#401: My thoughts on Comics piracy.

This is something I've been thinking about all week and, in honesty, I should really just walk on by, like I'm rubbernecking a traffic accident on the motorway before going about my day.

However, I'm not actually that smart.

So, during the last week, I saw some tweets posted by David Pepose (the writer of Spencer and Locke, Going to the Chapel, the O.Z. and Scout's Honor) talk about piracy in comics. This tweet was met with responses that ranged from support but mostly 'disagreement' (and I use that word mildly) with the whole 'piracy is wrong' stance.

Anyway, the conversation has mostly faded away by now (well, until next time) but it continues to prey on my mind and I guess I just wanted to get my two cents out of my head for no other reason than to move on.

So I'm going to cut to the chase: piracy is wrong. Not 'wrong unless you can't afford it', just wrong.

I've been reading comics for nearly 20 years as I write this and it's taken me a long time to get to the understanding of the medium to I now possess. However, what I do know is that these are visual stories created by people, people who are attempting to make a living (which isn't exactly easy in comics to begin with).

Therefore, why would anyone think it's right to effectively steal what someone creates? It would be like stealing the car you rebuilt, squatting in the house you renovated or kidnapping the child you sired.

Also, it isn't like you can't get comics for pretty cheap anyway. Comixology and Marvel have their respective unlimited platforms where you can read as much as you like for a flat rate. Then there is 'the Netflix of Comics' Comichaus and other similar services which offer plenty of independent and small press comics for their own monthly subscription.

And in case that wasn't enough, Comixology often have sales going, including 90% off deals on occasion where you a 12 issue deluxe trade for £1.59.

But even then, there are still hundreds of quality webcomics which ask nothing for you to read them.

Now, I can't lie, i feel like a bit of a hypocrite when I say all of this. As a comic reviewer for Pipedream Comics, I'm blessed with the opportunity to read the equivalent of hundreds of comics for free anyway. That said, i guess there is some cost to it as I am expected to write about these comics and my thoughts on them. That said, the very fact that I get to read then without costing me anything does feel a bit two faced.

That said, I learned a thing from Tony Ezmond from the Awesome Comics Podcast, who once said that, as a way he could give back for all the free comics he got to review, he would always go and actively buy the comics he reviewed which he really liked. This is certainly something I've tried to copy as there are so many comics that I've really loved after reviewing them and, I've worked hard to make my feelings known with my wallet. Alex + Ada, Copperhead, Chunks, Black Magick, Future, Porcelain, Breaks and Future are all (to name a few) comics which I've bought either digitally or in print after reading their review copy because I enjoyed them so much that I felt the creators deserved the money they should have gotten from me in the first place.

Sadly, this isn't a perfect system as it leaves a lot of comics which didn't do it for me out in the cold. It's also difficult because I don't have the money to buy every great comic I read, but they go on my wish list so that one day I finally can.

However, because I don't have the money to read everything, it means I miss out on a lot as well. Tom King's run on Batman? Never read it. Zdarsky's Daredevil? Currently out of my reach. I can't afford them at present and so, for the moment, I cannot read them. To think that just because I can't afford them, what right do I think I have to just take them from some site which doesn't help these creators put food on the table.

I remember hearing about Crowded by Christopher Sebula, which was cancelled after 12 issues because of the lack of sales. However, it turned out to be a highly pirated book and upon its cancellation I heard stories that those who had pirated were asking why such a great series had been cancelled.

Of course, as I write this I know that it is madness because doubtful things will change. This is like using a bucket to turn away a tsunami. The sites will always be there and as long as people think they deserve to read this stuff for free then they will still use them.

That said, I guess the point of me writing this, whether rightly or wrongly, is to remind myself that for me, this method of reading comics just isn't an option.