Digital comics are coming. Now granted I know that they're already here since I'm going to talk about that as well. What I mean by my original statement is that soon they're will be no print comics. And due to that I am torn on which side to choose. Printed media which I think is still valid and should continue on, or digital.
I find printed media so important because as I've been reading digital comics or watching movies on my computer or streamed through my Xbox I find I have less concern with the outcome of whatever it is I'm doing. If I'm reading a comic a truly wonderful splash page is lost on me and the entire comic even if it is wonderful is forgettable by the time I'm done reading. I think newspaper comics and newspapers are the same. I can read the comic or story online but theres something joyous about picking up a newspaper and pulling the comics out and then taking your time to pick at the one or two stories you may read. (I know not a strong case for the newspaper but I believe theres to much pointless news in the world and too many people reporting it.) The Sunday comics online are not nearly as enjoyable as the Sunday comics read in the living room or found and finished several weeks later. There's a lot to say about touch, and digital anything takes that away from us. The act of renting a movie is significantly different when you touch the disc you're going to watch. I think the reason VHS was so popular was because of the sound it made as you were touching it. Think about it, if some one rattled a VHS behind you right now you would know what it is and how it felt. There no of that with digital media.
So we come to the core of my dilemma... I love comics. I have far more than I should and I have never parted with one that I have purchased unlike a lot of comic readers. I don't like how much space they take up but I love having them to go back to or increase in valve depending on the issue. I love the rare gems that I've tracked down and found that no one knows about. I love the feel of the pages and the joy of going to get new comics every Wednesday. But I found myself really liking the digital comics. I have bought or downloaded for free at least 30 books on my PSP since the digital comic service launched in December/January. And I wait eagerly to download new issues every week and grow tired of only being able to download comics I already own. Granted they are great issues being released but I know that because I bought them 2 years ago when they were released. I have used my PSP more than ever since digital comics arrived on it. Since I bought it on its release day I have never had to charge the battery more than once in any given week. Now I'm constantly killing the battery from reading. I like that I can take it to work and read an issue on my lunch. I like that I can read the issue before after finishing the current issue. There are several things I like and don't like about both formats. The biggest thing I don't like about digital comics is that there is no set format. MP3's work because no mater where I buy the MP3 and no mater what device I listen to it on... it works. With my PSP comic or any of the several ipod comics they only work on the device that it was made for/ purchased on. So I don't actually own All Hail Megatron #1, I own the PSP version of it. If they come out with a PC version I will not own that version and will have to purchase it again. I know a lot of it has to due with formating and device capabilities but I'm having a hard time investing in digital comics when they're so many formats out there. What happens when the ipad (not buying it I hate apple products) and digital readers start coming out? Ebooks work because again, one format doesn't matter which device it works. So why are comics dropping the ball on this?
You vote with your wallet and frankly I've been voting for both. I think as long as the price for a digital comic is right I'll keep buying it so I can read on the go. (Trade marked!) But anything I've purchased on the PSP I will not buy in print or buy another version of it. Hopefully comic book companies stop focusing on how much money they're making for dumping things on the iphone or PSP and start thinking about how to avoid getting themselves in a format war that will have a lot of people throwing up there hands and heading back to the comic book store.
Read More......
