Following on from his thoughts on DC Comics’ digital strategy, Warren Ellis takes on Marvel’s digital plans:
Are they then, like DC, looking to digital as a way to increase reach? Well… not yet. I believe they have done some original digital comics. (By which I mean company-owned Marvel comics created for digital-first release.) But I’m not sure there was any great plan to their release. One of the things I like about Marvel is that they move pretty fast and are capable of an entirely random “hey, let’s do this thing for five minutes” move. The whole Marvel Architects cascade-of-events structure they do these days are frankly as organised as Marvel’s ever been on the macro-scale.
Their digital store, then, is a big back-issue bin, with the occasional experiment in day-and-date simultaneous release in print and digital. They’re unlikely to go line-wide day-and-date like DC unless DC’s numbers are explosively successful and stay that way for six months — in digital AND print. Right now, Marvel own the comics stores in terms of dollar sales and market share, and probably see no compelling reason to risk a dilution of those figures. Those figures look good on quarterly reports. And that’s not a knock against Marvel, just an observation of the reality of their business life.
He goes on to consider where Marvel may consider digital sales impacting, and potential ways around it. He also, for the wonks amongst you, points out that “I’m on work-for-hire exclusive to them until the end of the year” (Hey, DC: Ready your checkbooks for December) and gives his take on the $3.99 single issue pricepoint, as well. Go, read.
July 5th, 2011 at 10:31 am
the good thing, at least, is that companies are starting to look at digital as another avenue to sell product, but it’s not going to be a factor for quite some time.
digital comics, to me, seem to be only as effective as the tech that’s out there and 4-500$ tablets are out of some/most peoples price range. 4 things need to happen for it to be a real factor: a generational shift that accepts the digital comic. a universal format of all digital comics. an affordable price point. a reduction in cost for tablets (mostly- print still has the advantage in portability)
i don’t think DC’s “day and date” digital will hit the direct market hard if the book’s are still 3-4 dollars. they’ll get something, but not enough to compare fairly for a while.
July 5th, 2011 at 3:02 pm
“and probably see no compelling reason to risk a dilution of those figures”
Except for the fact that there’s an entire audience out there – the next generation of potential readers – who now know nothing but the Digital Age. Who don’t have comic shops anywhere near them because so many had already shut down before the arrival of iTunes and Kindles.
So basically, Marvel is being short-sighted as usual by ignoring digital.
July 5th, 2011 at 10:52 pm
silvanthalas – I agree completely with the point that the future has to belong to digital. If they want to reach younger readers, it’s going to have to go that way someday. The thing is that Marvel isn’t quite sure how to go about that and I think they are waiting and letting DC test those waters for them. It does seem spineless, true, but they have too much wrapped up in the direct market and has more to lose than DC by alienating existing comics shop retailers. If you don’t plan on going all-out and publishing ALL of your comics on a digital medium in the near future, you are taking the wimpy approach by dragging your heels, the approach that favors short-term solid bets over long-term innovation, but, on the other hand, I can still see why they’re going that route.
As always, Ellis is correct.