Should DC have digital comics like Marvel?

[Kenda Man]

I was reading an article online about Marvel's Digital Comics Unlimited. It seems like a good idea, to view 2,500 comics online for 4.99 a month and I wanted to see if anyone thinks DC should try it.

I would be all for it, but if Marvel, maybe they will later on, or DC could give you the option to download the issues to keep and could be viewed on an iPod or your computer. Wizard had posted an article a while ago about the possibility of digital comics being viewed on an iPod or offer a downloadable service for a few dollars. To pay $1 for old a back issue that is not collected in a trade would be a good deal.

If companies go that route, they could charge $1.50 for each newer issue, instead of $3 for the physical comic. And it saves room in your house. Some people will say that they would much prefer to buy at the store so they have the full experience of reading and holding a comic. I realize that it would also affect comic book retail stores as well. I realize its more complicated than what it is, preventing piracy and people sharing their downloaded issues with people.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

Sure. That, and/or those Omnibus volumes that Marvel sells....

 

[Themanofbat]

As it stands right now with Marvel's new policy, you cannot download their books.

You're paying a fee to be able to look at them, and you will always be able to look at them as long as you're paying your monthly fees. The moment you stop paying, you will be denied access to any and all Marvel comics that you once had the pleasure of looking at.

Personally, I hope this isn't the future of comics...

I like a hardcopy of what I'm reading, and I like the way my old comics smell.
You can't get those feelings from a monitor image.

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

i don't care either way.

 

[Anubis]

Sure. That, and/or those Omnibus volumes that Marvel sells....

They already do that Omnibus stuff.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

i don't care either way.

Same. Online comics won't affect me until Marvel and DC quit publishing hardcopies and go online 100%, if that ever happens. Also, if Marvel's method becomes the standard for online comics, that will also likely be the point at which I stop reading comics altogether, unless they keep publishing trades.

 

[yenaled]

Meh.

 

[trustyside-kick]

For the old issues, it doesn't bother me too much. Some issues are hard to track down at comic shops and even online like eBay.

But then again, that's what stuff like Showcase and Archives is for. I just wish they were getting them out quicker.

Course, wouldn't this affect the value of some old comics?

 

[Anubis]

Doubt it.

 

[trustyside-kick]

I misread part of this. Apparently the deal at Marvel is to view at them all you want as long as you pay, not download. So as soon as you stop paying, you don't "have" those comics.

For certain titles, I prefer the actual comics. But if it is just something I heard is good and am interesting in trying out...I'd like the option of paying the monthly payment to check a few things out, and then decide if that title is worth me picking up on a regular basis. Because frankly, if I buy something and don't like it...I don't care for it being in my room.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Exactly, the method Marvel is using sucks. It makes them more money, obviously, but you don't actually have the comics to go back to whenever you want, even if you unsubscribe. Rental comics = lame.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

They already do that Omnibus stuff.

Really? Where can i find them? I was just looking on Amazon and all i saw were "Archives" and "Chronicles" which are like MArvel's masterworks and essentials, but i didnt see anything like the Omnibus...

 

[TheCorpulent1]

They have Absolute editions for a lot of their major stories. I don't know if they have too many Omnibus-style volumes that collect more than a dozen issues, though. But Marvel itself only has the Cap Omnibus, don't they? That's the only one I know of.

 

[Anubis]

Really? Where can i find them? I was just looking on Amazon and all i saw were "Archives" and "Chronicles" which are like MArvel's masterworks and essentials, but i didnt see anything like the Omnibus...

Like Corp said, they have Absolute Editions' and currently there is a Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus.

They have Absolute editions for a lot of their major stories. I don't know if they have too many Omnibus-style volumes that collect more than a dozen issues, though. But Marvel itself only has the Cap Omnibus, don't they? That's the only one I know of.

They have a New X-Men Omnibus collecting Morrisons' run.

I'd like to see a Mark Waid Flash Omnibus. Collecting his whole first run. That would be awesome.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

That would be beyond awesome. That would be funkadelatastic.

 

[shapeshifter]

i think there will always be a desire to go and buy comics in paper form. Who among you does not smile at the sight of full boxes of comics, and piles of unread books in mylar pouches every Wednesday. I don't want to just open my laptop and read it.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

My unread comics aren't in mylar, but I get what you're saying.

 

[Kirk Langstrom]

They have Absolute editions for a lot of their major stories. I don't know if they have too many Omnibus-style volumes that collect more than a dozen issues, though. But Marvel itself only has the Cap Omnibus, don't they? That's the only one I know of.

Nah, they have the Lee/Ditko Spidey, which is AF #15, ASM #1 through #38, ASM Annual #1 and #2, Strange Tales Annual #2 (iirc), and FF Annual #1 (Spidey appearance)...

There's also two volumes of Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, and X-Men...

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Wow, I'd never heard of any of those.

 

[Abaddon]

anyone know of a place to view old comics(like from the 30s and 40s) online?

 

[SouLeSS]

Not off the top of my head, but the're out there.

About you guys *****ing that it's a bad deal that you can't DL them, think about it. Take WoW for example. You pay for it monthly, and when you stop paying for it, you stop being able to use it.

It's like your power bills I guess would be a better example. You pay it, or you can't use it anymore. If you pay it you can use it, for the most part, however you want. It's incredibly fair, and supprisingly cheap.

Think about it this way. If someone bought all the backissues they have access of reading from this directly from marvel, it would cost them a small fortune. However, Marvel is like "hey, check out this library, where as long as youre here you can view them all you want, but once you leave you can't take them with you!". Besides, you can still keep them on your computer. Just printscreen and paste each image seperatly and put them in a RAR, and convert the extension to CBR and you're good to go.

 

[Arkady Rossovich]

As it stands right now with Marvel's new policy, you cannot download their books.

You're paying a fee to be able to look at them, and you will always be able to look at them as long as you're paying your monthly fees. The moment you stop paying, you will be denied access to any and all Marvel comics that you once had the pleasure of looking at.

Personally, I hope this isn't the future of comics...

I like a hardcopy of what I'm reading, and I like the way my old comics smell.
You can't get those feelings from a monitor image.

Your kidding,your paying to only LOOK at them?That's one of the worst things i've ever heard of.Even if peple buy digital,i doubt they would settle for this.Paying to view comics,and once you stop..you can't see.

 

[SouLeSS]

I just told you how it's legit.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

No one's questioning whether it's legit. It just sucks. Rental comics are lame, given that part of the appeal is having your collection of back issues to go back to whenever you want. Yes, you could do a printscreen on each page and save them all, but that's tantamount to working around the legit system, i.e. stealing. The whole point of this official online library is ostensibly to curtail the practice of pirating comics online by offering a legitimate, publisher-sponsored alternative.

 

[Monk]

As it stands right now with Marvel's new policy, you cannot download their books.

You're paying a fee to be able to look at them, and you will always be able to look at them as long as you're paying your monthly fees. The moment you stop paying, you will be denied access to any and all Marvel comics that you once had the pleasure of looking at.

Personally, I hope this isn't the future of comics...

I like a hardcopy of what I'm reading, and I like the way my old comics smell.
You can't get those feelings from a monitor image.

In time, I can see it evolving into three price lists, if you will.

The lowest price allows you to just look at them. A somewhat higher price allows you to download them. If you want a hard copy, you'll pay a premium for it.

That's potentially a very good thing. I like reading comics, but I'm not a collector. I'd like to read and re-read them if they are well-done. I'd like to be able to download them to read while on the bus or elsewhere, but I'm not a collector, so it's rare that I would buy a hard-copy.