"You've changed things. Forever."

General Discussion Comic Books
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So…how about that comic news regarding DC Universe?! It’s a one-two punch of a slobber knocker, followed by an aerial roundhouse or ten of excitement!!! Is it April yet?

To my point…has anyone felt that the news of the entire digital DC library now being a fixture of DC Universe will forever change in some manner and to some degree how you consume comics?

As the library here grows, that older ongoing series that you’ve wanted in digital but haven’t had the scratch for…now you can get it here! That acclaimed storyline written by You Know Who with glorious artwork by Her and masterful inks by That Girl and Her Boy Thursday…it’s here, right now! Just click on it and read away! Forget saving your pennies for the future, that future is NOW (and it’s so bright that you gotta wear shades).

I can see how the entire library being here will already change my comic consumption. The last vestiges of my print single issue collection fill up ten long boxes. Only about 5-10% of those books (if that) remain print only releases and I would keep those issues on that basis. The rest of my books…as their digital equivalents arrive here, I see the print editions going out the door to be sold and a good chunk of space opening up in my closet. I love having those books in print but having so much available digitally in the palm of your hand, at the click of a mouse or push of a remote button just (to me at least) renders the print material irrelevant and redundant up to a certain point.

I see the addition of the digital library as a tremendous moneysaver for many of us too. For me, I can concentrate exclusively on buying new releases and new back issues (yes, they too will be here eventually but no, I’m not waiting a year for them as I love buying new books each week) and no longer have to “worry” about getting caught up on older material because I know it will be here whenever I’m ready to read it.

Anyone else feel that “The News of Yesterday” (its so seismic, it deserves a title it does) will forever change your comic collecting/consumption habits?

Also, is it April yet?

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Yes, although in my case it will just deepen my existing commitment to digital. I don’t have the space for a lot of stuff and so had to get rid of the vast majority of the print collection accumulated when I was younger. I kept a lot of significant back issues but the majority I couldn’t and so, as a 90s kid there’s a whole bunch of comics that I would love to dip back into every so often just for nostalgia’s sake. I’d never go buy them in print, or probably digital, again, so having it all here will be wonderful.

It also means, in the case of characters whose comics I never bought (and probably wouldn’t), like Aquaman, Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing, etc., there is no barrier to entry and I will almost certainly explore new things from the wide history of DC. That’s already been the case with DCU.

As far as new comics, I haven’t kept up as much with them anyway. Having Marvel Unlimited has made me secure in never buying new (or old!) Marvel comics but given the state of their comics (messy and incoherent), the cost, and the lack of time to read, I probably never actually would anyway. So again, that service gives me a chance to explore and engage in ways I never would otherwise. While I keep up more with DC titles, the only ones I’ve been consistent about buying as they release have been Heroes in Crisis, Doomsday Clock, and The Green Lantern.

So it won’t be a sea change for me but now I’ll probably never go back to print. The only three print comics I’ve gotten in the last few years have been Detective 1000, Action 1000, and King’s Mister Miracle trade. I wouldn’t be surprised if I reduce my already tiny digital purchases.

However, while that may seem like less money to DC, it also means they will have me more engaged with their universe (and beyond the core of Superman and Batman that I’d likely focus on otherwise). Sometimes I wish I could go back to a time where comics were cheaper and I had my parents’ massive basement to store them in. I do love print, and there is something lost in translation. But still, the convenience and ease of having an entire historic archive of comic books in your pocket, essentially, is an amazing thing and I’m all-in.

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I don’t know that they’ve changed anything so much as realized the change was inevitable with or without them and jumped on board the train. Marvel has been doing their Unlimited since mid 2000s and alot of snaller companies like Valiant and Boom basically use ComiXology as an Unlimited service of their own. DC was the last major holdout.

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@gwg I too love the idea of having a gigantic library in the palm of my hand and elsewhere. Especially one that will be amazing to experience in Landscape Mode on bigger screens.

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This really does feel like the equivalent of having your job announce everyone is getting a pay raise; and ironically or not, there really is a huge monetary value to each of us poor working middle class sobs.

I do assume this move is the result of metrics; someone is measuring traffic here, usage. How many are viewing animation, how many are viewing old TV shows, how many are watching Doom Patrol, how many are reading the increased number of comics etc.

My hope, my vote , my plea as the Golden Goose of DCU, the personification of your fan base is: please make the comic reader picture perfect. As you release the dogs in April, make sure the magical auto reader in Roku really consistently works instead of stalling out into a page view for no reason. For the tablet, phone,PC readers: do your best to make sure we can read the full panel most of the time.

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For me, it doesn’t mean I will not have to buy back issues of comics. It means I can learn what I legitimately want to purchase. I find a story arc I love on here, I can purchase the trade. It makes my collection more focused on the things I like enough to have take up physical space on shelves. This is important to someone on a fixed income right now. I see this as an opportunity to support DC more and to develop an even deeper DC love. It allows me an opportunity to be a part of this wonderful comic book landscape that I wasn’t able to participate in as much because I wasn’t always sure what titles I would want on my shelf. Now I can figure it out. This is probably the best news ever for us that want to support DC but had moved away as a result of increasing prices and such. Now we can read here and then purchase with knowledge. Print is still better to me overall and having physical shows what books I personally enjoy, so excited about the news yesterday. They cemented me as a forever DCU member!

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@PrincessAmethyst Good point. It’s definitely the best darn Try It Before You Buy It system of all time.

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Reading digital has only made me purchase more physical. I had to choose between marvel unlimited and dc universe. I chose dcu because of the shows but really missed having an entire backlog if comics. Now this app is the total package.

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Yes, supplying the demand digitally does spur ongoing subscription status (because it must to satisfy the clientele) and ultimately save on printing and shipping costs, especially if the subscription volume grows steadily. I believe DC Universe is off to a stellar start and their curated library offerings along with the community base is showing fine form.

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We may need 5 Comic thread master areas instead of 1 now.

Golden
Silver
Bronze
Modern
This Week

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Simply put it won’t change mine. I will use it pretty much the way I use a public library Those comic that are not easily obtained I will simply look for here. I will continue to support my local comic book store

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I’ve been digital for a couple of years now and so this is pretty awesome news

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For me, this means one thing:

I am never, ever going to stop reading.

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super stoked, and although my pull list isn’t what it used to be i’ll be supporting my LCS for as long as I can

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@BatJamags Same for me. An unending bounty of riches awaits us in the coming days.

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One of the things I love about a service like this is that I can sample a series for a few issues without a monetary risk. So, titles that I might pass by or give up on get a chance to change my mind.

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My pull list will forever be overflowing.

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If I try to do a pull list for all of the forthcoming stuff I plan to read, the thing will come to life and run for the hills :slight_smile:

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I’m so excited! There are a lot of series that I want to read, but don’t want to OWN. Shelf space comes at a premium, but, like most here, I will still buy my fave floppies every week and trades of runs that I end up loving.

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@berniethebeaver That’s great that you’re so excited! I just can’t hide my excitement over this mammoth whopper of a news story and all of the forthcoming literary treasures that we will soon be in the presence of.

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