Digital comics is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. On one hand I love the idea that we are a finally moving towards that "flying car" idea from when I was a kid. I feel like we are getting to the point that we are in the "future", and not fooling around in the past with large clunky cameras with disposable film. Instead we have developed sleek touchscreen devices sporting an almost unlimited roll of film and filters that can take a picture and upload to your social networking profile with the touch of a few buttons. It is crazy for me to think that in the span of my life I've seen the birth, and growth of the internet that we know of today. It is also a bit tough for me to think that comics, something I loved reading when I was a kid, are slowly disappearing. Or are they?
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| © DC Comics and Alex Ross |
To me the birth of digital comics is almost bittersweet. It allows me to keep multiple comics on hand on a tiny device that can fit into my bag (or pocket) that I can read at any time. I couldn't carry more than three comics on me at any one time, and if you like comics like I do you know that three comics are MAYBE 30 minutes of reading. Being an artist I like to admire the pictures. That brings up a space issue. Digital saves space. This idea applies to ALL digital formats of things. It makes it a tough choice, but I must say nothing beats holding a comic in your hand. This is the biggest fight against digital (for books and comics). Turning the last page is the most rewarding experience for any comic reader. I don't feel like I get that same feeling after I finish a digital comic. I am someone who loves to embrace this whole digital age, but space is not something I care about in comparison to holding a real comic.
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| Art by Sean Phillips |
Digital does however allow opportunity. For someone like me who makes my comics independently (outside of any major publisher) digital allows me to get my comics out to people who may actually want to read them. This is an opportunity I wouldn't be given by Diamond Distribution, or any of the large publishers like Marvel, DC Comics, IDW, Darkhorse, or Image. This is a point that can't be overlooked if you are a creator. However, again nothing beats print. Anyone can publish their comic online. That doesn't mean it is good. The same is also true about print. Anyone can publish their comic in print too...for a price. While this doesn't mean it is good, it takes a lot more commitment to print something because now you are talking money, time, and effort. This is what I did recently with the first chapter of my comic The Jacket. We (my friend Jason and I) published it in both digital and print formats. We even made a short live-action film. We took it to Baltimore Comic-Con in August 2011 and while not extremely successful, it sold nicely for us. From my experiences at the past few Baltimore conventions I can say that print comics are very much alive and not going anywhere. Last year when Stan Lee was making a guest appearance (if you missed him he'll be back this year...so will we!) I saw more people than I could even imagine. All of them, comics in hand waiting to get them signed. This presents another problem in and of itself.
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| Image courtesy of Google © Whoever took it |
While I won't go too in depth because I want to wrap this blog up, I feel like digital will destroy the ability to get your comics signed, and ultimately make conventions a thing of the past. That would kill me. Print will always prevail because nothing makes digital copies of comics unique. You can't get a signature, you can't send it away to the CGC for a grade, you can't keep a pristine copy for 20 years until it is worth something, and you can't even sell it secondhand without selling your whole device even if you did keep it for 20 years. Not to mention the fact that it only takes one drop to the floor and your whole collection is gone. What makes that special? I am one who always buys collector's versions of things. It makes me feel like I have a one-in-a-million item. I know inside that it isn't true, but I can't help it. Just taking a look at the image above though, would you want to see that disappear? As a comic fan and creator, this is something worth living for. Being connected to thousands of people who care about the same thing you do. Embracing them and the item that holds you all together. Digital comics, on some weird level, may help you find friends through Facebook, but it will never help lead you to a convention of people just waiting to talk to you about your love for funnybooks.
We are so wonderfully connected through these things called comics, and there is no way anyone can take that away. I don't care how hard these companies push digital. While I may buy some comics in digital format, if I really want to READ it...I'll buy it in print.
This is awesome! And I totally agree. I don't dislike digital books. But I do just feel like it's a little less nice to read them. If that's something that doesn't bother someone then go for it. But I also think that in this day in age, even when you're not talking about comics... the biggest client base for books are not casual readers, they're people who are really into the experience and as a result, at the very least it'll take a good long time for traditional media to die out.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with that. The idea that just anyone is into a book is a bit ridiculous. I feel like casual readers will flock more to digital formats because of the low risk of high pricing if they don't like it. The people who REALLY like reading will easily be the ones keeping bookstores afloat. Thanks for the comment Sabrina!
ReplyDeleteI also agree with a lot of this. Even people who start out publishing their comics solely on the Internet hope to one day get the funds, readership, etc. to make a print collection of their digital comics. Independent webcomic artists, in fact, know that they won't make a living on the Internet model of publishing UNLESS they have physical things to sell their readers. And they all know that they can even make a few more bucks at conventions by selling original art to be signed, too. I am in love with reading comics on the Internet, but I HATE reading those same comics on my handheld device. They're just too small. The portability is pretty neat, especially if you want to take a bunch of digital books on a plane trip, but once I'm home, I want to read something full-sized. This can be achieved digitally on desktop monitors, where you can see an entire page, border to border, but the fans that made the comic industry what it is today are the same people who collect physical copies of things to sign, etc.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I would worry about print editions going away for good. Even if the market shrinks, there will always be readers who want to collect. Good article!