“I see the simultaneous release of Invincible Iron Man Annual #1 as a test of the market. The most encouraging part of this release is that Marvel decided to price the comic competitively with the print copy,” said Shawn Demumbrum, co-owner and manager of SpazDog Comics in Phoenix. “Dividing the comic into three parts and pricing each part at $1.99 makes the retail price of the digital copy more than the print copy. Pricing the comic this way is the assurance that retailers need that the digital versions won’t devalue the print versions based upon price point.”
I wish this made sense to me. The only reason to price the digital copy at 6 dollars is to keep retailers happy. It’s not in service of Marvel readers and it’s certainly not in service of expanding Marvel’s audience. I have a lot of friends discovering Marvel comics for the first time through the iPad app. Paying for 1/3 of a comic for the same price they normally pay for a whole comic is not something they’ll appreciate or understand. I get Marvel’s desire to make a move like this without spooking retailers or Diamond. It’s like a scuba-diver pacing his rise to the surface to avoid getting the bends. But what does Marvel risk by scaring off potential new digital customers by pricing a virtual copy of a comic higher than the physical copy you get to keep? And for what? To keep retailers happy?
“Digital comics are a great tool to drive people into brick-and-mortar stores,” said Jason Pierce, owner of Alter Ego Comics in Muncie, Ind. “However, there is a protocol that I feel must be followed in order for this to happen. Releasing new material the same day it hits direct market stores is not part of that protocol. Digital distribution of content is something that the publishers need to consider heavily. The next step will be to release books days or weeks before the print versions, driving customers to ‘download’ rather than trek to the comic book store,” Phillips said. “The step that follows will be to have a minor book released only to digital readers. Then after that success, you may see an X-Men or Spider-Man book exclusive to digital. You know it’s coming! What effect will this have on the comic retailer? Start looking for another job! Perhaps you can work for a comic book news website or something.”
The only problem with that thinking is that Marvel Comics isn’t in the business of keeping retailers solvent. Marvel Comics is in the business of producing and distributing comic books to as many readers as possible. At least it SHOULD be. And if digital distribution has a chance of being more profitable than brick-and-mortar store distribution then Marvel owes it to it’s readers, creators and stock holders to pursue that business without having to worry about someone else’s business for nostalgia’s sake.
Marvel should take a page out of Steve Job’s notebook on this one. Be visionary and push ahead no matter who it pisses off. Especially if it’s good for the company, readers and the industry itself.
What do retailers think of Iron Man Annual Digital? Honestly, Marvel shouldn’t care.
