Comments on J.M. DeMatteis's CREATION POINT: NO SOPA RADIO

I look forward to it, Jack.

2012-01-23T14:16:28.997-05:00

I look forward to it, Jack.

Something tells me, if past experiences and my own...

2012-01-23T13:59:28.354-05:00

Something tells me, if past experiences and my own over blown expectations are any indicator, I will be telling almost everyone.

wishing you nothin, but goodwill and hipness from here to the stars,
Jack

Once you've had a good taste of EXEGESIS, Jack...

2012-01-23T13:52:20.147-05:00

Once you've had a good taste of EXEGESIS, Jack, check back and share your impressions, okay?

I picked up the Exegesis a week ago at Barnes and ...

2012-01-23T13:37:57.308-05:00

I picked up the Exegesis a week ago at Barnes and Noble when I was there to up something else. I hadn't even heard it was out. And when I saw in the corner a 59% off sticker knocking it from $40.00 to 20 I knew I had to act. I haven't started reading it proper yet, since at about 1,000 pages it is somewhat daunting. However it seems fascinating, or at least that is what I have gathered from my skimming. I do plan on starting it soon, and I am glad that it appears to be the kind of book that on one hand may will be ingedibly addictive (like a whole hell of a lot of PKD) but also it loos like the kind of book you can put down and pickup, which I am thankful for since I am somewhat back logged on books. but you know how that goes, you keep seeing thing that catch your eye, but time just keeps running by you.

wishing you nothin, but goodwill and hipness from here to the stars,
Jack

It would be interesting, and valuable, to see a su...

2012-01-23T06:59:09.011-05:00

It would be interesting, and valuable, to see a survey that looked at how people got into comics and what percentage of file-sharers became steady, paying consumers.

What I keep seeing is that there are two camps: people like you who use file-sharing to sample material and then go out and buy the books they like ...and the people who (as noted above) have deluded themselves into thinking that they deserve to get everything for free. I'd love to know how big each camp is. (I may be naive, but I suspect the vast majority of people are in the first camp.)

Thanks so much for the kind words about Kraven's Last Hunt. I'm constantly amazed at the long life that story's had.

I got into comics 2 years ago via file-sharing (go...

2012-01-23T05:21:40.425-05:00

I got into comics 2 years ago via file-sharing (got curious after seeing so much superhero films). I've got addicted :) and now I have a library of 45 TPBs, which I will continue seriously growing in the upcoming years, because I know this is a hobby I'll have forever.

Without file-sharing, I think Marvel/DC would never get to sell those issues to me, because maybe I wouldn't get to try comics... I wonder if they did some research on how their customers got into comics, if they'd support SOPA. Does any one knows of some research about this? (i.e., I'm in the minority or majority of customers?)

Obs.: one of that 45 TPBs is Kraven's Last Hunt, amazing read by the way :)

Great, as always, to hear from you, Jack. And tha...

2012-01-22T08:32:11.251-05:00

Great, as always, to hear from you, Jack. And thanks for the thoughtful comments. As I've said, this is a thorny complex issue, but I think we'll soldier on and find a solution. Will it be an imperfect one? Of course. We're human, it HAS to be imperfect (and therein lies our perfection, right?).

As for the more important question: No, haven't read EXEGESIS. Have you?
If so, let me know what you think.

I've never been one for file sharing or downlo...

2012-01-21T22:45:51.241-05:00

I've never been one for file sharing or downloading content. Perhaps it's because SStan Lee and Wll Eisner will right and it hust feels good to have a hard copy of comics (and books and music for that matter) or maybe it comes from my inherant distrust of computers, or habit, or any number of possibities. That being said that is the world we live in. Now one could make the argument that the differance between downloading and taperecording is that the lesser quality of the recording could eventually lead you to seek out a legitimate copy of the music. But let's be honest here, technology is rarely if ever a solely beneficial thing. No matter what brililliant new technology comes along people will always find away to use it todo two things; first they will find away to gain for themselves without giving anything, and second they will use it for the most base or stupid things. This leads to a need to protect certain things. And yes, I completely agree that legeslation is needed but it needs to be good, and that it will at best slow the bleeding. However my point being that I wouldn't hold your breath on it. For God's sake, instead of first eliminating the naturally occuring waste in every part of the government, and politically minded folk, argued about what government agencies should be eliminated entirely from the word go. and in the time that would have taken, almost nothing happened at all. This of courseis coupled with the natural bickering from both sides of this or any discussion. After all doesn't completely preventing your website from being viewed for a day seem a tad petty and juvenille, even if it does make the point clear. So in the end I agree with, you but am not as optimistic as you, this whole thing was an exercise in utility.
But I thing the real question Mr. Dematteis is whether you have gotten the PKD Exegesis yet?

wishing you nothin, but goodwill and hipness from here to the stars,
Jack

I think your story is the typical one, Harley. Fo...

2012-01-20T13:24:51.946-05:00

I think your story is the typical one, Harley. Folks use file-sharing for sampling and then, when they find work that excites them, they go out and buy it. I think it helps when the companies themselves offer free previews, allowing the consumer to get a taste of the material.

And big thanks for supporting Savior 28. It's a project that's near and dear to my heart.

I wouldn't have discovered Savior 28 if it was...

2012-01-20T13:18:04.227-05:00

I wouldn't have discovered Savior 28 if it wasn't for file sharing which then led to me ordering all the issues through my comic store.
For me at least, file sharing leads to purchases I would normally make.
Sadly know people that don't put $ back into what entertains them.
Its a tricky topic that's for sure, but the solution is most certainly not the US gov't arresting people on the other side of the planet at gun point to secure rich peoples interests.

No arguments here, Glenn. Great minds think alike...

2012-01-20T12:09:51.417-05:00

No arguments here, Glenn. Great minds think alike!

"On the other hand, I think there are plenty ...

2012-01-20T12:03:08.091-05:00

"On the other hand, I think there are plenty of folks who download TV -- sometimes because they don't have access to it via normal channels -- who are then very happy to go out and buy season after season on DVD. Or rent the discs from Netflix. So the download generates business."

Absolutely! I'm one of those folks myself. It's how I got into quite a few TV series that I ended up buying in their entirety on DVD. And it's how I caught up on some shows when I missed an episode here or there or when the damned cable box malfunctioned right in the middle (Modern Family, Two and a Half Men, Breaking Bad).

I was thinking about the WOLVERINE situation as I ...

2012-01-20T11:47:46.491-05:00

I was thinking about the WOLVERINE situation as I was writing this, Glenn. The "protecting moviegoers" argument really means "I want to see this before anybody and I don't want to pay for it."

On the other hand, I think there are plenty of folks who download TV -- sometimes because they don't have access to it via normal channels -- who are then very happy to go out and buy season after season on DVD. Or rent the discs from Netflix. So the download generates business.

And (just to play devil's advocate), who's to say someone doesn't download a movie, love it, tell his friends about it and then drive business into the theaters? I'm not saying it's right -- but even here there are layers and levels.

Which is why I don't envy anyone who has to put this legislation together.

I'm absolutely against illegally downloading m...

2012-01-20T11:40:12.168-05:00

I'm absolutely against illegally downloading movies. I felt for the guy who directed WOLVERINE when the movie leaked out onto the Internet before it was even released. Doesn't matter that the movie sucked, it doesn't mean that it's okay to sabotage its performance at the box office. (I've heard pirates rationalize their actions by saying that they're actually protecting moviegoers from wasting their money on garbage, and if they actually like the movie, they'll pay to see it again. I don't accept that--at least, not completely.)

You're a pirate with a heart of gold, Glenn! ...

2012-01-20T11:32:46.801-05:00

You're a pirate with a heart of gold, Glenn!

But, seriously...you prove my point: Yes, there are real dangers from digital piracy and those people who live to take advantage of artists for their own greed and gain; but most of us are just searching for music (or stories or films) that we love and, given half a chance, we'll throw LOTS of money at the artists who touch us.

If not for file-sharing, I never would have gotten...

2012-01-20T11:26:33.670-05:00

If not for file-sharing, I never would have gotten into the Beach Boys. After I put together a "greatest hits" compilation with MP3s that I had gotten through file-sharing, I decided to dig deeper into the band's catalogue, at which point I started buying their stuff. The 30-Years of Good Vibrations box set. The Pet Sounds Sessions box set. The CDs for every album they put out from 1965 through 1977. And then there's the new, mammoth SMiLE Sessions box set--even though I have a vast collection of bootleg recordings from those sessions. The Beach Boys made some real money off of me... all because of the existence of file-sharing software.

Just my two cents.

One of these days I'll get an iPad and leap in...

2012-01-20T10:42:19.298-05:00

One of these days I'll get an iPad and leap into the digital comics world.

Interesting--and wonderful! Comixology has been ...

2012-01-20T09:46:41.525-05:00

Interesting--and wonderful!

Comixology has been a Godsend for me and my family.

I LOVE the idea of a "share" option, Dav...

2012-01-20T09:22:05.314-05:00

I LOVE the idea of a "share" option, David. I think it's brilliant.
And, unsurprisingly, I pretty much agree with everything else you say here.

I think the next few years will see more shifts as the kinks are worked out of what is still a new form and format. Talk about living in interesting times!

I'd like to see a 'share' option worke...

2012-01-20T09:10:24.272-05:00

I'd like to see a 'share' option worked out on comixology, something where you could lend a comic to a friend at a lower price but the comic would 'time out' like a digital rental. Currently you can 'gift' a comic at full price, but maybe a 'rental' option would fall somewhere between that and buying it out right. I'm sure comic companies and digital distributors are our there right now trying to find innovative ways to do things like this in a way that builds instead of undermines sales.

I also tend to think that keeping digital pricepoints lower than print would reach a broader audience. As long as the market is dominated by the pricepoint that comics enthusiasts are willing to pay, you're not going to bring in a mainstream audience.

BTW, you already see this with 'all-ages' comics, which tend to go for around a buck on comixology.

DC and most of the independent companies drop their comics a $1 after a month, which is a good start, but it still puts everything mainstream at $2-$3, at a time when songs range from .90 cents to $1.30.

--David