Broken Frontier

What is the new Longbox project going to do differently from all the digital comic book ventures that have come before it?

So far, the digital age of comics has proven to be more of a talking point than an actual reality. We’ve had the ability to download digital comic books for quite some time, with some people claiming it’s the future of comics and that print is dying. But at this point, despite the capability, nothing has really happened.

Recently, the topic of digital comics has had the fire relit underneath it by the announcement of the Longbox project at the Heroes Con in Charlotte the other weekend (June 20&21).

I wasn’t there for it, but basically, Longbox wants to be the iTunes of comics. They will be a new Internet “port” (like iTunes, it’s not exactly a website) from which users can purchase and download digital files of comic books directly to their computers.  For a more extensive summary of what was said at the con, there are good write-ups at CBR, iFanboy, and Comics Alliance. (And I shamelessly ripped the images for this column from the CBR article, but I figure the point of Longbox releasing them was to get them out at this time).

As a small publisher, I think this idea is great. No one stands to gain more from new ways to sell comics than those who’ve been failed by the current print distribution system. But, like I said, this isn’t exactly a new concept and Longbox is far from the first company to offer downloads of comic books. So my question for Longbox is, what are they going to do differently from all the other ventures that have come before them? How are they going to take digital comics beyond the category of an interesting idea or experiment, and into the realm of a legitimate way for readers to feed their comic fix?

Since Longbox is being pretty tight-lipped about their operating system (right now their website only displays an image of a question mark), I thought that I would put together my own criteria of what they, or anyone, would have to do to change people’s mindsets about how they buy and read comics. And in doing so, I’m going to use their own parameters, and compare what they have to do to what iTunes successfully achieved.

The first lesson that should be learned from iTunes, a fact that isn’t often acknowledged, is that before beginning, iTunes knew that it was necessary for them to convince the record labels to go “all in” on the digital transition. It wouldn’t have worked if they had allowed the record companies to pick and choose what they made available digitally. iTunes needed to be able to provide pretty much everything that was available elsewhere, as soon as, if not sooner, than it was released anywhere else.

As much as we all have compassion for physical stores, Longbox has to follow the same mentality if they want to be successful. They need their main page to more closely resemble the new release section of a comic store than the discount bin. This means getting most, if not all the major comic book publishers to get on board, and having them be willing to release their new comics through them as soon as they’re ready for release.

So far, all I’ve heard is that BOOM! and Top Cow have signed on, which is something, but it’s not enough, and I don’t even know yet if they’re willing to put up all their titles as soon as they come out.

The second thing that iTunes did well that really helped cement their status in the music industry was the development of the iPod. Personally, that was the big selling point for me. I understood the conveniences of downloading to my computer beforehand, but I was never really motivated to change until I ditched my Discman and CD wallet for a device ¼ the size with a much greater storage capacity.

Let’s face it, one of the strengths of a comic book is that it’s easy to take with you; even a small stack isn’t a big deal. Once you require readers to sit at their computer in order to read a comic, you take most of the enjoyment out of it.

I feel that the development of mobile devices where comics can be read easily is absolutely vital to the future of digital comics. Right now there are a few devices that have shown some promise, such as the iPhone and the Kindle, not to mention so e-readers and netbooks, but none of them get it exactly right.

Will Longbox’s programming allow for one of these devices to become the new comic book reader? Do they have their own iPod device in the works?

I guess we’ll have to wait and see, but I believe both of these things are necessary in order for comic book readers to accept digital comics as a way to enjoy the hobby they love, and even to properly attract new readers through the digital medium.

This doesn’t mean that all comic fans have to go digital, or even that those who do have to only buy digital. Everyone will have their own preferences, and the industry will be stronger for being able to meet a diversity of needs.