Online Comic reading

[ft88]

I'd be curious to get input on reading comics online. Couple questions on this.

 

Is this a relatively large audience or miniscule?

Why do the publishers, specifically Marvel and DC, only publish recent stuff? And even then only some titles?

 

I get that they delay what goes online, but I don't understand the limits on titles and the limits on how far back they go.

 

Isn't there a pretty straight forward business model for this similar to e-books?

 

I would guess this would work if there were a place with a majority of titles

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

[jreezy]

I'd be curious to get input on reading comics online. Couple questions on this.

 

Is this a relatively large audience or miniscule?

Why do the publishers, specifically Marvel and DC, only publish recent stuff? And even then only some titles?

 

I get that they delay what goes online, but I don't understand the limits on titles and the limits on how far back they go.

 

Isn't there a pretty straight forward business model for this similar to e-books?

 

I would guess this would work if there were a place with a majority of titles

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

I thought with a marvel unlimited membership you pretty much have access to marvel's catalog? Not for sure, i am not a member.

 

 

[rh3522]

the digital market is relatively new. Comixology came out in 2007. thats a lot of books to convert into PDFs CBRs CBZs EPUBs and probably some other formats. So I imagine they are working on uploading a huge backlist which will take forever while trying to keep up with what comes out now

[UltraMaximus]

I know Transformers sells more copies digitally than they do in print. Print is 10K or less monthly.

Collecting the Incentives can be tough if not nabbed around release.

 

I still read digitally and collect in print.

 

Marvel Unlimited is about 6 months behind print so Marvel can still sell $4 digital copies on release.

With Amazon taking over Comixology, I doubt sales figures will ever be released.

 

[Rockyjo3]

I don't really have a true comic book store locally so I buy all my books from comixology. I can't recall them ever not having a recent release that I was looking for. I also really enjoy reading comics online because it saves space at home and I can bring my iPad with me on vacations and have hundreds of comics available to read.

 

When it comes to older books though, there have been times when they don't have issues or runs that I was looking for.

 

My friend uses the Marvel Unlimited app and let's me use his log in but I hardly use it so I can't really say how big their library is

[revivedrevival]

For indies, I would keep an eye on Humble Bundle. Every once and a while, they have a whole lot of books, well priced and some of it goes to charity.

In the last 12 months or so, Valiant, Image and IDW each had a Humble Bundle.

[BarryAllen]

Marvel Unlimited is fantastic and has over something like 15,000 titles. Per the above post new books get released in the app 6 months after their print debut (which if great if you can wait). You can't beat the price of their annual membership, you only need to read like 3 monthly titles to get a payout (I read far more than that).

 

For everything else I use Comixology, they have pretty solid sales a couple times a year where I pick up electronic TPB copies of stories and other characters I want to read outside of my monthly "pulls." The app is seamless and looks great as well!

 

Before digital I got to the point where I had multiple long boxes full of modern books and they just took up space (and were growing rapidly) and were not worth the time and effort to move around.

 

My personal opinion digital is the way to go for reading experience! Side note - if you can afford and iPad Pro I HIGHLY recommend it! It is like reading every comic in omnibus/absolute format - cannot be beaten!

 

[JayT]

100% digital reader here unless something comes out in Japan first and I want to read it when it comes out (sometimes there is a delay in the product coming to the U.S.)

 

It's just easier, more convenient, and I like the idea of sitting down and having thousands of comics or books right there in my hand. I don't have any of the traditional reasons, I have plenty of space, disposable income etc, I just view it as a superior product, or at least distribution method. Marvel Unlimited is fantastic and I've never known Comixology not to have something (Dark Horse was a holdover for awhile, sticking to their own terrible app, but they are also on Comixology now).

 

There's no upside to print for me, I have zero interest in trying to find the next hot modern to make a few bucks, it's just not worth my time (though I do enjoy the discussions). I will buy a variant here or there if it's something I really like, usually VALIANT related but Iv'e cooled off on them because very few of them appeal to me, or if it's a creator I really enjoy (and that number doesn't go past a couple at any given time that will get me to buy a book because of a cover - Grampa, Graham etc).

 

I guess the best way to put it is that I don't need the physical manifestations of comic book runs in my possession.

 

Regarding audience, I don't think you will see those numbers given out anytime soon, but I think we can all agree that the vast majority of any new readers, if we ever get another generation or wave, it will be via digital, if they ever get a price point that's more realistic.

 

Regarding % of readership it just depends on who you believe. It's in some people's best interest to tell people that digital is not a huge piece of the pie. I've heard a few creators speak candidly about it, Aaron, Hickman, Young, who say it's a big percentage, around half in some cases. If that is true, it mirrors the current book market and the comic market is much healthier than many forecast - even if it's just the big handful of books each week that get that kind of ratio. To counter that I've also seen smaller creators share their numbers in state-of-the-business type articles, but I'd suggest their print numbers are also low, not just digital.

 

Hickman has stated on several occasions that Marvel could no longer afford (meaning they wouldn't pay more, obviously Disney can afford anyone) his artists on his IMAGE titles. We know those print runs roughly and I bet we can put together a guess on how much more digital would have to be to make it so much more profitable for the artist to remain at IMAGE.

 

I'd love to know the number of digital copies something like Star Wars #1 got, and digital in general because that number probably better predicts an actual reader #, and not a books allocated number (i.e. overordering regular issues to get incentive variants - we all realize a lot of those sit and aren't read)

 

[Hekla]

For indies, I would keep an eye on Humble Bundle. Every once and a while, they have a whole lot of books, well priced and some of it goes to charity.

In the last 12 months or so, Valiant, Image and IDW each had a Humble Bundle.

 

The Image package last month was fantastic - 2 omnibuses (Invincible & Stray Bullets), around a dozen trades and a few recent #1's for $20. The reading experience isn't quite as nice as Comixology, but still very good and for a great price. I got a lot out of the Valiant package too.

[JayT]

For indies, I would keep an eye on Humble Bundle. Every once and a while, they have a whole lot of books, well priced and some of it goes to charity.

In the last 12 months or so, Valiant, Image and IDW each had a Humble Bundle.

 

The Image package last month was fantastic - 2 omnibuses (Invincible & Stray Bullets), around a dozen trades and a few recent #1's for $20. The reading experience isn't quite as nice as Comixology, but still very good and for a great price. I got a lot out of the Valiant package too.

 

That VALIANT package was a steal.

[revivedrevival]

Humble Bundle currently has a bundle up for Dynamite at the moment. It's available through 23-Feb-2016.

 

Has anyone read the Game of Thrones book series (comic)? Is it any good? Does it touch upon the same points as the novels?

[JayT]

Humble Bundle currently has a bundle up for Dynamite at the moment. It's available through 23-Feb-2016.

 

Has anyone read the Game of Thrones book series (comic)? Is it any good? Does it touch upon the same points as the novels?

 

I'd call them decisively not good, and they are adaptations of the novels. Excluding the obvious wonderful pickup by HBO IMHO Martin's choices of who he allows to license his product has been pretty damn terrible (though I respect the idea of striking while you are hot and get that money - especially at his age). Even with Abraham writing them, a long time friend of his and one of two writers of The Expanse (a show a lot of people like on Syfy now) it's pretty unremarkable,

 

 

[Hekla]

Humble Bundle currently has a bundle up for Dynamite at the moment. It's available through 23-Feb-2016.

 

Thanks for the heads up. Dynamite isn't in my normal wheelhouse, but It's hard to pass up cheap comics