Paper or digital?

The title of this entry is an endless discussion among comic book readers. And even though I’m from the “old school” and grew up reading printed comic books, I also regularly read digital comics. Both formats have their pros and cons and today I’d like to give you my two cents on the matter.

Like I said, I grew up reading printed comic books. My mom bought me my first Defenders comic (a Dutch translation) back in 1984 and that was it. I was hooked! I pretty much bought every Marvel and DC comic that was published in Dutch and switched to the original American versions in high school. But like most people, I also had a period in my life when I didn’t read a lot of comics. And when I got back into it about 10 years ago, the comic book world had changed.

The first thing I noticed was that practically every book out there got published as a collected edition, in a nice trade paperback format. But it was around this same time that I discovered digital comics. I tried reading a couple on my computer and phone and really liked how good the artwork looked on a digital screen and how bright the colors were. So eventually I bought an iPad, just to read digital comics on, because it’s almost the same size as a comic book.

Reading digital comics has a bunch of advantages over paper books. You don’t have to drive to the comic book store to get them or wait for the delivery guy and pay for shipping when you buy them on-line. You also don’t need to sit close to a lamp when you read at night and you don’t have to make sure that you just washed your hands, so that you don’t get greasy finger prints on your pages. And when you’re traveling, you only need to bring a device to read them on in stead of packing a whole stack of books. But of course there are downsides to it as well.

Like I said, I’m an old school guy. I love going to the comic book store and bringing home a fresh stack of comics and trades. I just love the smell and feeling of new books and you’re not just buying something for your entertainment, you’re also adding to your collection. You physically own every book that you buy and if you’re lucky, certain books may even increase in value. Of course you’ll need to invest in bags, boards and boxes to store them and your collection is going to take up space, but it’s really your posession and not just a file on a computer, phone or tablet.

I’ve always been more of a reader than a collector. I take really good care of my comic books and still own every single one I ever bought. But a lot of the books that I bought as a kid were Dutch translations and those really don’t increase in value. And apart from a couple of books that are on my pull list, I mostly read trade paperbacks these days. Of course I have a bunch of books that have increased in value, but those are just books that I bought when they came out. I’m not into collecting as an investment, because I’ve never sold a single book anyway. And I guess that’s why digital comics appeal to me as well. I don’t care about collectible value, I just love reading!

The problem that most people have with digital comics, is that you pay for a file that you can download on your device. But how is that any different than downloading a video game? And it’s not that you’re only renting it. Every single digital comic and collected edition that I’ve bought these last ten years is downloaded onto my iPad. I just turn it on, open the comiXology app and there they all are. And I don’t even need apps from individual publishers anymore, now that I’ve synced my Marvel and comiXology accounts. All the publishers are there! And the range of comics that are available through comiXology’s website is pretty impressive. I’ve actually discovered new titles through their recommendations.

I’ve talked to fellow comic book readers about this. Some really hate digital comics and would never pay for something they don’t really own. Others have one of those digital subscription services, where you get acces to a library of hundreds of comics, for a monthly fee. I guess I’m kinda stuck in the middle here. I love visiting the comic book store, but I just can’t make it there every week. So when Marvel recently did their Avengers: No Road Home weekly series, I was glad to be able to read those digitally, as soon as they were released. And the same goes for the current War of the Realms crossover and all it’s tie-ins. In cases like that, I love the immediate availability of digital comics. But in the end I’ll probably still be reading most of my books in printed form.