• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Marvel Launches their Online Initiative tomorrow

Started by drice6900,

56 posts in this topic

drice6900

drice6900

Posted
Posted

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

 

MARVEL LAUNCHES ONLINE COMICS INITIATIVE

 

According to the CBC (and citing information from the AP), Marvel will make a big step towards embracing the internet as a distribution source for comics this week.

 

Marvel Publisher Dan Buckley hinted at it in February at the New York Comic-Con, and now it seems that it will become a reality as Marvel will reportedly make roughly 2,500 back issues available online starting tomorrow in a format that allows the comics to be viewed online only - through a browser. Downloads will not be available.

 

The article quotes Marvel's Buckley as saying, "You don't have that spinner rack of comic books sitting in the local five-and-dime any more. We don't have our product intersecting kids in their lifestyle space as much as we used to."

 

Marvel will offer memberships to view the comics - $9.99 a month or $4.99 a month, for an annual membership. In addition to the 2,500 initial comics, roughly 20 more will be released each week, ranging from early Marvel issues, such as the initial runs of Amazing Spider-Man to recent titles - House of M and Young Avengers were named as examples.

 

The story quotes store owner Michael Ring of Portland, OR who called Marvel's plan a "feeder system" noting that the plan will give people the "initial taste" of Marvel Comics and make them want to buy more.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CKB

CKB

Posted
Posted

Well, the "no download" portion is a joke. If it's displayed on your screen you can steal it.

 

But, given the ready availability of high resolution scans of just about EVERY SINGLE new Marvel and DC issue within a day of them hitting the stands, I doubt it will make any difference whatsoever on that front.

 

So, embracing technology is good. Monthly fees are steady income.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
awe4one

awe4one

Posted
Posted
Marvel will offer memberships to view the comics - $9.99 a month or $4.99 a month, for an annual membership. In addition to the 2,500 initial comics, roughly 20 more will be released each week, ranging from early Marvel issues, such as the initial runs of Amazing Spider-Man to recent titles - House of M and Young Avengers were named as examples.

 

The story quotes store owner Michael Ring of Portland, OR who called Marvel's plan a "feeder system" noting that the plan will give people the "initial taste" of Marvel Comics and make them want to buy more.

 

Jeez...they can't help but continue shooting themselves in the foot...

 

Who is going to pay for a year membership if the whole catelogue, or at least full runs from their most visible and popular characters, isn't available at launch? I'll do as I'm sure others will...wait until there's something more substantive to throw my money at...

 

Jim

Link to comment
Share on other sites
awe4one

awe4one

Posted
Posted
I posted on Newsarama about it...

A joke, they are going to eventually try and cut out the local comic shops and get rid of paper comics altogether...

boooooooooo

 

The way I see it, media companies have to embrace the Internet or risk failure. Commerce for various entertainment options are switching due to customer demand...not for the product but rather for convienence. Consumers are gravitating to the Internet for their entertainment and that movement will eventually affect all types of media. Comics, nor any printed periodicals, will be immune to the shift and need to make in-roads today or be left out to dry...

 

Comic companies have no recourse but to do so. If the medium doesn't work in that new environment then it will get superceded by something else. Regardless, pure LCS's will go the way of the record store as a result.

 

Jim

Link to comment
Share on other sites
seanfingh

seanfingh

Posted
Posted
I posted on Newsarama about it...

A joke, they are going to eventually try and cut out the local comic shops and get rid of paper comics altogether...

boooooooooo

 

The way I see it, media companies have to embrace the Internet or risk failure. Commerce for various entertainment options are switching due to customer demand...not for the product but rather for convienence. Consumers are gravitating to the Internet for their entertainment and that movement will eventually affect all types of media. Comics, nor any printed periodicals, will be immune to the shift and need to make in-roads today or be left out to dry...

 

Comic companies have no recourse but to do so. If the medium doesn't work in that new environment then it will get superceded by something else. Regardless, pure LCS's will go the way of the record store as a result.

 

Jim

 

I don't like to agree with you Jim, (because of the message, not the messenger :foryou:) but I have to. My dad was in the newspaper business for 30 years and they way they responded to emerging media was a joke. And they paid the price and are still paying it today. If comics don't figure out a way to embrace emerging media, they will be gone within our lifetime.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Paladin

Paladin

Posted
Posted

Reading comics on a screen or reading comics on paper. Hmmm hm

 

Think I'll stick with paper for a little longer

 

I might check out the "Online Initiative" eventually, but I already look at my computer screen too much anyhow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
awe4one

awe4one

Posted
Posted
My dad was in the newspaper business for 30 years and they way they responded to emerging media was a joke. And they paid the price and are still paying it today.

 

I hear ya. I'm a self-confessed news junkie. Three-fourths of the bookmarks on my computer are news related. One reason is my job but I was this way before joining the military. I also adore newspapers. There nothing better than sitting for breakfast or lunch and reading current events...unless there a lovely female opposite me... :grin:

 

Because of the Internet and the associated time lag for news due to their distribution, I'm finding them harder and harder to read due to already knowing, and in most cases being more current, on the news being reported. I continued to subscribe to the local paper until realizing that all I did with them was throw them in the trash unread. So I recently canceled my sub (and really should have months ago). I'm kinda sad about it but there are better uses for my money.

 

Who knows...kids today could embrace the new format...but I kind of doubt it...

 

A more relevent question in my mind is what effect the move to the Internet will do to back issue collecting...

 

Jim

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TupennyConan

TupennyConan

Posted
Posted

 

A more relevent question in my mind is what effect the move to the Internet will do to back issue collecting...

 

Jim

 

All 2,500 issues now 85% off!!!!!! :kidaround:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
seanfingh

seanfingh

Posted
Posted

 

 

I agree with you on the back issue market. I don't worry about it much because, the way I look at, the $ I spend on comics is my mad $. If prices really drop, I'll just be able to get more comics. I plan on owning them forever. It would be nice to get some $ out of them if I needed it and I would want my estate to be able to clear some dough if I did die with them, but other than that (shrug) .

 

I think the only way comic collecting will continue as we know it, in perpetuity, relates to three areas:

 

(1) Comics begin to be viewed as artistically historic documents, by others than those who grew up reading them, and for reasons more concrete than nostalgia. I already feel this way about Golden Age comics, but I am also already a comic geek.

 

(2) Globalization creates a demand for them that we never even conceived of (i.e. the Chinese develop a taste for old American comics)

 

(3) Manga and other variations of the artform make it more mainstream.

 

I don't know how likely any of these are. But I never conceived of Ebay or CGC either and look at their impact.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MR.COMICBOOK

MR.COMICBOOK

Posted
Posted

 

I don't know how likely any of these are. But I never conceived of Ebay or CGC either and look at their impact.

 

exactly this will be good for the industry, at first people will be cautious and then about 5 years from now they will be saying wow how could there not be comics online. example most people I know didn`t even have internet or cellphone service 5 years ago and now wouldn`t know what to do without them. bravo to Marvel for a gutsy move.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TupennyConan

TupennyConan

Posted
Posted
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.

 

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? Sure about that? My eyes hurt already...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Buck Biggins

Buck Biggins

Posted
Posted

I stopped buying moderns about 3 months ago. I might try this to catch up on some books and series I wanted to try but didn't want fork the cash over to read.

 

I'm 29 and I use the internet for all my news. Never had a newspaper subscription and only buy a paper for major events, Black Friday and Christmas. I believe online comics are ready for the net and think the generation right behind me will actually prefer it.

 

I vision comics on cell phones and you read a panel at a time. Imagine reading your favorite stories anyway and anytime. Waiting in line for haircut...pull out the cell and read Spider-man 50.

 

 

Anyway....not good for the comic shops. Also, could this be bad for diamond in the end as well?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Go to topic listing