Rob3E

October 9, 2012 1:09 pm @markavo Kindle and Comixology are kind of similar in that they seem to try to be accessible anywhere. It's a good strategy, and it takes some of the sting out of the lockdown they have on the product you are "buying" from them. But just because they have multiple avenues for access, that doesn't mean that there's no threat to your continued ownership, because technically you have no ownership. You have access that can be revoked at any time. Having 500 ways to access Comixology won't help you if they go out business. Having hundreds of titles "backed up" on your iPad won't help in 10 years when that iPad is obsolete or irreparably broken. I have a number of old series or single issues that I bought 20+ years ago that every now and then come out of their bags and boxes for a reread. That's something I think about when I buy a digital comic. I prefer digital to physical for a lot of reasons, but under the current digital rental system, continued access is far from assured. In twenty years, I have much more confidence that I'll still be able to reread my old Saga of the Swamp Thing issues than anything I buy from Comixology today.

October 8, 2012 4:50 pm Things have definitely changed in the last year for me, but I hope more changes are coming. I stepped away from the comic book world for a while, and digital brought me back in, sort of. When I got my tablet, I thought I could rekindle my comic-reading habit fairly easily without weekly trips to the store, pull lists, keeping on top of release schedules so I knew when I had to stop in to grab the next issue of whatever series I was currently reading. It seemed like digital would solve all of my problems, but the reality was disappointing. At the time, few titles came out day-and-date, and many titles had no digital release schedule. Some fantastic stuff had come out while I was on comics-hiatus, and picking up those runs digitally was usually not an option. When something did come, it came with DRM, onerous Terms of Service, and generally the same price as the physical item (or, when picking up back issues, more than the cover price of the physical item) which had neither device lock in nor the threat of it disappearing at a later date. Piracy was a strong temptation. Going back to floppies, or even trades, was not appealing at all, as I've enjoyed going digital in most of my other media consumption. Hard drives take up so much less space than CDs or trade paperbacks. Now it's different, but not different enough. Instead of waiting for the industry to change, I've changed my buying habits. At .99 an issue, I find I'm mostly willing to tolerate DRM and the lack of permanence that comes with it. I like to think that, should the holders of my books go under, I'll be able to find a way to free the files from the DRM. Instead of picking up digital floppies every Wednesday, I've abandoned the whole idea of day-and-date. I read iFanboy, decide what I'd like to read, and I wait. When something shows up in a .99 sale, I pick it up. I consider it digital trade-waiting. I'm having fun reading a lot of titles that might not have otherwise read, and so far my buying has kept pace with my reading and then some. My virtual "to read" pile never gets finished. This creates it's own set of problems in light of the DRM issue. It's one thing to know and accept that I may have to re-purchase a digital comic if I ever want to re-read it. It's something else to realize that if Comixology were to close up shop today, I might lose access to several years of Fables, for example, that I bought and haven't even read yet. I know how that unread pile weighs on some people's minds. It does that for me because it seems like there's always the threat that the next time I reach for that pile, it may not be there, and that .99/issue "deal" will end up being hundreds of .99 purchases that I never actually get to enjoy. So, spending more, reading more, enjoying digital more and less tempted by piracy options, but I definitely see the appeal of pirating. Digital pricing and terms of service still leave a lot to be desired, but I've seen progress, and I hope to see more.

October 8, 2012 4:10 pm DRM remains an issue for me as well. I have some old floppies I am fond of that were put out by companies that no longer exist. Knowing that my digital purchases could evaporate when a company folds definitely concerns me. In that respect, the pirates are still putting out a superior (and cheaper) product. I also waited to buy music until it was free of DRM, and I always prefer DRM-free e-books when available (and if there are none available, DRMed ebooks can often be converted. Unnecessary, but it's nice to know that option exist should the company that sold the ebooks go under).

July 18, 2012 1:59 pm Thanks for this. I picked up the first series back in the day and enjoyed it, but spent some time away from the Marvel Universe since then. Damage Control seemed like a silly enough concept that I figured they would vanish from continuity and memory after the novelty had worn off. It's good to see that they have stuck around. I still don't follow any Marvel books regularly, but every now and then I do pick one up, and I have occasionally caught a Damage Control reference and been thrilled to see that they are not forgotten.

July 12, 2012 3:35 pm Of course my favourite "speedster" will always be Fastback.

July 12, 2012 3:32 pm I'm sure it's my age, but when I hear "The Flash," I think Barry. Unlike some other heroes whose later incarnations were simply modernized versions of their Golden Age versions, Jay and Barry are completely different people. As a result, Jay will always be old to me, trapped in his Golden Age roots in a way that Superman and Batman never were. Jay and Alan Scott. They're cool, but they're relics. But I do love the hat. And everyone after Barry lives in his shadow and pretty much owes their existence to Barry by having been taken under his wing or by being his actual progeny. Perhaps if I had followed Wally's story, I'd feel otherwise, but there's only one, real Flash.

July 11, 2012 3:51 pm And with Skelator being a one-shot, they probably won't switch writers mid-stream. Is the publication schedule such that you can put out issue one, get feedback, and then switch writers in time for issue 2? I'd think by the time issue one hit the stands, the series would be half written.

July 11, 2012 1:46 pm What do you mean "haven't been working for me"? You're not engaged enough to keep reading them? Or you are having technical problems? I read through multiple issues at a time, a trade's worth, but I have bought very few actual trades. Digital comics deals seem to run more towards "bundles," and I haven't tried actual trades from iBooks and Amazon. So I guess if there's a mental block between floppies and trades, I've skirted it by buying bundles instead. I read the trade front matter: If I've already read it in floppies, if I'm on the fence about reading it, or if I feel like I may be coming in at the middle of the story, and the front matter might bring me up to speed. Otherwise I save it until the end. At that point, if the story was really engaging, I'm anxious read any more scraps I can get a hold of. If it wasn't especially engaging, I don't mind skipping the front matter.

June 26, 2012 2:21 pm Agree with @ResurrectionFlan that MircleMan was right up there, but technically a Captain Marvel rip off. In fact, some of the really fun/disturbing parts played directly off of the boy in a superman's body that was all Captain Marvel, and the whole Mavel family. But where oh where is Captain Carrot? I mean, besides Earth C.

June 20, 2012 9:35 am Yes to Cloak and Dagger. I always think there's potential for some great Cloak and Dagger stories that haven't been done yet.