This is an interesting piece in LA Times regarding the death of the comic book business and how it might be saved by a move to the web. I don’t know for sure if that’s right but I do know I really like the feeling of a book in my hands. I don’t especially love reading things online. I’ll do it but its far more fun to flip the pages and feel the paper when reading a “real” book — comic or otherwise.
Although, the piece makes some interesting points and I gotta believe the cost of production and distribution would drop quite a bit for comics shown on the web versus those in print form. In the end, economics will probably make the decision for most publishers. If comic books sell in print form and make a profit, we’ll still see them sold that way. If not, well then its off to the web we go.
In other (related) news, I will be traveling down to San Diego next week for the madness known as the San Diego Comic Con. This year I’ll be covering it for CBR and also doing some stuff for Cinematical as well — along with my pal Kevin Kelly who is a far more talented writer than I am. So, if you want the latest and greatest news from the Con, check out those two sites next week.
If you happen to be going to the Con, feel free to say hello. Look for me on the show floor, in the various panels or on the CBR boat docked next door at the Marriott marina! Yes, CBR honcho Jonah Weiland got a boat for this years Con. Yes, he’s a pretty fun guy.
tomdog
July 25, 2007 at 9:22 pmhope you are enjoying Comic Con!
tomdog
July 18, 2007 at 1:48 pmI’m a longtime comic fan who would be completely disenchanted by seeing them on the web. A significant portion of the experience is looking at the quality of the art on the paper (the kind of paper, cover stock, etc.). If it’s a crap comic on good paper, that’s a waste and it won’t sell anyway. It’s artwork, not just a method of communicating information.