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Hallo!

Guys, ned your help or advice just. Question for those who play table games.

What game do you recommend ffor a child with a view to its development?

Many thanks.

Raise your hand if you never click on Heidi’s “non-superhero” stories/posts on this site and this is thus your very first time hearing about Stela.

*raises hand*

I click on a lot of non-superhero posts here but don’t remember hearing about Stela, I check this site a lot to keep up with our Ever Changing Comic Worlds…

Great insights. Last night on my commute home, the guy in front of me was reading Hellboy via ComiXology , the guy next to me had a JLA HC collection/GN, and I had was reading a digital comic but had a floppy with me too.

As one of the old time commentators, I think you are absolutely right about the sustainability of the old, accepted notion of a comic (especially those outdated attempts to recapture the old X-men or Teen Titans heydays with teams of youthful superheroes)

However, I don’t fret for the medium. As we are seeing with people like Noelle Stephenson, there are markets outside standard comics that seem to be doing just fine.

Instead of dollar amounts, I wish the first chart was physical units. As cover prices have gone up, that will increase dollar amount even if the units shipped is stagnant.

I’m also not surprised that TPB appear to be stagnant. Most Diamond accounts are DM stores. Most DM stores sell singles. Only a small subset of customers will buy a trade if they have the singles, and others will get it if they can’t get back issues. Most TPB prices are no cheaper than buying all the back issues which can often be found on the shelf at my local shop. If I want a TPB, it’s also cheaper to them online from Indigo, Amazon etc instead of paying full cover price (or marked up US as many Canadian shops are doing now) at my local shop. I am also guaranteed to get a new copy and not one that has been thumbed through by customers.

Meanwhile, the Walking Dead has relaunched how many times? Oh right, none.

Imagine that – if you put out consistently good material, sales will remain consistent as well.

Make mine Image.

I think one of the reasons paper comics still sell is because people spend so much time staring a computer screen. They do it for work, they do it with their phones to distract themselves. etc..

At some point you (and your eyes) want a break and physical book is a good way to do it.

Beautiful panels in this story, with great graphic shapes and tone rhythms! (dark panels interspersed with lighter areas etc) Thanks for posting this.

Ever since I saw his work on the original Static (Milestone Media) I’ve been impressed with John Paul Leon’s work. Really, really nice. Is he currently working? If not, that’s really a shame. This guy’s craftsmanship is top notch.

Wow, this is great work.

Based on posts I am seeing on other sites, some of those listed titles are only available as volume 1 collected editions. Volumes 2 and up is available outside of the Unlimited model, i.e., you get those only via purchase outside of your Unlimited service.

So the question might not be “what is the blackout period for new releases” but rather “what is the blackout period for these publisher’s back catalog.”

One danger I see here is the same effect that Netflix has on movie purchases, and Pandora has on music purchases: people who are paying a monthly fee for all the content they can consume are often reluctant to pay “extra” for content that isn’t included in the buffet.

Likewise, if Comixology Unlimited offers as much comics as a person is interested in reading (and more), they’ll be less likely to hand over additional money for comics that aren’t included. (Is this even open to the second-class “Submit” publishers?)

Even if that monthly fee is low, rather than thinking “I’ve saved a lot of money, so I can spend it on these other comics,” many will think “why do these other comics cost so much?” That can hurt sales, by price-comparison. And as many recording artists will tell you – even those who are let into the buffet system – this kind of commodity-content-rental tends to drive down per-consumer income for creators, by paying smaller royalties.

. Volumes 2 and up is available outside of the Unlimited model, i.e., you get those only via purchase outside of your Unlimited service.

Ah – so it’s more like the Amazon Prime of comics. Actually, that kind of makes sense.

The manga selection is crap for unlimited. I signed up for a free trial cause I saw they had viz, but when I go to try some titles out it just wants me to buy the book. This feels like it’s just a fancy front for a comic digital bookstore. I rather not until they fix that since there’s only so many western monthlies I buy, and they’re mostly DC and Marvel.

I kind of already follow this model, as I work in publishing, and have access to numerous review copies for “free”. (Yes, I balance my karma by donating regularly to the Hero Initiative. in lieu of royalties.) Some are via digital ARCs, some are actual books and magazines.

When I buy a graphic novel or comic, it’s specifically for my collection. Rarely is it because someone mentioned it as a great title to read… I have BOXES of great titles waiting to be read!

So, yeah, there will be people who read for free, just like at a library. (Lots of comics at your library. What they don’t have, they can either order for the collection, or request via Interlibrary Loan.)
Is the royalty model similar (the creator earns money from the sale of the volume to the library, but not on how often it circulates)?

What WILL happen is that you get people who are well read.
They will be literate fans, similar to what one finds in romance and science fiction fandoms.
You’ll get a more diverse fandom as well.
Some might actually produce new titles, adding to the rich tapestry of the format.

And, yes, some might actually be inclined to buy the next volume. Or to stand in line to buy a paper edition signed by the creators. Or recommend the title to someone else.

Which… is what creators want. To be noticed.

And really…. why are we even discussing this? Crossgen (Comics on the Web: subscription model, c.2002) and Boom (North Wind, via MySpace, 2008) proved that giving away free digital copies drives paper sales.

the world is changing. You either want to reach a new generation of customers in ways that are relevant and new or you dont.

Comic shops are important, but they’re not the only way. We’ve seen digital driving paper sales too.

“And really…. why are we even discussing this? Crossgen (Comics on the Web: subscription model, c.2002) and Boom (North Wind, via MySpace, 2008) proved that giving away free digital copies drives paper sales.”

Crossgen, a company that went bankrupt shortly after their failed experiment, and Boom’s NORTH WIND, a title which failed to make Diamond’s Top 300 when published, prove what exactly?

Librarian here.

If it’s available in your country, check with your local public library to see if they offer access to Hoopla Digital, an online collection containing tons of graphic novels, collected editions, and single issues from DC, Image, Darkhorse, Valiant, and many more publishers. If your public library doesn’t offer a subscription, make a formal request for them to begin one. Librarians love to honor requests!

Meh, I’ll wait and see if they offer it as part of an Amazon Prime account.

A Comixology account comes out to $72 / year, plus I’m paying $99 / year for Prime, and $104 / year for Netflix.

Listing all these, I realize my subscriptions and entertainment budget are adding up.

It’d be interesting to learn of the reasons for his initial drop off 20 years ago, what brought him back and how.

Weird that there’s no lettered preview of Secret Wars #9 today.

I’m wondering if people have been buying ANAD comics and not reading them or if there’s gonna be a rush, as much as a comic store gets at least, on 3-4 months of issues.

So it’s LINE Webtoon?

I’ve shifted to Kindle-reading for almost all prose fiction, and find it much more convenient. Couldn’t do it on the phone, though; the glowing screen is not as eyes-friendly as e-paper.

What I miss about print books is the design, the aesthetic pleasure of a well-made book. But being able to have whatever I want to read easily to hand in a lightweight device is so useful it outweighs that. And not having to find more space to store new books ALL THE TIME (well, except for comics TPBs and GNs, which still flood in, and I like them as print) is wonderful.

But both of my teenagers prefer print, at least so far. So the flood of books to store has been somewhat abated, but not stopped…

I vastly prefer paper, and cannot imagine reading a prose book on an ereader or phone except in case of extreme emergency.
I read news on my phone for convenience, and I read comics on my phone and/or tablet simply due to cost.
I still prefer paper copies of comics, but can’t beat the cost of a Marvel Unlimited subscription to just read things I don’t necessarily want a permanent copy of.
(Would also love to take advantage of Comixology sales, but they’re dead to me since they’re an Amazon company.)

I wonder how much of this is related to two factors:

1. Kindle has won the e-reader battle. I know B&N is releasing a new Nook, but I only know that because it was highlighted in an article about how much Kindle dominates the e-book market.

2. Amazon lost the wat to hold eBook prices to 9.99 from major publishers, and pushed a ton of resources into cheaper authors and Kindle Unlimited. I imagine Amazon promotes authors of cheaper books as much as if not more than pricier books from major publishers.

Maybe e-books have been around long enough now for piracy to start having an effect? The high prices (compared to cheap and used paper books) probably does not help.

Kurt, I agree about book design, but with the following caveat: Beautifully designed books never made up more than about 5 or 10% of the books produced. With most titles, there’s no loss.

(This is pretty much the way I feel about hand vs. computer lettering in comics. In the hands of a few craftsmen, hand lettering was a gorgeous thing. But in most cases, it was just the way things had to be done.)

E-paper is easier on the eyes than a tablet screen, but nothing beats a phone when I’m on the subway. It’s so convenient, and it’s already in my pocket! (This is definitely an NYC-centric opinion.)

I think the reality of the situation is that we have developed a new category of readers. People who consume digital do so out of convenience and thus it has become their preference. Digital, like paperback, also allows a more cost effective way to sample new content and create a new audience for authors/creators. Meanwhile, you have readers who will always prefer hard copy books over digital but may also read digital content while traveling.

I have three “digital native” kids who use tablets or pcs for video, streaming content, gaming or information/research. For recreational reading, they tend to prefer a hard copy book.

Basically, digital is a platform that publishers need to view of more as a marketing tool versus a primary revenue source.

I’ve had my Kindle Fire HD for 3 years now, still in great working condition. I’ve no desire to buy a new tablet since my current one is still rocking. I read tons of comics on it, from comixology and now my local library whom rents their digital editions in cooperation with amazon.com.

“Since Amazon’s acquisition of ComiXology in April 2014, it has become essentially the de facto standard for digital comics and now distributes just about every publisher around.”

Except of course for those it refuses to distribute. Amazon is now in the same position as Diamond: they can’t stop you from selling your comic, but they can stop you from using the largest market for comics readers.

As for the questions posed here… Larger screens are nicer for reading, but I don’t see a lot of people investing in $800 tablets just to get a large-print version of their comics. Especially since creators/publishers have to produce and format their work with 7-inch tablets in mind.

I like reading comics on my 9.7 iPad. I think the iPad mini or even my daughters 7″ Kindle Fire are too small for comics reading however. I’d love an iPad pro to read my comics on but I don’t want to carry that huge screen around with me when I travel. If money was no object, I’d buy the pro for home and keep my 9.7 for traveling but as it stands, the 9.7 is the best all around screen size for me personally and that’s what i’ll buy when it’s time to upgrade my current tablet.

Hoopla, the digital content platform used by many public libraries has done an impressive job bringing comics to their digital offerings. My local library added hoopla comics last month, and I was surprised by the relatively new content across major publishers with some such as Boom offering single issues. The hoopla titles are able to read in both fit-to-screen and panel view mode. Has anyone else used Hoopla? My library limits to 10 digital hoopla items a month and I’m wondering if this is the same everywhere.

I read a lot of comics on my Galaxy Tab 3 which is “old” (is 2 year & a half old ?) and it does the job really well. When it doesn’t Comixology Guided View do the trick. :)

I don’t think about changing my tablet soon and I don’t see why I should or how it should affect the comics market. After all, I’m concerned about digital comics not hardware. So as long as Comixology (or Image Comics for instance) is doing money, my collection is still safe. :)

I switched from an iPad to a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 about 6-8 months ago. I use it for all my comic reading. I stuck with iPad for a long time because I was so invested in the infrastructure (apps and games), but I’m sick of the high prices and the lack of expandable memory. The first thing I did with my Samsung was stick a 64 GB micro SD card in it.

To sort of “protect” my Apple investment, I did move to a larger iPhone 6 Plus so I can use my phone for more “tablet” things, but I’ve yet to read any comics on it. I have read a magazine and of course books, but comics are so much more visual I like the large screen for reading. I do like the idea of a 12.9 inch screen, but I won’t buy one until an Android manufacturer produces one (and my current tablet gets older/outdated).

A correction: Famous Funnies was published by Maxwell Gaines. William Gaines was his son, who took over EC after his death (and was, of course, a major pioneer in his own right).

Does anyone know if Dark Horse offers DRM-free backups on Comixology?

My question is, will the comics I downloaded via their app be accessible from my Comixology account? If so I could just get rid of the Dark Horse app and have everything in one place.

I’m disappointed that D+Q has not followed the lead of fellow art/alternative comics publishers like Top Shelf and Fantagraphics (and for that matter, Image Comics) and not provided DRM-free downloads of their books.

Cool. Now it just needs Dark Horse’s licensed manga, although I think those might be print only. Berserk, for instance, is printed by DH but I think the digital distribution rights are held by Vertical Inc who also publish the excellent Gundam the Origin.