Since my post of a month ago about the pros and cons of downloading digital comics for free, I’ve been looking off-and-on for a way to contact She-Hulk’s Dan Slott directly so he can share his take on an issue that’s generated some of the most passionate and interesting conversation in the short history of this blog site.
I haven’t had any luck getting in touch with the aforementioned Mr. Slott, but that doesn’t mean the conversation for and against digital comics downloads has died down one little bit. Take, for example, the thoughts expressed by the writer of the blog site A Trout in the Milk who feels, as a music publisher, “totally cool with people downloading songs I’ve written.
“I’m nowhere near alone in this, either: a lot of music publishers feel that supposedly-larcenous downloads translate into record/concert ticket/T-shirt sales down the road, that otherwise wouldn’t exist. To be blunt: it isn’t stealing if it puts money in your pocket. So please, until there’s a large and vocal group of comics artists advocating for the free and unrestricted downloading of printed material as a legitimate PR measure, kindly include my industry OUT of this little tempest, thank you very much.”
BTW, the comments posted after this long post are well worth reading too…
May 1st, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Remember,
Slott’s against reading off the shelf too.
so at least he’s consistant.
The kicker for me is that I can’t think of any book at Marvel that’s probably been more helped by reading off the shelf/downloading than She-Hulk.
It’s a book that lives and dies off of trade sales and word of mouth. The more people that read it the better.
He may feel like he has the higher moral ground. He DOES have the higher moral ground, for that matter, but he’s sure as hell biting the hand that’s either feeding him (eventually) or encouraging others to feed him.
It’s the sort of attitude that makes me think twice before supporting him, even if I do generally like his work.
May 1st, 2007 at 1:38 pm
I didn’t know this guy spoke on behlaf of the whole music industry…
May 1st, 2007 at 4:17 pm
After all the drama about Slott posting on Demonoid I sent him a private message on there asking if he’d want to voice his side of the story to clear up things a bit but I never got a response.
I guess he decided to lay low.
May 1st, 2007 at 5:33 pm
I think he’s raging in the wrong direction. He should have been angry at his bosses at Marvel (and DC) that haven’t developed their digital comics business to the point where it is easy and cost effective enough to disincent piracy. Itunes has proven that if you give people a reasonably priced alternative - they will embrace it (itunes has sold 1 billion songs since they opened). In the abscence of an “itunes of comics” - the piracy will continue despite percieved moral higher ground, right and wrong, or even the law (absent severe consequences and enforcement).
May 1st, 2007 at 5:40 pm
What’s funny is that Slott didn’t find a way to blame all of this on Jim Starlin.