How do you read your comics?

[stwaz]

Over the last couple of years I have slowly moved to reading my comics on Comixology exclusively. I only buy 1 paper comic a month; The Walking Dead. And to be honest, had I had some foresight, I would have switched TWD to digital starting with 127. But I didn't, and now my sense of continuity, and my desire to visit my favorite comic shop from time to time, keeps me buying the hard copy. I have worried a little about comic shops going under if the digital comics wave overtakes them.

I visited a comic shop in Bethany Beach DE this past summer, and engaged the owner in conversation about this very thing. His take on it was that the percentage of readers who read exclusively digital is so small, he didn't see it as an imminent threat.

I'm really curious how you all are reading your comics now.

Do you read hard copies monthly?
Do you read hard copies of collections?
Do you read some hard copies and some digital?
Do you read exclusively digital?

I have to say, I LOVE the digital comic format. I read my comics on a laptop, and I use the Guided View option.

And here's another question: How much do you pay for your digital comics, if you read digital comics. On Comixology, the price for a new Marvel comic is the same as a hard copy. Most, if not all Image comics are the same price for new comics, but a month later, the price goes down a dollar. I'm patient, so I always buy Saga, Outcast and Invincible when the price is reduced.

I sometimes buy digital codes for Marvel comics on Ebay for anywhere from $1 to $2. Also, I found a great website where I can buy the codes for 1/2 the cover price. I assume that the Ebay thing and the discount code website are on the up and up, or somebody'd be trying hard to shut that down. BUT, I will say, I can afford to read WAY more Marvel comics every month (probably twice as many, right?) because I'm getting them for 1/2 price. AND that means I'm more invested in the story and the characters and the movies and the company. I feel like a kid again, when comics were only .60 to $1.00. If I had to pay the 4 to 5 bucks, I'd have to cut back.

And finally, wtf is readcomics .net?? And how do they do what they do? It looks to me like they are offering FREE digital comics (to read, not to download), brand new and old. Am I missing something? How can they legally do that? It seems WAY sketchy to me. Sketchier than me getting my comics for 1/2 price, anyway.

What are your thoughts on all this?

[DebkoX]

Digitally and print. I refuse to read from "free" websites because they are laggy, slow, virus-riddled and the creative team needs to sell issues to stay in business.

1: I don't read hard copies because I'm going to university next week and won't have the space
2: Only ones that are iconic such as the Killing Joke
3: Yes
4: Shifting towards it

I tend to buy comics on sale, such as today I got all four volumes of Alias (Jessica Jones) for £2.50 on sale, so £10 in total. Pretty good when volume 1 is about £14 in trade.

[Carabas]

I read physical trades and hardcovers exclusively.

I don't touch digital or singles.

[RegalSin]

Out of depression I have been offing my collection. Selling off little by little to somebody else. Otherwise I prefer print but I read digital to avoid damaging the books. You can not beat the print work at all. DIgital has a nice sense to it but more could be done.

[Spike-X]

I'll check out some stuff digitally first, but for the stuff I really want to read and keep, it's tpbs/HCs all the way.

[MindofShadow]

99% digital

[MyriVerse]

Monthly hard copies, almost exclusively.

[GreenLanternRanger]

I read floppies and trades/hardcovers.

[Shawn Hopkins]

Mostly digital on my iPad, but I do still crack open the occasional trade or single issue from my collection. Most of my new purchases are digital. My physical backlog is huge and I try not to add to it that much just for space concerns. I don't want to buy another storage building. That said I still sometimes can't resist buying myself a trade as a treat or buying a weird old book or odd indie.

[Rawhide Kid]

Monthlies on Comixology. With the € stronger than the $, they're slighty cheaper than in comic-shops.
TPB on Comixology if discounted.
Marvel Comics on Marvel Unlimited
TPB on hard copy in comic-shops.
Omnibus on hard copy with Amazon, it's often 40% off than in comic-shops.

Digital has a great advantage: it does not take physical space. I'm sad that I can't read my old monthlies because they are stored on piles in a closet, so the ones on the bottom are not accessible and they get damaged.

[MRP]

I pick up a select few books physically in hard copy, but try to keep my pull list to 5 titles or less. I only do this for books I think need the month to month support to survive that I really like and to support a shop I like. I have 2 print subs through Marvel that arrive in my mailbox each month, they were 45% off cover so I picked 2 books I wanted to support and see continue. I also have a subscription to Heavy Metal, as a multiple year sub nets titles at a little less than half cover price. I do have Marvel Unlimited though. For the vast majority of stuff I want to read, support, and keep, I buy physical trade collections (the bulk of this is currently Image titles). I don't mind paying for a digital subscription where I can access as much as I want, but I don't see value in paying for individual issues/collections via digital. If DC offered a subscription in the vein of Marvel Unlimited, I would subscribe as well Comixology Unlimited doesn't offer enough yet to be a value to me and my reading habits), but as it stands I buy 1 book a month from DC (Future Quest) and only read other stuff by them if my local library gets it in. If Marvel print subs weren't 45% off cover, I would not buy any singles from them and just wait it out on Unlimited as well. I rarely buy trades of new material from Marvel or DC either. Most of what I buy to keep in collected editions is either creator owned material I enjoy or older books (Gold/Silver/Bronze Age) I like and want to have permanent access to.

-M

[Prisoner 6655321]

I pick up, pretty much exclusively comicbooks with physical properties. Typically 15-20 issues, twice a month. For countless reasons, I prefer physical comic books to digital ones. In fact, I won't buy digital comics at all. Heck, sometimes digital first (or digitally exclusive stories) will offend my sensibilities just by existing. Othertimes I just chalk it up to reality (I get that a lot of folks can make digital comics much easier than real ones, this does not offend me) and it only really ever bothers me when it's some kinda in-continuity story that is not typically digital especially if it doesn't get released in hard copy format. I also read a fairly high volume of collections from the library.

[DebkoX]

One thing I've never done is bought a TPB from comic stores, they tend to be the most expensive.

[FluffySheep]

I tried digital briefly but I didn't get on with it. So I stick with physical copies. I read roughly 10 titles a month in floppy singles form, and I buy trades, hardcovers etc. I am leaning more towards bigger and nicer hardcovers over trades now though. I get my comics from my LCS but I rarely buy trades or hardcovers there due to their price.

[dancj]

I buy physical copies of The Flash monthly, but other than that I'm exclusively TPBs.