Hi, Dave.
DJ> Well my friend, when the time comes, and it will, that a 36 page
DJ> new comic costs 4.95 a pop, I sure won't be buying them! If
DJ> something that once cost a mere ten cents can now cost one 20
DJ> times what they used to, I believe that as long as a few thousand
DJ> fans are willing to dig deep, that IF print comics survive, it
DJ> will be in very low runs of 10,000-15,000 copies, and at that,
DJ> they will have to be the most big name titles.Many titles today,
DJ> are hanging on by a thread.The old fans that I know, mostly buy
DJ> only silver age now, while the kids I know, are into vidio games &
DJ> the net.The glory days of the printed comics are over. I hate to
DJ> say that, but I see package deals much like cable for cyber
DJ> comics, that will be far more apealing for those who just like to
DJ> read. Comics also take up a LOT of space, and that also will be
DJ> atractive to many who just dont have much storage space.
     I think that if printed-on-paper comics are on their way out...
then the comic industry as we know it will die too.
     Personally, I think that if sales on paper comics start dipping
because they're too pricy, there are things the industry can do to
keep the books affordable... like going to a cheaper paper (I have no
problem with comics going back to being printed on good old
newsprint again).
     Cyber-comics may seem like a good idea... but I can't see them
saving the industry from extinction... if that is indeed what's going
to happen.  I just don't see how collecting computer files would be
nearly as attractive or satisfying as collecting an actual physical
comic book.  I know I don't want to become dependant upon computers
for my comic fix... and doubt I'd want to read them on the computer
either.
     And let's be honest, computer's have limits on storage space
too...  and graphic files tend to be large.  Floppy disks aren't
nearly as reliable (IMO) as a comic box.  One bad disk...  and you
could lose part of your "collection".  Corrupted files...  computer
viruses...  they'd play havoc with a person's cyber-collection.  As a
novelty, I think people are willing to give 'em a try... but cyber-
comics becoming the norm...  I guess I just can't see it happening.
     The other thing is... I can't see cyber-comics really being all
that much cheaper to buy than regular comics are.  What the companies
will save on printing costs will probably get eaten up with ongoing
hardware/software upgrades,...  and the salaries of the skilled labour
needed to maintain them.  The companies are going to want to make a
profit off them too... which will also contribute to the price we pay
for 'em.  Also, why would 3 end-users all buy a copy of the same
cyber-comic... when one copy, copied twice will suffice.  If the
software industry says computer piracy is eating into their profits...
I'd have to think it'd happen here too.  All that...  and you'll still
have to buy storage materials for the cyber-comic files you collect
(and deal with the limitations/problems/inconveniences inherent with
things like floppy disks/tape back-ups/CD ROMs) and deal with physical
space problems all over again (albeit, not as space-intensive as paper
comics are).
     In the end, from my perspective, if cyber-comics are the wave of
the future for the comic industry... the industry is in BIG trouble.
Talk to you later.
David
.
 
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