Digital Comics: Problems & Potential, part 2

What The OTHER Kids Are Doing

By Eric San Juan

Do I feel a little guilty? Maybe I do. In my last column I took a few moments out of my busy schedule, packed as it is with sleeping and eating and drinking beer, and called into question the approach Marvel Comics Inc. is taking with their newly launched digital comics endeavor. After all, if I believe publishers must take this new avenue of distribution seriously (and I do), should I not applaud their efforts, flawed though they may be?

Yes and no.

Yes because, of course, it’s long overdue and quite welcome. Any entity involved in bringing entertainment to the masses – any form of entertainment, not just comics – must be prepared to address and embrace the digital arena. Fail to do so and be ready to be left behind. Music has done it. Video games have done it. Books have done it. Even television and Hollywood have stepped to the plate. Late to the game or not, Marvel has finally done the same. They’re taking a swing, and while a home run is unlikely in their first at-bat, what is important is that they’re finally in the game.

But overall, no, no guilt for being overly critical so soon after launch. You see, misguided efforts, no matter how well-intended, should not be rewarded with half-hearted praise for praise’s sake, especially – ESPECIALLY – when proven models, innovative models, are already staring them right in the face. We in the newspaper business tried that online subscription garbage, and you know what? It fell flat on its face. And with good reason. The idea stunk. There is no good reason for an outfit with the size, resources and stellar catalog of Marvel to not follow the lead of those tech innovators, Apple.

I’m getting ahead of myself; more on that later. First, let’s take a look at some online comic distribution models others are utilizing, at times to great effect. (Remember, kids, if you’re creative, distribution, even FREE distribution, can = revenue.)

Off in their little corner of the web, quietly doing what they do, is Wowio.com. What Wowio does is interesting. A part of their ongoing operations include giving away books and comics. “Giving” as in, they are absolutely free. Sign up and start downloading. This evening I downloaded some Chuck Dixon-penned issues of Alien Legion. I loved that series! Tomorrow I plan to download some Swords of the Swashbucklers, a rollicking adventure comic written by Bill Mantlo. That will be an especially nice series of downloads, as all proceeds go directly to Mantlo, who was in a car accident a decade ago and, due to traumatic brain injuries, requires 24-hour care to this very day. In fact, most creators who put their comics on Wowio make some money.

How does Wowio do it? How do the people who have created these comics get paid for their work? The answer is absurdly obvious: advertising revenue. Each PDF you download comes, front and back, with an advertisement. Yeah, it’s that stupidly obvious. Verizon wants to sponsor my download of The Dreamland Chronicles? Sure thing, go for it. I get free content and the people who deserve it reap the rewards. Sounds like a win/win to me.

Over on the IMWAN.com message boards, Steve Horton, himself a comic writer, discussed his Smashout Comics initiative, through which he is bringing great comics by the likes of the Norm Breyfogle and the aforementioned Bill Mantlo to Wowio. Horton reports, “One guy’s up to $600/month on his superhero book Helios.”

That’s not going to buy a Rolls Royce, but it IS a nice chunk of change for a creator, all without the overhead of printing and distribution.

Maybe you’re not yet convinced. If giving away your content for free still seems like insanity, ask Jeff Kinney, creator of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, if he agrees. The answer will probably surprise you.

The New York Times reports, “Since an edited form of ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ was published as a traditional book in April by Amulet, an imprint of Harry N. Abrams, it has sold 147,000 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan, which tracks 50 percent to 70 percent of retail sales. The book, written and drawn by Jeff Kinney, has spent 33 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list. This Sunday, it will be No. 1 on the Children’s Chapter Books list.” So at minimum 147,000 copies sold (remember, those BookScan numbers account for only 50-70 percent of the total), probably closer to the 250,000 unit range, and a top selling book for 33 weeks. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Yet here’s the crazy part. You can surf over to Funbrain.com right now and read Diary of a Wimpy Kid absolutely free. Abso. Lutely. Free.

Abrams’ chief executive Michael Jacobs told the Times, “I think books are still things, thank goodness, that people want to own … The package of the book and the way it feels is something apart and separate from being able to read it online.”

And you know what? He’s right. A few years back, when Marvel had the first five issues of The Ultimates online for free, you know what I did after reading them? I went out and bought (and kept buying) the trades. The Times piece spotlights several other online comics that have made the leap to print; be sure to check it out.

Let’s be realistic, though. Marvel is not about to give away their content. If the truth be told, were I in their position, I wouldn’t, either. Only DC can match them when it comes to the potential goldmine of a back catalog they’re sitting on. That is why the seemingly half-hearted grab for online revenue – while I’m sure they’re genuine in their efforts, one wonders if they REALLY take it all that seriously when they’ve handicapped themselves right out of the gate – are so frustrating. So, SO much potential not being taken advantage of. And the model to really exploit that potential is staring them right in the face!

But that, my friends, is a subject for our next column. (Ain’t teasing a bitch?) Check back in two weeks right here at Pop Thought, willya?

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