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.
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.
