A few weeks ago I was rearranging the back issues at the book store I work at in my hometown. It is always a pain because most of the comics back there are in either terrible condition or are comics that no one would ever buy unless they truly hated the person the gift was intended for. So, as I began the painstaking labor to create some kind of order for these musty and unloved comics something wonderful caught my eye: A near-mint copy of War Machine issue 2. It's not a highly sought after book, and unless you were an avid comic fan during the 1990s, not one most people would even know about. However, War Machine issue 2 holds a special place for me -- you see, its the first comic I ever owned, and as a collector, it's the one that started it all.


Collecting is an interesting aspect of comic book fandom, not because it is unique (let's face it, every aspect of fandom includes an aspect of collecting) but because of what it represents for people. I know that I have often been in awe upon seeing the collections of others and greatly desire to own more and more. I currently have four boxes at home full of comics and I know that I wish I had eight. It's not as much a need to collect, but what it represents. I am reminded of the George Clooney's character in "Up in the Air": For him, it was not necessarily a matter of collecting the miles so he could travel around the world, it was because he wanted the status that was associated with collecting those miles. That, in itself, was justification. As a collector, I can relate.

With all of that said, last month Apple finally released their experiment to create a portable, user friendly and versatile tablet PC that blurs the line between a computer and an PDA. It has applications that I can hardly fathom and untapped potential to be any number of valuable resources for people on the go. One aspect of it that I have heard and read about more than any other is its use as an e-reader, especially in relation to comics. It was a novel concept when I had first heard of it, and as many early reviewers pointed out, an idea that up until now has never really worked as well as the page has. But, I do have to ask the question, is it really a good fit for comics?



At the turn of the century I was just discovering how effective a tool the Internet was for talking comics, sharing stories and discovering new books. There was a wealth of webcomics and free comics at my finger tips, which often rivaled even the best superhero books on print at Marvel and DC. What made these comics so interesting was their ability to work so well in the digital world. Although some of have found success in print -- such as "PvP," "Achewood" and DC's Zuda Comics -- by and large, webcomics have found a way to make the medium adhere to their content, rather than vice versa. So, it was interesting when comics which started as print began to make their way online. To be honest, it seemed like a poor fit. With webcomics, each page is a stand alone update, often self-contained with with a punchline, but a comic book is, well, a book, with 22 pages between the beginning and the end. As a stagnate image, it doesn't feel right, and common comic book characteristics, such as two-page panels, are often lost in translation. I should put this in another context: When Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos introduced the Kindle in 2007 he was featured in Newsweek saying "The book just turns out to be an incredible device." Truer words have never been spoken, which is funny because he helped create a product which many consider to be the killer of that "incredible device." The iPad looks to have that sort of effect on comics.



I suppose there are many people who are worried what the future holds for comic books, which seem to have been fighting a losing battle for years as readership continues to decline for the monthly print version. So far in reading this, one could see that I, too, am concerned about what a device like the iPad could mean for comics, but I do not want it sound like I'm opposed. Comic readers shouldn't see the iPad as forcing us to change the way we read comics, but instead, giving us a new way to enjoy the medium. Right now, the technology which majors companies such as Marvel and IDW are using is a beautiful blend of fusing how we read comics on the page with how we could enjoy them on the screen. Like webcomics, it takes the technology, the medium, and latches onto it in a new way, and with the ability to view 22-page books on a panel-by-panel basis or as two-pages, it is one of the first times that a handheld device can truly mimic the real thing. And before long, we could see a major shift as sound effects, voice acting and even limited animation are added to enhance the experience.

However, I am concerned as to whether or not the publishers believe the two forms can live co-dependent of one another. On paper, the cost of producing a comic for the web is considerably cheaper and, with the use of DRM, the publisher controls the rights to all distribution. As a collector, and as a reader, this is a huge concern. So, I have a few ideas that I think could further enhance the product, which, hopefully, shouldn't render either form obsolete.

1) It is not the right time to start releasing content exclusively for the iPad. Remember when I said I was a collector? That is, to a certain extent, why many of us got into comics in the first place. Yes, we love the stories and will probably continue to buy comics for years to come because we love reading them, but it is the collector's value that keeps us coming back. In addition to my boxes, I have binders full of comics which bear the beautiful signatures of the writers and artists who created them. I couldn't do that with an iPad, and I wouldn't want to.

2) Make digital comics a value added for readers. Companies could greatly increase subscription rates by including a free digital copy of each book with the print version. The same could be done for buying books in the shops.

3) Shop owners should be able to sell package deals with trades, back issues and on the rack books. Why not work with these sellers to give incentives of a free voucher for every 5 books sold? This is synergy. This is what brings people into the fold.

4) Allow trading between devices. I realize that the Zune is a joke for most people, but the ability to share music for set period of time would be perfect for comics. The person who buys the digital comic would have it forever, at their disposal, but they should be able to share it with a friend for a set period of time, maybe 48 or 72 hours.

5) Release the digital version a month later, to further ensure readership of your print version. I think this is fairly self explanatory, but let's be honest: There are many people who would rather spend $1.99 on a comic which is always at their finger tips without ever losing value than spend $4.99 on the same book which may go under plastic and never be read again. An earlier release for the print version could keep readership, and sales, from sinking.



In a perfect world digital and print versions of comics could live side by side in the same way that floppies (single issues) currently co-exist with trade paperbacks. My hope, as I'm sure it is of many long time readers, is that the publishers recognize that we love comics the way we currently read them. The smell, the feel of the paper, the colors - it is as much a sensory experience as it is a literary one. I in no way doubt that the iPad and other digital readers like it can satisfy our love of the medium, but it will never satisfy our desire to collect. Comics are as much about owning, sharing, trading and collecting as they are about reading, and for that I hope that comic publishers take a minute to think about their fans and not the bottom line.

---

---