I grew up reading comic books—especially Marvel Comics. In fact, I collected every Marvel Comic every month. Since I was a kid who worked (summers mainly at my Dad’s sawmill starting when I was 12 years old—we sorta ignored child labor laws), I had the money to buy them. But at the time they were affordable. Though it dates me, I can remember when they were 15 cents apiece.

These days as a semi-successful business owner, there’s no way I can afford to buy every Marvel (or DC or Image or Dark Horse) comic book that comes out each month. Or even most of them. After all, comic books now cost three bucks and up per issue. That’s why I think the future of the medium will be, at least in part, in digital form.

Admittedly, I quit collecting comics several years ago when Marvel begin getting greedy. Instead one one Spider-man title a month and a yearly annual, the comic shelves became glutted with Spidey’s image. Instead of one X-Men title or one Avengers title, there are … well, just go to your local comics shop and count the sheer number of X-Men and Avengers’ titles. The big companies, for the most part, decided to milk their cash cows dry—ruining the continuity of their respective universes in the process.

Looking elsewhere for my comics fix, I supported several start-up companies (Malibu, Valiant, Defiant, etc.), but they all went bust. So I quit collecting comics. And I won’t start again.

Until/unless comics become available in digital form for a buck or two apiece. Whether it’s on an iPhone, an “iPad” or a Kindle DX, I think that eventually the comics companies will have to offer all their titles in digital format at an affordable price. That is, if they want to sell more titles. And IF they want to draw in new fans.

Though the comic book companies are dipping their toes in these waters, it won’t happen overnight. Unless some enterprising company (where are you, Jim Shooter?) comes along with an all-digital comics format and makes an immediate success of it.

Maybe, just maybe, that would return me to the wonderful world of comic collecting. After all, I never bought comics to resell them. I bought them because I loved the characters. I’d love to still be a part of that world without having to choose which half dozen comics I could afford to collect each month.

I too used to collect comics every month- both Marvel and DC. One of the reasons was that I myself am a cartoonist-writer, and the other was the talent involved. Lee-Kirby-Ditko-Kane-Anderson, and on and on. Today's comics have more sophisticated coloring but the quality, particularly regarding artistic rendering of anatomy, is horrendous. I never felt you needed to be a kid to appreciate comics. Nowadays, it's all a watered down imitation of what's gone before, or even worse- a distortion. At some point, I moved on to R.Crumb and graphic novels. The superhero genre has become so desperate for new ideas that they feel they must resort to constantly killing off characters and altering "universes."

How's this for a concept? What if you played it completely straight? Discard all the cliches, the muscle-bound distortions that make today's heroes look like cartoons, and ponder what it would be like to Really be like to be Superman or Batman? A few movies came close- but I feel the medium's potential; has never been realized.

Even as a none-year-old, I felt that comics were like movies- the ones I wrote and drew were directed by me and had soundtracks in my head. Yes, we could create multi-media comics, but then they'd be something else.

My point is that I don't buy comics today not because of saturation and price- basically, most of them suck. But I still buy Kirby or R. Crumb compilations.

As another 40-something former comic book reader, I lament the loss of high quality comic books. I read numerous titles during the 70's and 80's. I didn't consider myself a collector. I bought only issues I wanted to read. I kept ones I wanted to re-read.

Overall, today's comic books aren't engaging. I have children under age 10, who love to read, and I have trouble finding comics that engage them. I remember picking up Marvel and DC comics before I could read and still being able to follow and enjoy the story lines (The memory of Defenders #1 stands out). The stories moved along and were enjoyable by both kids and adults. Have today's story tellers even bothered to look through a Will Eisner how-to book? Today there seem to only be $3 comics that have 1-3 panels per page. The panels consist of an air brushed brooding face or super heroes with "chewed-bubble gum" physiques and/or missile boobs as large as your head and "speed lines".

So my kids are happier with a Pokeman manga or Babymouse for $7. I'll pick up a collected issues Graphic Novel (Hellboy, BPRD, Bone) - but new comic books? Pass.

When it comes to digital - I don't know. I've seen a few on my iPhone and it's "not the same". However it is better than what is in print. They can't be more than 99¢ an issue and need 32 pages of content.

I believe there is an opportunity for a US weekly or monthly tabloid newsprint comic book - like 2,000 AD.

did you know (at least) 60% of the cover price goes to the distributor, leaving 40% for the comic shop/ publisher/ creators?
it's a total racket, digital really IS the way to go.

I agree that comic and graphic novel companies will have to embrace the digital age, in the same way that all other publishers are having to do. However, I also believe that there is no e-reader that can quite duplicate the experience of holding a book in your hands as you read it. And this applies especially to comics.

I work for a graphic novel company based in India. We started publishing in December last year and have received a good response from the Indian market. It would be great to hear what comic book readers from other countries think of our work. So, if you'd like to know more about us, or buy our books, please have a look at www.campfire.co.in

Thanks

Andy

I agree with you, Dennis. The future IS digital.

And there are a number of comics creators/publishers like myself who aren't waiting for the big companies to catch up.

If you want Spider-Man or Bat-Man, then you'll have to wait for the Big 2 of course. But if you're open to other directions, I think you'll discover there a quality comics already being distributed online that rival the books coming out of the big houses. It's not so much a question of whether they're out there, it's simply a matter finding them.

I would humbly submit my own comic, "U.F.O.", at http://agitainment.com/ics/2008/12/22/ufo-part-1/, published online by Agitainment.Comics (http://agitainment.com/ics):



Have a look if you can spare a moment. I think you might be surprised.

Ex animo!
Rick