When we asked our loyal listeners if movies like Batman v Superman and Guardians of the Galaxy actually impacted comic book stores the response was tepid (not the response from our Facebook fans, but that they didn’t think there was much). Which of course leads me to the ever popular Digital vs Print debate I carried on our sister site mikebooks.com a few months back. Below is an excerpt from that popular blog:
Sire fan and newfound Facebook friend Luis Santana hit me up and asked if it’s even worth doing printed comics anymore. The short answer? Maybe. Let’s take a look shall we?
Luis Santana (via FB DM) asked:
“Hey Michael, love your book, The Sire. I was wondering if you could tell me if its worth it to even print comics these days and just go digital through comixology? How has your experience been with them? I am debating on putting out a creator owned comic on print and just go digital. Any advice? Thanks. Keep the great work coming. Luis.”
Well Luis, first off, thanks for digging the book! Really means a lot and helps keep the wheels turning. Now for your question(s). Lets break them down into the following categories:
Print vs Digital Comics
First let’s tackle the ever engaging print vs digital debate. The short answer is: yes, i DO think there’s value in having your book in print form sitting on a store shelf somewhere. It’s even moreso if you can meet Diamond’s monthly minimums and be carried “officially” in stores because it gives your brand legitamacy. You didn’t beg your local shop to carry your books on consignment and it already passed the test of Diamond reps and retailer shops.
But that can be costly as well. And often times, unless you advertise heavily getting the word out on a creator owned book, may end up being more expensive than it’s worth. Best case, sure, you’re in stores. Worst case? You’ve spent ten grand making it happen and you’re not likely to get recouped (unless you Kickstarted it which is a whole OTHER topic)
So what do you think? How long until Digital Comics completely overtakes the market? And comic book stores are a thing of the past? We welcome Jim Gibbons, part of Stela Comics, an all-digital comic book company with original creations made for your phone to chat about the long standing print vs digital debate: is paper even worth it anymore?
Missed an epsiode? Catch up on Soundcloud now! Listen to last week’s episode on MIB 23 and Avatar below: