In my initial early-adopter enthusiasm about Apple’s new iPad, I may have said some intemperate things about the future of the comic-book industry because of new distribution and readership opportunities presented by this type of emerging digital platform. My co-worker Beth-Ann suggested that since we’re both comic book readers, we should take the opportunity to ask some of the comic-book store owners in the area what they thought about the issue, and if they had any concerns, hopes, or expectations about digital comic reading.
I had a conversation with Sarah Titus, the new owner of The Comic Book Shop in North Wilmington, and Beth-Ann spoke with Joe Murray, owner of Captain Blue Hen Comics, about what they thought the actual impact of this type of technology might be on their businesses. They both had a number of interesting observations–first, importantly, they are both not worried.
Sarah noted that since comic books are an artistic expression that is very diverse, it’s entirely possible that some will not come across very well on the new platform–digital comics are very bright and “pop,” while there are many comic book artist who deal in subtle shading, line, and tone. She said some artists may embrace digital publication and adapt their work to its constraints and advantages (such as being linear, highly dynamic, and cinematic), while others will prefer the benefits of traditional print.
Joe, who frequently lectures on comics, said, “The iPad can be a useful teaching tool. The ability to zoom in on a panel can show how the artist positioned the scene to lead your eye to the next panel.” He demonstrated this using the iPad and an issue of Red Hulk. Joe also cautioned, “When you read a comic on the iPad as a single panel at a time, you don’t see the whole relationship between the panels and lose a little bit of the big picture.” For more information on the magic of comic panels, Joe suggested reading Scott McCloud’s excellent book Understanding Comics.
As business owners, both Sarah and Joe are interested in the increased awareness that backlist, niche, and independent comics will gain from being digitally distributed. In many cases, first issues of less well-known titles and artists are available for free with some e-reader applications, such as the nice one from Comixology. There’s little doubt that people who wouldn’t normally have taken the risk in buying an unknown new series will be happy to try it for free online. If they like what they see, they could very well go off to their local comic book store and buy an issue, as long as the store is aware of what is hot online and makes sure to bring those titles in.
Finally, Joe noted, “We are a nation of collectors. Twenty-five thousand comics on an iPad don’t look any different than two. For collectors, the physical still has value.” Both Joe and Sarah talked about how for a lot of readers, physical ownership and collection is as important a part of the comic experience as reading the title. “It’s always good to have a comic in your hand,” Sarah said (and one customer, overhearing our conversation, called out, “Don’t forget about the smell!”). Readers get a lot of enjoyment from going back over their collections, filling in gaps, and revisiting old favorites.
When we were done talking about comics in the age of the iPad, Joe and Sarah went back to doing what comic store owners always do—recommending titles that their customers haven’t tried. Coincidentally (or is it a conspiracy?), they both recommended the same series, called Fables. I can’t wait to check one of the trade collections out of the library. As noted above, there’s every chance that if I like it as much as I like Hellblazer, Buffy, and Unwritten, I won’t be able to wait for the collected editions and will pick up the comic every month from the store! We’ll see if Beth-Ann suffers a similar fate and has to add Fables to her pull-list, which currently includes X-Factor, Witchblade, and Batgirl.
Interesting perspective and an interesting lesson for the library. These store owners are not concerned because they know their audience / community that comes to their store. In all the rush for libraries to go broke supplying 24 7 online info let’s not forget there is a very real community that will come to your building and that is what separates you from the Kindle’s iPads and Googles of the online world.
This was a great piece. The DE State Library System must have some really talented and dedicated employees. I think the comics “Creator” and prestige (read vanity) factor into this discussion as well. No aspiring writer or artist dreams of holding an LCD screen with his or her creation loaded on the screen. Although “publishing” really just means “to make public” and has been broadly expanded to many different forms of electronic media, a physical artifact, i.e., a book or magazine, journal, etc. remains the end goal for people wanting to be a published comics creator. I think with the increased popularity of graphic novels and the trade paper format for comic books, there is an even stronger connection between comics publishing and books publishing rather than comics and newspapers. Also, big publishers like DC host contests like Zuda Comics where aspiring creators submit work, viewers vote on a winner, and the prize is, you guessed it, a paper-published comic book. Unfortunately, there are some really talented e-comic creators who do amazing work and do not get the respect they deserve because they are not “in print” on paper, but with aspiring creators wanting to be published on paper and the general consumer desire to collect paper copy, paper is safe. The iPad will be great for spreading comic culture and giving aspiring creators a new avenue to promote their work, but to repeat, paper is safe.
Thanks for the great comments! Both Joe and Sarah appreciate their customers and strive to foster that sense of community. Vinny, are absolutely right – libraries also foster community!
PMcC, you bring up some great points! Joe, from Captain Blue Hen, had a lot to say about comic book artists and writers. Unfortunately, Richard and I couldn’t put everything into the post we wanted – it would have been much longer than it already is! I agree that paper has a certain cache that e-pubs do not. Hopefully, with devices like the iPad, some e-published comics will gain enough popularity to become printed.
Joe mentioned that Thom Zahler’s “Love and Capes” is created to display well on the screen and in print. That’s one I haven’t read but also intent on checking out.
I have to agree with Joe about the importance of owning a physical comic book. Previewing a title on a website or through an app is great, but there’s something so lifeless and sterile about the idea of having your comics just be a bunch of files on your computer. Imagine telling a kid that you have a thousand comics for him or her to read–and consider how excited that kid would be to see several longboxes of comics vs. a file folder on your computer screen.
Independent comic shops have always relied on the hard core fan to keep them afloat, not the casual reader. To collectors comics are a fetish property, reading is only one part of the equation, there’s also the thrill of finding a rare issue, the pride of completing a run, ect. These are tangible needs that are not likely to die in the digital era. Look at the resurgence of vinyl lp’s in this the mp3 era, it’s the same thing, the hard core fans will always need and seek out that physical connection to their chosen passion.
Thanks for this article — it’s definitely interesting to see what retailers think of the iPad. It’s difficult to see how any of the iPad comics we’ll see pop up in the coming months will have any effect on the collector’s market; I hope that the iPad can get people interested in comics again in general, though, which can help get more fans into stores and support our friends in the retail industry.
It does appear that independent creators might be the ones who have the most to gain from the iPad: a new way to get your comics to market. Some publishers of iPad apps are making it easy to publish comic book apps! This site is a good resource: http://www.carriercomicbook.com/how-to-publish-an-iPad-comic-book-app.html
Thanks again for the good read!
As an author myself, I like having different versions of my book out there for my readers. It allows them to get the information in whatever form they prefer it.
Seems to me that having a stack of comic books on your iPad is a vast improvement over carrying the stack with you onto an airplane. Doesn’t mean you won’t have a collectors edition at home.
The current screen on the iPad is as bad as it will ever be, which is to say, it will only get better.
Most print materials are printed around 300 dpi. The iPad is currently at 132 dpi (well, “ppi”). The iPhone 4 is around 326 dpi, which is better than most paper print outs.
My problem with the iPad is that the screen is like 1 inch (diagonally) smaller than a comic. So close, yet so far…
good explanation…i hope it can be something precious for us…
good…but, i still don’t have ipad
There’s little doubt that people who wouldn’t normally have taken the risk in buying an unknown new series will be happy to try it for free online. If they like what they see, they could very well go off to their local comic book store and buy an issue, as long as the store is aware of what is hot online and makes sure to bring those titles in.
[...] iPad v. Comic Books – Sarah noted that since comic books are an artistic expression that is very diverse, it’s entirely possible that some will not come across very well on the new platform–digital comics are very bright and “pop,” while there are many comic … [...]
The iPad makes a great comic-book reader. The 9.7-inch screen may not be quite as big a a standard paper page but the easy zooming actually makes the story easier to read.
Interesting perspective and an interesting lesson for the library. These store owners are not concerned because they know their audience / community that comes to their store. In all the rush for libraries to go broke supplying 24 7 online info let’s not forget there is a very real community that will come to your building and that is what separates you from the Kindle’s iPads and Googles of the online world.