Is the Future of Comics Digital?

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[@atomichound1868]

❤ There’s a few things we don’t know such as, is the needle moving toward digital at all? Does digital have the same reader attrition that happens physically? What happens when DC and Marvel goes day and date on their own digital platforms for a premium? Having said that, as long as they are collectible and finite, physical will be around - they may be mailed directly to the consumer, but it will continue. In that regard, comics are more toys, like action figures, beanie babies or even baseball cards, than literature. Great video, Pals!

[@bryanrickard7712]

I dont understand why comics have to be an either/or in terms of digital. There obviously needs to be a viable digital solution, but the digital solution needs to exist to grow readership and drive physical sales. Collection is intrinsic to comic patronage, but readership is what initially created the collection market. It starts with good stories and gains success by investment in visibility. Imagine how many sales could be driven by effective social media marketing of compelling stories

[@TheComicsPals]

Great points! No company in the industry seems to have really leveraged the internet and digital in a way that feels connected to society and how people engage with entertainment today. People's genuine enjoyment and excitement about Ultimate Spider-Man led to them talking about it on social media, a far better marketing campaign than Marvel could muster. They've got to capitalize on that and let everyone seeing all that excitement know exactly how to get that comic.

[@bluespaceman7937]

Both publishers seem to keep digital sales figures under wraps and we have very few alternative sources of data. All the same, for many people that is the only way they currently consume comics. Curiously, Marvel seems to do a much better job at releasing most of their big omnibuses digitally, whereas DC seems to almost never release a digital omnibus.

[@TheComicsPals]

I think it's great for people who have no alternative, and I think because how difficult it can be to find a proper comic shop, digital is an essential arm of comic book publishing. I just think we run into an issue if/when it becomes the standard, but the numbers we DO have seem to indicate that is far, far from being reality.

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

everythings going digital but there are still some strategies to maintain a tangable comic book industry for some time!!! One is making digital comics work together in the ocuntless ways you can do it.... cheaper when buying tangable ones, and some stories in a run or event being digital until the omnis unless you by tangable books.... or a manga/comic book mall where you can buy and even create comic content

[@jonfrombuckland_3784]

Personally. I'm very wary of going fully digital, what if Zazlav decides to delete all their archived comics too? Physical media is permanent media, not a rental to a digital storage space

[@TheComicsPals]

Same feelings here! The last year or so should be eye-opening to people about how easily your digital media can be taken away.