Still sounds like a halfass attempt from Marvel though, they're not offering any new comics on it, just old ones.
Marvel may have led with the news that the Sony PSP will be lanching hundreds of Marvel comics as part of their new Digital Comics offering, but this is not a one-publisher-only format. The October/November/December (no one is quite sure) launching format from Sony will also list non-Marvel comics and graphic novels… though don’t expect DC for a bit now. Just worth clarifying over some coverage.
Variety mentions Image and Archie as providing content and The Guardian lists IDW and iVerse as other publishers on board and but adds that more will join, as well as reminding readers that this is not a first for comics, listing the Metal Gear Solid comic and the bunch of titles made available for free. The difference this time does seem to be the quality of the reader software… and of course, Marvel Comics.
The publisher won’t be offering new titles however, with Classic and Digital First titles common to the Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited service looking like they’ll be made available. However the Marvel Twitter feed was keen to repeatedly emphasise that the PSP and Marvel DCU services are different…
If there was a way to get monthly titles as webcomics and just buy the trade, I would be down for that. Say you subscribe to whatever title. You get high quality image files of the monthly, not some weird, awkward, overly complicated, super-paranoid "viewer", but actual images that you buy. After you buy those images, you get a certain percent off of the trade.
Actually, comics might need to change their... flow or layout or something to really work well with electronic displays. I don't know.
I'd be curious to see what that would actually translate to in sales, but Marvel has to be happy with that kind of performance. I can only imagine this will lead to more motion comics.
Anyone have good experiences with Marvel's service? I want to subscribe, as $60 for a whole year is a pretty good deal. Looking through the samples, however, it seems the scans are comparatively low-res. I can live with their bloated interface, but jaggy pages are less appealing - the recaps look like 8-bit writing.
I like it well enough, but you're right in that the scans aren't as high-quality as they could be. This isn't a problem for most books I've read using the service, but I was reading some Immortal Iron Fist last night, and it's nigh-impossible to tell what's going on in some panels because the relative low-quality just destroys the detail. I don't feel very cheated by this, though, since I'm just paying one flat rate for access to tons of comics, but whenever we get a pay-per-issue system of downloadable issues, I hope they use higher-quality scans that what they're using for this system.
I also find that their comic reader is a resource hog, at least in Firefox. I've had my (relative fast) computer grind to a halt after reading ten or so comics in a row because Firefox is suddenly using upwards of 90% of my CPU.
I wouldn't say that either of these issues is dire, or discourage you from subscribing because I really do think it's a great resource for introducing yourself to series you wouldn't otherwise check out if you had to pay for them per-issue or per-storyline. It's a good resource if you want to familiarize yourself with tons of different Marvel properties, and not so much a good resource for completionists or people who want to stay current.
Yes, thank you. I completely forgot I made that post. My primary reason for subscribing to this service would be to check out comics I've never read before/are hard to get a hold of, and just generally get acquainted with their massive catalogue. I can't buy recent comics in stores anyway, so I don't care that they're a year behind. It's a fantastic deal nonetheless.
So the low resolution is really the only foreseeable problem. If I had to pay by individual issue, I probably couldn't bring myself to choose between thousands of comics, so this works out far better for me.
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All creature will die and all the things will be broken. That's the law of samurai.
Well I have not tried it personally but Comixology has just developed and released a new comic reader for the iPhone, and I must say from the online preview that I was shown it looks sweet. Now I much prefer a issue in my hand but I can appreciate not everyone thinks like me. I would like to get opinions from readers who are using the iPhone for their comics.
Shameless plug- I have been told that the first, second and FCBD issue of CONTRACT have all been loaded up as well as issues of Invincible, Atomic Robo, Walking Dead and more being added all the time. I believe you get 30 (or 50) free comics with the App. I'm not sure what there roll out schedule is for new releases, but I'm sure with a little online research it can be easily found out.
Is anyone else getting Spider-Woman as the motion comic rather than the floppy? I decided to get the season pass on iTunes, since it's $8.99 as opposed to (I'm assuming) $36 for the year for the floppies.
Archaia is releasing comics on the Kindle. The first comic, made specifically for the Kindle, is Tumor, a noir detective story about an old PI, dying from a brain tumor, that's trying to find the kidnapped daughter of a big drug dealer. http://www.newsarama.com/comics/090831-archaia-kindle.html
I read the first issue on my wife's Kindle. It's pretty good, but the technical limitations of the Kindle sorta compromise the reading experience. The comic needs much thicker inking on the pencil-work to stand out on the screen, and a zoom and pan function would be useful. Also, an option to read the comic sideways might increase the screen area that the comic can utilize. At $0.99 an issue, though, I think the price is right, and I'll probably follow the series on the Kindle rather than wait for the collected version.
Bringing this thread back from the dead, seeing that there's been some movement on the digital comics front in the last few months.
DC Comics is doing some things right. Same day release for a few titles, plus they have a digital store now: https://read.dccomics.com/comixology/#
Comixology's got a bunch of publishers on their service. Too bad they refuse to put out a comic reader for computers, I'm guessing to keep people from pirating the comics.
Steve Lieber and Jeff Parker put Underground out for free (and in the right format!). Support these guys! http://www.undergroundthecomic.com/
Overall, big publishers are still being kinda dumb, trying to shield retailers by offering digital releases at inflated prices with locked down formats and restrictions and shitty readers. The big thing seems to be letting material loose on locked in platforms like cell phones and tablets. Boom! Studios and Image seem to be more sensible, offering their books via Mydigitalcomics.com. And then you have Lieber and Parker showing how being reasonable towards digital comics (and online comic fans) can turn into sales. The industry still are leery of putting out new comics digitally on release day, only doing so at a premium. In many ways, the big comic publishers are following the mold created by record industry, though I predict that they'll come to their senses in half the time it took music publishers to figure out the correct way to do digital content.
Comixology does have a desktop reader. It just has to go through your web browser, and it sucks.
With stuff like the NookColor, Galaxy Tab, and rumored, smaller iPad hitting the market, I think we'll see momentum for digital comics pick up in a big way soon. Of course, the smaller screen display will be a problem, but I'm sure there are ways around it.
I read comics on my Droid X just fine. I'm not opposed to digital comics on a phone, I'm opposed to digital comics in locked down formats and/or being tied to special readers or platforms. Also, pricing digital comics the same as physical books is bullshit and I refuse to pay extra for the privilege. Would digital music sales be as good if single songs were the same price as a physical CD single?
Oh, I agree completely. Cameron Stewart recently said that anyone pricing digital copies at or above the cost of the physical ones, are doing it wrong.
On the plus side, DC seems to be a little progressive in their thinking. Looking at their digital shop, the last two issues of Generation Lost are $2.99, but all the others are $1.99. Personally, I think the new issues should be $1.99, and the older issues $.99, but at least they're experimenting with a lower price point.
And on the downside, most of the people who are going with CDisplay compatible formats and reasonable prices are invariably indie creators whose work I'm not terribly interested in, and they're doing so because they don't have anything to lose in doing so.
But yeah, if DC ever decides to ditch comixology, I'll probably give them a try.
So for Xmas I'm asking for the Marvel digital unlimited subscription. What I'm wondering is which is the best way to view said content. Sure sitting at the PC will be fine, but thinking of those times where I want to plop back on the couch or bed and read. I know I need an active net connection so that limits choices already...
anybody try this on an iPad? if so how do you like it?
how about a netbook? enjoyable?
just looking around for some ease of use options and pros and cons. Not sure if I'm willing to take the plunge given iPad prices though. I know that some smart phones work (which I don't have right now), but willing to entertain the option if it is decent. You guys have unlimited data plans to sit there and read while being connected to the net???
I have to say, I'm less than sanguine about the comics only being readable on the dark horse website if you don't have a phone. Sounds like you won't be owning the comics so much as buying a license to view them.
Yeah, it's a bummer that Dark Horse is apparently going to follow the Comixology model. However, I feel pretty confident that, as more color e-readers hit the market, momentum for digital comics will only continue to grow.
So if anyone's ever wanted to read some crazy shit, go download the issues of Fantastic Comics available, and check out Stardust the Super Wizard. There's also a ton of public domain Blue Beetle issues, which I'll be binging through in the coming days.
Fun Fact for Marvel fans, specifically Immortal Iron Fist fans: If you're a fan of John Aman/The Prince of Orphans, you can read the original adventures of that character right here.
Fun Fact for Marvel fans, specifically Immortal Iron Fist fans: If you're a fan of John Aman/The Prince of Orphans, you can read the original adventures of that character right here.
I didn't realize he was a preexisting character!
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TexiKenDammit!That fish really got me!Registered Userregular
CA: You were talking about the importance of the issue of ownership, and that's something we've been talking about with a lot of publishers throughout our Digital December interview series, and largely a question that everyone has dodged. Right now digital comics are primarily stored on the cloud and read rather than being downloaded or owned, so what does that mean? If Comixology goes under, what happens to all your comics?
MW: It's a prime concern, and something that's easily overlooked. Insidious is kind of a sinister word and has a darker connotation than I mean, but the insidious nature of digital media over the past ten years is that to a large extent, the next generation has been slowly inculcated into this idea of mistaking owning and renting. Back when copy protection was the most important thing in digital sales, all you were doing was renting stuff. You think you own it, but not really. If your music server goes out of business, then guess what? All your stuff you paid for is useless. We're at that point right now with digital comics as well. Yeah, what does happen, God forbid, if comiXology of Graphic.ly goes out of business? You don't own those comics. My contention is that you really ought to be able to download them as PDFs, hard files. That's the model I'm going for. And basically, I won't accept anything else. I don't think you should have to rent comics from me with the hope that I'll still be around to make sure you get them.
Replace PDFs with CBR/Zs, and yes, that's exactly what I want. Thank fucking Christ, that someone in the industry gets this.
We're starting to see things like this happening in the games industry: Good Old Games puts out older games DRM-free, and you see the occasional indie project (like the two Humble Indie Bundles) go DRM-free. Admittedly, these are not exactly modern, triple-A games and companies here, but at least there's some movement in that direction. CD Projekt is going to release the digital version of The Witcher 2 DRM-free, but they're the same people who operate Good Old Games, so it's not really new to them (although this will be a day-one DRM-free release of a brand new game, not of a game from the mid-90's).
I hope that the more things are sold DRM-free (games, mp3s, whatever), the more other businesses will see that it's not so scary.
Really, I just don't see what comic companies gain from being so obstinate about this. There's not a single comic on the market, that I couldn't easily download. Even the more obscure ones. I don't, because as someone who makes attempts at making comics, I recognize the value of art, and don't just want to steal it. But it's out there, for the millions of people who hold no such compunctions. I mean, look at this:
#3 on the Atomic Robo auto-complete. So why not sell this stuff to people like me, whose shops don't order non-Marvel/DC with any kind of regularity, or people that live in rural areas, where there aren't any comic shops?
I would be more than happy to buy this stuff, to pay publishers and creators money for their product. And the industry's response, by and large, to mock me for my efforts. Whether it's with a clumsy interface, useless or annoying gewgaws like Graphic.ly's comments feature, or requiring the purchase of an expensive piece of hardware. It'd be like if I went to the local deli to get a sandwich, and they said, "Oh sure, you can have the sandwich, but you have to eat it here, and you have to sit six feet away from it, and you'll have to navigate it into your mouth using this rake."
Fuck you, I'll just go have some pizza/videogames/movies.
The problem being, still, that these going through comixology and iverse, so they are not available in a transferable format and are locked into particular devices. I can forgive the unfortunate price, but I can't forgive the distribution channel and stupid format.
Completely agreed on that. Still, incremental movement is movement, so that's exciting.
Red 5's Twitter feed does state that they won't be running superhero comics through the digital-only line, due to a "bandwidth issue," which is kind of weird. You look at a lot of independent companies' best-selling books, and they're usually superhero/superpower books. Powers, Irredeemable, Incorruptible, Invincible, The Boys, etc. Even stuff like Hellboy, Chew, or Atomic Robo are only a funny name or a costume away from being a superhero book.
I respect the desire to promote non-superhero books, but citing bandwidth issues seems weird. How much could it really cost to host a comic? They also say it's a quality control issue, with hero comic submissions usually sucking. But again, that seems weird. They're going to be sorting through a pile of crap, trying to find the gems, one way or the other.
EDIT: Also, I have no idea why I completely missed that the Longbox Digital Comics software had released. I'll download it and give it a try when I get home. http://longboxdigital.com/longbox-software.html
So, impressions of Longbox, based on about 30 minutes of using it:
Easy installation and setup
The store works pretty well
It feels pretty bloated compared to CDisplay
The Longbox format (.lbx) comics had noticeably slow image loading in some places
There's plenty of social media/networking stuff in there, though I'm not sure how useful I'd find it
There's a serious dearth of material on the store. Image and Top Cow seemed to be the best represented. You'll find a better selection on other services.
Prices on the store were very good, but they don't use regular money for purchases. Instead, you buy Longbox Blocks. So it's essentially an Xbox Live points system. Assuming the Blocks are $1 each, the comics come out to $1 an issue.
They also borrowed the idea of licensing devices from iTunes, for better or worse. You get five licenses, though, so it's not particularly onerous, and can always transfer licenses to different devices.
It's PC and Mac only right now, but supposedly versions are on the way for iPad/iPhone and Android.
I'm reserving judgement until I start using it more, but right now I can say that, despite some shortcomings, it's a step in the right direction. The main things it needs are to make reading the comics speedier and to increase the available library.
TexiKenDammit!That fish really got me!Registered Userregular
edited January 2011
Longbox lets you download the files to your computer, right?
With Image comics at least, did they have recent work like Morning Glories and Walking Dead? If I can keep the comic file on my computer I might move my Image stuff to Longbox.
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Actually, comics might need to change their... flow or layout or something to really work well with electronic displays. I don't know.
I'd be curious to see what that would actually translate to in sales, but Marvel has to be happy with that kind of performance. I can only imagine this will lead to more motion comics.
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It's very pretty, the voice acting left much to be desired though.
Yes, thank you. I completely forgot I made that post. My primary reason for subscribing to this service would be to check out comics I've never read before/are hard to get a hold of, and just generally get acquainted with their massive catalogue. I can't buy recent comics in stores anyway, so I don't care that they're a year behind. It's a fantastic deal nonetheless.
So the low resolution is really the only foreseeable problem. If I had to pay by individual issue, I probably couldn't bring myself to choose between thousands of comics, so this works out far better for me.
Shameless plug- I have been told that the first, second and FCBD issue of CONTRACT have all been loaded up as well as issues of Invincible, Atomic Robo, Walking Dead and more being added all the time. I believe you get 30 (or 50) free comics with the App. I'm not sure what there roll out schedule is for new releases, but I'm sure with a little online research it can be easily found out.
If you have a chance please check it out.
News and Youtube video of how App reads
Comixology Page
WEBCOMICS: UPDATED EVERY FRIDAY!!!
I read the first issue on my wife's Kindle. It's pretty good, but the technical limitations of the Kindle sorta compromise the reading experience. The comic needs much thicker inking on the pencil-work to stand out on the screen, and a zoom and pan function would be useful. Also, an option to read the comic sideways might increase the screen area that the comic can utilize. At $0.99 an issue, though, I think the price is right, and I'll probably follow the series on the Kindle rather than wait for the collected version.
https://twitter.com/Hooraydiation
Yes, but my wife says that you can't actually view the file on your computer.
DC Comics is doing some things right. Same day release for a few titles, plus they have a digital store now: https://read.dccomics.com/comixology/#
Comixology's got a bunch of publishers on their service. Too bad they refuse to put out a comic reader for computers, I'm guessing to keep people from pirating the comics.
Steve Lieber and Jeff Parker put Underground out for free (and in the right format!). Support these guys! http://www.undergroundthecomic.com/
Overall, big publishers are still being kinda dumb, trying to shield retailers by offering digital releases at inflated prices with locked down formats and restrictions and shitty readers. The big thing seems to be letting material loose on locked in platforms like cell phones and tablets. Boom! Studios and Image seem to be more sensible, offering their books via Mydigitalcomics.com. And then you have Lieber and Parker showing how being reasonable towards digital comics (and online comic fans) can turn into sales. The industry still are leery of putting out new comics digitally on release day, only doing so at a premium. In many ways, the big comic publishers are following the mold created by record industry, though I predict that they'll come to their senses in half the time it took music publishers to figure out the correct way to do digital content.
With stuff like the NookColor, Galaxy Tab, and rumored, smaller iPad hitting the market, I think we'll see momentum for digital comics pick up in a big way soon. Of course, the smaller screen display will be a problem, but I'm sure there are ways around it.
Tumblr Twitter
On the plus side, DC seems to be a little progressive in their thinking. Looking at their digital shop, the last two issues of Generation Lost are $2.99, but all the others are $1.99. Personally, I think the new issues should be $1.99, and the older issues $.99, but at least they're experimenting with a lower price point.
Tumblr Twitter
But yeah, if DC ever decides to ditch comixology, I'll probably give them a try.
anybody try this on an iPad? if so how do you like it?
how about a netbook? enjoyable?
just looking around for some ease of use options and pros and cons. Not sure if I'm willing to take the plunge given iPad prices though. I know that some smart phones work (which I don't have right now), but willing to entertain the option if it is decent. You guys have unlimited data plans to sit there and read while being connected to the net???
Steam
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I have to say, I'm less than sanguine about the comics only being readable on the dark horse website if you don't have a phone. Sounds like you won't be owning the comics so much as buying a license to view them.
In awesome digital comics news, here's a collection of public domain scans, available for download.
So if anyone's ever wanted to read some crazy shit, go download the issues of Fantastic Comics available, and check out Stardust the Super Wizard. There's also a ton of public domain Blue Beetle issues, which I'll be binging through in the coming days.
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need me some crime and horror comics
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I am already downloading pretty much everything on the site!
He's basically the Atom, but terrible.
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That bull had it comin'!
I didn't realize he was a preexisting character!
Replace PDFs with CBR/Zs, and yes, that's exactly what I want. Thank fucking Christ, that someone in the industry gets this.
Tumblr Twitter
I hope that the more things are sold DRM-free (games, mp3s, whatever), the more other businesses will see that it's not so scary.
#3 on the Atomic Robo auto-complete. So why not sell this stuff to people like me, whose shops don't order non-Marvel/DC with any kind of regularity, or people that live in rural areas, where there aren't any comic shops?
I would be more than happy to buy this stuff, to pay publishers and creators money for their product. And the industry's response, by and large, to mock me for my efforts. Whether it's with a clumsy interface, useless or annoying gewgaws like Graphic.ly's comments feature, or requiring the purchase of an expensive piece of hardware. It'd be like if I went to the local deli to get a sandwich, and they said, "Oh sure, you can have the sandwich, but you have to eat it here, and you have to sit six feet away from it, and you'll have to navigate it into your mouth using this rake."
Fuck you, I'll just go have some pizza/videogames/movies.
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And the pricing is very very good, on top of that the OGNs are stand alone apps.
That is a very good move on Marvel's part, it deserves :^:
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Red 5's Twitter feed does state that they won't be running superhero comics through the digital-only line, due to a "bandwidth issue," which is kind of weird. You look at a lot of independent companies' best-selling books, and they're usually superhero/superpower books. Powers, Irredeemable, Incorruptible, Invincible, The Boys, etc. Even stuff like Hellboy, Chew, or Atomic Robo are only a funny name or a costume away from being a superhero book.
I respect the desire to promote non-superhero books, but citing bandwidth issues seems weird. How much could it really cost to host a comic? They also say it's a quality control issue, with hero comic submissions usually sucking. But again, that seems weird. They're going to be sorting through a pile of crap, trying to find the gems, one way or the other.
Tumblr Twitter
EDIT: Also, I have no idea why I completely missed that the Longbox Digital Comics software had released. I'll download it and give it a try when I get home. http://longboxdigital.com/longbox-software.html
I'm reserving judgement until I start using it more, but right now I can say that, despite some shortcomings, it's a step in the right direction. The main things it needs are to make reading the comics speedier and to increase the available library.
With Image comics at least, did they have recent work like Morning Glories and Walking Dead? If I can keep the comic file on my computer I might move my Image stuff to Longbox.