Spiderman Finds a New Web

As Dan Buckley, president of Marvel Publishing, (wryly?) understates, kids these days just aren’t finding “that spinner rack of comic books sitting in the local five-and-dime any more” (cut to kids all over the world reading and re-reading that last sentence in abject confusion. Blank stares are misted with tears of non-comprehension).

So Marvel is going to post old versions of classic comics online to be viewed but not downloaded. Subscribers will have access to a number of backlist issues simply by paying a monthly fee.

Will this impact collector purchases in retail outlets? Are downloads essential to adoption? And most importantly: WWCBGD…ahem—What Would Comic Book Guy Do?

Best. Idea. Ever.

Read more here.