The iPad

[Reikowolf]

So, I'm sure we are all excited that Marvel comics are now available on the iPad as well as the iPhone. I, for one, do not intend to get an iPad but I do have a cell phone.

I was pretty excited to download the Marvel app as I have a subscription to Marvel Digital Comics, and the app even had a login for my account.

Imagine my surprise when I find that, despite already paying for a Marvel Digital Comics subscription, I am still required to pay to download comics.

FTW?

I understand pricing for individual comics but why should I pay for a Subscription if I can't view the comics on a web browser AS WELL AS my iPhone?

I'm not bashing the app itself, as I read a free sample and it works beautifully. The recent upgrading to the comic reader is impressive too.

Now, I get that Marvel may feel this is a new service and as such should be subject to revision; fine, add different levels of membership if need be.

Web Digital comics = so and so amount
iPhone and iPad support = $10-15 extra/ year

I would even settle for subscriptions to series, so long as the price is fair AND the series is kept up to date; as in, I can read the new ASM on my iPhone the week it hits shelves.

This is the future, this is the green way to go, and this is far more convenient as print should only be for collecting.

Is anyone else having this issue? I'm in Canada, perhaps it's different in America?

feedback, please.

 

[kguillou]

I used to use Marvel digital subscription and I LOVED it. It felt too good to be true, for 10 bucks a month (the price of two/three comics these days) i have thousands upon thousands of comics at my disposal. There are entire runs that you can read on there, classic and new. Marvel needs to find a way to transport that over to the iPad, because most of the titles that they are offering via ipad download are already available through their digital subscription. I agree, I think this is the future of comics, although it'll be a long long while before print becomes extinct.

It really ticks me off that DC/DC Vertigo isn't following suit, especially since they have a much richer library than marvel does. DC Vertigo especially would benefit from this, this would be a much easier way of getting their critically acclaimed Vertigo titles into peoples hands. I've been dying to read series like Sandman, Swamp Thing, 100 Bullets, Y the Last Man, etc etc, but its just too damn expensive to buy all of the graphic novels. It would be so much cooler if i could pay a monthly fee and be able to read all of them digitally. Why is DC being stubborn?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Sadly, if all-digital is the future of comics, it will be a future without me. I'm not averse to the publishers moving into digital territory, but I personally don't intend to buy anything other than physical issues or trades.

 

[kguillou]

I agree, i dont want print to go away either, there's just something cool about having a collection of books. Plus I feel like whenever you download something (legally i mean), whether it be music, movies, comics, its not really yours. I mean technically it is, but what happens if something goes wrong with your computer and you lose all your data? Then you lose everything. If you actually buy a cd or a movie or a comic, its yours. You have a physical copy of it that will last forever. Your digital downloads will only last as long as your computers, or ipads are functional, so its not really permanently yours.

On the other hand, and this is the point i was trying to make with DC, there has to be a middle ground where both digital and print can co-exist. There are a lot of titles out there that I want to read but i dont necessarily wanna shell out $30 per trade just to be able to read them. I've been dying to get into Neil Gaiman's Sandman for a while but to read the whole thing is gonna cost me like $200 bucks because the run was so huge. If there could be a digital subscription plan akin to marvel's where i pay a monthly fee and can read as much as i want, i'd be all for it.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I'd rather have something like Steam for comics. A free client program--a reader, maybe, in comics' case--and you just pay for each issue you buy. I'd still buy new issues in print, but the digital option would be great for older comics that are out of print or too expensive for a normal person to feasibly buy.

 

[Reikowolf]

pay for a subscription, not issues

issues you should be able to buy as print

 

[yenaled]

I think it's good that they are embracing the digital press, however I think it would be better suited to have one program for all comic companies rather than a program each.

 

[kguillou]

Yea i agree. I mean as long as they don't ignore print, i think its a cool thing to embrace. Which is why i wish DC would get off its ass and start making their rich library available digitally!

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I think it's good that they are embracing the digital press, however I think it would be better suited to have one program for all comic companies rather than a program each.

Better but entirely unlikely given how corporate competition works. DC's probably got people working on their own iPad app right now.

 

[SpideyForPrez]

I'm glad I read this thread. I was strongly considering an iPad for various reasons and getting a digital comics subscription to go with it. I assumed the two would be compatible together and it was a big selling point for both.

I just looked over at Marvel.com and their description of it. All the comments are people telling Marvel they made a bad move. Guess I'll hold out for an updated iPad and maybe for Marvel to change the model.

 

[SpideyInATree]

Sadly, if all-digital is the future of comics, it will be a future without me. I'm not averse to the publishers moving into digital territory, but I personally don't intend to buy anything other than physical issues or trades.

I think when people think "digital comics" that they immediately get fearful that print comics (floppies as my friend calls them) and Trades/Hardcovers will just fade away. I really REALLY doubt that will happen. There is still quite a large fanbase out there that will buy the actual comic from the store or shipped via online order, such as DCBS (Discount Comic Book Service).

Digital comics/web comics are definitely something that's becoming a large thing due to the iPhone and the iPad. If that's something that you're into and enjoy then that option will be there. There are going to be a generation of new comic readers in the next five years, I'm sure, that will probably only read comics via the web or their iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

However, I don't think it means the end of print comics. There will always be a market for it. Even if the companies decide to stop printing the floppies they will still make collections in trade and hardcover to sell in book stores because regardless of technology, as many comic fans know, nothing beats holding that actual book in your hand, smelling that comic smell off the printed page, and having that ability to just be able to physically turn the page!

I don't know anybody personally who has purchased an iPad but from all the reviews and word of mouth that there are a ton of problems and bugs that still need to be worked out. As of right now I would have no practical use for an iPad, or for that matter an iPhone. So, I'll always be a comic reader who loves having that actual copy in front of me. I know I'm not alone and they will never die as long as there are enough of us to be there to buy them.

 

[Evil Twin]

I'm still not sold on the e-reader market, simply due to the price of the reader itself. You can buy an awful lot of comics and books for $500 and they're every bit, if not more, portable.

Yeah, I'm sure there is a market. Especially for folks that aren't anywhere near a comic book shop. But I'm sure a comic book app is more an added niche at the moment than something that's going to change the nature of publishing.

 

[Spider-Jay420]

I heard Ralph on Howard Stern the other day gushing about the Marvel app, and he said you can read it panel by panel if you choose and save panels as individual pics if you want, which sounds cool and all. But I hate reading comics on my laptop, and I don't need an iPad. No interest from me. I'll take the real thing in my hands any day.

 

[SpideyInATree]

I heard Ralph on Howard Stern the other day gushing about the Marvel app, and he said you can read it panel by panel if you choose and save panels as individual pics if you want, which sounds cool and all. But I hate reading comics on my laptop, and I don't need an iPad. No interest from me. I'll take the real thing in my hands any day.

Heh. Ralph gushes over anything that is Apple. Though if I had stock in Apple like he does I probably would love anything they did too. t:

 

[Spider-Jay420]

He's calling it his new girlfriend and named it "Paddy". He probably sleeps with it. For those that have Sirius Radio, they will be doing a full review of the iPad and other comic related stuff on "Geek Time" today from 2-5pm on Howard 101.

 

[spidey-dude]

I'd rather have something like Steam for comics. A free client program--a reader, maybe, in comics' case--and you just pay for each issue you buy. I'd still buy new issues in print, but the digital option would be great for older comics that are out of print or too expensive for a normal person to feasibly buy.

thats exactly what the marvel app is!
I downloaded it today for my ipod touch and bought the new avengers 1st arc, thought it worked very well and was great - if it was more up to date then it would be even better, but to be fair it has just launched

I think the best bit would be to have a code in each physical comic that you can enter to get a digital version of said comic, theres no way i want to rebuy trades etc that i have but i would like to have them on the go, especially since I make alot of long distance train journeys

 

[Vartha]

I can't see paying for both the app AND each issue. If they're going to have a "library" then pay ONE time!
I'm simply not interested in the Ipad or the HP version which is supposed to be alittle better because there's a camera.

 

[spidey-dude]

you dont pay for the app, the app is free to download, features a few free comics and then has other comics to buy

 

[SpideyInATree]

I heard people complaining that they had to pay 14.99 for the apps on the iPad. I was listening to a podcast and a guy was saying he paid 15 bucks for the Marvel app and then each comic costs 1.99. A lot of complaints about how there are no package deals with certain story arcs, etc.

I've just been seeing a lot of complaints and tons of bugs that need to be worked out with it all.

I would only purchase an iPad when all comic companies have comics available and you can buy all the new comics that came out for the week on your iPad. From what I've been hearing, depending on how well the iPad does over the next year or so, that something like that won't happen for many years to come.

 

[spidey-dude]

maybe its different in the states or on the iphone but the app was free for me - I agree about arc packages etc.... but its been out for less than a week they will be testing waters etc for pricing and it will change

i still think printing a code in graphic novels which can be used to download the same story on iphone or ipad is a must

 

[iloveclones]

Since I used to yap about this kind of thing all the time, I thought I'd put my two cents in....

Overall, this is pretty much exactly what I could have hoped for in terms of a platform for reading e-comics in terms of size, price, etc. I've only seen it on YouTube reviews, but it looks pretty slick.

The availability of product and it's price are the only things keeping me from jumping on board, but I suspect that will improve over time. I'll probably wait until some other companies provide some competition to see what develops.

I would hope, some time in the future, you'll be able to buy whole runs at discounted prices. If anyone at Marvel thinks anyone is going to spend $1.99 on a comic that they bought for 30 cents, thirty years ago, well, I wouldn't hold my breath.

On the broader subject of where this is all going, I have little doubt that if comics want to survive, they'll have to adapt to this. I don't think print comics will ever completely disappear. And I surely don't see any big upheaval in the near future. But comics sales are driven to a large extent by guys like me who have a lot of nostalgia and affection for the medium. We can afford the extravagance. I doubt if I were 12, I would be able to convince my parents to shell out $10-15 for a handful of comics every week.

I like your idea of codes in comics, but I think it would be cool to link "extras" to something like that.

 

[Reikowolf]

I think we can all agree that Marvel deserves their $$ for these comics. I'm not arguing that they do not.

But $1.99US? That's the same price as a print, which was more expensive to produce.

Additionally, subscriptions would be much more ideal in my opinion. Returning to my original point, just add an additional $10 a year to Marvel Digital comics and allow your loyal fans access to the library on their iphone/ipad.

I garantee you they will make far more money that way, even with thier dated library.

I would even be able to forgive them being a little greedy, 0.99US an issue, for issues that are currently on shelves.

If you can't wait, purchase; Otherwise, wait 2-3 months for it to be part of the regular rotation.

 

[iloveclones]

I think a lot of this will shake out in the future. First adopters always pay a higher price. BUT...

One of the main problems of comics in general is that the product is too pricey for the audience that they were originally intended for (pre-teens and teens). Digital will be their opportunity to start picking up that market again. But not at those prices.

Here's a pricing structure that would entice me to run out and buy an iPad today:

*Early comics (released on Monday rather than on Wednesday) would cost cover price - I would reserve this for the ones I was really dying for.
*New comics (released on Wednesday) would cost cover minus 15%(same as LCBS's) - I would probably buy 3-5 comics a week, mostly outliers
*3 month old comics cost cover minus 25%
*6 month old comics cost cover minus 50%
*1 year old comics cost cover minus 75% - I would, most likely duplicate all of my top of the pile comics with these. AND, spend a fair amount of $$ on old, beloved runs.
*A sub to a comic gives you the digital free. Same with a TPB.
*Any Digital comic purchased/owned gives you access to a later Directors Cut, and Varient Covers.

And those prices would extend back all the way, so a comic that cost you 10 cents, the digital would cost you 3. Think about it. No-one is going to buy Amazing #12, 54, and 123. They're going to buy the run (or mini runs). By my calculation, it would cost around$200 to buy all of Amazing my way as opposed to the approx. over $800 that they're proposing. Still pretty steep, but doable.

Don't get me wrong, I don't expect anything like that in the near future. But I think that'll have to have something more along those lines for people to respond in any great numbers. AND, until they have a large catalog (of digital) comics, a lot of it's a moot point anyway.

 

[spidey-dude]

they will change the price thats a cert, i want to buy my fav trades so i have them on my ipod for when i get caught in that boring situation with little to do - but theres no way im paying for them at the current prices

 

[iloveclones]

Thought I'd bump this up. My b-day is around the bend, and I think my fiance thinks my talking about the ipad and comics is a veiled attempt at a nice present (it probably is ) So I wanted to ask if anyone has actually bought/used/seen this in action. If so, I have a few questions:

The comics that you buy (at an, imo, overpriced $1.99), do you "own" them? In other words, can you carry them around and read them when you're not connected to the internet?

How easy/hard would it be to store the comics outside of the device, on say, an external HD?

Has anyone tried out these comics on an iPhone?

Has anyone been paying attention to how often they put comics on their list? For instance, on Marvel's site, they give a list of what has been put on that week.

If the ipad has a web browser, why can't you go to Marvel's site and use the Digital content already there if you have a subscription, which I hear a lot of people complaining about? Or can you?