I love comic books. I hate physical media. Yet for various reasons, it has taken me a long time to adjust to digital comics. Part of it was habit and part of it was waiting for the right device. Earlier this year I made an effort to only read comics on my iPad 2 via Comics by Comixology. Now that I’ve made the adjustment, there’s no way in hell I’m going back. Reading comics on a tablet computer is, by far, the best way to enjoy single issues. Here’s a rundown of my journey to the world of digital comics and the reasons why I’ll never go back to print.
The biggest reason that I was resistant to digital comics was the way I read traditional comic books. I often keep a finger on a certain page so that I can flip back to it easily. I like to reexamine certain panels, looking for bits of foreshadowing dialogue or checking to see if there was any background action I mixed. Now that I’m comfortable with the Comixology interface, I can easily flip back on forth through books on my iPad 2.
Another reason why it took me a while to adjust was that I’ve been reading paper comics for over 30 years. I was just used to the experience -- the way paper feels, the way it smells, etc. This was completely mental. I remember talking to an old coworker of mine about it and he suggested that I give digital a month. He said that it would feel weird at first, but once I got over the mental part of it that I would love the experience. He was totally right.
Waiting for the right device was also integral to my transition to digital comics. I’ve tried reading digital comics on my PC and PlayStation Portable. The experience sucked. It was too far removed from reading print and introduced several inconveniences. Tablet computers like the iPad 2 are absolutely perfect for comics. The large screens, light weight, and portability of tablets are fantastic for comic-book reading. You have a form factor that’s roughly the size of a paper comic book coupled with power and conveniences of a computer. It’s an unbeatable combination.
One of the best things about digital comics is instant gratification. I don’t have to have to watch the clock tick on Wednesdays (new comics day!) so that I can head to the comic book store on my lunch break. I simply run the Comixology app, see what’s new, buy it, download, and read it (while I’m pretending to do work). You can’t beat that!
Another aspect of digital comics that I love is that I can bring hundreds of issues with me everywhere I go. Try doing that with physical comics. Imagine dragging a large and heavy stack of paper books with you on a bus or airplane? Not fun, hey? It’s brilliant being able to hop on a plane in Los Angeles, conveniently read dozens of comics, and be entertained so thoroughly that you’re surprised how quickly the time went by when you land in Tokyo.
The convenience of digital comics can be dangerous. A few weeks ago I noticed that Devil’s Due Publishing was offering Voltron: Defender of the Universe #0 for free. I downloaded it and enjoyed the read. I saw that other issues were available for 99 cents, so I downloaded the five-issue mini-series. I enjoyed that too, so I downloaded all 12 issues of the proper series. $17 and 18 comics in a matter of hours. The whole affair kept me entertained me for hours and I’ve reread the Voltron books several times so I don't regret the purchase, but I’m frightened by the prospects of my future impulse buys on Comixology.
The only problem I see with digital comics is when it comes to trade paperbacks or collected editions. This is one area where print has a big pricing advantage. At the moment, Comixology only sells single issues and there aren’t any discounts for buying the equivalent of a trade paperback. Say it’s November 2011 and I suddenly want to read Ultimate Spider-Man: Death of Spider-Man. It’ll be much cheaper to by the hardcover collected edition than buying the individual issues digitally.
Having said that, there are way too many advantages to digital comics. The instant gratification is brilliant. Being able to carry hundreds of issues with you at a time is fantastic. Not taking up a ridiculous amount of space is a blessing, especially to city dwellers. I’m glad I listened to my friend Blair and gave digital comics a month. There’s no way I’m going back. Print seems silly to me now.
Anyone in the Padvance Universe (the PU?) have experience with digital comics on an iPad or Android tablet? What do you like about them? What don’t you like? Please leave your thoughts on digital comics in the comments section below.
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