Americans are developing a binge-watching mentality for television and a trade does that for comics. Now for TV shows we have seasons or "series" as them Eurofolks calls them. Throw 12 or 13 hours together and boom! That's a package. Sometimes the shows are individual and stand on their own, other times they're interlocking. Same with comic books.
It's silly to think one or the other is going to win out as the be-all, end-all format. But those that have mentioned the growing importance of the trade are noticing the future.