How does Piracy affect opinion?

[Jables]

SO having just partaken in scanned comics, reading a book that did nothing for me it occured to me: If i'd paid money for the single issues or trade, I'd feel gypped. Instead I just feel completely nuetral, and with such a large contingent of on the board I gotta ask how you think it affects your opinions? Is there a lesser expectation when you download a scanned comic? Are you maybe a little more forgiving because you know you're fucking up the industry? And does that inherently create a greater expectation when you DO pay for a book? Moreso than someone like me who just partakes in commerce as the standard. I'm relatively prudent when it comes to monthlies because I've not the greatest of resources, but I will try something new once in a while if it looks good or gets pimped strongly to me. Deadly Genesis comes to mind Nicholas: I followed that fucking story for 3-4 issues like a fucking bloodhound treeing a coon, and it left me bitter and resentful. Same goes for Final Crisis(although I had minimal expectation to be fair). If i'd DLed these books I can't help but feel that i prolly oulda been a little more forgiving. Idunno.

 

Discuss.

[Iambaytor]

As I make my way through the entirety of Secret Invasion I stop periodically to ponder and say "Thank God I didn't pay money for this"

[Jables]

Instead of being able to joke about it though(i take you quite seriously when you say that), if you'd put down cash for those books d'you think you'd be harder on 'em?

 

Pretending you're not a hateful prick and got sucked into X-overs of course.

[Iambaytor]

Instead of being able to joke about it though(i take you quite seriously when you say that), if you'd put down cash for those books d'you think you'd be harder on 'em?

 

Pretending you're not a hateful prick and got sucked into X-overs of course.

 

Okay I'll use a different event then Secret Invasion, as just with Civil War I was suspect to begin with.

 

So let's use World War Hulk. I picked up the Planet Hulk trade in a Barnes and Nobles and read 3 issues into it, by this point I had become concerned that the staff had become wise to my doings (though I have still been unable to discern whether they actually give a fuck) so I snuck over to Borders, read a couple more issues, then went home, downloaded and finished it. I will one day have it in my collection as it was fun, original, and actually pretty good.

 

Now having been late to the party I have the luxury of downloading all of World War Hulk in one glorious torrent.

 

I read the books one by one, reading all the tie ins to completion and saving the core book for that last moment, you know, saving my dessert for last. I enjoyed the ty-ins which is saying a lot since they're pointless cash-ins on a gimmick, but they worked. Then I read the core book and immediatly went "What the fuck is this shit?!"

 

I cannot begin to articulate how if I had actually shelled out cash money for the World War Hulk trade (which if memory serves is going for like $40+) how I would have fucking walked through rivers, forests, trees, whatever stood in my way all the way to New York City, scale Marvel's headquarters and give their chief editor such a taint kick that Jack Kirby's dessicated corpse would explode from its grave clutching its groin in agony.

 

So yes, my opinion of pirated stuff is much higher than it would be if I had to pay retail for it.

[The NZA]

this topic weighs heavier on my heart than skeet realizes. here's why.

 

downloading comics is gonna be an infinitely hard habit to kick. i tried to regulate it at first; downloading, say, Miracle Man, or event out of print silver/golden age shit struck me as harmless, no money's being made or lost there for the most part.

 

but you're getting weekly books before you know it. and the timing of me discovering this, as well as the 0-day scan scene coming into existence, was super convenient; you see, i had to sell the vast majority of my earthly belongings in '03/'04 to get by, but my minimalism stage made me reflect a lot, and realize: i dont want monthlies anymore. i just dont. i had 10 longboxes, and was barely making them all fit. even with enough room to house them, i resented the collectivist bullshit that kept me buying wolverine when it was utter shit, cause id had all 180+ issues up to that point. plus, there's a tremendous amount of series i dropped 3 or 4 issues in when i realized it wasnt just a slow first arc, it was shit. and here i was, archiving it in bag & board like it was something special.

the nail in the coffin was moving back to miami, rooming with and finding myself re-reading early USM/UXM shit through his trades. they were just so easy to re-read, lend out, etc, and my collection fucking well wasnt. id hesitated to sell shit like preacher, but what's the point of keeping original ads and letter columns you dont read? made as much sense as all my collector's edition DVDs with special director's commentaries id never had any interest in hearing. so i kept 1 longbox to this day, and its only there till that shit gets printed one day in TPB.

 

so what i do is, i beta shit in issues, and purchase the TPBs of the best. but that doesnt justify it, and yeah, it does allow me to not only try a ton more shit, but feel ok dropping shit quickly or - perhaps as skeet's asking here - forgive shit that others might not for promise of a better overall story for not having had to invest in the waiting period. and i read a metric fuckton more than i buy, anyway i justify it.

 

but even if i was rich tomorrow, i dont want monthlies. the most conscience-free answer, and the one i know he'd love would be for me to buy em, read em, and give em to panch, and just wait on the trades i want. but again, my access to indie books and such is way, way better online than through any store that doesnt always put shit i request in my pull bin and then charges me triple a month or two later when fucking wizard says Superman: Red Son is now worth at least a tank of gas. anyway, yeah jay, you're onto something here, and if you can dabble in this and still buy all your shit, hey, props. you're a better consumer than i. but you wont see me bitching nearly as much at this constant series of universe-expanding events, cause i can come and go with them as i please.