Marvel Launches their Online Initiative tomorrow

[joe_collector]

You're really going to stare at the screen for the time it takes to enjoy the art of a comic page each time you wanna read a book?

 

No, I'd use it for reference purposes, and to get access to the "full" comic book, rather than just the reprint, which I probably already own. I think it would be a real hoot to look through all those old SA and BA ads/lettercols.

 

But like I said, if it's *just* the story, then count me out.

[Monstro]

I wonder if these will be complete issues, as with the most recent editions, and include covers, ads, letter pages, etc.

 

If so, I might sign up.

 

 

if it's anything like what they have posted right now. then no they are not complete issues. in my opinion they don't look all that great.

 

well let me revise that. the modern comics look great. the older books look weak.

 

check it out

[drice6900]

http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/Online/MarvelOnlinea.html

 

MARVEL LAUNCHES ONLINE COMICS INITIATIVE?

 

In a story published at USA Today.com Monday evening, the apparently official word of Marvel’s new online publishing initiative (hinted at by Marvel Publisher Dan Buckley at the New York Comic-Con last February) has been revealed.

 

Called the comic book industry’s “first online archive of more than 2,500 back issues, including the first appearances of Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Incredible Hulk.”, Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited will offer the archive in a high-resolution format on computer screens for $59.88 a year, or at a monthly rate of $9.99, at Marvel’s website.

 

According to the national daily, “Subscribers will be able to access the first hundred issues of key titles, turn pages with a click of the mouse or navigate a battle against Dr. Doom frame-by-frame with a ‘Smart Panel’ viewing feature. The user can zoom in on details of art by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko from the 1960s or catch up with today's The Ultimates and New Avengers.

 

"We did not want to get caught flat-footed with kids these days who have the tech that allows them to read comics in a digital format," Marvel President Dan Buckley, told the publication. "Our fan base is already on the Internet. It seemed like a natural way to go."

 

To help market the initiative, To Marvel will reportedly offer a free sampler of 250 titles, and to protect current sales of comic books, new issues won't be on the Marvel site until six months after they are published.

 

Asked why people would pay for superheroes when newspaper websites have been unable to charge for content, Buckley said, "You can get the news anywhere. We're the only ones who have Spider-Man."

 

"If they put their monthly comic online at the same time, they'd be cutting their own throats and undercutting the retailers," writer Peter David told USA Today. "The material is owned by Marvel, and they can do whatever they want with it. This is just another means of reprint when you come down to it."

 

"About 90% of the comic books sold today are scanned and put online within 36 hours," Newsarama’s own Chris Arrant is quoted in the story.

 

"Our quality is much higher; the library is huge and will never go out of style," concluded Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada. "This is the legal way to do things."

 

News of the new Marvel initiative began appearing online Monday afternoon, via an AP wire story and sources like the CBC.com website, prompting Marvel Comics to request any version of the story citing the AP or CBC be removed from websites due to the CBC version in particular being “filled with inaccuracies.” It is not immediately apparent what was inaccurate about the CBC version of the story.

 

Look for more details as they become available.

 

 

 

[awe4one]

I wonder if these will be complete issues, as with the most recent editions, and include covers, ads, letter pages, etc.

 

If so, I might sign up.

 

 

if it's anything like what they have posted right now. then no they are not complete issues. in my opinion they don't look all that great.

 

well let me revise that. the modern comics look great. the older books look weak.

 

check it out

 

If this is the format they're using, they aren't getting my money even if the entire archive was available. It hurt my eyes after the splash page...

 

Jim

[TupennyConan]

You're really going to stare at the screen for the time it takes to enjoy the art of a comic page each time you wanna read a book?

 

No, I'd use it for reference purposes, and to get access to the "full" comic book, rather than just the reprint, which I probably already own. I think it would be a real hoot to look through all those old SA and BA ads/lettercols.

 

But like I said, if it's *just* the story, then count me out.

 

I borrowed the DVDROM for all 500 ASM's from my LCS owner a few years ago thinking it would be the greatest resource in the world. It made my eyes cross after an hour or two.

 

As a reference, with or without the ads, I like Marvel's idea. As a way to enjoy the stories & art, it would only hurt my eyes; but maybe I'm just a wimp.

 

You're right though, they should have all ads, etc, included (but, does that raise legal issues....??). Probably very big ones.

[awe4one]

You're right though, they should have all ads, etc, included (but, does that raise legal issues....??). Probably very big ones.

 

Didn't the DVDROM have ads?

 

Jim

[howardhallis]

I own the digital comic sets of all the Marvel titles and Mad Magazines. It hurts my eyes and the Adobe Acrobat interface just makes me exhausted. I prefer the physical comic any day. Still, it's nice to have a DVD with every issue of The Fantastic Four AND The Silver Surfer on it.

 

There are sites like Scans Daily and Monster Blog that post comic stories in web browsers. These are a little better, but the digital stuff still strains my peepers and I find my patience for reading that stuff is much less than having the book in front of me.

 

Still, if you can read these online Marvel comics on an I-Phone, I might have to consider getting not only a subscription to this Online Initiative, but changing my cell phone provider.

 

I could be reading a few pages of mighty Marvel magic with every bathroom break at work!

[TupennyConan]

You're right though, they should have all ads, etc, included (but, does that raise legal issues....??). Probably very big ones.

 

Didn't the DVDROM have ads?

 

Jim

 

I meant CDROM.

 

Good question about the ads on it. Failure to recall. Anyone?

[codfish]

Digital forms of comics will not replace the paper ones any time soon. Probably not in my lifetime. While some paper media has taken a bit of a hit it was predicted that magazines and papers would disappear with the advent of the internet. Hasn't happened won't.

 

Most online material provided by the companies is incomplete or of inferior quality. If they want to make a dent in whatever hit they take from the illegal scans they have to produce high quality and complete product. This has to be current or they will continue to lose money.

 

I don't have one doubt in my mind that comic companies could make some decent coin offering up digital subscriptions. Heck it would mean they could reach some areas that they probably don't now. They will never cut the loses from piracy but they certainly could make some sort of effort to offset the loses a bit. this current announcement shows me that Marvel has little imagination on how to counter the growing digitization of our various physical media. you would think they would have learned something from the success of businesses like iTunes and Napster.

 

For someone young and "with it" JQ certainly doesn't show it ... again.

[Varfleet]

Anyone else have flashbacks to the movie "Big"...and Josh's idea of a digital comic book?

[joe_collector]

If this is the format they're using, they aren't getting my money even if the entire archive was available. It hurt my eyes after the splash page...

 

They're not seeing a cent of my money, as it's useless as a reference tool. I really thought that with the latest omnibus editions, Marvel had figured out that complete issues are the way to go.

[joe_collector]

You're right though, they should have all ads, etc, included (but, does that raise legal issues....??). Probably very big ones.

 

Well at the very least, these should include the letter's pages, bullpen bulletins, and Marvel-centric ads. Those have been featured in various reprints, so there can't be any legal issue.

[Warlord]

I wonder if these will be complete issues, as with the most recent editions, and include covers, ads, letter pages, etc.

 

If so, I might sign up.

 

 

if it's anything like what they have posted right now. then no they are not complete issues. in my opinion they don't look all that great.

 

well let me revise that. the modern comics look great. the older books look weak.

 

check it out

 

:: Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock' (2)

 

Way to go Marvel! This looks great! Sign me up for the annual sub!

[mica]

:: Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock' (2)

 

Way to go Marvel! This looks great! Sign me up for the annual sub!

[sckao]

 

Looks like they didn't anticipate the traffic and their servers are overloaded... which is a good and bad sign.

 

 

[heinlein99]

About 2 weeks ago one of those popular young rock bands (their name escapes me now) put their new album up on their website and let fans pay whatever they wanted for it. The event was lauded by digitally-minded magazines and talk shows, including NPR, saying it was a bold move into the future, the new method of distribution, etc. I listened to that story and snorted, "Yeah, well, it hasn't made them any money *yet*, so hold the praise until it does."

 

Well, last week I read somewhere that most fans were paying $0 for the album and the new venture wasn't quite the success everybody said it was going to be.

 

(ahem)... DUH!!!!!!!!

[Monkeyman]

I tried it out and it is pretty good. The writing is a little small for my 43 year old eyes on a 17" monitor (Is it better on a 19"?), but I will try it again with my glasses when I get home. I can see myself continuing to buy paper copies of my favorite books (DD, Avengers), but switching to digital for some other stuff (ASM, X-Men). Also, for $60 a year I can get unlimited access and try out all sorts of new books. I can see young people trying it out for a month for $10 and some might get into it enough to visit an LCS. I'd say this is more a marketing tool to get new people interested than a serious, l-t replacement for paper copies.

 

Mike

[Monkeyman]

About 2 weeks ago one of those popular young rock bands (their name escapes me now) put their new album up on their website and let fans pay whatever they wanted for it. The event was lauded by digitally-minded magazines and talk shows, including NPR, saying it was a bold move into the future, the new method of distribution, etc. I listened to that story and snorted, "Yeah, well, it hasn't made them any money *yet*, so hold the praise until it does."

 

Well, last week I read somewhere that most fans were paying $0 for the album and the new venture wasn't quite the success everybody said it was going to be.

 

(ahem)... DUH!!!!!!!!

 

 

Radiohead

 

The band made the album available for download via their Web site last month, letting fans determine how much to pay. In a study released last week, consumer research firm comScore Inc. found that 62 percent of the people who downloaded "In Rainbows" in a four-week period opted not to pay a cent. The remaining 38 percent paid an average of $6, according to comScore.

 

The results of the study were drawn from data gathered from a few hundred people who are part of the firm's database of 2 million computer users worldwide. The firm, which has permission to monitor the computer users' online behavior, did not provide a margin of error on the study.

 

Mike

[sterlingcomics]

FYI, this news item is also in USA Today's Life section today.

[hesdeadjim]

You're right though, they should have all ads, etc, included (but, does that raise legal issues....??). Probably very big ones.

 

Didn't the DVDROM have ads?

 

Jim

 

I meant CDROM.

 

Good question about the ads on it. Failure to recall. Anyone?

 

 

My Captain-America-Complete-Collection-55-million-issues-on-one-lousy-DVD of questionable origin has all the ads, letters pages and everything else.

 

It's to read even on a big screen monitor, though.