Online Comic 'Library'

[Emperor]

This bad boy has been put to bed by the Feds:

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/05/publishers-get-together-to-beat-down-pirates/

More background (including a link to a news article about the guy who ran it, he sounds a nice man):
http://adistantsoil.com/2010/05/05/pirate-website-raided-by-fbi/

It is clear this need a coalition of big US publishers and wasn't really something Rebellion could have pulled off.

[TordelBack]

Brick and mortar libraries (and online library services like JSToR) do pay publishers for their books (other than copyright libraries), both initially and in some jurisdictions on a per loan basis. Bishop's blog regularly reports on the £1.37 windfalls he gets per annum for library loans of his Fiends and Dante novels etc.

[Grant Goggans]

If you want your blood pressure to raise a little, read a little further down in that CBR link and check out the entitlement whores whining about how the only comics they ever paid money for are the ones they downloaded first.  Right.  I love that defense.

I can understand the "out of print" argument/justification - I think it's likely that more people have read Marvelman on computer screens than ever did on paper - but these idjits wanting their X-Force and Invincible can take a flying leap.  And that guy whining about how he can't read Kamandi unless he downloads it?  The same Kamandi that's available in several DC Archives and most of which can be found collecting dust in back issue bins?  The same Kamandi I bought for 50 cents an issue in 1995?  Geez, what a tool.

[The Legendary Shark]

The government is shutting my local mobile library down and slashing funding for local bricks and mortar libraries. The justification is that you can now find most things online. Except that things online breach copyright. Joined-up government. Pfft.

[Paul faplad Finch]

I confess that I have indeed spent a lot of time on that site. I do have the dubius defence that I only read stuff on there that isn't available in shops.

Yes, I was one of those who read Marvelman/Miracleman online, and I used that site to fill in the gaps between the woefully put together Swamp Thing and Hellblazer trade lines. But I did fork out the cash for the stuff that is in the shops.

So, I'll not feel too guilty about patronising the site and will hold my hands up and say I'll miss it.

On the other hand, I will say that they probably strayed into the 'taking the piss' arena with scans of up to date issues of still ongoing series.

[Colin YNWA]

The government is shutting my local mobile library down and slashing funding for local bricks and mortar libraries. The justification is that you can now find most things online. Except that things online breach copyright. Joined-up government. Pfft.

Who ever gets in tomorrow (or whenever a hung parliment is resolved) watch out for your libraries. Whatever happens today as we all know cuts will be made in public spending when that filters down to local authority level libraries are a soft target as there value is often hard to demonstrate in fiscal return and very rarely do they tie into big government pushes (so for example sporting facilities as part of the fit for life programme). There are very few votes in libraries and so they will face cuts, I'd suspect far greater (pound for pound) than other services.

I work in a library in FE - I'm so fucked its untrue!

I return you your scheduled programming.

[TordelBack]

Since the 'fiscal readjustment' my library has become an absolute lifeline - regular supply of books and comics for me, the wife and kids, somewhere warm and (relatively) quiet to work close to home with good fast broadband and easy-access reference shelves, as well as occasional extras like puppet shows, talks and  storytime, photocopying and printing at half-decent prices.  I can't afford access to any of the university libraries anymore,  and I certainly can't afford real broadband.  If there's one thing that's absolutely necessary in this kind of situation, it's a good library.

[Emperor]

More on that:

www.bleedingcool.com/2010/05/06/htmlcomics-shut-down-by-fbi-and-its-my-fault-apparently/