Comic book fans have long been awaiting a Digital Format for comics. The theory is that just like we have digital audio, video, and ebooks, one day we should have digital comics. There are groups dedicated to scanning comics into formats like .cbz and .cbr (renamed .zip and .rar files, really), and distributing them via the internet, but the legality of such endeavors are… well, non-existent really.
Marvel Comics, publishers of such hot properties as X-Men and Spider-Man, as well as really good comics like Agents of Atlas and Nova, have long experimented with digital formats, but mostly online. They’ve made several “motion comics” available on iTunes – but comics purists turn their nose up at such mixed media. Sure, you can get Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men run for a low price, with some neat animations, and it may be fun but it’s not comics.
Recently, comic news and rumor site bleedingcool took notice that Marvel’s newest online comic book reader was a lot like the Longbox reader. Longbox are trying to set themselves up at the iTunes of Comics. Now Marvel’s announced a distribution deal with Longbox, and that pretty much explain the reader. Indeed Marvel’s added support for a whole bunch of iPhone readers . So now you can buy a comic for 99 cents and read it on your desktop, laptop, or iPhone. DigitalLongbox hopes to add eReaders to that list soon, but one journalist has created a bit of a storm by suggesting that all this digital comics talk is a harbinger of the oft-rumored “iTablet”.
It would be fascinating to see, but considering the niche – and a large niche, but still a niche – of comic book readers vs the billions of music lovers, videophiles, and just plain readers, it’s hard to imagine comic books as the “killer app” for an iTablet, especially since you can read them just as well on an iPhone, and there are even solutions for Windows Mobile, Android, and other platforms. If you don’t want to squint, there’s always the option of using your netbook.
I’m not saying it wouldn’t be cool, I’m just doubting that it “proves” anything.
