Reasons To Buy Digital Comics

Have you been struggling with the dilemma of buying your comics in the old paper form or switchover to the new digital format. This is a question my friends and I have been debating for years. Here are ten reason you should make the switch from old school paper to the more advanced electronic version of comic collecting.

Gone are the days of the 10 cent comic. Today a new comic is around $2.99-$3.99 an issue. Who knows what the price will be when you are reading this article. I had to stop collecting comics on a regular basis because I couldn’t afford to follow all the titles I loved. As the price went up I slowly started taking titles out of my monthly pull, until I finally was reduced to buying a few graphic novels when the storyline caught my interest. However, a digital comic, after a short time cost less than the cover price of a comic. Graphic novels that compile several issues in one compilation are significantly cheaper than their paper counterparts.

Any collector loves to follow the adventures of their favorite superheroes. In order to read some of these older stories, the issues can cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Digital comics do not suffer from the curse of inflation. The first appearance of Superman in Action Comics #1 would cost over $350,000 but the digital issue only cost .99⊄. I was able to read and now digitally possess Detective Comics #27 (first appearance of Batman) and Sensation Comics #1 (first appearance of Wonder Woman) for free. This was a legitimate transaction through Comixology and not an illegal download.

With digital comics you are able to read more stories for less money.

At first these thin paper books don’t take up a lot of space. However, as your collection grows week by week, you will soon find that one box in the corner of your room will multiply into dozens of boxes, filling up your closet and pushing your clothes out of the way. When I was finally able to buy my own place to live, my father was ecstatic. Not because I was turning into a responsible adult with equity but because he could finally move out all my comics from his closet to mine. With Digital comics there is no need to store your books. They are all digitally saved out in the internet cloud. All you need is a place to store your electronic reading device.

Space is only part of the storage issue. Any collector is going to want to keep their comics in pristine condition. It is not as simple as throwing them in a box and hiding them away somewhere. First each individual comic will need to be placed in its own individual plastic bag to protect it from dust, moisture and acidic chemicals. To make sure the comics do not get bent or suffer any damage to the spice, an acid free cardboard sheet will need to be inserted into the back. Then once these comics are individually stored a special acid free box will need to be purchased, so that they fit perfectly to prevent any movement that may damage the comic when they are transported. These are just your everyday comics. If a collector gets their hands on something of extreme value then they are going to want to get a thicker plastic covering, if not glass case.

With a digital comic there is no stress or money involved in keeping your comic in mint condition over years.

Reading comics on the go is not as simple as putting it in your bag or rolling it up in your back pocket. First, this will destroy the condition of the comic and consequently its value. Second, comics do not take that long to read. Even admiring the artwork, an average comic will only take about 15 minutes to read cover to cover. Which means if you want to read comics on a 5 hour flight, you would have to bring 20 books with you each way.
With a digital comic you can bring your entire collection and the only space needed will be the size of your ereader or smartphone. Digital comics give you have the ability to read your favorite comics anytime and anywhere. This does not only apply to when you go on vacation. Rather than sitting in a waiting room and reading old magazines whose information is no longer current or you don’t care about, you can read a comic. No more reading Highlights because it is the only magazine sitting on the table. Digital comics could also keep you healthy. Don’t believe me? Think about all those sick people in a doctor’s office coughing, sneezing and....reading those same magazines!

For me, organizing my comics was always an issue. At first it was easy enough putting them in chronological order according to their title and time of publication. However, as back issues are collected and new titles are discovered finding space in a single box was impossible. Soon you have dozens of half filled boxes piled up on top of each other. It becomes difficult to find the exact issue you are looking for or the spot you want to put your newest acquisition. With digital comics all you have to do is type in the issue you want and it is instantly pulled to the top of your list. When you’re done reading just close the application and it is instantly put back into storage. Most applications will also have a browse feature so you can scan your collection without having a specific issue in mind or just to peruse the comics you have.

In our digital age we expect our information fast. We want our news as it happens, our movies on demand, and music at our fingertips. Why should comics be any different? Rather than wait until I can get to the comic shop to read this week’s comics, all you have to do is turn on your electronic device and start reading the issues you have subscribed to. You can do this before your comic shop opens, when you wake up in the morning, go on a break at work, or are away on vacation.

Digital comics leave a much smaller carbon footprint. Comics made from paper go through a long process before it ever reaches your hands. The trees are cut down, the wood is processed into paper, the paper is coated in ink, the comic has to be shipped to a warehouse and then transported to a store. Then you need to travel to the store and back using more precious oil. A digital comic takes all of these production and transportation logistics off the table.

The stories inside a comic are only half the allure. The artwork is just as important as the words in bringing the characters to life. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and with digital comics the ability to look at those little details is finally possible. With the capability to zoom in on any section of a comic, fans can see the smallest elements that the artist put into their creation. Digital comics allow readers to look far off into the background and spy possible clues, admire the details an artist is able to bring to the world, or discover Easter Eggs left for fans.

The dialogue can also be enlarged for a reader’s declining eyesight as they grow older, despite their childlike hobbies...I mean childlike wonder...yeah.

As a fan of a certain comic you want to read all the stories involving your favorite characters. This can be a logistical nightmare in paper form. It can be difficult to locate original issues of some comics and when you do find it, the price can be prohibitive. There are always the graphic novels that compile several issues into one larger book, but oftentimes these graphic novels will contain more issues than you actually want. They may contain issues you already have or don’t care to read. My biggest complaint was when these compilations reprinted color comics in black and white. (Marvel Masterworks or Marvel Masterduds?). With digital comics you can get any issue, of any comic, and it will be in its original artistic style.

Since comics are a quick read, it is easy to go back and read some of your favorite stories over and over. They are a fun way to kill a little time, when you are sitting around bored. With paper comics, each time you read an issue the chances of you lowering its value greatly increase. My issues of Kingdom Come are worthless, because I read them so much. With a digital comic, you can read a story as many times as you want and never have to worry about the damage you might be causing.

If you want to read why you should buy paper comics instead of digital comics you can check out the article Reasons To Buy Paper Comics.

Basically, do what you want and just enjoy your comics.