Sunday, November 24, 2019

It's Simple: Stop Pirating Comics


https://thatcomicgirl.blogspot.com/2019/11/your-favorite-comic-aunt-is-back-and.html



Your favorite comic Aunt is back and this time here with one extremely hot take. STOP PIRATING COMICS. You heard me stop pirating comics, and support your favorite series and creators.

While it’s something I’ve been wanting to talk about for a while it’s the recent tweets from Ted Brandt, who has inking credits on titles such as Image’s Crowded & Marvel’s Unstoppable Wasp that finally rekindled the fire and inspired my call to action.












































This is a serious epidemic that’s taking money away from the writers, illustrators, inkers, editors, colorists, designers and letterers that have so lovingly created these stories for you. In an industry that already doesn’t compensate it’s creators nearly enough, stealing the works that have taken them literal months to create for you only adds insult to injury. Not only that but did you know that when you pirate a series versus supporting one with sales, that runs the risk of a series being pushed to a trade format, or even worse canceled, because it is no longer deemed profitable by the publisher?

And if it wasn’t already obvious pirating comics, massively hurt your local comic book shop. Now take it from someone who previously worked at her LCS, we depend on these sales. You deciding that you’re just gonna pirate an issue, or two or three is massively hurting our business and the ability to thrive.

Now I get it, you love comics and want to read and experience all they have to offer. I also totally understand from the perspective of someone who has spent a lot of money on comics that they can be expensive as hell. And from a casual reader’s perspective that can come off as extremely intimidating. However pirating comics, is not the way to approach and fix this “issue.” There are several alternatives where you can still support a creator and their work in a legal manner without breaking the bank.

So let’s talk about some alternatives.

With streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ on the rise, did you know that there are also a few “streaming” services for comics as well? No? Well let’s talk about them.

Comixology Unlimited

As far as I’m aware Comixology is pretty much the go-to service when it comes to digital reading. Much like going to a comic shop, you can purchase individual issues and even whole graphic novels/trades and have those books right at your fingertips. Not only that but they often offer pretty killer deals nearly every week. But that’s not why we’re here, we’re here to talk about Comixology Unlimited. Comixology Unlimited is pretty much a comic book streaming service that offers, over 20,000 digital comics, graphic novels and even manga across a bunch of popular publishers including DC, Marvel, and Image. With titles like the most recent run on Batman, Archie, and one of my personal favorites, Saga, it’s honestly such a great resource for comic fans both who read on a regular basis and on a casual one. Not only can you read some of your favorite stories and characters but it’s a great way to be introduced to new stories as well without running the risk of paying for something you might not love. The best part, Comixology is free for the first 30 days and after that, it’s only $5.99 each month. It’s cheaper than both Netflix and Spotify and has about the same cost as buying two regular comic issues.



Marvel Unlimited

Marvel has its own digital library available on your smartphone or tablet. As the title suggests your are restricted to just Marvel titles, but that includes Star Wars too! Marvel boasts a catalog of over 25,000 issues ranging from those classic stories to the more modern ones. What’s great about Marvel Unlimited is that they are constantly adding new issues each week, and even have new releases readily available as soon as 6 months after they first hit your local shop. To put it into perspective, War of the Realms, a massive Marvel event that started back at the beginning of summer has it’s first issue readily available for you to read, with more soon on the way. While Marvel Unlimited is a little more expensive at $9.99 a month or $69 per year it’s honestly the perfect go to for any Marvel super fan. One of the things I personally really like about Marvel Unlimited is that they have really awesome breakdowns for popular characters, including some must reads that you might not have been aware of. It’s a really great tool for those wanting to get into comics or even to try out a character they’ve been reluctant on just because they didn’t know where to start.

DC Universe

DC Universe started a streaming service for its movies, shows, and original series but quickly moved into offering an expansive digital comic library as well. Much like Marvel Unlimited, DC Universe hosts over 20,000 comics available to you that also range from the classic to modern era. If I’m being honest DC Universe and Marvel Unlimited are both extremely similar with DC Universe instead also offering access to other classic media and content from it’s characters. DC Universe is available to you for $7.99 a month or $74.99 for an annual membership.

So maybe streaming isn’t your forte. Maybe you just don’t read enough comics to justify an annual or even a monthly membership but still want the ability to experience everything comics have to offer. Well you can love and experience those comics, while still supporting those creators without any cost to you.

It’s called your LOCAL LIBRARY!

That’s right, your local library also offers comics, typically in the form of collected graphic novels/trades. I won’t go too much into detail, (if you’re interested I wrote all about the importance of comics and the library in another post) but your local library more than likely has an excellent selection of books for you to read and enjoy. The best part about it is that while it might seem free to you, those creators are still being compensated because at the end of the day someone is still buying those comics.

The moral of the story is comics are great. I love comics more than anything in the world and I stand by the fact that comics are for everyone and should be loved and shared as such. But there’s a proper way to do it an industry where it’s creators already struggle and hustle to make ends meet. So please, for the love of everything don’t pirate these books that these people have poured all their time, love and effort into. Instead utilize the streaming services, your local library, even each other to support and share the series that you love.

No comments:

Post a Comment