Historically, change has never been implemented by Marvel or DC. Rather, the independent studios are the first to notice a demand then develop, promote, popularize, and implement change to meet that demand. Independent studios were the first to publish in black and white when the big two were saying that readers preferred color. Independent studios were the first to target niches when the big two were saying that readers preferred serials. Independent studios were first to use the direct model of distribution when the big two were saying that it was unnecessary. Independent studios were first to allow creator ownership rights when the big two wouldn’t even discuss the issue. So it isn’t surprising that the independent studios are the first to adopt, promote, and refine digital distribution. While the best Marvel can muster is licensing out to Git Corp to put out gift packs that look worse than most fan made sets, companies like Slave Labor Graphics are actually setting up a distribution model.

The first digitally distributed comic was technically a game released in 1991 by Sanctuary Woods called Victor Vector & Yondo. It was a mild hit and released as a two issue comic by Fractal Comics (which didn’t do all that well). The first comic to be digitally distributed was released in 1996 by Marco Patrito called Sinkha. The CD it came on featured a 3D rendered comic that could only be viewed on a computer. It still has a cult following to this day.

But all of this was left behind in the digital Stone Age when high speed internet and high quality scanners made piracy popular. A new format was developed for scanned comics the CBR/CBZ format, which is basically renamed RAR/ZIP file, and newsgroups made the distribution of these scans fairly easy. In the newsgroups and IRC rooms the idea to catalogue all comics came up and as time passed a basic set of ideals surrounding this cataloguing was also developed. If you spend some time in the IRC rooms you’ll notice and overwhelming appreciation for comics, their creators, etc – so, scans are supposed to be free, not for profit, basically a way to get people interested in something they normally wouldn’t read. As torrents became popular in the last few years, Z-Cult FM became the main hub for scan proliferation. Even though Z-Cult FM’s trackers are ad-free, most of the trackers that in turn pick up the torrent to redistribute are laden with advertising. This raises ethical concerns for a lot of fans that want to read digital comics, find that Marvel and DC really haven’t offered alternatives that they want to read, and still want to help the studios of series they enjoy.

Independent studios have made this ethical hodgepodge easier to navigate by offering digital copies. These copies are legal and mostly DRM free (some sites prefer the PDF format over CBR/CBZ). Even though these distribution models are still in their infancy sites like Pullbox Online, EyeMelt, and Direct2Drive give studios a high degree of vertical and horizontal integration. All of a sudden a fan of a studio can read all the back issues, tie-ins, etc for a fraction of the cost and the studio controls practically everything involved in the experience.

SLG’s EyeMelt has proven to be such a good alternative that Z-Cult FM’s trackers no longer carry their comics. So I discussed digital comics and their distribution with SLG’s Dan Vado. Even though he hates reading comics on his computer he explained how SLG’s stance over digital comics:

“I have sort of a mixed stance on digital comics. ON the one hand, and obviously we are for this since we operate a download site, digital comics are a distribution channel that is well worth developing and exploiting. Publishers need to have as many distribution options as possible and in any business the need to have as many channels open to you as possible is important to growing you business. On a personal level I cannot stand to read comics (or really anything) on a computer screen. I spend enough of my day staring at these things I don’t need them to take over my every reading experience. So, I guess I am not my own target audience.”

And that is a common argument that Marvel/DC use: “people aren’t interested in reading digital comics”. So I asked if he thought that the rise in more torrent sites creating comic sections (Demonoid, Pirate Bay, etc all have a comics section now) disproved that statement – Dan’s response:

“I accept that there are people who do not mind reading comics on a computer. I am not one of them and I think that even the existing audience for downloads is driven by people who are put off by the high cost of comics and whose appetitive for comics is larger than their pocketbooks as opposed to people who truly prefer to read this material on a computer.”

Which is probably true, most people I’ve talked to would rather read the paper comic, but don’t want to spend $100 to read a crossover series or thousands to read back issues. When I asked if SLG was seeing mostly new readers or current readers Dan explained:

“I think we are seeing the current SLG reader picking up things that they might like to have tried, but did not feel like paying the full cover price. Our back catalog is priced mostly at 69¢, so really just covering the cost of the bandwidth and processing fee, and lots of people have tried things that they never read before.”

But he also stated that the big two were needed to make digital distribution into a proper distribution method:

“As for the success of Eyemelt, we are not 100% there yet and I think that the market for downloads is still mainly prime for the big two publishers and their super-hero lines. Eyemelt was not developed to be an SLG only thing, but to date no publishers have opened themselves up to our overtures.”

But he did state something that is important when I asked if SLG had approached the big two over using EyeMelt to distribute comics:

“No, we never approached the big two, it’s not likely that they would work with a company like ours, both seem intent on developing their own systems most likely to work within their own websites. That’s probably going to be the way it all ends up working out, publishers selling their own digital files from their own site. What needs to be worked out is developing some sort of industry standard for the files themselves.”

And he is absolutely correct. While an unpopular idea due to the MPAA/RIAA, the comic book industry needs a visible trade group to pioneer these sorts of things. Even though the MPAA and RIAA are EXTREMELY cut-throat about copyright issues their function as a trade group has allowed standardization to occur with ease – mostly because they force it upon the industry. The CBR/CBZ format has been adopted as the unofficial format for digital distribution but it can be improved upon.

iTunes is being used as a proving ground for new talent in the recording industry. Create a fan base in iTunes and it is easier to get a recording contract. When I suggested that digital comics could be used as a way to scout new talent in the comic industry, Dan shot the idea down saying: “I do not see digital as a proving ground for paper products, I see all of these channels as separate and distinct.”

But digital comics and a centralized iTunes model of distribution for them would aid the self-publishers: people who love comics and have the drive and will to produce their own series to share. As insanely hard as it is to break into being a writer/artist for a studio, wouldn’t it help someone to say: “I put this comic out a few years ago, X amount of people downloaded it and read it”? The major costs in producing a comic are the printing and shipping costs. Digital comics and digital distribution eliminate those issues for a self-publisher.

I’ve been e-mailing Jim Shelley for the last few weeks. He is an independent publisher that has created an entire universe on his own. His comics are free to read and can be downloaded from his website Flashback Universe. He first attempted to break into comics in 1985 by submitting a Captain America mini-series and after calling Don Daley (then editor for Captain America) he was asked if he would submit a few plot for their Silverhawks series. I think Jim explains what happened next best:

“I submit 3 plots to Silverhawks.
One gets approved.
Silverhawks gets cancelled.
Don suggests I submit to the Punisher War Journal.
He okays one of my Punisher plots, but says another guy is now the editor.
The new editor says he’s going to write Punisher War Journal (Editors and Assistant Editors writing the comics they were editing was not unheard of during this era at Marvel.)
New editor suggests I submit to the new Not Brand Ecch comic that Marvel will be launching.
I submit 3 ideas to this editor.
2 are approved.
The comic is cancelled after only 1 (maybe 2?) issues.
I submit 3 plots to Solo Avengers editor Mark Gruenwald.
Mark hates all 3, but tells me what to fix.
I get a Solo Wasp story approved.
The comic gets a format change and my story gets killed.

By now it’s 1989, and I call it a day on writing comics.”

He then spent part of the ‘90s trying to work with Vertigo:

“There was another very brief dalliance with the comics genre in the mid 90’s with a submission to Vertigo that was approved for a script, which I worked like a demon on to get it out the door quickly, and then went nowhere for about 8 months. The editor finally called one day after I sent her a letter asking about my script. She apologized for her lack of communication, and said they had nixed my idea because of a line of tarot cards coming out at the same time.”

Then he got pissed:

“Well, part of what I saw in the 80’s at Marvel (and in the 90’s at Vertigo) was a system of cronyism that sent a message to me that unless you were physically AT Marvel/Vertigo, your odds of getting published were slim to none. That was a crappy system, and I’m one of those guys who looks for ways to upend crappy systems.

When I saw a repeat of this within the last five years with people like Ron Zimmerman getting gigs at Marvel because he was on Howard Stern a lot, it was sort of my KIMOTA moment. After years of not thinking about writing comics, I suddenly decided I just couldn’t watch guys like that get published and not give it another shot.”

After researching self-publishing and deciding against it, he found alt.binaries.pictures.comics.reposts and downloaded his first DCP release and was instantly sold on digital comics. The internet also made it extremely easy to find artists around the globe:

“Still, the only piece missing was finding artists, and to be honest, this is usually a stumbling block for most writers because they are usually limited to artists nearby - that they might have met at a comics shop, or convention.

So, like I do whenever I’m seeking life changing advice, I posted an open question on the Newsarama forums.

And before my post was buried under 2 pages of posts talking about Powergirl’s boobs, someone suggested www.digitalwebbing.com, which is where I have found all of my artists to this day. I’m currently working with guys in Argentina, Canada and Singapore, and the distance is meaningless.”

So, for guys like Jim, who just love comics and want to put out something that they’ve had a hand in a centralized distribution system would be a godsend. Next, how to tie it all together!