On scans_daily: my comics manifesto, let me show it to you

I know the internet's afire with this already, but I haven't seen this perspective anywhere else yet, so here goes:

Re: the recent deletion of scans_daily: it was inevitable. I'm not feeling entirely blase about its permanent suspension, because although a TOS on copyright issues was inevitable, it seems pretty clear that what triggered the TOS wasn't actually the copyright pigeon coming home to roost, but rather stupid, petty wank over bruised feelings, and I have no respect for that. And scans_daily was fucking awesome; I loved reading stuff there, and reading discussions. I followed it and commented there for years--since at least 2004, maybe even 2003--and have enjoyed it, through its many ups and downs and interesting wanks.

But a TOS over copyright would have happened eventually anyway, because from a legal vulnerability standpoint, it really does not matter whether a half-an-issue posting cap is set as a good faith effort to emphasize that the scans are about sampling, review, and discussion, not intended as substitution for supporting commercially available material: a community as big and old and well-known as scans_daily was gonna get a TOS sooner or later. The fact that it was later, and the open acknowledgment of it in so many industry-nigh comics circles, strongly suggests to me that it was left alone out of the correct belief that it did no actual harm, and was a lively, passionate venue for comics discussion. But the copyright thing--yeah, there was just no way someone wasn't going to be so generous about it, eventually.

( More on copyright. )

Here's the heart of it: scans_daily was not about buying comics, and it wasn't about not buying comics. It was about reacting to comics, and it directly incorporated them into that process with scans. I'm sorry if some creator somewhere was disappointed that it wasn't a primo viral marketing tool for them, but it's not always about you, chickadee.


And it was good for comics. It wasn't good for comics because there was some kind of direct correlation between a post on scans_daily and a sales bump; it was good for comics because for its members, it strengthened their love of comics and let them explore their interests in the kind of freewheeling, informal, fannish environment that no commercial entity can create. I learned so much from scans_daily! Long before I got interested in manga, or comics blogs, before I ever read Journalista (which for my money is one of the best places on the internet to learn more about comics, and have chances to look at cool shit), the gradually broadening content at scans_daily was introducing me to new kinds of comics. My interest in superheroes has waned over the years, and as it exists at all, is mostly just nostalgia, but due in great part to the breath and volume of material posted at scans_daily in that time, other things have taken the place of superheroes. I own a ton of manga and alternative titles because scans_daily widened my horizons. Some of it I first found there, some not, but all of it owes a debt to scans_daily's place in my comics education.

I should point out, too, that even if people aren't necessarily buying things now, places like this can keep an interest alive while there's no money for the comics habit because they're student, or a kid, or had a medical emergency, or lost a job. Just like I'm leaning heavily on my local library to supply me with reading material while I get through grad school and can't afford books, I think people can and do rely on places like scans_daily to keep track of what's out there in the comics world while they are not able to purchase everything they're interested in.***** It's shortsighted and stupid for industry pros to think of this issue only in terms of, "will we see an immediate sales boost on some item if someone posts a sample of it on scans_daily?" What they should be thinking about is, "does a forum like scans_daily help to promote the healthy, diverse, passionate, comics-reading culture that we as an industry need in order to have a future?"

The answer, by the way, is yes.


( Footnotes. )