In your opinion, Would a more modern thinking President or E-i-C of DC than old guard guys like Paul Levitz or Mike Carlin spur on something like DC entering the digital age?


Well, before this somehow gets spun into being entirely due to institutional resistance. let's remember that there are lots of issues that still need to be overcome here -- the question of royalties, as has been pointed out, for a start. DC probably wouldn't be obligated to pay them, but give the company credit, they'd probably want to do right, even if only in some small way. And not only does DC still publish print materials, a business that will need to be protected (in the short term, at least), they also have a large infrastructure (if that's the right word, in this situation) of retailers who depend upon them, and whom they depend upon, that will also need to be protected.

And apart from the DVD collections, I'm not sure there's a really good model for distribution of digital comics material yet. Do you buy it, and own it? Or are you renting it, or buying access to it? How do you distribute it? How do you read it? How do you set a price? How do you make money? Lots and lots and lots of questions.

I wouldn't necessarily have put Mike Carlin in the same category about this stuff as Paul Levitz -- nor do I think it would be entirely fair to say that Paul Levitz isn't forward thinking on this subject, but he's always struck me as cautious, very cautious. I mean, yeah, I guess there is a certain degree of institutional resistance, but not without good cause. Unlike traditional book publishing, there really isn't a model for DC to follow as they venture into new territory. There are bits and pieces and fragments of technology, but not a complete picture, not yet.

If anything, I suppose someone else in his seat might be more willing to take more risks with electronic distribution, perhaps in the hope of stumbling onto something that works (or trying and failing 'till something does).

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