The Energon Pub

Looks like comic fanatics with iPhones will be able to get double goodness with every comic purchase made at your local comic shops coming this fall. According to Seibertron.com tipster Kuhlio, IDW Publishing will be working with Diamond Distributors so that purchases of hard stock comic books will be able to receive a digital copy of the book at no charge. Here's the email from IDW Publishing's Digital Team to Kuhlio in response to his question regarding digital copies:

IDW will be participating with Diamond Distributors to include digital copies with print books at comic shop retailers this fall. Watch for news, or ask at your local comic shop.

Best regards,
The IDW Digital Team


This is great news for collectors that like to keep their comics minty fresh in sealed sleeves and for fans who like to read books over again who won't have to carry them around with.

For the latest news in the Transformers Universe, keep your optics locked on Seibertron.com, your Ultimate Transformers Resource!

Comic companies are just not getting it when it comes to digital media.

Burn wrote:Comic companies are just not getting it when it comes to digital media.

How so?

Supreme Convoy wrote:

Burn wrote:Comic companies are just not getting it when it comes to digital media.

How so?

think he means bad quality??? that's my guess. i mean, looks at that quality!

Wish this worked backwards. I have them all on my phone and it's the main reason I could justify buying an iPad, even though buying everyone of them bound in hardcover is still less than half price. Nice touch though as I will end up buying the physical copies of them too.

Supreme Convoy wrote:

Burn wrote:Comic companies are just not getting it when it comes to digital media.

How so?

For starters, unless FG got it wrong (which I doubt), this is an app that will be for iPhones only. If comic companies are going to go digital then they need to develop their apps for more than just iPhones.

Secondly, previous attempts at digital have resulted in copies that are far superior for those of us with large monitors.

Thirdly, digital copies seem to be priced at the same price as printed comics. Why? All they really need to do is just give 'em a good scan.

There's already a format out there and a program to go with it that provides high quality digital copies of comics, unfortunately it's not particulary legal but the comic companies could learn a thing or two from it.

Honestly, if the comic industry wants to survive in this technical age they need to start letting go of the past. I know there's going to be purists out there, but they're not going to keep the companies afloat.

Burn wrote:

Supreme Convoy wrote:

Burn wrote:Comic companies are just not getting it when it comes to digital media.

How so?

For starters, unless FG got it wrong (which I doubt), this is an app that will be for iPhones only. If comic companies are going to go digital then they need to develop their apps for more than just iPhones.

Um, at no point is it stated which app this will be for. Nor is it stated which platform the app will be on. If it's for any of the existing apps that IDW currently publish on then it would NOT be iPhone exclusive. If it's on a new app that IDW would be developing then it would make sense for them not to go iPhone exclusive.

I really don't understand where you got this idea that they would be only on iPhone from.

Burn wrote:For starters, unless FG got it wrong (which I doubt), this is an app that will be for iPhones only. If comic companies are going to go digital then they need to develop their apps for more than just iPhones.

Secondly, previous attempts at digital have resulted in copies that are far superior for those of us with large monitors.

Thirdly, digital copies seem to be priced at the same price as printed comics. Why? All they really need to do is just give 'em a good scan.

There's already a format out there and a program to go with it that provides high quality digital copies of comics, unfortunately it's not particular legal but the comic companies could learn a thing or two from it.

Honestly, if the comic industry wants to survive in this technical age they need to start letting go of the past. I know there's going to be purists out there, but they're not going to keep the companies afloat.

If anything, I don't think digital comics is aimed at the hardcore comic audience. I personally view them as a great option for those who don't regularly read comics and/or don't have a comic shop around them. Having a print comic come with a digital version is a great bonus for readers who want to travel light with their comics.

I think the DC relaunch/digital initiative is the step in the right direction. However, I agree about the pricing. I think the pricing is unfair compared to eBooks. At least DC is selling books for a lower price a month after it is published.

In fact, readers really don't own digital comics on their devices. Here's a great article on that subject. In this case, what happens when IDW no longer has the Transformers license? Do all those digital comics cease to exist on everyone's devices. Time will tell.

Supreme Convoy wrote:In fact, readers really don't own digital comics on their devices.

If that is the case (I can't be sure because you only linked to an Armageddon poster ) then that's even more crap.

If you pay for a printed comic. It's yours. If I pay for an eletronic version, then I should be allowed to tranfser it amongst my devices as I see fit. This is where media need to develop a system whereby users can pay and download what they want, and not have said media dangling a sword over their heads ready to take their downloads back when they see fit.

Burn wrote:

Supreme Convoy wrote:In fact, readers really don't own digital comics on their devices.

If that is the case (I can't be sure because you only linked to an Armageddon poster ) then that's even more crap.

The link is fixed!

I was making fun of Southern California's Carmageddon while typing here.

RogueDeathangel wrote:Um, at no point is it stated which app this will be for. Nor is it stated which platform the app will be on. If it's for any of the existing apps that IDW currently publish on then it would NOT be iPhone exclusive. If it's on a new app that IDW would be developing then it would make sense for them not to go iPhone exclusive.

I really don't understand where you got this idea that they would be only on iPhone from.

Perhaps from the initial news post by FG?

First Gen wrote:Looks like comic fanatics with iPhones will be able to get double goodness with every comic purchase made at your local comic shops coming this fall.

Which is why I even said...

Burn wrote:For starters, unless FG got it wrong (which I doubt)

FG's normally on the ball with his news.

But another point to raise is that each company seem to be developing their own readers. I don't want to have to install half a dozen different programs for my comics, I want one program that can cover them. And as I said, there is one, it's just not legal.

cool idea but unless it works with the PSP as well it does me no good

Just for clarification, Kuhlio inquired about the iPhone app only. No info was given regarding the iPad so I didn't want to speculate on it even though it seems most likely to occur. I just hope Android and Windows gets some love too.

I would like to see the same option available for collected books (like the forthcoming AHM hardcover).
I'm more of a collection reader than a month-to-monther…

Oh I am so down with this, I just got an iPod Touch last week, and it would be awesome to take my comics with me.

Fantastic idea. Not something I would really use, but I'm definitely a fan.