Original, collected reprints - or digital? You decide!

[Kid Robson]

Imagine every comic in your collection. Now imagine that you could legally obtain inexpensive, complete, 100% faithfully reproduced deluxe hardcovered volumes of every title you own, which would take up far less space in your cupboards or bookshelves. Would you consider dispensing with your originals and replacing them with the bound editions? Or imagine them on legally issued digital discs, which means you could free-up an attic or spare room and dispose with the clutter, as well as no longer having to pore through boxes to find an issue you're seeking. Now it can be found at the press of a key. What would you do?

[peace355]

I'd probably do a combination, there are certain originals I'd keep, like no. 1s issues. Then I do prefer print over digital mostly, but to cut down on storage space I'd be happy to have some digital but mostly collected reprints.

[babington]

I wish that DCT (or someone) would do a large-format high quality reprint of Leo Baxandale's strips from the fifties - they are still very funny today and would surely sell well. Done like one of the recent line of IDW Artists Editions, this would be a truly fantastic thing!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I like both paper and digital: paper is the tops for real-life quality, and I often browse through my early Rebellion JUDGE DREDD telephone directory-like chronological volumes---the easiest and most straightforwards way to relish this material: though it's not wholly satisying, as the full-colour centrespreads of the first 10 years or so are represented by b/w artwork,----- or worse, inferior reprinting in some episodes, or b/w copies of full-colour artwork which looks pretty dire-----still great value though.


Collected volumes on the shelf look far cooler than a bunch of nondescript disks!



However......


For rediscovering---or discovering 'lesser interest' material, digital collections have assisted me immensely; I've revisited hundreds of MARVEL comics, and in the main it's been pretty enjoyable: I don't have the funds or the space to buy or store the paper versions, and without digital technology I'd more than likely never see these comics again: also, I am now well and truly used to the digital 'zoom' function which I have grown to actually prefer: 'real' comics often now seem miniscule in comparison.


There are pros and cons in both media. I've learned to embrace the new technology, but there's no way I would throw out---or sell-------my 'fave rave' paper definitives.

[big bad bri]

I hate digital comics so it would be paper every time as nothing will ever beat the feel & smell of an old comic although i would buy hardcover editions of something like complete ken reid jonah or other strips & 50s bash st kids etc.

[tony ingram]

I am a collector. For me, a sizeable part of buying comics is the pleasure of owning the original product; I only buy reprint collections in order to have reading copies easy to hand, not as an alternative to buying the originals.

I would never waste my money on a digtal comic if I could buy a paper copy. Ultimately, you're just 'buying' thin air, you own nothing.

[paw broon]

I wonder just how much space a collector would save with hardcover collections. And the weight issue, for those of us with saggy shelves or saggy loft floors, would still be a problem.
While I prefer the look, smell and feel of a paper comic, I have no problem at all with digital versions and find reading them on a 10 inch tablet to be quite comfortable. There are some worthwhile comics available now which are released solely as digital editions and I would mention Bandette as a perfect example. If you go on to comixology, you can read a couple of pages of most issues. Reading on a pc is no fun but the difference when you use a tablet is surprising and I recommend trying it.
Because of space and weight problems, I would love if publishers released collections on dvd, especially many of the British adventure strips and right now I would plump for that format rather than bound h/b collections.

[Bigwords]

I love hardcover collections, if they are done properly - as long as the quality of the item is better than the original, then they are worth having on the market, if only to get people hooked on characters they might not have heard of. The cheaper trades are another thing entirely, and I have made clear - numerous times - that the production values had better be good or I will mock and whine. Boxtree published some of the very worst collections ever to go to print, and any companies stepping up these days needs a clear mark of quality or they will quickly find that collectors won't put up for shoddy work.

There are a couple of reasons I haven't fully embraced digital, but my primary concern is rather simple - I want to read things as they originally appeared, not edited, altered or extended with all the bells and whistles for the current generation of readers. Adding things to a strip intended for digital distribution is fine, but sticking background music or clickable facts in a vintage comic? Eugh. *shudders* No.

And there's the issue of indexing the things. I have been noting what sizes the comics are when I upload information on them, and I don't trust people to accurately measure certain awkwardly-sized titles, especially if the intended move towards people having comics exclusively online or as downloads. Talking about digital issues specifically... Does anyone remember Amazon deleting novels from peoples Kindles? No? I don't want comics disappearing from whatever they are stored on. And as for websites (legitimately) hosting comics, how can I be sure that the issues won't disappear after a specific amount of time? Much, much safer to actually have the paper version.

Only my thought on the matter, and in no way a dismissal of those who prefer digital.

[paw broon]

I understand and share the worry that a comic or book could cancelled from your a/c. However, as I mentioned somewhere else on this site, comics bought on Comixology, and Izneo for that matter, are downloaded via and to the apps for those sites and I read them when I am off-line. So as long as the app is on my tablet, and even if the site disappears, the app is still on my tablet - there just will not be updates for it, I think I'm pretty safe in having the comics there to read as long as I want.
My problem with h/b compilations can highlighted by the DC and Marvel Archives/Masterworks. Particularly DC. The original stories and art are reprinted and are a source of considerable enjoyment but, the comics were never designed for that glossy paper and, of course, they had been re-coloured. But it's the paper that puts me off. I've always preferred newsprint type paper for my comics. I grew up with it and the look, smell and feel push all the right buttons for me. Is that quibble outweighed by the fact that I don't have to handle and old, well loved comic nearly as much now that I have a h/b compilation?

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I see digital comics as a sort of supplement to the real Mc Coy: a bit like cooking a casserole using real raw meat from scratch: if you throw in a can of tinned tomatoes, it will do the job,---and add a semblance of the taste ------ but it won't taste as good or natural as adding fresh tomatoes:


digital comics are the 'tinned tomatoes' of comics reading, paper comics are the 'real meat'.

But remember, convenience food is just as big--if not bigger--than proper cooking!


Where did this bizzare anology come from? Why, from my cooking pot, tonight!

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

----in fact, a disk containing digital comics looks a bit like a tin of tomatoes would, after DESPERATE DAN 'dunted it in' with his foot.


There's the germ of an idea for a strip in there.......see how easy it is to come up with silly ideas!

[Marionette]

I am a collector. For me, a sizeable part of buying comics is the pleasure of owning the original product; I only buy reprint collections in order to have reading copies easy to hand, not as an alternative to buying the originals.

I would never waste my money on a digtal comic if I could buy a paper copy. Ultimately, you're just 'buying' thin air, you own nothing.

In what way is a digital comic "nothing"? Is it simply that it is an electronic medium instead of a physical one? And if so, do you also consider films on DVD, or music on CD, record, or tape nothing? How about broadcast TV? That has no physical presence at all. Or live music...

I have little interest in original comics. Give me a quality reprint and I'm happy. I actually prefer the DC Showcase collections that reprint stories in black and white because colouring of the period was poor and often detracts from the original artwork. Plus it's 25 issues in one thick book for a tenner, which suits me fine.

But I'm also happy with digital. In some ways I prefer it. If I want to pick out a strip from an individual issue, when the options are a) wade through a ton of boxes to unpack a fragile original, or b) locate the relevant file on my hard drive, b) wins in almost every conceivable way.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Dabbling into drawing a bit meself, I often happen upon an image I really admire, [usually striking comics covers, or 'splash' imagery ] and often I sit and savour a cool image thinking: 'wish I had come up with that idea'!

I much prefer digital media regarding this: if it's a good quality scan, the desired image can usually be savoured larger and clearer than the paper equivalent on the computer screen......it's also a lot more economical to boot: I've discovered stacks of 'lost gems' through this approach.

On the downside, digital scans are often pretty inconsistent: you are just 'getting into' deluxe hi-res imagery, then the applecart is somewhat upset as a few of the comics are lower-res and smaller [if still readable] for some reason......

[tony ingram]

I am a collector. For me, a sizeable part of buying comics is the pleasure of owning the original product; I only buy reprint collections in order to have reading copies easy to hand, not as an alternative to buying the originals.

I would never waste my money on a digtal comic if I could buy a paper copy. Ultimately, you're just 'buying' thin air, you own nothing.

In what way is a digital comic "nothing"? Is it simply that it is an electronic medium instead of a physical one? And if so, do you also consider films on DVD, or music on CD, record, or tape nothing? How about broadcast TV? That has no physical presence at all. Or live music...

As I said, I'm a collector. You cannot collect digital comics; there's nothing physical there to own. You can't hold them, they don't have that great 'old comic' smell, you can't bag, board and box them and have the quiet joy of knowing they're in your collection, all of which is a vital part of the experience for me. Same with music-I buy CDs and tapes, but I wouldn't bother to download music because I wouldn't own it in any physical form.

[Bigwords]

DVDs have their own arguments among collectors - the first release, the director's cut, limited edition boxed editions with feelies, or the cheap repackaged editions... It isn't simple to compare comics to films, as there are multiple differences in the experience.

Nothing beats watching a good film on the big screen though.