I have said many times that I do not regard a comic complete until it is in the hands of the reader. I say his because I believe that the presentation of the material is itself a critical element that impacts the readers appreciation of the work. Most of my career in comics has been on the side of producing the final package wether it be in print or digital format. Bill Cucinotta and I take as much pride here at CO2 Comics in packaging other creator’s comics for final presentation as we do writing and drawing our own material. This was also true when we were partners publishing comics under the Comico label back in the 1980′s.
Last week I wrote about accessibility, primarily focusing on characters remaining accessible to their audience after decades of continuity that might obscure their fundamental characteristics that make them unique and even iconic. To many, however the concept of accessibility as it relates to comics refers more to the availability of product or more precisely, the delivery of the product.
Ever since the rise of the Direct Market, beginning in the late 1970′s, it seems that the accessibility of the comic book to the general public, or more accurately the casual comic book reader, has diminished with the relative extinction of traditional mass market outlets that drove the sales in the Golden and Silver Ages of comics.
Overlooked however is the fact that comics do exist outside of both of these markets and are thriving. Comics may be more accessible to readers now than ever before. Comics are offered in such a tremendous array of packaging and subject matter that surely there is something for everybody and comics as a medium is poised to be recognized for its ability to have universal appeal.
I am going to attempt a breakdown of venues through which comics are currently being enjoyed. some are traditional formats others are new and still others are vehicles of marketing or use of comics as a form of communication. This includes strips, panels, short form and long form presentations. Please, if I miss any don’t hesitate to to send along your suggestions.
Newspapers – strips and panels – newstand distribution, subscription
Magazines - strips and panels – newstand and mass market distribution, subscription, internet sales
Comic Books – long format – Direct Market, Bookstores, subscription, internet sales
Graphic Novels – long format – Direct Market, Bookstores, internet sales
Small Press – Boutique format – Direct Market, internet sales, conventions
Web comics- Any format goes including infinite canvas – usually free on internet, some by subscription, some get collected into print packages.
Digital – comics collections on disc or via subscription on web sites.
Cell phone apps- comics downloaded to cell phone
e-reader apps – comics downloaded to e-readers like i-Pad, Kindle Fire, BN Nook
Print on Demand- Comics available as books printed to order from POD producers like LULU.
Zines – usually produced as fan publications, printed at home and mailed or distributed as PDFs via e-mail
Tracts – small religious pamphlets done as comics usually handed out freely by true believers.
Educational -comics used to illustrate a point, often seen in textbooks or educational magazines. The military uses comics to educate.
Institutional- I’ve seen comics used to describe museums and historic landmarks to name a few.
Premium - This includes everything from free comics in Bazooka Joe Bubble Gum to comics in cereal boxes.
Instructional- Comics are used all the time to show instructions from everything to setting up a computer to flight safety on airplanes.
Promotional-comics used to advertise a product in ad form or catalogue form. I’ve seen promotional comics on comics on place mats in restaurants.
Journalistic- comics journalism has come a long way and can be found as panels or strips in newspapers to magazines and on the web.
I know that there is plenty more out there, I’d love to see samples of comics used in unusual formats, it always fascinates me so please share links or upload pictures to our facebook page.
Comics are everywhere. They are so ingrained in our culture that idioms like word balloons, panels, page layouts, effect splashes, production techniques and genre references are so common place they are easily taken for granted.
It is time for comic creators to lose the sensibility that they are purveyors of a fringe medium whose target audience is a focus group of geek culture and recognize that comics as a medium is one of power through its ability to communicate effectively to the masses in a simple, cost efficient manner. This cultural repositioning of the medium will be necessary for creators to establish their value to a market that will witness an ever increasing demand for this wonderfully versatile medium.
Making Comics Because I Want To
Gerry Giovinco
This week I read a 
I can’t help but look at the Occupy Wall Street folks struggling to coordinate the power of their voice and draw a comparison to webcomikers taking a stand in the name of making comics. Both groups have a need to publicly express themselves and are doing so with limited structure and a lot of passion. Like the garbled message of the protestors not all webcomics meet with warm reception but, like the message or not, you have to be proud that we live in a country that gives us an opportunity for free expression and that it is being exercised.
So, buy a comic book or graphic novel, pay to download an app and a bunch of digital comics, enjoy your purchase and support a comic creator but please bookmark your favorite webcomic, surf the web frequently for new webcomics that you have yet to discover and support the growth of the comics medium.
Diamond’s obvious disdain for the tried and true 
Retailers would get a cut of every card sold, and God knows that speculators will cause the collectible cards to have inflated value over and above face value making them much more potentially profitable to retailers than initially intended.
New devices are coming soon from Samsung and Blackberry that read Flash. Soon Apple will have to include it as well. Even if they don’t Flash created with HTML 5 is readable so eventually all web comics will be an easy read on any tablet or phone, app-free!
The comic book industry rescued itself from oblivion in the fifties by adopting the 
Digital comics, whether they are posted on the web, offered as a downloadable files or banked on a cloud can be read on devices as small as the palm of your hand or as large as the biggest television monitor you can imagine.
I can’t see selling a digital comic for more than the price of a can of soda or a candy bar. I want to be ravenous about what I want to read regarding comics. I want to read as much as I can and I am not excited about storing the content the way I am excited about collecting a comic book. Sell me the comic for 99¢ or a subscription of 12 for $10 and I’ll be happy.
Be willing to wholesale your comics and you will find a greater audience. If you don’t believe me look at the Walmarts of the world. They find their success in selling large quantities at the lowest possible price and they are making dinosaurs out of their competition.
We also know that if you can get the work for free right here you are less likely to download from some torrent site where the creators have no control or benefit at all from the piracy of their works. Thank You!
