It is official…the digital age is upon us and it has been for some time. Just about every consumable for of mass media has went digital.
From music to newspapers, everything someone wants is just a click away.
While it has taken a while, comics have finally gone full
force into the digital age. Though e-comics have been available for quite a while in limited numbers, DC Comics brought digital distribution to the forefront with their “re-launch” last summer. No longer would you have to wait a month or two to find a digital copy of your
favorite book; digital comics would be available the same day as print
editions. Nor would you have to wait for the local comic shop to backorder a title for you that they were out of…you can just snag a copy of it on the internet, load it on your e-reader of
choice, and you’re set…convenience at its best. It’s certainly working as the big two publishers (DC and Marvel) both support that model.
It sounds pretty good, and for some people, I’m sure it is. For some reason, though, I just can’t
get into it. I go digital for just about everything from books to music to games, but for some reason, I still prefer to head to Gatekeeper every Wednesday and pick my books up. I even based my purchase of an e-reader on which one had the best comic book support, but I still buy them at the store every week.
I think it stems from the fact that I like to have a tactile product in my hands. I like being able
to hold my comics as I read them, the mundane ritual of boarding and bagging each issue, and watching my collection grow as they get forever stashed in my white comic box, only to be brought out and read again when the urge hits me. Plus, I like being able to support a local
business by giving them my business on a weekly basis.
Or maybe, just maybe, I’m a hoarder and I don’t even know it.
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