I have collected comics for years. I have hundreds of dozens of comics. I love having comics. So why would I want to pay for comics that I don't get to have as a part of my collection. I see the purpose of buying books that can be read digitally, but a comic is a physical commodity. For some very specific reasons for why the digital format just doesn't appeal to me ad a collector.
1. I can't collect digital comics.
I can read them, but I can't put it in a longbox when I'm done. I like seeing the legions of bags and boards that I have stored and horded away. Why would I forego the thrill of collecting? Which leads me into my next problem.
2. No hunt.
The hunt is the greatest thrill when it comes to comics. Sometimes I like going home disappointed, because then I thirst for it even more. There's no merit in scoring that comic that is sold out at every shop in town. Another segue here.
3. No need for a comic shop.
I like going to the comic shop. I get to talk to other people about comics and browse various covers and trades and figures and such that would otherwise go unseen and never peek my interest. I can't look through a comic to see if I like it. Leading me, yet again, into the next point.
4. I can't sell shitty digital comics on eBay.
I bought Teen Titans #1, read it, hated it, and sold it for profit on eBay in a matter of three hours. I can't sell a comic that I bought in a digital format. I'll be stuck with it forever. The full price of a comic down the drain, never to be recouped, which leads me to one last very valid point.
5. Digital comics are full cover price.
What the hell? This is like paying for decorative lattice or a golden calf on Farmville. I am literally paying for a commodity that is virtually unlimited to the provider. When I buy a printed comic, I get a physical item for my money. I hate the idea of paying for the right to look at something. Once, I paid a dollar at the Larimer County Fair to look at a 1100 lb pig. I felt dirty and used afterwards, and that's how I would feel if I read a comic and couldn't bag and board it and add it to my collection. What these publishers need to do is sell the digital comics at a discounted price. I'd pay to read the ongoing stories of my favorite superheroes for, oh, a buck a comic. Then if I enjoyed the story and artwork, I would probably purchase the print copy. BOOM! You just made more money, Marvel and DC. Better yet, offer me a trade promotion that includes an entire story arc consisting of five to six issues for $8-$10 bucks. BOOM! You just made money on me. It's that simple. I don't really care about the so-called convenience of reading comics on an iPhone. I don't have one. Offer me a decent deal on comics that I can read without actually owning, and you can have my money. Until then, several of your comics will continue to get cut from my pull list due to budget issues, and if you think you can get $5 out of me for 22 pages of Wolverine and The X-Men and 10 pages of Chris Evans selling me Orbit that I don't have the pleasure of dipping in acetone when I'm done, you're going to be disappointed. I wonder if I get the 8-page preview of Castle with my overpriced digital copy.
In conclusion, until someone presents a valid argument as to why I should forego my print comics and buy digital, I'm staying with my print versions.
I've never seen anybody put this argument better Lebeau. I mean people have been saying that digital comics were the wave of the future, etc, etc, etc for years now, but I just don't see it ever happening, mainly due to your first two reasons. You had me with reasons 1 & 2, reasons 3-5 were just the icing on the cake.
ReplyDeleteAnd I had no idea that they actually wanted full price to read a digital comic... That makes zero sense! Why would I pay $3-$4 to NOT physically own something when the option exists to actually own it!?
The dc titles downgrade one dollar his prices after three weeks,
ReplyDeleteBut still is to high to not own anything and to much time (If you are really looking forward to it)
I think the point 1 and 5 are the ones.