Marvel Comics recently announced that they will sell "subscriptions" to their back-catalog online. The basic gist is that you pay ten bucks per month, or a discounted $60 per year, and you can read a bunch of their old comic books (from the Silver age up to six months ago) online from their server.The nerdroar seems to be split on this issue. I have read some people complaining that you cannot download the comics; only read them from the site. In fact, I've read a bunch of people bitching about a bunch of stuff. What I have not read is how royalties will be dispersed for the artists and writers.
I am not sure if the creators are being compensated at all. If they are completely bypassing the creators, they sure as fuck picked a horrible time to launch this. All of Hollywood is in an uproar over pretty much the same issue. The current Writers Guild of America strike is about royalties towards online distribution of their materials (along with DVD and other product royalties). Is Marvel pretty much doing the same thing with their comics now?
A few months ago on the Comic Book Haters podcast, we discussed the relevance of torrented distribution of comic books. I was pretty vocal in support of them, and my main argument was that old comics should be up for grabs to anyone that wants to read them. Mind you, I said 'read.' Not 'own.' I look at online distribution like a library. I know a lot of people would disagree with this statement, but that's just how I feel.
I feel differently about Marvel. They're charging people, and making money off of it. Are the creators? If you can point me towards some proof that they are, I would rest easier. Lots of people will be using this service instead of buying trade paperbacks and collections.
Joe Quesada made a statement to the effect of this being the "Legal" way to obtain these comics, taking a not-too-subtle jab at torrented comics. I noticed he didn't say 'ethical.' Just 'legal.'
