discussions with comic book store workers about their suggestions. Gone would be the physical locations where you would go to talk about comics with other comic book fans. Gone would be the excitement of going through a long box at a store to see what hidden gems you can get for cheap.

Gone would be the experience of looking at a stack of new comics and trying to decide which to look at first. Gone would be the smell of a new comic and feeling the glossy pages on your fingers as you open it to see what the creators had in store. Gone would be the experience of reading a comic book…just so Marvel and DC could make a few extra dollars an issue.

The future of the industry is yours to decide. Will you stand there and do nothing like the Watcher, or will you jump in and say “I’m as mad as Hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!?”

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