Comics in a Digital World

 During the Golden Age of comics , which began with the launch of Superman in 1938, comic books were consumed in the same way as most periodicals.  They were printed monthly on cheap paper and meant to be consumed and then disposed, much like a newspaper or an issue of People Magazine. And like most magazines still today, they didn't get re-printed.  Before the rise of the 'trade paperback' (or trade) popular back issues were often difficult to track down and expensive.  Eventually publishers realized they could re-print collections of popular past issues and make more money. Initially only the most popular stories and issues were re-printed in trades, but eventually it became common practice to reprint nearly every series in trade form.  Trades are generally printed on higher quality paper, contain full story arcs, which were initially spread over five to six individual issues which often ended with cliffhangers in order to hook the reader on purchasing the ...

When most people hear 'comic book' or 'graphic novel', they likely picture dashing heroes using fantastic powers to keep their city/country/world safe from evil-doers.  Comics and Superheroes are often synonymous.  But comics are just a way of telling a story that uses pictures and words together. Comics can, and do, tell any kind of story, such as auto-biographies about civil rights leaders ,  Pulitzer-Prize winning stories about the holocaust, and romantic stories . This blog will attempt to examine how the medium of comics (in magazine and book form, not strips) and the fan-base, creators, and business have been changed by the rise of the internet and digital culture.  The format, once a physical medium, has expanded into digital distribution but much slower than music, movies, and even novels.  The fanbase has grown and changed by both the rise of digital culture as well at the sudden mainstream popularity of Marvel movies and the Superhero genre. While...