Comments on: IGN launches online digital comics shop

by: NapalmGod

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 03:22:58 +0000

Reading the fine print, there is DRM embedded into the files. I noticed that they said that the files will be lost should you reinstall or transfer to another computer, so they encourage you to print it out. I kid you not.

Methinks they miss the point.

by: RAB

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 01:16:47 +0000

“…via Adobe Systems Incorporated’s Portable Document Format (PDF), enabling users to download, view and print the comic books on any standard Windows PC.”

Since .pdf support is actually built into the Macintosh operating system itself, and the format works on Linux or any other UNIX system that people might have installed on a PC as an alternative to Windows, you really have to wonder why this press release doesn’t say “on any PC or Mac.” Are they using some kind of Windows-only DRM, or have they set things up so that only Windows PCs can download the files, or was the oversight just ignorance on someone’s part? Since they’re not offering any titles I’m interested in, I’m not going to blow $1.99 on a single issue just to find out.

And Bill Cunningham’s absolutely right. It’s insane and ultimately self-defeating to charge this much for any format which doesn’t come with the costs of paper, printing, shipping, and distribution. Will the writers and artists be seeing greater royalties from the greater profit margin Top Cow makes per copy? Or is this all just an elaborate way to make digital distribution fail so they can say “we tried it, didn’t work”?

by: Josh Farkas

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:11:40 +0000

I’ve been looking forward to something like this really taking off, so I’m excited to see it hit the big time with IGN backing. That said, the titles they have right now aren’t worth the price since normal consumers are already scanning and sharing at no cost.

by: SporksOnTheInside

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 13:31:43 +0000

It will be interesting to see what kind of deal is being offered. But if the price hasn’t been reduced significantly or there aren’t any “bonus features” being put forward then I don’t see it going very far.

by: Bill Cunningham

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 05:12:33 +0000

so instead of using an advertiser based model to make the comics cheaper or even free, the audience has to pay?

I can see trades available at a price but not digi-floppies. Whatever happened to the idea of expanding the business by using new types of advertisers?

Silly, silly meat.

by: theMadJester

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 04:07:26 +0000

This looks to be a great way to get a comic book fix without taking up a lot of space on the book shelf. I recently returned from a business trip with 3 trades to read while there that took much needed space. With a downloadable book this extra weight would not be needed as I already had my laptop. One thing that I do wonder is about protection from piracy. No where in the article does it address this and it seems to me that a PDF is very easy to distribute.

by: Avatar

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 00:19:47 +0000

Fat or fast? both work..