Superman Through the Ages! Forum

With DC's upcoming universe-wide "relaunch", new arrivals will be available digitally the same day they show up in comic shops.  Here's an article in Wired Magazine about the industry's plans for gradually going digital:

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/06/ff_digitalcomix/

And the solicitations themselves:

http://www.tfaw.com/dc-comics-relaunch/

It's a step in the right direction, but it's still behind the times in price point, functionality, and UI design.

Frankly, the various .cbr viewers on Android (the OS currently with the highest smartphone market share) are better than the Comixology application.

I assume that .cbr files don't have digital restrictions built-in - with Comixology, the copyright holder can limit comic access to the buyer - same as iTunes and Kindle purchases.  I assume that's why the comic companies are going with it.

As far as price point, although DC's digital and physical editions will be starting out at the same price, DC currently plans to lower the digital price a dollar or two sometime down the road.  They don't want to alienate the brick-and-mortar comic shops, as that's what's currently keeping them in business.  So it has to be a very gradual transition.

Nope, it's simply a renamed .rar file for convenience. Even with drm Kindle files, I could still move the files themselves around for better organization across several platforms. Can't do that with Comixology.  I understand why they and the big book publishers push it, but they are fighting a losing battle. Steve Jobs realized this several years ago and forced the music industry to conform. As a result, all music on iTunes has been DRM free since 2009. Eventually, he'll get the movie and book industry to do so as well.

That's why I like Baen Books. All their files are DRM free. Buy the book and you don't have to monkey around getting it to work across several platforms and operating systems. It just works.


If they want this to work, then there is going to have to be an incentive to actually buy the digital copy. Hard copies aren't going anywhere anytime soon. The Kindle hasn't killed the printed book, nor would digital comics kill the comic book stores. Sure, there would be some closures (similar to Borders closing up shop), but the more successful shops would transition to being more than just comic shops. One of the shops in my town has recently become a catch-all geek enclave by branching out into RPGs, music, movies, etc.

-edited to add

Now, what they could do is something similar to Netflix and what Marvel does with their browser-based Unlimited subscription service. Only, make it so it can be viewed cross-platform. That way they can keep their DRM, consumers would have an in-depth library to choose from, and DC could easily get away with charging $10-15 a month for usage. Add in-app ads or whatever to keep the costs down as well.

Comixology will be offering digital comic book affiliate links to comic shops, so that stores will be able to sell both physical and digital comics when DC digital goes live.

I had hoped to get in on this - ie, have Superman Through the Ages offer legitimate digital DC comics for sale.  I figure people already come here to talk and read about Superman and to take a look at the old scans that are still available on the site.  A natural market place for DC's digital Superman comics.

Unfortunately, DC does not let comixology offer digital affiliate links to anyone but brick&mortar shops that have accounts with Diamond.  And Diamond requires that anyone who wants an account with them agree to spend at least $450 per month with them on physical comics.  A bit outside my budget for the handful of digital sales I'd probably get.

So it looks like you'll still have to go to your local comic shop - or at least to their website - for all new comics.  Although I can't quite see how Diamond has anything to do with digital comics...

 

Probably DC wants to keep a good relationship with Diamond, because digital has the potential to do in the brick & mortar stores. I guess they are trying to strike a delicate balance.

What about digital offerings of old comics--are you able to do that?

My personal feeling is that this site should be relatively independent. Granted you are using DC trademarks and copyrights, so there has to be a relationship with DC. But I think fans who come here are more interested in previous incarnations of Superman and less so whatever is happening with Superman at the moment.

Since it's possible old guard fans will have some disaffection with the current Superman--it's nice to have this place as a retreat to celebrate the old stories and the old creative talents who made them.

It's your site, so you need to do what's right for you--but my interest is in celebrating the old stuff.

I was hoping that the old catalog - 1938-1986 - would be available in a legitimate, online white-market digital format. As much as I enjoy scanning and cleaning up old comics, I'd prefer to offer copies that were clearly defined as 100% legal.  One of my questions for Comixology was related to whether or not they were ever going to be offering the old stuff too.

But it looks like it may be a bit before that happens.

I saw that too, about the B&M sales plan.  I'm sort of business-challenged, so maybe it's just me, but I don't understand how this going to work? Why would you need to go through your LCS to get a digital file from a publisher?  If you download a digital comic today it doesn't work that way, does it?  So why would consumers want to have that extra layer added?

What if your LCS doesn't even have a website?  What am I missing here?

It's an affiliate program similar to Amazon's. The retailer registers with Comixology, gives his "digital storefront" address to his customers, and gets a cut of the profits off the sales in their "store".

The retailer isn't doing any actual scanning of comics. All the digital storefront will offer is what is in Comixology's library. Why would Comixology do this? There's a chance that it would increase it's customer base.

You'd have to talk to DC about the old catalog. Comixology is just the digital equivalent of Diamond. They just develop the software and distribute it. The Publishers are the ones who do the actual scanning.

Sorry to be dense, but I still don't get it.  But I'll try:

Say the website for my local LCS lists new arrivals every week (which it does; they even post it on their Facebook page to alert me).  From now on, every title on the list would be a hot link to the actual download, and they would get a percentage of the sale?  That's all well and fine, except that I can go to any other LCS' website anywhere in the US and see the same information and give them the money.  The thing that keeps me from going to Midtown Comics or Forbidden Planet as opposed to my decidedly more modest LCS is the day-long drive to NYC, but with the internet that's not an issue.  For that matter, I can go to Diamond's site and see the list there.  So the only thing putting money in the pocket of the LCS is the loyalty and generosity of its customers, who could just as easily do an end-run around them (whereas today their "loyalty" is based at least partially on physical location).

So I guess the goal for each LCS in the future will be to design the site that draws the most customers, so they'll follow your links and not the other guys'.  Which means just as today the bricks and mortar store has to branch out to RPGs, DVDs and so on to "out-cool" the competition, the "shops" of the future will be websites with Flash-based games, breaking news, art and such stuff as appeals to web surfers.

Unless they make this the ONLY way to download comics, I can't see it being much help to many shop owners.  And assuming they also make it possible to download from Barnes and Noble and other major booksellers (and they'd be crazy not to), it seems pretty certain most of the business will go those guys, who have much higher-profile web presences and names that engender more customer confidence than say, "The Android Dungeon".

Maybe, the LCS doesn't have something in stock that the customer wants and Comixology does. Instead of waiting for the order to ship, they can have the product the same day, and still support the LCS while doing so. Sure, there's not a huge ton of money involved in this, but atleast the shop will get something.


Local World of Warcraft groups (guilds?) have their own blogs, Facebooks, message boards, etc even though WoW is a global game.


I don't know, but customer loyalty goes a long way. I've seen local music shops survive even with major retailers coming to the area and the advent of iTunes. The digital comics market is still very new and it's going to take a few years before everything settles.

I think Nightwing's point is valid:  If I'm going to buy a digital comic, I won't go to my local comic shop's website, I'll go to mycomicshop.com (http://www.mycomicshop.com/?AffID=RAO) or tfaw.com - online websites that I've already purchased stuff at and at which I have accounts and credits.  In other words, as people move to digital, the small shops will be pushed out.

And Comixology's affiliate links aren't quite like Amazon links - in that I can plaster my site with Amazon links, but Comixology won't give me an affiliate account unless I'm a bona-fide Diamond customer.  I'm locked out.

So I'll be selling physical books through Amazon and Lone Star (as I currently do) but I'll only be offering digital comics if some pre-existing comic shop offers digital affiliate links; or when DC removes the restriction.