NYT: Archie Goes Same-Day Digital At A Price Less Than Print Edition On A Number Of Key Comic Books

That snapping-into-place noise you heard off in the distance yesterday was Archie's decision to go same-day digital with six of their comics offerings starting in April, which means that at the same time you might be purchasing paper copies of Archie, Archie & Friends, Betty, Veronica, Betty and Veronica and Jughead, you could also be downloading a digital copy of said books for a reduced price on your tablet-sized digital reading device. Or more likely you'd be doing one or the other. It looks like -- I haven't checked -- they took that bit of news to the New York Times first, because you would, too. Robot 6 has an initial burst of analysis here, while CBR talks to Jon Goldwater here.

I don't have much to say about this as it pertains to the actual move -- Goldwater cites a boost in international sales, which makes sense -- as I think the long-term is very different than the short-term here. It does, however, constitute a bold move in an overall marketplace where comic book companies are moving towards this very same place -- some say inevitably -- in much more torpid, even scatter-shot way. It could be logically argued that Archie is less dependent on super-savvy mega-consumers than mainstream comics are, and are thus less likely to lose a fan of the material in one arena to another. A key for me is how emboldened and energized Goldwater seems by the move. I would imagine that companies making this move are going to experience a form of relief that they don't have to mull over these impossible-to-answer questions and can just get to the business of maximizing their profits on all platforms.
 
posted 8:00 am PST | Permalink
 

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