Tag: digital comics

Amazon Enters Digital Comics Market – Pffft

Jul. 19 Comic Book Collecting, News no comments

Amazon is taking steps to enter the digital comics market and there are many people shaking right now. This is a market Amazon should not even be in right now, and it is not the smartest business move they have made over the years. The buzz might be high right now in San Diego at Comic-Con about Amazon and digital comics, but take a few moments to think this through.

amazon.comThis is Expected

Amazon is like Wal-Mart in the fact that if there is a new market which could potentially be cornered, it will be. The comic book companies have been making noise about digital comics for a few years now, so it would make sense that Amazon would smell the potential blood and attack. I don’t think Amazon did all the homework for this assignment.

Where are the Numbers?

Yes, the comic book industry has been boasting about digital comics, but where are the hard numbers? Why haven’t the Big 2 or ComiXology given us numbers as to how many new release comics are being sold every month as compared to the number which are being illegally downloaded? What is the ratio of digital comics on sale sold to the number of new digital comics sold? Where is the logic behind the idea of digital comics being the end-all-be-all in the industry when after a few years with digital comics, the physical comic book market continues to rise? If the digital comics market was a great one to get in to, why is there so much secrecy about the numbers involved?

Who Should be Worried?

With Amazon entering the digital comics market, I don’t see a long future for ComiXology. How can there be when the largest online seller gets into the market which you believe you had cornered? Amazon will drop countless dollars behind funding the sale of digital comics just to push ComiXology out of the water.

Why Retailers Should Not be Worried

Comic book retailers should not be freaking out right now. Some might say, “Look at what Amazon did to Borders!” What did Amazon do to Borders? The online retailer sure did not put the bookseller out of business. Borders killed Borders.

Long before digital books came out, Borders struggled through a series of bad mistakes – their own and other’s. Borders spent years dealing with trying to find the correct balance between having enough staff to take care of customers and keeping overhead down. The company was years behind other companies which were selling books through their websites. They were late getting to the digital book market and introduced a horrid e-reader. They were bought out by Kmart and struggled until they spun off as another company and struggled to find its place. Borders was plagued by issues for a long time before it closed, and Amazon had little, if anything, to the ending of the company.

Amazon has Been Selling Physical for a Long Time

Amazon has not killed comic book stores at this point have they? If I am correct, there have been more new comic book stores popping up in the last few years than closing. Many comic book stores are expanding and talking about having months where profits are the best they have been in decades. Amazon has been selling physical comics, trades, and hardcovers for years. Don’t you think they would have killed the comic book stores years ago if they could? They can’t.  The comic book industry is kept floating by people who love going each week to their local comic book store and by those who want physical comics to store and wait for increases in value. Digital comics don’t offer either one.

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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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Hey ComiXology – Do You Really Want This Fight? (Updated)

Jun. 19 Comics, News Comments Off on Hey ComiXology – Do You Really Want This Fight? (Updated)

I received a personal email from ComiXology today because obviously the company does not have any clue who its enemies are. I don’t even know how they received my email address because I have never signed up for their service or given anyone there my personal email address. For some reason, ComiXology believes I would want to know that they just expanded their catalogue to include French comics from French publishers. As someone with French roots, this does not surprise me since the French give up fights so easily.

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.

I sent the following email back to ComiXology:

Please refrain from sending me any updates about your product in the future. I am not interested in purchasing digital comics from Comixology or any other digital company. I am also not interested in suggesting my readers purchase a product which could eventually lead to the elimination of print comic books.

I see ComiXology and other digital comics distributors as a hurdle in the comic book industry which must be overcome. Even though you have the support of many comic book publishers, you do not have my support. I hope Marvel, DC Comics, and other publishers wake up to the fact that digital comics will bring down the comic book industry through the elimination of the mom and pop comic shops across the country (and the world). It is on the backs of those owners that all companies have sold their products and gained the followings they have today. The progression of digital comics through ComiXology and similar companies is not a stride into the future but a stab in the collective back of the supply chain which has made said companies billions.

Please take me off any email listing you have as any further mass emailings from your company will result in negative feedback on my part. Know that I will continue my fight against ComiXology and any other digital distributorship who would try to take money out of the pockets of those who helped to make comics what they are today. I will also continue my plight to force the publishers to wake up before they have collapsed the industry for a third time.

Larry Poupard

Update

After my initial email back to ComiXology, I received a reply that I would be taken off the mailing list. In the same email, though, the high-ranking representative of ComiXology attempted to win me over the to digital medium.  He tried to pint out how print comics are up to their best numbers in a long time and that this is the first time we have seen a transition to digital in which the traditional medium was up. This was my second reply:

As the Web Content Director for WonderWorldComics.com, as someone who followed the comic book industry for multiple years for Yahoo!, and as someone who has collected comics for over three decades – I know what the statistics are and know that the statistics would me better if digital comics did not exist. The comic book medium is different from the movie and book industry in digital format because more people collect comics than books or movies.

Marvel, DC, Image, IDW, and many of the smaller companies have had a streak of good products in the last few years which have spiked with collectors. They are demanding more from their writers, artists, and editors than ever before and the success has spread from top-tier titles to middle and lower tiers as well. The economy is up, so people are able to purchase more comics than they were a few years ago. The companies have been able to tap into the collector’s market but have been kept in check by retailers who worry about the overproduction of variant covers and a repeat of the market crash in the late 1990s. There are many factors that go into why print comics are up, and there is one reason why print comics are not up even more.

What is interesting is that it is not illegal downloaders who will but the biggest dent in the digital comics market. It is people like me who are willing to point out the reason for digital comics. It is (the creation and sale of digital comics) not to move into the future. It is people like me who point out how Marvel and DC would love to have digital comics take off so that they could eliminate Diamond and all of those pesky comic book stores. Marvel and DC could increase their bottom lines without having to pay out for a supply chain.

Sure, the comic book companies are charging less for most digital comics than for print comics, but how long is that going to last? Do you remember when you could buy the latest album on iTunes for $4.99 as an incentive to go digital? Now, it would be a miracle to find a five-year-old album for under $7. If digital comics ever eliminate the supply chain, fans should expect to pay out the ears for their digital comics.

Be leery, though, of the hands that feed you today. What happens when Marvel and DC Comics come to the realization that they can sell digital comics on their own? Do you think they will think twice about stabbing ComiXology in the back when they are trying to stab companies they have partnered with for decades?

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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 III: Digital Comics and Collecting

Mar. 21 Comic Book Collecting, News Comments Off on Digital Death Part III: Digital Comics and Collecting

My fellow comic book collectors – we are being devalued by Marvel and DC Comics in their push to increase sales of digital comics. Not only will digital comics eventually decrease the comic book market, the push for digital comics proves the Big 2 could care less about our passion for their products. How long will we stand for this [Censored] insolence? How long will we allow digital comics to survive?

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.

How Easily Marvel and DC Comics Forget

There are two types of backs in which the comic book market has been built. Initially, it was built upon the backs of comic book readers who stood in line to pay a matter of cents for the newest issue of Action Comics. In my lifetime, the backs of comic book collectors were tapped as the Big 2 realized many of us were keeping boxes of comics to preserve them for the ages and that the values of back issues were climbing.

The Early [Censored] Ups

Marvel and DC Comics caused crashes in the past by trying to exploit either the reader’s market or the collector’s market. The comic book publishers [Censored] the market in the 1990s by trying to produce as many crappy titles as possible to exploit readers and put special covers on every issue in an attempt to exploit the collectors. Their greed made our favored market a [Censored] joke and the future was in jeopardy. Since the market is currently up in a big way, those greedy [Censored] are trying to figure out another way to exploit. They are looking for another back of support.

Who They are Going After

You could speculate about Marvel and DC Comics going after current readers with the push to digital comics, but you would be dead wrong. You know that [Censored] hipster douche you see sitting at Starbucks every morning who thinks the world should revolve around him? The world of comics is moving to revolve around him. Digital comics, Marvel AR, and whatever piece of [Censored] DC shovels out to compete with it, are all geared at the grab-a-trend hipster bastard who will drop money on the latest trend. The biggest problem with grab-a-trend hipsters is they do not stay around long. Wake the [Censored] Marvel and DC, we have been around for years and you are turning your backs on us!

This content is censored.

This content is censored.

What Will Happen

The issue of Spider-Man you have been keeping safe in order to pass on to your kids one day – it is going to be worthless if digital comics completely take over as everyone will have read it and there is no draw to hold the original. All that money you spent to have your comic graded will be lost as people scoff at physical comics as they will be passé. All of the time you spent collecting will have been wasted as people could give a [Censored] about your collection.

What Can We Do?

Don’t you think for a [Censored] minute that there is nothing you can do. Support your local comic book stores instead of digitally downloading comics. When Marvel and DC Comics tell you to check out the latest digital download, raise your voices and tell them to go [Censored] themselves. If you are sitting at a comic book convention panel, make sure your voice is heard. Tell other comic book collectors to do the same. The only way we can keep our collections valued, and keep ourselves valued by the Big 2, is to tell them that we are mad as hell, and we are not going to take it anymore!

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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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Digital Death Part I: Illegally Downloading Comic Books

Mar. 06 Comic Book Collecting, News Comments Off on Digital Death Part I: Illegally Downloading Comic Books

As a comic book fan and as a fan of the comic book industry, nothing scares me more about the future of the industry than hearing about people downloading digital comics. This post begins a series which will continue over the coming weeks about why you should be nervous about digital comics as well. This first article covers the how illegally downloading comic books really hurts the comic book industry.

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.

Marvel and DC Comics and Illegally Downloading Comic Books

The Big 2 will be the first to cry about illegally downloading comic books. They argue about how their bottom line is harmed by people plugging into torrent and other file sharing sites. One day, they might join with music and movie companies and try to stamp out all illegal downloads. In the end, even with people illegally downloading comics, both Marvel and DC have huge companies behind them in Disney and Warner Bros. They will have the money to pull out of this pit.

The 5%ers and Illegally Downloading Comic Books

The companies such as Image, Dark Horse, and IDW will have a much harder time battling people who are illegally downloading comic books. They do not have the money holding them up that the Big 2 do. I can easily see a day in which these companies, and their titles, could become a thing of the past because of people who would rather steel a digital copy of a comic than spend $2.99 on it. Their bottom lines are hurt more than those at Marvel or DC.

The Independents and Illegally Downloading Comic Books

The first companies which would succumb to the digital death of the comic book industry would be the smaller independent publishers. While the argument might be made that a downloader might be more willing to download a Marvel title than one by Big Dog Ink might work in some circumstances, it would not work in end. Again, Marvel and DC have more money holding them up and a company which holds 1% of the market or less needs every sale to make the company work. In the grand scheme of the market, illegally downloading one or two comics from an independent company could have the same impact as downloading tens of thousands of comics from Marvel or DC.

The Creators and Illegally Downloading Comic Books

WHEN the smaller companies succumb to the digital death of comics, what will happen to all of the creators? Artists, inkers, colorists, writers, and editors will all have to look for work. With less smaller companies out there, there will be more creators looking for work. More of a supply or workers and less of a demand for creators will eventually equal out to creators making less money and finding it hard to support their families. See what type of hell “just a few downloads” could equal?

 

The Distributors and Illegally Downloading Comic Books

As the market shifts more towards digital comics, there becomes less of a need for distributors. By illegally downloading comic books, you are putting the jobs of workers at Diamond and other distributors at risk. You are taking a few links out of the supply chain when visiting a torrent site. Is someone downloading a few comics really setting someone up for losing a job?

The Comic Book Stores and Illegally Downloading Comic Books

The next time you are in a comic book store, look at the workers for a moment. As you are looking around the room, think about the conversations you have started up with them in the past. Did one of them suggest a comic you ended up loving? Did one ever help you find a rare comic or point out a sale you might have missed? Illegally downloading comic books will put these people out of a job. They will ultimately be the first people to succumb to the digital death of the industry.

The cute girl who everyone thinks they might have a chance with

The guy who could tell you everything you need to know about a particular character

The girl who can tell you about all of the hot new comics coming out next week

The guy who always reminds you about how much you love comic books

They would all be out of a job due to illegally downloading comic books.

What You Can Do About People Illegally Downloading Comic Books

First off, don’t illegally download comic books. Every copy you put on your computer gives a chance of someone ultimately losing a job. What you might think is  a few dollars here and there adds up with the few dollars other people are stealing.

If you have a friend who is illegally downloading comic books, point out how OUR favorite industry will shrink and eventually die by their actions. If you can help to discourage the downloading of comics, these scenarios could be overcome and become alternative histories which could have happened instead of marks in history which did happen.

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