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Friday, October 30, 2009

Chow / Tech / Books / Nerd Took 'Em Long Enough

Posted by Paul Constant on Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 11:27 AM

Marvel Comics just announced that they're starting to sell comics over the iPhone for as low as 99¢ each. Frustratingly, they're only issuing back issues of comics. I don't understand why they wouldn't make their comics available in multiple formats on the day of publication. I suppose they're worried about cannibalizing their own business, but the iPhone is a much larger market than just people who go into comic book stores—in theory, they could expand their readership by exponential levels, and it would cut down on digital comic piracy (which is a much larger problem than prose book piracy at the moment). It's easier to pay a buck than go through the hassle of torrenting a comic.

In other comics news, Salman Rushdie is thinking about writing a comic book.

Comments (5) RSS

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Meh...let me know when DC hops on board as well.

Posted by j.lee on October 30, 2009 at 12:04 PM

When there are "frustrating" bottlenecks or limitations to distribution, it's usually because of existing contracts with either producers, or the existing distribution chain.

For example, Marvel has no real idea if this will work. So why antagonize their existing distribution chain(s) needlessly by offering to undercut the stores?

This is a total departure for them - they don't know if fans will choose digital versions over the more familiar paper, they don't know if different comics would do better digitally - perhaps because they attract a more casual audience - vs. ones that attract a rabid, but smaller, fanbase who want to buy and keep printed versions.

There are all sorts of questions here. It's obviously a complicated problem. I'd think you'd have more sympathy for a publisher.

Posted by John Galt on October 30, 2009 at 12:10 PM

There's no such thing as "exponential levels" that makes no sense. You can only "grow exponentially [over time]". What you mean to say is grow "orders of magnitude" you supposedly read books, right?
Why do you write like an illiterate person?

Posted by Max J on October 30, 2009 at 12:48 PM

Going to a digital distribution method is probably inevitable, but comic book shops offer a merchandising outlet as well. Whenever comic book publishers decide to finally put every new release out digitally, they'll be losing all the money that comic book shops give them through t-shirts, action figures, and those crazy "busts" they sell.

Posted by Collin on October 30, 2009 at 1:06 PM

While I enjoy a nice comic from time to time scanned in on my netbook (turned sideways and held like a book) the size is about the same as a standard comic book is.

I for one would never want to go smaller and scroll around the page alot to see it all on on iphone or similar device.

As for only doing backissues, its a smart move. As mentioned about not wanting to be a problem with current contracts and the such, this gives them the ability to test the waters on this form and gives users easy access to titles they may have a hard time finding.

Posted by Akbar Fazil on October 30, 2009 at 2:36 PM