Despite increased interest in the comic world, thanks in large part to the success of the Batman reboot featuring Christian Bale and the massive appeal of the Marvel Universe on the silver screen, comic books in print are continuing to see a decline in overall sales. But not online, where thousands of avid fans wait in anticipation on Wednesdays for new comic book day. And now, Amazon wants in.
According to numerous reports in leading media outlets, Amazon has purchased digital comic book retailer comiXology. The price of the purchase has not been released to the public, but already has sparked interest in this new blossoming online stage for those previously only in print.
With Amazon's widespread online success in retail, especially in trade books for the general public, the acquisition should help take online digital downloads of comic books to a new level, with the massive Seattle-based company giving more weight and space for the animated page.
Cloud-based platform comiXology, which allowed users to browse genres, read short blurbs before purchase and helped to transform the digital comicverse over the past few years since its founding in 2007, has been expanding dramatically since its initial inception. The company said that it has some 75 publishers and independent comic creators to its name and is able to sell at competitive rates.
Comic book fans who are already going digital should be excited about the potential for even greater expansion of their accessibility to a number of genres and titles, all with the click of the mouse through Amazon's numerous platforms.
According to David Naggar, Amazon's vice president of content acquisition and independent publishing, the company has long been looking at comiXology and hopes that the new addition will help to change "the way we buy and read comics and graphic novels."
The goal is to continue to innovate with comic books and offer even more options for users and comic book fans across the country and the world. By going digital, Amazon believes that comic books can reach locations where even access to used comics is impossible.
It is unclear if Amazon is taking full control of the company or whether it will be incorporated into a special comic book sales section on its main website. The company said that details are still being put to paper and hopes that the new deal will continue to transform the comic book world into an even more ambitious project that will keep the art alive for generations to come.
