I don’t know if any other publisher has been as clear as this. I also don’t know that this is the DC/Marvel/Image/DH plan. I thought some of you might like to know the plans of this publisher anyway. Hope you’re all well. (Taken from CBR interview with senior Valiant editors Heather Antos & Lysa Hawkins.)
CBR: What are your thoughts on digital comics? Does releasing titles strictly in digital form make sense at this time?
Antos: Though I completely understand the appeal of digital comics for ease of accessibility, mobility and quantity, I’ve personally never been drawn to the digital comic format. In a time where folks are stuck inside and can’t venture out to their local comic shop to pick up their pulls, sure, it makes sense to see what’s available digitally – and there is no fault in doing so or for creators and publishers to make digital offerings during this time.
However, we at Valiant have always said that retailers are the backbone of this industry and right now they need publishers’ help more than ever. There is absolutely no substitute for the physical experience of going to a comic shop on Wednesdays to pick up new books. So while we aren’t releasing anything new digitally, we are making several of our #1s available to download for free.
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Just another reminder that Valiant was born in the 1990s and still lives there.
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@AlexanderKnox You know I don’t agree with this, but they’re a big(ish) publisher. I figure there is a chance some publishers will follow suit. It’s why I shared. This is the most concrete thing I’ve come across so far.
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It appears, at least for now, Zenescope plans to continue publishing digital comics to the point of increasing digital offerings.
https://www.cbr.com/zenescope-entertainment-announces-digital-publishing-strategy/
"Official Press Release
Zenescope Entertainment has announced plans to increase its digital publishing schedule. Although Zenescope has been releasing digital comics since 2008, they are rapidly expanding their reach to satisfy a growing customer demand."
Between DCU, MCU, and Comixology Unlimited we have access to tons of comics to keep us busy until the Covid-19 crisis is finished.
But I fully expect that the comic distribution landscape will change to some degree permenantly at that point. Those who can adapt quickly will succeed. And for that reason, some attributes of our current system will fail. That may well be a good thing for readers and comic talent if the failures reside inside the current distribution system forcing more talent to strike out on their own.
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I respect Valiant trying to support brick and mortar shops. I’m far less concerned with DC and Marvel’s continued survival than that of the 2,000 shops across America. They (DC) can easily go direct to digital and ship trades directly to customers. The livelihood of comics shops, for the most part, depends on foot traffic. Shops in my area were already doing poorly (friend sold his comic shop and is a store manager for Pet Smart now). I absolutely hate to see what this does to them. DC and Marvel are technically multi-billion dollar companies. They’ll be fine.
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