marvel comics online
tripp
::13 nov 2007 :: 05:30pm
as of today, marvel is offering a subscription model to read their comics online through their flash-based reader. they have launched with 2,500 comics and a 10 buck a month or 60 buck a year pricing model.
obviously, the kids are going back and forth over this — on the one hand, many people want to download the issues to read offline. they want to feel like they are buying something, similar to itunes music store. the flip side is that everyone is pointing out that a lack of drm on the files would cause even more rampant piracy.
i can see it both ways. really, if you are reading comics on your computer, you can prob get online as well. and only a fool would believe that there isn't already rampant comic piracy all over the net.
so, yes, this is probably a good move overall. laods of digital comics for cheap. this will be a true starter when we get better tablets. unless my screen resolution is higher and my laptop lighter, reading sequential art on it will suck.
it will be interesting to see how quickly dc follows suit. since dc is owned by time-warner (cough aol cough), it is somewhat embarrassing that marvel beat them out the gate on this. coupled with the damon lindelof piece in the nyt a couple of days ago, its becoming easier to imagine a future where all our media is nothing but streamed bits.
finally, i am amused that the response was so great to this marvel news, that their site has been failing all day, resulting now in them taking the entire marvel.com site down. they must be pleased, even if its upsetting to have to pull the entire site offline.
one thing that seems to be forgotten is that human beings are tactile creatures. moreso than a sense of owning we like/need to feel things in our hands. while i think that a lot of things will be exclusively digitized, we will never become a paperless society. have i drifted off topic? i haven't had my coffee yet.
i don't think it is forgotten. a lot of people are talking, with this specifically, about how comics move into the digital age without alienating collectors, comic book shops and trade paperbacks.
it's a tough line to walk. but think about your comic collection — i know for a fact that you used to own a ton of comics. and you have gotten rid of them all. this type of subscription might be right up your alley.
and we will never be entirely paperless, true. but give it 5 years — books, comics, music, movies and tv will have all moved to digital outputs.
yes, you'll be able to buy physical copies, but why would you for the majority of your 'intake'? you'll only do that for things you love deeply.
the more interesting question (to me) is how we make this transition, as businesses, supply chains and even collectors deal with new consumer models that don't rely on scarcity.
i have had my coffee. it might show.
what? you know for a fact that i've gotten rid of all my comics? i haven't gotten rid of a single comic, and still have a subscription for several titles. who's your source on this?
really? i stand corrected.
i thought you had long since traded in your valiants and assorted liefeld issues for things of more discerning tastes.
i do have more discerning tastes, but i should still have those valiants and some liefelds. honestly, i have to check now. i don't remember ever getting rid of any books. in fact i am going to read my issue #0 of the eternal warrior right now, and bask in its overall poorness.
i would suggest sludging through 'youngblood' #1 instead. but what do i know? valiant still gets a surprisingly good rap. as opposed to, say, early image comics.
agreed. this eternal warrior isn't half bad. i'm pretty sure i have that youngblood #1, as well as a couple of x-forces also. painfully bad stuff.