Collecting Superhero Dues

There was an article today in the Post addressing the (lack of) readership of comics and the new comics money-snatcher named technology. Hopefully this link will work for everyone without a Post login:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/13/AR2007111302003.html?hpid=topnews

Whether subscription services are forward progress for comics or not, the use of "geek" in this article pushes my buttons in a not-so-nice-why-do-you-stereotype kind of way.

What's up crossover

http://abc.go.com/primetime/pushingdaisies/index?pn=comic

Interesting potential for bringing new recruits to the world of comics, or marketing gimmick that cheapens the form?

"Manga Diplomacy"

Friday's topic on NPR's On the Media was titled "Manga Diplomacy." It's a 7 1/2 minute interview with Roland Kelts (Japanamerica) that addresses the way Japan is acknowledging the potential and power of comics even in the political sphere. Beyond that, the brief segment hits on a few issues that have come up in our class discussions: demand for a "nitty gritty" definition of manga, difference of what is on the page versus what the reader projects onto characters, and brief explanation as to why cell phones are becoming a vehicle for comics.

You can access the link here:

http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2007/09/28/06

Thoughts on how this would change the format?

"Comic Books Headed to Cellphones": http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2007/09/07/comic_books_headed_to_cellphones/
I think the one frame at a time viewing method would destroy the cohesion of "the page." But do you see comics authors working around that to take advantage of the new way to reach readers?