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[bryant]

It occurred to me this weekend, while I was contemplating buying a dozen Powers graphic novels, that we're probably not more than five years away from solving the comics life span conundrum. (Namely, the vast mass of the history of comics is not available for reading; you can't go back and check out Grant Morrison's early Marvel Universe work, for example.)

But let's say we live in a world in which all comic book pages exist in digital form, which is a world we may well live in already if that's a useful step in the printing process. So DC puts up a web page, which allows you to select a comic book title and a range of issues within that title. Click "Buy" and the pages of those issues are assembled into a single file and sent off to the print on demand printer.

Currently I'm pretty sure that the cost of color POD is too high. But give it five years.

Comments

[jeffwik.livejournal.com]

I may yet weep.

[head58.livejournal.com]

But will there be any value in actually having the paper volumes, or in 5 years will they simply be transmitted to your laptop/palmtop in a digital format? I know some folks are sticklers for actually having the paper, but some folks were once sticklers for having an actual CD too instead of a bunch of MP3s.

I was thinking similar things this weekend when I found a link to Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men #1 this weekend, and thus no longer feel any need to actually buy the book if I can read it on my PC any time I want.

[bryant]

I think that cheap color POD will come before really good ePaper, but really good ePaper will come eventually.

[dancingshaman.livejournal.com]

It may be that comics will be more readily available in digital format in several years time, but for me there's a certain visceral need to be able to turn the pages. Whether that's anyone else's bag or not I can't say, but I'd be willing to shell out a couple of dimes more per title to get them printed and bound.

[multiplexer.livejournal.com]

I'd chew my own arm off for POD comic graphic novels. I would. I really would.

[ladyjestyr.livejournal.com]

Amen. Heck, I'd chew my own arm off - or anyone else's - just for digital subscriptions to current comics.

[totient]

I have the equipment in my house to do saddle stapled color POD for well under 10 cents a page, maybe even under 5 cents if you don't care if the print lasts. That works out to around the cover price for most current work. I suspect there's a pretty big market out there for back issues at $5-$10 a pop.

The question is, how does this change the economics of the comics industry? Obviously, it costs more than a web press. It eliminates warehousing and might help with returns. But it also plays havoc with advertising revenue and destroys part of the rationalization of the obsessive collector.

[bryant]

That's not bad for single issues. For graphic novels... let's say I have a 24 page comic book and I want 8 issues in the collection, so uh 192 pages or $19.20. Not bad at all.

I don't think this replaces the direct market. Back issues, yes, it's good there. If I were figuring the ROI I'd treat this as a plus and keep current costs the same; this is just gravy, so the initial costs (writer/artist/etc) are covered. The initial examples will be work for hire work, so no royalties.

Got a pointer to the equipment vendor?

[totient]

The equipment is just an HP color laserjet 8500, which will do 11x17 color and whose monthly rated duty cycle is equal to the number of pages it can print in a month, plus a slightly fancy stapler and a good papercutter. Cost was $6000, five years ago; probably around $4000 now, or $3000 for a refurb.

For graphic novels, you probably want something that can do perfect binding. Not something you can buy from CDW, but cheap enough that local copy shops have them.

[bryant]

Ah, yeah. I've been thinking about the Powis Parker binders (a la Brewster Kahle), myself. Around $1500 for the low end model, plus a paper cutter for another $1K or so.

[xiombarg.livejournal.com]

Well, you can still have the "normal" issues for the collector and the people who mostly just want to READ it can buy the POD versions, which might say "POD Version" on the back or something to distinguish them from the original print run.

[xiombarg.livejournal.com]

This requires the companies to be visionary enough to do it, tho.

[bryant]

Nah. Just requires a market. Marvel in particular is very aware of the Internet -- as Chris pointed out, they've got a bunch of comics up on the Web already.

[felisdemens.livejournal.com]

That thought gave me this shivers. Well, the shivers and a mad flood of comic covetousness.