Business

Store Operators Ponder Impact of Digitized Comic Books

Comic bookstore owners are hoping a mobile application designed by industry giant Marvel Comics will, as proposed, not run those who sell printed editions of comic books out of business.

At the April 2012 release of the app, designed for Marvel by online comics distributor ComiXology, Marvel officials said a digital library could entice those who download digital versions to also venture into stores to view and buy the printed editions.

Mitch Cutler, manager of St. Mark’s Comics on St. Marks Street and Third Avenue in the East Village, is among those who are waiting to see what will happen and whether, as Marvel contends, the growing popularity of Kindle, Nook and other e-readers will be good for sales of digital and print comics. Marvel’s digital library now includes 3,500 comic books.

“Certainly, there are people who are afraid of it,” Cutler said, referring to the digital library. “But the ultimate impact is not yet able to be determined.”

New digital downloads will cost $2.99 to $3.99, roughly the same as what is charged for printed comics. But the price of digital versions will decline as an issue ages, which is the opposite of what happens with printed comic books. The older they get, the higher their price, as long as the books are in good condition.

Vincent Zurzolo, 41, owner of Metropolis Collectibles on Broadway near 18th Street, said he’s already a believer in this new digital enterprise. “People are busy in today’s world and they don’t want to go to comic stores on a weekly basis,” said Zurzolo, adding that he enjoys both versions of comics. “They don’t want to travel to buy trade paperbacks as much as before. I think that digital comic books will take the lead in the future.”

Annual sales of print comics were roughly $600 million from 2009 to 2012, according to Venture Beat, which tracks trends in technology. During the same period, sales of digital comics rose from $1 million to $25 million, according to ICv2, which tracks pop culture trends, including the comics.

“With new comics like Marvel’s ‘X-Men vs. Avengers’ and DC Comic’s ‘52’ series, there is a stir in the comic book industry,” Zurzolo said, also citing long lines of comics fans waiting to buy the 100th issue of “The Walking Dead” during 2012 Comic-Con International.

Walking Dead, which is about post-apocalypse zombies, became a television show, proving that comics, overall, are still popular, Zurzolo said.

Even if digital comic sales exceed print sales, Zurzolo said he knows there are many die-hard fans of old-fashioned, printed books. “The tactile sensation that we get when reading print comics is integral to the comic experience,” said Zurzolo, adding that he began reading comic books when he was 3 years old.

In Cutler’s opinion, many customers also like interacting with comic book store employees who are versed in the industry and particular comic book series. That would help printed comic books remain in existence, he said.

“Customers say, ‘I want some more,’” Cutler said. “But, now, you can’t get that unless you go to a comic book store. So, in the end, digital comics are simply a feeder for us.”

On Twitter @JacobChoi2.