Digital Comic Subscriptions. Worth it?

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L-Space
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Digital Comic Subscriptions. Worth it?

Post by L-Space »

I've been thinking of making the switch from physical to digital, but am wondering if it's actually worth it. How many of you currently have or used to have digital comic subscriptions (Marvel Unlimited, Comixology, etc.) and what your experiences were/are with it?
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Batgirl III
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Re: Digital Comic Subscriptions. Worth it?

Post by Batgirl III »

"Value" is a subjective thing, but for me, neither digital nor physical subscriptions are worthwhile anymore... With the average price of something like $3.99-4.99 USD and a 32-page page count (with ads!) it's really hard to justify those prices when there's going to be a $19.99 trade paperback edition coming out in a few months, collecting six or more individual issues.
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L-Space
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Re: Digital Comic Subscriptions. Worth it?

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Batgirl III wrote:"Value" is a subjective thing, but for me, neither digital nor physical subscriptions are worthwhile anymore... With the average price of something like $3.99-4.99 USD and a 32-page page count (with ads!) it's really hard to justify those prices when there's going to be a $19.99 trade paperback edition coming out in a few months, collecting six or more individual issues.
Yea, I've been paying around $20 to $25 a month for about 4 comics, so I was wondering if it wouldn't be better financially wise to go digital instead. Granted I'm not even sure if some of the comics I get are even included in any of the Digital subscriptions yet. I'll have to do some research.
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Re: Digital Comic Subscriptions. Worth it?

Post by Shock »

I use Comixology extensively and I think it's great. Prices are usually the same for new releases but they go down in price after a few months. Also, sales are frequent. For example, I've collected most of the Invincible trades for at least 50% off, if not more.
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Re: Digital Comic Subscriptions. Worth it?

Post by Horsenhero »

Not only that, but at least one subscription service allows you to purchase back issues of indie comics, not just the bigger few (especially the big two), so you can get access to a much broader selection of books. Are publisher specific digital subscription options worth it? Probably not unless you're a hardcore fan of that publisher, but Comixology and the like certainly can be.
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Re: Digital Comic Subscriptions. Worth it?

Post by badpenny »

DC's physical comic book prices are going up $1, but you'll also be able to get a digital copy, too.

http://wegotthiscovered.com/comicbooks/ ... tal-codes/
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L-Space
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Re: Digital Comic Subscriptions. Worth it?

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Shock wrote:I use Comixology extensively and I think it's great. Prices are usually the same for new releases but they go down in price after a few months. Also, sales are frequent. For example, I've collected most of the Invincible trades for at least 50% off, if not more.
Horsenhero wrote:Not only that, but at least one subscription service allows you to purchase back issues of indie comics, not just the bigger few (especially the big two), so you can get access to a much broader selection of books. Are publisher specific digital subscription options worth it? Probably not unless you're a hardcore fan of that publisher, but Comixology and the like certainly can be.
Good to know. I had been considering Marvel Unlimited if only for access to most of their old comics, but I've been wanting to check out more stuff from other publishers so Comixology sounds like the way to go for now.
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Re: Digital Comic Subscriptions. Worth it?

Post by Jabroniville »

My issue with comics right now is the sheer volume of them takes up space, and it feels weird to just dump them somewhere. A local store pays out 50 cents in store credit for each book, so that's something. Lord knows I'll probably never read Hickman's Avengers again.

Though it reminds me of the days when all I did was "Trade Wait". But out of a desire to actually keep up with new stuff at times, and to help out my local comic store, I went with the "Pull File" method after ending up accidentally buying the same comic twice one too many times. Because I know it helps them out (and the future of a book) when they can sell a slightly-priced-up single issue instead of a TPB, at which point the book might've already been axed due to low sales.
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Re: Digital Comic Subscriptions. Worth it?

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Jabroniville wrote: Sat Jan 21, 2017 8:05 am My issue with comics right now is the sheer volume of them takes up space, and it feels weird to just dump them somewhere. A local store pays out 50 cents in store credit for each book, so that's something. Lord knows I'll probably never read Hickman's Avengers again.

Though it reminds me of the days when all I did was "Trade Wait". But out of a desire to actually keep up with new stuff at times, and to help out my local comic store, I went with the "Pull File" method after ending up accidentally buying the same comic twice one too many times. Because I know it helps them out (and the future of a book) when they can sell a slightly-priced-up single issue instead of a TPB, at which point the book might've already been axed due to low sales.
Supporting my FLGS was an initial worry of mine until I realized that my friends and I still spend a good chunk of money on Magic the Gathering and gaming books.

So far I'm not exactly wow'ed with what free books are included with Comixology Unlimited, but it seems like it might be a good start for trying out books I haven't read yet.
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