Yea, tablet makes a nice middle ground. You can lay on the couch and read comic after comic without getting up. Its pretty great. Although, reading a physical comic does have a certain visceral thing going for it.

_________________

I guess I'm a little biased because for the most part I've read more TPB's than actual comics. I've read comics but most of my reading was done through the essentials at first. Now that I've become accustomed to digital it just makes it easier, but I don't necessarily get the nostalgia that other people do from physical comics.

_________________
'The soul knows no greater anguish than to take a breath that begins with love and ends with grief.'- Steven Erikson

I'm on the fence here. On one hand, I want the physical comic for the collect-ability of it - and there is just something, I don't know what it is - but something about opening a new comic and having your eyes assaulted by all the color and action. On the other hand, I can carry several hundred (or thousands, depending on device) comics around on my phone, my tablet, my laptop etc.

The digital platforms are nice, but the current prices for digital comics are absurd. Why am I going to pay $3.99 for the digital when I can get the print copy for $3.99 and scan it? There are no traditional publishing costs for digital comics and for new comics, the final art is probably in a digital format already. It just feels like they are gouging on the prices, and that combined w/ the fact of having nothing "physical", it just turns me off.

Ypu def. lose the collectability in digital form, which is why print will be around for awhile, but digital can last longer in a lot of circumstances.

_________________
'The soul knows no greater anguish than to take a breath that begins with love and ends with grief.'- Steven Erikson

I have a huge collection of digitals... I do love the portability. I can read in a traffic jam on my phone. I can read in bed easily. Air plane, etc. I have been reading between my phone, kindle and laptop, and occasionally desktop. I think digital is certainly the future for reading, but the collectability is really holding some of us back. I like the effort they are making to give you a digital copy with print copy - but they need to stop charging extra and make this the status quo.

$2.99 for print + digi
$0.99 - $1.50 for digital only.

I might pay that for digital.

Digital can also make it more accessible for newcomers. I mean if someone is just getting into comics, they don't want to commit the time or money to hunting down every single issue, or reprint of every issue. Admitted thats where TPB's come in, but look at the economics on that. 15 for an essential book with usually 25 issues roughly in black and white, then subtract the cost of creating the product, and subtract the amount that is profit for the retailer. Marvel is making say 5-10 bucks profit (totally guessing, but that's beside the point). Now they take each of those 25 issues, and offer them (in color mind you) for 99 cents a piece. Boom 25 bucks, pure profit. And TPB's aren't generally known for their collectabilty (at least I've never heard of it). So shifting at least older issues is a great idea. Marvel has done a bit of this with their website, one flat fee gives you access to unlimited reading of comics they've scanned in.

_________________
'The soul knows no greater anguish than to take a breath that begins with love and ends with grief.'- Steven Erikson

The problem is, none of the digital "subscription" stuff is accessible from the Marvel app. So you have to read them on computer or through your devices web browser. If they would merge the subscription side into the single-issue side, I may actually subscribe.

Also. Why can I get a "subscription" to the print comics for 40-45% off directly through Marvel, but I can't get a subscription to the digital ones - Meaning, I want to subscribe to say, Amazing Spider-Man for the next 12 months...? Even at full price they don't offer subscriptions. If they offered this, maybe 50-60% off for a digital sub where you HAVE to pay 1 year at a time, yes I would go for that. At $3.99/mag for 12 issues that would work out to around $22-24 a sub.

They have a long way to make digital pricing work. Right now their pricing decisions are really slap-dash.

I have to agree, I would subscribe to several titles if they did pricing like you suggested.

_________________

The main reason I don't buy print is price. However, I just popped into our local store today and found they've started bundling up these grab bags of comics. £2 each for 5 random issues, got me a few of those.

_________________

I saw this today

http://www.cnet.com/8301-34103_1-574721 ... ales-rise/



More than tripling revenue in one year? I think it's time for them to look at prices again. There is clearly the market for this. I just can't jump on board BUYING digital only with the current prices.

I can pay $3.99 for a new marvel title at the LCS, $3.00 or less through a sub service - AND get the digital for free. Or I can but the digital for $3.99 and not get the print at all.... It makes NO sense.