Digital comics vs paper

IMHO digital has revolutionized comic viewing pleasure. I hav an iPad2 and with the Marvel and DC apps reading a comic has never been cooler. There is an awesome cinematic feature that moves along block by block so you never see to far ahead or what's on the next page( which I tend to do accidentally all the time). It also resizes the picture to a larger scale for easier to read dialogue and overall better viewing. My only problem is that the price of a digital comic is the same as print, now I don't want to sound cheap but shouldn't there be a slightly lower price? It's saves the company on printing costs which is good for them and the environment and it cuts down on number of comics in circulation which make them more valuable with time. I think a lower price would be incentive for many to buy digital and not only save money but help save our planet from deforestation and pollution....captain planet would agree, do you?

Bump!

I only read digital, although I'm not too concerned about saving the planet. Drokk trees. I like the setup more on my Vtab, panel scrolling and I don't have to be careful turning a page. I usually wait till comics have gone down in price to bother, but when I do I'm pretty mindless so I spend about the same as I would normally.

Go PAPER!

Toilet paper comics

sand paper comics

Bond paper comics

Pulp Comics

any comic as long as it is paper!!!

why?

cuz you can lick your thumb to flip the pages!

which is probably awesome!

digital is better(saving trees and such). Of those of you who say they enjoy the smell of old books,that is mold you're smelling.Do you really want to enjoy the smell of mold?

move on to digital,it's cheaper and more convenient.

in addition of the tree saving, is more accessible because for example, here in my country the comics show are below zero, no one sells comics, only mangas and anime, so if you want to find a comic need to buy it from internet or the little bit persons who sells comics and usually they sell it with overprice... so i go digital

Paper.

Ive never read anything on digital, dunno just like browsing the comic book store, they lots of fun crap!

I'm an advocate of paper, especially as my dads iPads crashed and he lost everything and I had beeeeeeeeeautiful booooooooooks.

But yeah paper, I like holding books and the covers and bookshelves, that may sound pretentious but it says a lot about a person

I still buy Paper. I support the people who own and work at comic retailers and digital hurts them. I'm all for the environment protection, but I don't like seeing these small stores closing so a company can directly take the profit from their consummers. It cuts out the middle man out and the middle man needs to make a living too.

I like collecting the books themselves, so digital is pointless for me. If i only wanted them to read it would be fine. And I also agree that the price should be a bit lower than the print comics.

I like both. The only downside to digital is there is absolutely no resale value. I stick to buying things to resale or if I really fall in love with the art or artist.

Not a big fan of digital, there's just something about holding the book in your hands that feels right.

i prefer paper there more collectible and i like when people come over my house and comment on the stacks of comics in my room.

With digital on the rise there is less need to print more comics on paper, thus there are less in circulation making your collection more valuable.

I prefer having the physical copy of the book similar to how I want to have the Blu Ray case for my Blu Ray

Being new to comics I have tried out both to see which one I like more. I love digital for it's accessibility, I had to wait at the mechanic earlier this week to get my tranny flushed and while waiting I just booted up the phone bought a comic and read it right then and there. Also it is much easier to share with my friends since it is always on me in my phone. The back light also gave the image some extra Pop! and I can't stress enough how it not having ads was a plus. Another bonus is that I don't have to worry about ruining the comic or ever losing it since it is stored safely in the cloud.

Print wise I love the collect-ability of it and not for any resale or monetary value. Instead I love looking at comic covers and appreciating them. I appreciate my print collection more because it feels more like art to me. I have a comixology account and it has a my comics tab that simulates this but I don't consider it art looking at it on screen. Also while reading print I realized I found it more satisfying to read because I didn't notice this until I read digital but when I read print I like to look back at all the panels on the page previously and look at all of them together. I feel like the artists have a type of image they are trying to convey between the panels as well as the individual panels themselves

@Blood1991: if they decide to work with Comixology you can buy digital AND support them!

@Bane_of_sith: on a forum on another site they said part of the reason it's the same price if because they don't have ads on comixology

@Phandemic: why do ads bother you? I never even look at them (just like web ads). They only ever bother me when (like last year) there were multipage ads in the middle of the story - like the 8mm ads

@djotaku At first it was jarring and would interrupt the flow of the story. Also I have the tendency to have to actively ignore the ad in a comic I can't do it passively like I do on the internet. When I read an digital comic or trade paperback I can get lost in the story with no stoppages in between. Though now that I have read more it isn't as bad at first.

Paper all the way.

I enjoy the feeling of having a collection I can see stacking up and taking over corners of my room, I also enjoy going to the comic shop and speaking to the staff and spending time socially putting the world to rights. Also I have lent out and borrowed comics off people, is someone going to lend me their £400 ipad???

Sorry trees!

I read both but I prefer being able to collect the print comics

I like paper comics a lot more.

Digital comics can be way better.Digital comics can take advantage some features that print comics can't.Comics publishers can take advantage of sound and music can be played while reading comics. Say batman is walking into a creepy abandoned house, in that moment while reading the pages, creepy music will be played.It strengthen the tone of the scene better and people would find a digital comics more enjoyable.

I like Print over Digital Comics. I do agree with the fact that Digital is clearly more accessible on the go but I can't stand the thought that once that cloud goes corrupted or gone, so too are my comics. I am a casual comic reader so I like and wait to collect the TPB in Hardcover. Digital does give it a nicer pop to the comic the only issue I have with that is if you don't have a RETINA display or LED Monitor or OLED now a days you may not see the "Pop". Regardless it comes down to preference and mine is more towards print. I like having the printed book in literally my hands. As for saving our trees, for every 3 dozen comics or however many kill a tree, plant a tree that would help in the long run.

Paper for my favorite books, plus to support the local comic shop

Digital for titles I'd like to read but not super into, usually buy them on ebay at discount. As well as older titles I can't find at my local shop.

Print forever. I have read some digital comics I got from digital codes and the Marvel event but it's not the same. Digital definitely looks crisp but it doesn't feel as good to read. I get more immersed with print comics and I like to look at my collection.

I would say that when it comes to Print vs. Digital, I am in 60/40 in favor of Print. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to hold the book in my hands rather than read a screen, besides, I don't have a tablet or smartphone, so I can't read them on the go. Digital is nice though.

Nothing can beat the feel of a comic in my hands while reading it, digital just isn't the same.

Digital is good for finding cheap back issues hassle free. Or it's also good to check out a new title to test the waters first (often times issues that aren't brand new that week are cheaper). For exmple I checked out the series Talon on digital format a few weeks ago as it was already 4 or 5 issues in and my lcs did t have the back issues. Also because they were at least a dollar cheaper.

Digital is also good for the environment.

All that bein said, I still prefer a physical copy I can hold. I mean maybe this isn't true for everyone but when I pay for something like a comic (especially since it has art that someone worked hard on to bring to life) I want to be able to hold it. All the work so many people put into something should have some kind of weight to it, in a physical sense. Also if comixogy were to go out of business my digital copy might not even exist anymore. Physical copies deteriorate as well. But at least that's within my own control and how well I take care of my own things. It really comes down to possession and being able o physically possess something you purchased. I think that's a fundamental thing in our capitalist society.

holding it in my hand always beats the digital copy. it also gets me off the computer....

I prefer digital since I only plan on reading them once. It's also cheaper and a lot easier than going to a comic book store.

I've come to enjoy my iPad 3 that my son gave me, and the just too damn easy way to get comics instantly. Been reading comics since I could read (around 1970?) and Have more comics than I can shake a stick at. I do love the floppies, and the tpbs and Hard cover collections, but reading new and older issues on my iPad is just amazing. So I'm a fan of both. I'll always buy floppies/tpbs etc... of my Spidey comics, but with all else, I'm enjoying the whole digital age thing.

Keep On Thwipin'!!!

Sam

I like this discussion, a good topic to discuss about.

I like reading paper comics, as said earlier, it feels right, because I'm reading a comic BOOK and not, say, a comic DIGITAL. I usually go to the library to read them and yes @moywar700, I freaking love the aura of mold, it feels so right.

With that said, I don't mind reading from a smartphone or tablet either, we are technologically advancing and we're saving trees, which are very positive things! :D

It's a 50/50 for me.

Daaerk

I only read free digital comic books from Comixology. I won't buy them since I don't really own them. If they allow users to download a pdf copy, then I might consider it. Reasons of why paper is better have already been mentioned by many. I like prints over digital.

I like the idea of having paper...but the problem is that it requires new physical space each time you buy a new one.

Having all on your notepad saves considerable space.

Another big issue is that of release dates...I used to live in a place where we were like 1 month behind or something like that.

@bane_of_sith: Comixology actually reduces prices about a month after the issue has been out. So if the issue was 3.99 it would be 2.99, then after awhile it goes to 1.99

It depends. If I didn't have a comic book shop in my city I would probably go digital. I do love collecting things though, especially physical media. I also really enjoy talking to the guy who owns the store, as well as browsing through the shelves. Digital comics are a great idea, but you should always be able to have the choice.

It's an interesting query because it raises questions to as what ownership actually means. Can you really even own something you can't physically possess? Also I've seen things about how certain comic websites only grant you a limited license to the comics you "purchase". So in a sense you don't really own it. Which goes back to my previous post in that you don't really possess a digital copy. You merely "view" it through a site's comic reader. I think it is important to realize the difference there. It's like renting vs owning. But paying to view digital comics isn't even renting as there is no physical object acquired on the transaction

@extremis: You make a very valid point. However, if someone just wants to read a comic and isn't too bothered about buying each individual issue, the option is there. As long as the opportunity to go down both routes is there, then it is all good.

I agree with 80% of what your saying. my major Concerns however involves the fact that what is digital is never going to be around for me.

Example, I own a book, I have it till the end of my days. It can also grow in value base on condition.

Digital Comic will last as long as the company has money to put into the website. Tech is also always changing and one day I may lose the ability to view that comic collection if it is never updated to the new tech 20 years down the road.

Book is forever where Digital Comics can be iffy on how long I may be able to view them thanks to Business selling out, Web sight shut downs, ect.

Yeah and as I even said in my previous post I do buy digital here and there. It definitely has its upsides. But I think as comic readers we owe it to ourselves to be mindful of the distinction between ownership and viewership. If, in an extreme case, someone is thinking of completely converting to only digital, I would only hope they are aware of tentative nature associated with digital comics. There's no guarantee that your digital copy will be there to view in the future as in many instances its not really yours to begin with.

Even people who claim to only read comics once, I think the issue of ownership vs viewership behooves them to reconsider what they are paying for. If one is fine paying for something they might never own or see again, and has really thought that concept through intelligently then I guess I wouldn't be bothered by it. It's an important issue though as a consumer that I make sure a company gives me what I've purchased. We shouldn't let our right to own something's we've bought be diminished. That's mainly what I want people to take away from this.

Digital also have negative footprints as well, unless you are using clean energy (solar, wind etc) then it doesn't really help the environment too. Though it may not be as bad as other parts of the world where they create pollution to produce electricity. We have hydro power and wind farms as electricity source here in BC, Canada (two of many ways). Digital also use plastic where your device will get old and will be replaced. Its not easy to recycle gadgets, devices and any electronics as only few parts are recyclable. Another extreme negative point for digital is if you use credit card, identity theft online, if someone do hack the servers and companies doesn't go above and beyond on security, the security is standard by law. Sure paypal is safe, doesn't mean it cant be hacked. All these might be extreme, but I'm just saying, saving trees is not really a good reason to go digital IMO. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for preserving the planet, I just don't see how wasting trees is a good reason to go digital and not look at the problems on the digital side.

I agree that digital will only last as long as the company can keep the servers running. I wonder what happened to those people who paid their games to stream on Onlive (video game streaming box)... They shut down didn't they?

I only read real print comics, Idk I just get the thrill of collecting when I have a print comic, what's so cool about having something that comes in infinite quantities, I also like to browse the comic book store. PAPER FOREVER!

I buy digital.

I only buy digital. But I honestly prefer print

My eyes can't handle too much digital things. I like paper

For single issues, I buy digital, but if there is a particular series I am following (ex: Batman) then I will buy the TPB when it comes out.

I prefer paper. There's just something special about holding it in your hand and having a pile physically there. (Maybe I'm old fashioned, or at least will be in ten years.)

The only time I prefer digital is when the comic has big panels taking up two pages.

Is waiting and buying trades digitally a good idea? Or should I just stick to monthlies if I buy my comics digitally? Thanks!

Digital comics should be a lot cheaper but they're not.