The digital debate: Australian version

Perhaps the hottest topic when it comes to all forms of print media at the moment is the effect that digital is having on its traditional forms.

 Newspapers are on a steady and rapid decline and if you're an Australian you would lament the falling standards and number of great journalists at Fairfax media as they continue to wipe jobs and credibility from their slate (bad tablet pun) on a seemingly monthly basis. But while newspaper sales and standards plummet the introduction of tablet computers with glossy ten inch graphics, a wide range of day and date content being released to online vendors such as Comixology, and the ability for small independent publishers and individuals to bypass costly publishing hurdles, the digital revolution has been, in my mind, a complete success for the comic book industry.

 Now let me put this in some context for you as I'm not saying that digital isn't without its flaws, what I am saying is that I think it is an overwhelming force for good in comics.

 Firstly, if you read my blog you may know that I am from Australia and at the moment I live outside a major capital city. The thing about Australia is that if you live outside a capital city then you don't have a local comic book shop, period. I lived in Sydney for the past few years and still get a few choice titles from Kings Comics in Pitt St, (the premiere store on the east coast of Australia by the way) and while it's okay to wait for them to ship the comics to my door for those few titles I still collect in tangible print form, I am very much on board with the instant gratification of digital downloads.

 This instantaneous phenomenon is part of the reason digital is a success in my view. The Gen Y kids who publishers want to start picking up books and developing a comic habit are fickle beings. If they see The Avengers and want more Thor they will pick up their tablets or smartphones and start searching, they are tech savvy and because of this understanding they feel the need for instantaneous gratification. The introduction of day and date digital releases in 2011 have provided a platform on which Gen Y can access the site or app and instantly begin purchasing and downloading comics.


 This point of accessibility is true even in the United States I'm sure but especially true in Australia, the great open land with no comic shops. Hell even if you do live in the States and you live next door to a comic shop, you no longer need to brave the cold of winter to get your comic fix you can simply download it.

 The second point for digital which is at once a blessing and a curse is price point. Australians get royally screwed when it comes to comics on the shop stand. And while I know it must be difficult to run a comic shop in a comic backwater like Australia it does at some point come down to price for the punter. If I can get a $2.99 comic for $2.80 from Comixology or spend $4.50 at a comic shop the choice becomes a simple one. This isn't even taking into account the cost of bags, boards and boxes to store said comics (another plus for digital being it's space saving appeal). While I'm a horrible person for not supporting local business I will say that  after years of saying the weak Australian dollar is to blame for high comic prices I notice when comic shops don't drop those prices when the Australian dollar is sitting high against the green back.

 While I'm on the point of pricing I'd also like to say that my habit of trawling through back issue bins at comic stores is officially over. While in Brisbane a week ago I visited Comics etc. and had a brief look at their back issue bins. $4 for this $5 for that. I pulled out my phone, jumped on Comixology and found the same issues for $1.99 USD. On top of this Comixology regularly has sales on classic runs for 99 cents, (just this week it was Peter David's second X-Factor run) and while I lament the loss of the great past-time of bin diving at a comic shop, I think I'll be okay with my 99 cent back issues, thank you very much.

 And here is where I'll finish, the changing of my reading and collecting habits. I have always been a story guy, and now that it's not essential to buy the physical copy, I won't. There is little money to be made reselling comics, more like a lottery than a business and if I can read a few more titles a month by buying digital then there is no question as to where my preferences lie. 

But that's me, you may be a collector, a hobbyist or just someone who likes the feel of a floppy comic in your hand, I'd really love to get your opinions on this big issue facing comic readers, creators and retailers. Sound off in the comments section.