Is anyone reading digital comics?

[FFB]

I miss reading the occasional new book. Not so much from the Big 2, but I was curious about the Jim Shooter stories for Dark Horse, so I checked out the Free Comic Book Day freebie of Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom from last year. It was actually nice to read a comic book without having to worry about whether I picked a 9.8+ off the store shelf or worry about whether I am getting fingerprints on the glossy pages, and all of the other things that go through a collector's mind (even in the background) when reading a new comic. As to the quality of the book, for a free comic, I really enjoyed it. A solid story with art that reminds me of the simple art with great storytelling that Valiant turned out in the early years. Good enough to buy the first paid issue of Dr. Solar, in fact.

 

I don't collect moderns. I just like to read them occasionally and see what the characters I loved for so many years are up to. I don't want to hassle with storage, and once I've read a modern once I am probably not going to re-read it.

 

For someone who doesn't want to pay $3.95 just to read a comic book once, I have to say that digital comics are a pretty good option. I just bought the digital version of the 48-page first issue of Dark Horse Comics' Doctor Solar:Man of the Atom for $1.99, about half the cost of the hard copy.

 

Is anyone else reading digital comics? What has your experience been with the digital comics medium? Love it? Like it? Don't like it? Think that it is a sin against God and nature?

 

I get that the occasional modern comic might turn out to be a true collector's item, that buying digital comics is purely for entertainment and not for investment purposes, and that I may miss out on the occasional hard copy that will be worth more some day in the future. For the money I save on a per issue basis (and the vast majority of new books I read will never be worth as much as cover price a few months after release), I think I will probably come out ahead compared to my old buying habits, where I bought a hard copy of everything I wanted to read.

[dupont2005]

I read Ralph Snart Adventures and Freak Angels online

[RedRaven]

I read comics digitally, exclusively.

Just finished reading Walt Simonsons run on Thor (well the first of his run).

I've got a 75% complete run of planet comics I've slowly been browsing through as well.

 

[FFB]

What do you both view as the pros and cons of reading digital comics vs. the traditional way?

[Mac Man]

I've read a few (on my iTouch) and it's.... okay but not as enjoyable as having something in my hand. But your point about not worrying about damaging the book is one I share. That's why I've begun moving over to trade paper backs more and more the past couple years. I can digest more of the story without stopping and the price is at least as good--if not cheaper. I do feel like I can't process and fully appreciate the art on the handheld like I can with a hard copy either. In particular, I find the splash pages and DPSs really lose a lot of their punch when digital.

 

But in a pinch, it does do a fine job of giving me chance to do a little leisure reading. I imagine it would be a better reading experience if I was working on an iPad though.

[RedRaven]

What do you both view as the pros and cons of reading digital comics vs. the traditional way?

 

Well, I don't read anything recent so my interest in comics involves revisiting the storylines of my youth (1978-1987) and exploring the golden age as a reader rather than a collector. Without digital downloads none of that would be possible.

So for me, it's not so much an option in the medium I prefer to experience the comic, as digital copies are really my only choice for some of these obscure titles.

 

Edited to add: I did go out and buy a reader set of Savage Sword of Conan. I love picking those guys up and holding them.So there, I overstated my affinity for digital.

[mikenyc]

I read Morning Glories and a few other moderns on my iPad. They look beautiful but it is absolutely nowhere near a replacement.

 

But what the mess do I know, I still go to the music store and buy CDs.

[joe_collector]

Reading them via digital means is nothing, the real question is whether anyone is PAYING to read digital comics, as in through legal means at full price, not scans or PDF files they downloaded.

[iron maniac]

I'm not reading anything new, but I do have complete runs of Iron Man, Avengers, FF, Amazing Spider-Man, Silver Surfer on my DroidPad that I transferred over from the DVD-Roms to CBR files. I read those all the time, very convenient, I don't have to pull out my old books to read them now.

[iron maniac]

Reading them via digital means is nothing, the real question is whether anyone is PAYING to read digital comics, as in through legal means at full price, not scans or PDF files they downloaded.

 

I bought all of mine on DVD-rom, with the exception of ASM which was on several CD-roms. All official releases. They were all in PDF format.

[mikenyc]

Reading them via digital means is nothing, the real question is whether anyone is PAYING to read digital comics, as in through legal means at full price, not scans or PDF files they downloaded.

 

Me. Am I stupid? 1.99 per download plus I buy the books.

[joe_collector]

I bought all of mine on DVD-rom, with the exception of ASM which was on several CD-roms. All official releases. They were all in PDF format.

 

That is hardcopy via CD-ROM, and I meant via digital means, as in purchasing comics to read that have no physical form or media.

[RedRaven]

I bought all of mine on DVD-rom, with the exception of ASM which was on several CD-roms. All official releases. They were all in PDF format.

 

That is hardcopy via CD-ROM, and I meant via digital means, as in purchasing comics to read that have no physical form or media.

 

 

What form are modern monthly comics digitally downloaded in?

Do they contain some sort of DRM which prevents them from being copied or moved to a different system/device?

 

[joe_collector]

What form are modern monthly comics digitally downloaded in?

Do they contain some sort of DRM which prevents them from being copied or moved to a different system/device?

 

Usually, and it's often proprietary to ensure it never gets transferred.

 

The reason I stated this is because for digital comics to flourish, someone needs to PAY for them - no one gets a cent when you DL a pile of scans for free online, transfer your own comics to digital, or copy a pre-existing CD-ROM (from 1998) of scans to your PC.

 

You need to pay the piper to call the tune.

[musicmeta]

Not yet. Actually I've never even thought about reading digital comics...we'll until now.

[FFB]

Reading them via digital means is nothing, the real question is whether anyone is PAYING to read digital comics, as in through legal means at full price, not scans or PDF files they downloaded.

 

Vince, it sounds like you want to start your own thread with a topic different than the one I asked. Go for it.

[dupont2005]

I pay for my digital comics when there is a charge. Probably spent $20 or less so far though. A lot of stuff is free online. Elfquest, Ralph Snart Adventures (just became free, used to be $1.50 per issue), Freak Angels, ect. I found a free comic on Larry Welz's blog. A Crow parody. Bookmarked it but have yet to read it. There is enough free legal content out there that you don't need to illegally download unless your scope is incredibly narrow.

[Mac Man]

One thing I like about buying books on my Kindle is that I can read the same file on my eReader, my laptop (believe me, the search function has been AWESOME when doing research!!!), or on my iTouch.

 

I'd probably say that if the digital comics allow for cross-platform accessibility, I'd be much more open to buying them. As is, I've stuck with the free issues they let you download. I'm just not into the whole pirating thing.

[asr0462]

No. Not at all.

[Jaded Savage]

read comics on the iPad from the Marvel and Comixology apps. To the comic nerds. it's blashemy, to every one else in civilization, I found that it's a pretty good conversation starter. People seem generally interested. Me, I only buy the moderns digitally and collect flopies from the Copper age or earlier. I must say though, I have gone out and bought a few Modern floppies that I bought digitally. Iron Fist, Old Man Logan, World War Hulk.