Erik seems to have a pretty clear agenda. 

He weights certain words – like when he labels a local shop manager a “curmudgeon” for not wholeheartedly embracing digital comics.  How dare that luddite…  :)  And Erik doesn’t address a few of the real world economic factors, either purposefully or because Erik’s not the right person to be holding this discussion.

We already know Warner Bros (DC) and Disney (Marvel) *love* digital comics.  And folks like Erik give them lots of free publicity.  But should you love digital comics, too?

Maybe, maybe not.

First, e-comics are a PDF.  You’re paying for a file of zeros and ones.

Does it have a resale value?  No.

Example?  Sure.  I have the entire run of Walking Dead.  Value?  Dunno.  Let’s just check eBay for a second…  Okay, back.  Someone bid $25 for a copy of WD #4.  My cost?  $3.  Profit?  $22. 

This is a particularly valued title.  But generally a comic will be worth some resale value to someone else – thus making the real cost of your comic the net value of your purchase price subtracted from the resale.  So to say comics are expensive compared to digital is naïve.  Depending on the comic, digital issues are actually far more expensive in terms of value lost.

Now, there’s no guarantee your comics will be worth more than you paid.  But you can guarantee your print comics will never be worth less than a digital e-comic…

Next is the impact on retailers.  Erik’s comparison that home movies on BD/DVD/VHS didn’t kill theaters is bogus.  First, theaters are hurting these days.  But that’s more a factor of the economy and the ease of digital online pirating.  Hence the push for 3D to create a unique theater experience.

A more accurate and honest comparison would be looking at how Netflix has indeed destroyed the brick and mortar Blockbuster.

Or how digital music has already killed most brick and mortar music stores.

If comics go the way of music?  Then a few of the people and shops Erik interviewed will go out of business.  And he helped this happen with the rest of the folks who don’t support their local shops.

Which is not to say you should support your local shop.  I don’t care.  That’s your choice and your right.  But you have to be honest with yourself about the impact of your actions.

One thing is we’re lucky in Portland.  (So very lucky…)  We have wonderful record stores and Movie Madness and great local comic shops that many people celebrate and support.  And hopefully we’ll continue to support them.

But if enough people decide to send their money out of town and buy their graphic novels on Amazon like Graham or digital comics like Fruit Cup, then, yes, Portland will feel the economic impact of fewer dollars staying in our local economy.

And when enough local retailers can’t stay in business, then perhaps these folks won’t be able to afford to go out to eat as often.  Hopefully you don’t own a restaurant or food cart. 

Ultimately, the reason we’re having this discussion is because corporate entities saw how well the iPod and digital music consolidated wealth and cut out the middleman.  And they want to do the same with books/comics.  So they’ll sell to you for roughly the same price that you buy in a store.  And instead of passing on the savings to you, they pocket it for themselves while keeping it out of our town.

But it’s your choice.  If you want to consume the shiniest bauble, do it.  But you’re spending an awful lot of time and effort trying to convince yourself that you’re not hurting your local economy.  You know you are.  So embrace your decision, Mr. Burns.  You’re accountable for what happens next.  (But perhaps you wouldn’t want corporate cheerleaders like Erik to think you’re a “curmudgeon.”  Right?)

:) Cool, good stuff. But not evil, boyo. Just selfish and short-sighted.

Thanks for reading, Erik.