The Digital Comics Essay by Michael C. Lorah

Michael C. Lorah happened along in 2004, joining the Best Shots team early in its existence after I saw the incredible sharp and frequently witty observations he made about comics on the Newsarama message boards.  Michael's worked at DC Comics and these days works in the business world.  But he's still cool.  Aside from that, Michael's a whale of a writer, and you'll be seeing several things from him this week.  Here is an essay Michael dropped on the subject of Digital Comics . . .

The Digital Comics Essay

Dear Makers of Digital Comics, I have a few things I’d like to briefly (I know you’re busy) discuss with you.

Firstly, I don’t entirely trust you. I promise it’s not personal; I’d like to trust you, but when I hand you my hard-earned money, I’d prefer to own the file I’m buying from you. If you go belly-up tomorrow, I’d like to still have the stories that I’ve paid for. Personally, I promise to not do any pirating with those files, and I’m sorry that I can’t speak for anybody else on that particular matter.

But on to my main points. I can divide the rest of my thoughts into three easy categories.

1.       Omnibuses

Some of us aren’t big fans of the twenty-page-installments plan to reading. While I’ve no objection to the serial format, it’s not for me and, in twenty years of anecdotal experience at lending comics to people, it doesn’t seem very popular with potential comics readers.

For print collections, considerations including weight, binding, cost and shipping place certain limits on the dimensions of trade paperbacks. Yes, in digital files weight can be a factor, but not an insurmountable one. Print collections and digital collections don’t need to exist in a 1:1 ratio. Two or three five- or six-issue print volumes can easily fit into a single digital compilation.

Readers want a meaty reading experience. Give it to us. Make no mistake that there is a reason I’ve purchased the Planetary Omnibus or Scud, the Disposable Assassin: The Whole Schebang digitally. They’re offering what I want – hundreds upon hundreds of pages.

Manga publishers, you’re already giving us 200 pages, but you can go farther in digital. A seven-volume print series could be a one volume digital series. Marvel, how about Amazing Spider-Man by Lee and Ditko, all of it. DC, Swamp Thing by Moore, all of it. IDW, those Transformers and GI Joe Classics lines would look good in just a few digital sets. Hey, Fantagraphics, all those Complete Crumb books you have – how about just one Complete Crumb!

And will somebody put out a complete Maze Agency digital collection? Thanks.

2.       Playlists

Despite my devotion to the digital omnibus notion, I still believe that there is a place for the sale of single issues – particularly of back issues. Many of us recurring comics fans have our favorite serials from days gone by. Perhaps our issues are deteriorating (shame on us for not storing them in a temperature controlled, moisture-sealed-out vault!) or taking up too much space. Perhaps we simply like the ease of use of digital reading. Whatever the scenario, many of those old comics have certain wrinkles in their reading experience that mattered to our younger selves: a crossover, an Annual, a tangential storyline that enhanced the reading experience.

I suggest that digital comics sellers create the digital comics playlist – where, as with an mp3 playlist, readers can sort their favorite comics into a readily assembled sequence, creating a more enjoyable reading experience. No more looking for the next issue in that cluster of digital comics you own (a better way of sorting our books would be helpful also).

Dark Horse, you know some Star Wars fan would go nuts creating his definitive EU timeline of comics. Marvel, some X-fan might never be seen again when she starts threading those storylines together. DC, I’ll spend way too much time assembling the triangle-era Superman titles (along with a few spinoffs) into an extended reading sequence.

3.       Print to Order

Digital’s a nice thing. I’m pretty okay with it being the future, but I’ve got to admit that I’m not entirely ready to let go of print. Certain art-based projects are hard to imagine digitally. Wednesday Comics would totally lose its scope. The beautiful newspaper strip volumes from IDW/Library of American Comics and Fantagraphics would lose much of their gravitas and majesty (I shudder in revulsion at the thought of Prince Valiant reduced to Kindle-sized). And sometimes, honestly, it’s really nice to have your favorite storyline on your bookshelf, because, like me, you’re got just a little bit of Luddite in there demanding the feel of paper.

This last notion of mine, it’s a ways off. I know it. But one day, perhaps only a few years from now, for a standard fee of some cents per page, readers can create (from their omnibuses or, with minimal effort, their playlists – with original cover gallery and a cover image using their favorite cover art from the run of issues collected within) their very own print-to-order, real-true-paper trade paperback. I’ll pay extra for a proper sewn binding, please.

When this technology happens, rest assured, the complete Karl Kesel Superboy is the first book I’ll be rolling off the printer’s line, with both of Karl and Tom’s runs on the main series (and likely the issues inbetween), Karl’s Ravers spinoff, at least the first two Annuals (and the Adv. of Superman Annual that tied into Annual 1) , some crossovers and maybe a few other Superboy-featuring one-shots.