Are Digital Comics the future?

Comixology App

I probably got out of regularly reading comics back around ’99 or 2000.  Then after marriage and moving to NY, I wasn’t really all that keen on storing long boxes full of books anymore.  I happened to fall in with a group of pretty avid comic readers here and the pub conversations over beer and diner re-sparked my interest in reading again.  So, I went out and dipped my toe in the old comic pool again with a couple of trade paperbacks.  I apparently had missed a lot…

Most of the titles I used to read no longer had the same creative and art teams.  Major characters I used to love were dead.  There were all these split realities that I didn’t understand and everything cost more than it used to.  What was a poor, lost comic reader to do?  I knew I had some catching up to do as well as I had been turned on to some industry greats that I’d missed all together.

Well the answer to my woes came not from my friend’s long boxes, or searching tirelessly on Ebay or local shops, but from a wonderful company called Comixology.  These guys, whom I was able to hang with briefly during this past years NYComicCon, have created the industry standard for digital comics with the Comixology App for iDevices.  They carry an extensive and ever growing backlist and current offerings from companies from Marvel, DC, image, Dark Horse, Top Cow, and much more.  While there is a delay in some titles as to when they release on shelves and when they hit the digital store (I’ve been experiencing this with my friends series Sector 7 for IDW) it’s not so bad as to greatly disturb the reading experience.

The interface is great with Comixology, and IDW’s solo app looks very much like the iBook Store.  Comic prices are set individually by the publishers, but in general are at least a dollar to two dollars less than printed costs.  So this is another way you can save using digital comics.  Some of the trades are even available as well in digital form, so you can save even more.  One of the great features of the Comixology app is that they offer sorting by storyline\arc.  So if you’re interested in the Civil War line but aren’t sure what comics are covered in the series, or the Messiah War, or World’s End, you can just select the arc option and it’ll pull up all the comics in that storyline.

While the reading experience may leave something to be desired on the iPhone due to the frame-by-frame transitions (pages are too large to be read), the iPad however offers a tremendous reading experience.  There also is the ability to only keep what you want handy on your device while all your previous purchases remain backed up on Comixology’s servers, and can be downloaded at your convenience.  This option spares you from taking up valuable space on your device with tons of back issues, but you can keep the ones you enjoy readily at hand.  It’s really a great solution.

Another great advantage to the digital comic apps, it there are numerous free comics from various publishers.  This has allowed me to get introduced to series and lines from publishers that I may not be able to find in my local shop (not as likely here in NYC, but for most people with a smaller shop as their home spot, this is awesome).  While some of the series haven’t panned out to be as good as I may have hoped, some have been amazing and really gotten me hooked.

Comixology storefront

A really nice option, Comixology allows is for the reader to purchase in app the issues in print from online retailers.  It also offers you an option to find a local and close by comic shop.  This is great if you’re out of town and jonesin’ for a fix.  You can also add to the numerous community ratings of each issue by rating each comic you read right in the pop up menu.  All in all, these guys did a great job of a user-friendly interface and interactive experience.

The question begs to be asked what will this move to digital formatting do to the comic industry it self?  Well I’ve asked a couple of people on the inside of the industry and they feel that it’s not the death knell some people seem to think, mainly because the collectability of print comics is still part of the nostalgia quality for the readers.  It also may make comics more appealing to a younger generation that has its head buried in consoles and computer gaming.

My friend and fellow podcaster Maurice has expressed such an opinion himself about the appeal, or lack, of digital comics.  He is a long time Superman reader and collector.  He even says that at this point he will always buy the Superman titles simply because of the collector in him and the nostalgia it brings for him as a reminder of his youth.  But he admittedly confessed that the possibility of transitioning to digital format for other comics he simply would like to read rather than have taking up space in long boxes is moderately appealing to him.  While he hasn’t made the transition yet, I’ll let you know what his thoughts are once he has.

So, there you have it: some pros and a few potential cons, on the digital comic revolution.  Mind you companies like Marvel have tried this before now with Marvel Online, a paid back issue program that only allowed you to read on your computer and not to download directly.  Years ago when the programs launched there was heavy criticism and little embracing by the geek culture.  A lot of the problems I would argue have been solved by the proliferation of the mobile devices allowing us as a generation to become accustomed to having our data with us on the fly.

If you own an iDevice and consider yourself a comic enthusiast, then I highly recommend checking out Comixology or a publisher specific app such as IDW or DC for your viewing pleasure.  Let us know your thoughts on the digital comic revolution and how you enjoy reading a book in print versus digitally.