I'm ok with that and I read all my stuff digitally anyway, so I'm not affected by any of this. But to play devil's advocate here: will the retailers be ok with this, seeing the bigger picture? 'Cause Bleeding Cool says that when they suggested that the industry could do just that as a temporary fix a few days ago, the retailers they reached out to had a pretty negative response, and I can see why, since it means you are asking a lot of people to trade the physical experience for the digital one, and while that might not be a problem short term, we simply don't know how long this crisis will last. That begs the question: what if people get accustomed to the digital experience, the more this lasts, and decide to stick with it? There are some researches being done right now, and a lot of people say their habits might change even after the pandemic. So, long term, what could this mean to an already frail industry? Some stores are already taking the hit.
I think this is a good decision, but I wouldn't be so sure it will save the direct market like the headline says.
Last edited by Drops Of Venus; 04-01-2020 at 02:47 PM.
As someone who couldn't give a damn about the direct market (meaning I don't buy physical copies but sucks for small business owners) I think it's a better idea than putting their whole buisness on pause for an unknown time. *shrugs*
Last edited by Journey; 04-01-2020 at 02:51 PM.
I'd probably do it. I bag and board my comics and keep them rather than just throw them away (and I suspect most are like this). But I don't want to be several weeks behind in stories so I'd be happy to read them digital before I collect the physical copy I've already paid for.
Honestly, if I had a comic shop (and the capacity to do this), I'd probably offer a system where you could get charged for the comics on your pull list at the start of business and get emailed all your digital codes so you can read your books before you go to the store (and pick the physical copies up later).
Matt Murdock's cooler twin brother
I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Thomas More - A Man for All Seasons
Interested in reading Daredevil? Not sure what to read next? Why not check out the Daredevil Book Club for some ideas?
My LCBS happens to be one of the 100 or so in the US that uses ComicHub. They are out of Australia or New Zealand I think. A few comments...
- I love the concept of having an app to order and keep track of things
- ComicHub’s app is not intuitive at all, however.
- My store has been using them for about 2 years and I still have some of the same issues I’ve had since the beginning. My “next week” listing for example still shows the same small list of stuff from a year + ago.
- In order to make the concept work as described in the article, you would have to PAY through the app. Perhaps my store just doesn’t have this functionality, but it certainly isn’t a feature in my app.
- in the article, they discuss a previews section that can be used for full books. If it exists in my app, I can’t find it. I do have “view” functionality but I’ve only been able to pull up covers, not any additional ages.
- They only have 100 or so US stores. Yes, they are not US based so the may have more scalability than that number suggests, but adding every single US store to their platform in the next 10 days like the article indicates seems VERY unlikely to me, especially since the current app has been flawed so long as is.
Given everything I just highlighted, I don’t see any way that this becomes a practical solution to our current situation. They may be able to build towards something that was described in the article, but I believe it will take YEARS for this particular company to get there. Sorry to be so pessimistic but that’s what I’m seeing based on my experience with this company. The thing is, I think what the article really is the ideal solution for the current crisis. Unfortunately, I just can’t see it as a REALISTIC solution, at least as executed by this company.
“Generally, one knows me before hating me” -Quicksilver
You aren't lying about how non-intuitive it is. lol. The mobile app fezzes when I access my profile. I was able to figure out how to manage my pull list and I was able to purchase two comics that were waiting for me in the store through the app because my shop wanted to do Comichub or over the phone payments due to the shutdown. It took a long while to navigate it. Their site will need a face lift if they expect it to work within two weeks.
It’s far from a perfect solution but so far nobody has put forth any substantial alternative.
I doubt the retailers will be happy with ANY move towards digital, they cry doom any time there's a move in that direction, but the way I see it, this is bigger than just the shops (and has been since before the pandemic, it just heightened the situation an the dangers of relying primarily on one distribution channel that is run by a monopoly) the more they dig their heels in the more they hold the industry as a whole back. The industry is not comic shops, it is comic books. Yes, the retail stores are a part of the ecosystem and are needed to get print comics to readers, but we have to look beyond just the shops and work to diversify the distribution channels more, and that includes digital.
I think this idea is a fair compromise. Though some of the comments on that article seem to suggest that reporting on it may be a bit early, since neither Diamond nor the Publishers were part of the discussion....
Apparently most retailers are opposed to the Comicshub idea.
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/comi...mics-industry/
imagine my shock.
Yeah, it seems like Bleeding Cool may have gotten ahead of themselves with this one. Until we see any publisher officially confirming they plan on being a part of this, I'd say we should hold our horses. It seems like the plan is real, but it's unclear if they'll be able to reach the goals they set for themselves, specially in just two weeks.
Yep, and this right here is the problem. What's the point of trying to do something like this if so many shops will refuse to take part in the initiative? Many readers will not have access to this platform as a result, so something that was supposed to help everyone will end up leaving people out. Unless, of course, those people decide to go full digital, which brings us back to my point about people feeling encouraged to switch to digital. I honestly don't see any scenario in which everybody wins.
''and any publisher that goes for it is my enemy''
I'm curious to know what retailers outside of the US think of this, just for comparison's sake, since the ComicHub thing is supposed to be worldwide, from what I've read.
Last edited by Drops Of Venus; 04-02-2020 at 01:59 PM.
Marvel is joining manga and now giving away some of it's older trades for free on comixology and marvel unlimited.
https://www.newsarama.com/49685-civi...omixology.html
Avengers vs. X-Men
Civil War
Amazing Spider-Man: Red Goblin
Black Panther by Ta-Nehisi Coates Vol. 1
Thanos Wins
X-Men Milestones: Dark Phoenix Saga
Avengers: Kree/Skrull War
Avengers by Jason Aaron Vol. 1: The Final Host
Fantastic Four Vol. 1: Fourever
Black Widow Vol. 1: S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Most Wanted
Captain America: Winter Soldier Ultimate
Captain Marvel Vol. 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More.