Just a quick follow up on this because it got more attention than I would have thought (I really didn't expect mainstream tech bloggers to take notice but it ended up making techmeme)

Response has been mostly negative following along the same lines as this forbes blog entry by David Ewalt.  To quote the article...

And as colleague Klaus Kneale points out:  A vast majority of comic book fans are net-savvy enough to download scans of the comics for free from file sharing sites.  Marvel needs to make it as easy as possible for readers to stay honest, and requiring a monthly fee will only keep people away.

From abcnews.com I see that Marvel Comics is finally making a (debatably) major push into online comics.  In their release it says that they’ll make 2,500+ back issues available for viewing at a subscription rate of $60 a year (or $9.99 a month).   

For the record, I’m a huge “Old School” fan of comics (my “Old School” being the late 80s to early 90s) and while I try to keep up with what’s going on in the Comic Book world through various internet news sites I don’t collect anymore because I’m really not a fan of the direction in which comics have gone.   So this announcement is interesting to me.  That said, there are some glaring issues here that I’d like to address. 

The interface: The thing that has killed every attempt at online comics that I can think of is that comics just don’t lend themselves to the computer screen.  Sure there are people willing to steal the pdfs to get free comics but when people pay money for the comic they want a pleasant viewing experience and the computer screen just doesn’t seem to provide that.  Unless Marvel can find a way to make the viewing experience enjoyable this initiative will fall flat.   

Availability of Comics: Right now this is how the Marvel press release lists what will be available initially…

At launch, Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited offers more than 2,500 comic books. Each week, Marvel will add at least 20 additional titles to the site that will be chosen based on editors' picks and subscriber requests. The initial offerings will run the gamut from unforgettable classics, to current favorites, to titles designed for young readers. Selected highlights include: Unforgettable Classics

-- The first 100 issues of Amazing Spider-Man

-- The first 100 issues of The Fantastic Four

-- The initial 66 issue run of Uncanny X-Men

-- The first 50 issues of The Avengers

-- The issues marking the first appearances of such Super Heroes as Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, Thor, Daredevil, and Silver Surfer

-- The issues marking the first appearance of such renowned villains as Dr. Octopus, Sandman, Lizard, and Dr. Doom -- The issue that showcased the first appearance of Spider-Man's black costume Recent and Current Favorites

-- Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men

-- Selected titles from the Ultimate line including: Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Fantastic Four and The Ultimates

-- The House of M

-- Amazing Spider-Man

-- New Avengers

-- Young Avengers

-- Runaways Young Reader Series

-- Marvel Adventures Spider-Man

-- Spider-Girl

-- Spider-Man & Power Pack

-- Marvel Adventures Avengers

-- Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four

-- Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius

You’ll notice a lot of “select titles” or “chosen based on editor’s picks” in that list.  My experience is that comic fans want a sequential experience and aren’t usually thrilled with the idea of “read whatever we throw at you”.   

Effect on Current Business Model: For better or worse Marvel currently makes the lion’s share of their money off of local comic shops who sell their monthly issues.  These shops make their money off of two things, current issues and back issues.  So while Marvel isn’t putting their own business model at risk with this initiative (they only make money off of new issues) they are sacrificing the model of their main distributors.  If Marvel is putting 2,500 of the best back issues online for $5 a month there’s little reason for someone to give $2.50 per back issue to their comic shop.  If retailers begin to see a decrease in back issue sales you can look for Marvel to have a major conflict between this new initiative and their current business model.   

I’ll admit to being a little over critical here but that being said I think this is a half hearted attempt by Marvel that won’t provide much to fans and which presents a serious challenge for retailers.  Don’t get me wrong, It is nice to see companies such as Marvel acknowledging the online space I just wish they’d do it in a way that provides a few more benefits. 

Damon Lindelof, producer of the TV Show Lost and poster child for all that is wrong in the world of Comic Books, recently penned an article for the NY Times entitled “Mourning TV”   In it, he goes on to say how unfair it is that LOST has been streamed millions of times and he hasn’t gotten paid for it.  To quote the article… 

My show, “Lost,” has been streamed hundreds of millions of times since it was made available on ABC’s Web site. The downloads require the viewer to first watch an advertisement, from which the network obviously generates some income. The writers of the episodes get nothing. We’re also a hit on iTunes (where shows are sold for $1.99 each). Again, we get nothing. 

Now the issue here is that there’s a big assumption in the above paragraph.  Mr. Lindelof is equating “revenue” to “profit” which is a huge assumption on his part.  I’ve consulted for a couple of digital media startups and I can tell you firsthand that bandwidth is not cheap.  I very sincerely doubt the studios are doing much more than recouping their costs off online streaming being that they can only scare up one advertiser per show right now.   

As for iTunes, I don’t know what deal the studios have with Apple but I’ve noticed that most aren’t rushing to sign up all their new shows which makes me think the revenue is minimal.  It’s a topic for another time but iTunes has always seemed like more of a marketing channel than a revenue channel to me.   So really you have a situation where the writers are asking for a chunk of money that very well might not be there. 

Which brings me to the second part of my point which is this...Mr Lindelof, I hate to be the one to break it to you but you and your colleagues (writers, directors, producers, et al) are overpaid.   You know why you don’t see unions in the computer field?  Because everyone knows that a programmer is of some value so they don’t need one.  Developers don’t demand more stock options from a company they just threaten to go somewhere else.  In contrast everyone in Hollywood is in a union because they know that they really aren’t that valuable and that there’s some kid writing plays in Pasadena that could probably do their job better if given the chance.   This brings me to the line in the article that I just found offensive.  Mr. Lindelof says… 

But I am willing to hold firm for considerably longer than three months because this is a fight for the livelihoods of a future generation of writers, whose work will never “air,” but instead be streamed, beamed or zapped onto a tiny chip. 

To that I say BULL$#@^!  This is a fight over RESIDUALS, a.k.a. the money you get paid on top of the 6 figure salary that you already got paid.  No one’s livelihood is in the least bit of danger right now.   That brings us down to the harshest truth of all which is that Hollywood is eventually going to have to bend to technology.  Technology forces products to be sold for their true market value and not an artificial high created through scarcity. 

Ask the music industry who used to charge $20+ for a CD and they’ll (grudgingly) tell you I’m right.   

Its time for TV to be given to the consumer for what it is worth and that means that Studios, Writers, Producers and Actors are going to have to live with a little less and honestly I don’t have the least bit of problem with that.  The studios are already being forced to face these facts with the shrinking margins produced by digital content but it’s now the writer’s turn (and the actors, producers, et. al will soon follow)   Honestly, maybe the writer’s should just be happy to make 6 figures doing something they love.  That’s certainly more than all the stage hands, extras, and other low level workers who HAVE lost their livelihood to this strike are making.