Comics Piracy: For and Against
THE DIGITAL AGE we reside in today has borne many wonders, and the biggest by far that has affected me personally has been the relatively recent rise of the availibility of vintage comics on shiney disk; a highly controversial development that has revolutionized comics reading and collecting, although many purists rightly sidestep digital comics altogether, and stick to the traditional paper originals.
Here I will try and be fair regarding the advantages and pitfalls regarding this phenomenon: I will attempt to be honest in laying out the pros and cons of obtaining comics as reading files.
the BENEFITS of DIGITAL COMICS:
IT'S CHEAP. It's possible to obtain thousands of comics very economically, in some cases for a couple of bucks a disc, or just a few cents per comic..compare that to the price of paper comics which has soared in real terms over the past few decades. The digital collection I have would have cost me several thousands if I had to get them all on paper........this cheap availibility of comics on silver disk has also meant I can afford to try out more niche interest material, whereas previously I could only really afford the cream of what I desired , due to the often fairly high cost of original paper comics. It also saves a small fortune on postage costs, and is far quicker as regarding amassing a sizable collection....you simply allow the postman to drop the small packege of disks through your letter-box.
No more trekking to the Post Office in the pouring rain to pick up a missed parcel, on your day off work.
IT'S COMPACT. I live in a small flat and in order to have comfortable space to house thousands of real comics, ideally I would need a seperate room just to accomodate them: my digital comics collection [of many different genres and in some cases, complete runs of vintage titles] can, in all probability, be balanced on one of my arms. Some disks contain up to 300 comics of acceptable quality and readability on a single hard copy. They are durable, too.
IT SAVES THE ORIGINALS, AND IT DEMOCRATICALLY CREATES MANY EXTRA COPIES FOR WIDER DISTRIBUTION : Okay, take a random title like WARLORD : I am not especially interested in older-styled boys' War comics, and without digital technology, it is highly unlikely I would bother sending off for a great many sample copies, let alone a full set----just too expensive, inconvenient, and I much prefer 'funny' comics. However, I love comics History in general, and low-cost comics on disk means I can easily afford---and look through-----hundreds of examples of titles as diverse as WARLORD, girls' comics like MANDY or JUDY, or imported vintage American Horror Comics, to cite a mere three examples.
The digital copying of vintage comics has increased the readership of many older publications , many of which were undoubtedly heading for almost-total oblivion: this in turn has removed a lot of the rarity value of many earlier-period titles, meaning many fans can get to read these works and appreciate the creative endeavors of the artists and writers.....the real paper versions are still in existance, of course, for the more commited comics purists. However, it has to be said I can now appreciate--- and see in acceptable resolution -----the work of many artist and creators from bygone eras, who otherwise may have been headed for near-oblivion, and at least it means that fans outside the diehard collectors can access this output at low cost. It also breaks up the 'exclusivity' and snobby elitism of fat-cat collectors who own the expensive paper originals, which can be costly in many cases.
The purists can at least be safe in their conviction that the paper originals they own will always be the 'real deal', and digital copies are just 'read-only' files of no increasing value, other than for practical reading purposes....my own personal pragmatic outlook.
IT ENCOURAGES MORE OPEN-MINDED READING HABITS.
The sheer low-cost outlay of obtaining digital-file comics [in some cases, you can even create your own discs if you can access the files, at next to no cost] meaning the reader can more easily afford to 'try out' more esoteric or specialist-interest material, and indeed relatively obscure material is fairly easy to get hold of: my own personal preference is for UK humor comics of the 50s through to the 70s, however I love trying out more diverse material, from MAD Magazine, Smash Hits, Castle of Frankenstein, Cinefex, Skywald Horror Comics, Savage Sword of Conan, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Little Annie Fanny and many, many, others......in fact, the only real gaps in my collectionnow, I would venture, is material such as the Amalgamated Press comics like Jingles and Funny Wonder, or Nursery titles like BIMBO or PIPPIN.....and who knows, even these may turn up at some point.
THE DISADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL COMICS:
IT'S ILLEGAL: Although legitimate, Publisher-Created comics collections on shiney disk are indeed 'out there', the officially-sanctioned collections are less than wide-ranging or even satisfactory: for example, I have the official disk put out by NEW YORKER MAGAZINE that contains thousands of their cartoon gags-----however, it is deliberately issued in lower-resolution format, presumably to deter the spread of widespread piracy. Material as typically flawed as this does not encourage fans to pursue this method of collecting, further promoting the illegal scanning of many hundreds of titles.
Witness the never-ending cycle of movie formats on home viewing systems: VHS/ DVD/ Blu-Ray, and now 4K: all of these upgrades---of essentially the same films at the core------- are designed to pry even more cash out of many film fans, and I suspect that properly sanctioned versions of digital comics collections by legitimate companies would go the same route, with endless higher-resolution/ more supplementary extras, etc etc versions assaulting the buyers' sensibilities. One thing the illegal scanners DO get right is they try to put out decent material as best they can [whatever the shortcomings of this DIY approach]
WHY IS ILLEGAL SCANNING OF PUBLISHED COMICS SO WIDESPREAD?
------Personally, I would love for D C Thomson to put out [for example] the entire BEEZER COMIC of the 50s and 60s [including all the annuals] on digital disk collection for a reasonable price [say 40 quid] but sadly, the holders of the copyright--DCT themselves------ have simply never got their act together on this, and absolutely no official versions---other than a few token try-outs of a few comic-title examples, which have proved to be of a half-hearted nature------of many household-name comics have ever transpired in the shops, despite the ease of the scanning process and cheap technological advantages of putting out disk collections, which is infinitely more economically viable, in comparison to putting out proper books containing reprinted material.
Similarly, the holders of copyrighted comics from the old IPC/FLEETWAY comics like WHIZZER and CHIPS, SHIVER and SHAKE and COR!! also seem disinterested or disorganized on this score, further encouraging wider use of piracy of these impossible-to-obtain-legally digital collections------the fate of who owns the rights to the excellent ODHAMS of the 60s like WHAM! POW! and SMASH! appear to be similarly in dissarray, as is the copyright status of many other vintage comics.
Money is surely there to be made by D C Thomson and other copyright holders [admittedly, Rebellion put out both paper and digital copies of contemporary 2000 AD so happily, there is some sense being prevailed] but overall, big business has been very slow on the uptake regarding putting out digital disk versions of many vintage comics titles; this has been a lamentable missed opportunity on behalf of the copyright holders, who could put out superior versions of artwork scanned from original inkings in some cases.
On here, I have to state clearly and categorically that the S
SCANNING and DISTRIBUTION [for profit] OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS AGAINST THE LAW, and NOT to be endorsed under any circumstances,
however, mainly for the many reasons cited above----apathy and seeming disinterest by big business to capitalize upon this hi-tech business opportunity-----has resulted in the inevitable widespread availibility of pirated comics material. It is no exagerration to declare that the illegal distribution of pirated comics is truly epedemic in this day and age: internet accessibilty means if one seller is shut down by the lawyers, another seller simply pops up somewhere else.
COMIC SCANS ARE INCONSISTENT, REGARDING QUALITY:
To be fair, many modern comics , a great deal of which are printed on glossy deluxe paper, come out great through scanning: the impressive digital coloring and advanced visual effects taken for granted today come out great when seen via digital files. The reader also gets to 'zoom in' closer for a grandstand view of the artwork, which works well too, as long as high resolution scanning has taken place. The problem in quality centers more around the older, newsprint-style publications: here, the quality gamut varies wildly, from the very good indeed through to the not-very-pleasant-at-all examples, some of which are too dark or faded and indistinct /grainy to enjoy properly.
Further deficiencies include two pages scanned at once ,---presumably requiring an A3 scanner------- meaning the resolution is only half that of the better, single-page scan pages [if still readable]: you also see very jarring examples of pages of differing resolution which makes for very uneasy reading. Sometimes issues are repeated, with missing files on rare occassion, broken or incomplete files and sometimes you even see stories abruptly terminating in a digital mess before the end of the story-----however, the widespread copying of all this material usually means you just pick up another 'proper' version later on. Also, it's impossible to get absolutely everything on disc that your heart desires: ultimately, the top of my 'wants' list would be a full set of 1960s BEANOS; and although I have a fair cross-section, there are huge gaps in my files collection as we speak.
The most extreme example I have seen of low-resolution comics pages were of whole pages represented by single-image 'snaps' taken by a compact camera---not exactly top-quality stuff!
READING COMICS ON A COMPUTER SCREEN IS NO-WHERE NEAR AS SATISFYING:
Many 'real' paper comics enthusiasts refuse, point blank, to even enter into the Digital Comics Arena [although digital readership is certainly on the increase] : and these critics do have a point. The reading of comics the 'proper' way [holding the paper original right in front of you] is many times more comfortable, and natural than anything a computer can yet offer. I could quite feasibly read through 50 real comics in one sitting if I were interested enough and I had the time: in fact, I done this once when I recieved some vintage 2000 AD comics in one large batch during the early 80s. Reading comics on a screen is fine for up to five or six issues, I find: after this, I find the un-natural glare of the electronic screen becomes plainly uncomfortable. Sure, six comics in a row is usually enough for me, but you get my drift.
Navagating comics on a computer screen is very disorientating at first, but it does become more familiar over time. However, if I won the Lottery, I would likely insist on all-paper versions. Also, having thousands of comics at arms' length [unthinkable in my youth, for all sort of reasons] sadly results in the cheapening of comics availibility: the reader [having so much material at his or her fingertips] is often inclined simply to scroll and zip through reams of material, instead of reading the works properly. When you got a weekly ration of your paper comic, it felt more like a proper ritual, and you tended to savor the stories a lot more: there is no doubt that 'too much' material lessens the reading value of the comics medium.
BUT! Given a choice between 'too much' comics or not 'enough' of them, invariably I would choose the former any day-----and I no longer dream of finding thousands of vintage comics and annuals in my sleep, like I used to.
COMICS PIRACY IS KILLING TODAYS' COMICS INDUSTRY:
Although I have fewer qualms regarding older material produced before the computer age , when the concept of scanning comics was closer to science-fiction, there is absolutely no doubt that the scanning of todays' comics in particular is harming creators working in the here-and-now. For every reader who obtains 'free' comic scans of 2000 AD or BEANO, the more this affects ever-dwindling comics sales, endangering these rare species even further still. Those who buy the real paper comics are doing the most to keep the Industry alive and going,-----and if everyone went over to scanned versions of todays' comics, the Industry would be at the very cusp of oblivion. In the United States, this problem is even more widespread, with endless illegal scans on seemingly ALL of the Marvel and DC Comics titles: I can only deduce that there is a hard core of real paper comics enthusiasts who are propping up the Industry there.
So....there you have it, the many pitfalls and advantages of this highly controversial method of obtaining comics, which has certainly affected my own personal consumption of comics material.
Here I will try and be fair regarding the advantages and pitfalls regarding this phenomenon: I will attempt to be honest in laying out the pros and cons of obtaining comics as reading files.
the BENEFITS of DIGITAL COMICS:
IT'S CHEAP. It's possible to obtain thousands of comics very economically, in some cases for a couple of bucks a disc, or just a few cents per comic..compare that to the price of paper comics which has soared in real terms over the past few decades. The digital collection I have would have cost me several thousands if I had to get them all on paper........this cheap availibility of comics on silver disk has also meant I can afford to try out more niche interest material, whereas previously I could only really afford the cream of what I desired , due to the often fairly high cost of original paper comics. It also saves a small fortune on postage costs, and is far quicker as regarding amassing a sizable collection....you simply allow the postman to drop the small packege of disks through your letter-box.
No more trekking to the Post Office in the pouring rain to pick up a missed parcel, on your day off work.
IT'S COMPACT. I live in a small flat and in order to have comfortable space to house thousands of real comics, ideally I would need a seperate room just to accomodate them: my digital comics collection [of many different genres and in some cases, complete runs of vintage titles] can, in all probability, be balanced on one of my arms. Some disks contain up to 300 comics of acceptable quality and readability on a single hard copy. They are durable, too.
IT SAVES THE ORIGINALS, AND IT DEMOCRATICALLY CREATES MANY EXTRA COPIES FOR WIDER DISTRIBUTION : Okay, take a random title like WARLORD : I am not especially interested in older-styled boys' War comics, and without digital technology, it is highly unlikely I would bother sending off for a great many sample copies, let alone a full set----just too expensive, inconvenient, and I much prefer 'funny' comics. However, I love comics History in general, and low-cost comics on disk means I can easily afford---and look through-----hundreds of examples of titles as diverse as WARLORD, girls' comics like MANDY or JUDY, or imported vintage American Horror Comics, to cite a mere three examples.
The digital copying of vintage comics has increased the readership of many older publications , many of which were undoubtedly heading for almost-total oblivion: this in turn has removed a lot of the rarity value of many earlier-period titles, meaning many fans can get to read these works and appreciate the creative endeavors of the artists and writers.....the real paper versions are still in existance, of course, for the more commited comics purists. However, it has to be said I can now appreciate--- and see in acceptable resolution -----the work of many artist and creators from bygone eras, who otherwise may have been headed for near-oblivion, and at least it means that fans outside the diehard collectors can access this output at low cost. It also breaks up the 'exclusivity' and snobby elitism of fat-cat collectors who own the expensive paper originals, which can be costly in many cases.
The purists can at least be safe in their conviction that the paper originals they own will always be the 'real deal', and digital copies are just 'read-only' files of no increasing value, other than for practical reading purposes....my own personal pragmatic outlook.
IT ENCOURAGES MORE OPEN-MINDED READING HABITS.
The sheer low-cost outlay of obtaining digital-file comics [in some cases, you can even create your own discs if you can access the files, at next to no cost] meaning the reader can more easily afford to 'try out' more esoteric or specialist-interest material, and indeed relatively obscure material is fairly easy to get hold of: my own personal preference is for UK humor comics of the 50s through to the 70s, however I love trying out more diverse material, from MAD Magazine, Smash Hits, Castle of Frankenstein, Cinefex, Skywald Horror Comics, Savage Sword of Conan, The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, Little Annie Fanny and many, many, others......in fact, the only real gaps in my collectionnow, I would venture, is material such as the Amalgamated Press comics like Jingles and Funny Wonder, or Nursery titles like BIMBO or PIPPIN.....and who knows, even these may turn up at some point.
THE DISADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL COMICS:
IT'S ILLEGAL: Although legitimate, Publisher-Created comics collections on shiney disk are indeed 'out there', the officially-sanctioned collections are less than wide-ranging or even satisfactory: for example, I have the official disk put out by NEW YORKER MAGAZINE that contains thousands of their cartoon gags-----however, it is deliberately issued in lower-resolution format, presumably to deter the spread of widespread piracy. Material as typically flawed as this does not encourage fans to pursue this method of collecting, further promoting the illegal scanning of many hundreds of titles.
Witness the never-ending cycle of movie formats on home viewing systems: VHS/ DVD/ Blu-Ray, and now 4K: all of these upgrades---of essentially the same films at the core------- are designed to pry even more cash out of many film fans, and I suspect that properly sanctioned versions of digital comics collections by legitimate companies would go the same route, with endless higher-resolution/ more supplementary extras, etc etc versions assaulting the buyers' sensibilities. One thing the illegal scanners DO get right is they try to put out decent material as best they can [whatever the shortcomings of this DIY approach]
WHY IS ILLEGAL SCANNING OF PUBLISHED COMICS SO WIDESPREAD?
------Personally, I would love for D C Thomson to put out [for example] the entire BEEZER COMIC of the 50s and 60s [including all the annuals] on digital disk collection for a reasonable price [say 40 quid] but sadly, the holders of the copyright--DCT themselves------ have simply never got their act together on this, and absolutely no official versions---other than a few token try-outs of a few comic-title examples, which have proved to be of a half-hearted nature------of many household-name comics have ever transpired in the shops, despite the ease of the scanning process and cheap technological advantages of putting out disk collections, which is infinitely more economically viable, in comparison to putting out proper books containing reprinted material.
Similarly, the holders of copyrighted comics from the old IPC/FLEETWAY comics like WHIZZER and CHIPS, SHIVER and SHAKE and COR!! also seem disinterested or disorganized on this score, further encouraging wider use of piracy of these impossible-to-obtain-legally digital collections------the fate of who owns the rights to the excellent ODHAMS of the 60s like WHAM! POW! and SMASH! appear to be similarly in dissarray, as is the copyright status of many other vintage comics.
Money is surely there to be made by D C Thomson and other copyright holders [admittedly, Rebellion put out both paper and digital copies of contemporary 2000 AD so happily, there is some sense being prevailed] but overall, big business has been very slow on the uptake regarding putting out digital disk versions of many vintage comics titles; this has been a lamentable missed opportunity on behalf of the copyright holders, who could put out superior versions of artwork scanned from original inkings in some cases.
On here, I have to state clearly and categorically that the S
SCANNING and DISTRIBUTION [for profit] OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS AGAINST THE LAW, and NOT to be endorsed under any circumstances,
however, mainly for the many reasons cited above----apathy and seeming disinterest by big business to capitalize upon this hi-tech business opportunity-----has resulted in the inevitable widespread availibility of pirated comics material. It is no exagerration to declare that the illegal distribution of pirated comics is truly epedemic in this day and age: internet accessibilty means if one seller is shut down by the lawyers, another seller simply pops up somewhere else.
COMIC SCANS ARE INCONSISTENT, REGARDING QUALITY:
To be fair, many modern comics , a great deal of which are printed on glossy deluxe paper, come out great through scanning: the impressive digital coloring and advanced visual effects taken for granted today come out great when seen via digital files. The reader also gets to 'zoom in' closer for a grandstand view of the artwork, which works well too, as long as high resolution scanning has taken place. The problem in quality centers more around the older, newsprint-style publications: here, the quality gamut varies wildly, from the very good indeed through to the not-very-pleasant-at-all examples, some of which are too dark or faded and indistinct /grainy to enjoy properly.
Further deficiencies include two pages scanned at once ,---presumably requiring an A3 scanner------- meaning the resolution is only half that of the better, single-page scan pages [if still readable]: you also see very jarring examples of pages of differing resolution which makes for very uneasy reading. Sometimes issues are repeated, with missing files on rare occassion, broken or incomplete files and sometimes you even see stories abruptly terminating in a digital mess before the end of the story-----however, the widespread copying of all this material usually means you just pick up another 'proper' version later on. Also, it's impossible to get absolutely everything on disc that your heart desires: ultimately, the top of my 'wants' list would be a full set of 1960s BEANOS; and although I have a fair cross-section, there are huge gaps in my files collection as we speak.
The most extreme example I have seen of low-resolution comics pages were of whole pages represented by single-image 'snaps' taken by a compact camera---not exactly top-quality stuff!
READING COMICS ON A COMPUTER SCREEN IS NO-WHERE NEAR AS SATISFYING:
Many 'real' paper comics enthusiasts refuse, point blank, to even enter into the Digital Comics Arena [although digital readership is certainly on the increase] : and these critics do have a point. The reading of comics the 'proper' way [holding the paper original right in front of you] is many times more comfortable, and natural than anything a computer can yet offer. I could quite feasibly read through 50 real comics in one sitting if I were interested enough and I had the time: in fact, I done this once when I recieved some vintage 2000 AD comics in one large batch during the early 80s. Reading comics on a screen is fine for up to five or six issues, I find: after this, I find the un-natural glare of the electronic screen becomes plainly uncomfortable. Sure, six comics in a row is usually enough for me, but you get my drift.
Navagating comics on a computer screen is very disorientating at first, but it does become more familiar over time. However, if I won the Lottery, I would likely insist on all-paper versions. Also, having thousands of comics at arms' length [unthinkable in my youth, for all sort of reasons] sadly results in the cheapening of comics availibility: the reader [having so much material at his or her fingertips] is often inclined simply to scroll and zip through reams of material, instead of reading the works properly. When you got a weekly ration of your paper comic, it felt more like a proper ritual, and you tended to savor the stories a lot more: there is no doubt that 'too much' material lessens the reading value of the comics medium.
BUT! Given a choice between 'too much' comics or not 'enough' of them, invariably I would choose the former any day-----and I no longer dream of finding thousands of vintage comics and annuals in my sleep, like I used to.
COMICS PIRACY IS KILLING TODAYS' COMICS INDUSTRY:
Although I have fewer qualms regarding older material produced before the computer age , when the concept of scanning comics was closer to science-fiction, there is absolutely no doubt that the scanning of todays' comics in particular is harming creators working in the here-and-now. For every reader who obtains 'free' comic scans of 2000 AD or BEANO, the more this affects ever-dwindling comics sales, endangering these rare species even further still. Those who buy the real paper comics are doing the most to keep the Industry alive and going,-----and if everyone went over to scanned versions of todays' comics, the Industry would be at the very cusp of oblivion. In the United States, this problem is even more widespread, with endless illegal scans on seemingly ALL of the Marvel and DC Comics titles: I can only deduce that there is a hard core of real paper comics enthusiasts who are propping up the Industry there.
So....there you have it, the many pitfalls and advantages of this highly controversial method of obtaining comics, which has certainly affected my own personal consumption of comics material.
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