Joe Krolik of Comics America in Winnipeg, Canada writes in to share his thoughts on the upcoming DC relaunch.

I'm going to start off by saying that I was not thrilled by DC's announcement of their new initiative, especially as pertains the numbering on iconic titles that are nearing their 1000th issues.  I have in the past maintained that if the writers and artists improve and develop the quality of the characters and the stories, then renumbering is not needed.

Having admitted that, I want to say now that the plans seem to be very exciting in that the characters and stories are apparently not throwing out the past.  Instead they are "realigning" the realities in what may very well be a terrific opportunity to revitalize the industry. (I STILL maintain that the renumbering is unnecessary.)

However, there is a "BUT" to all of this, and I will bring it forward by quoting a portion of the FAQs just recently printed, namely:

"Any way we can read copies of the comics earlier?  In today's digital world it is extremely difficult to release advance copies of books because of piracy issues.  We have seen advance copies get immediately scanned and released wide on the Internet--which in the end only decreases your ability to sell hardcopies.  In the past we have sent advance black and white issues, but that was in the pre-digital era."

See the second sentence?  I'll take a piece of it to concentrate on: "...released wide on the Internet--which in the end only decreases your ability to sell hardcopies."

I would maintain that once the books are available digitally on the same day and date, even at the same price or any price for that matter, that it significantly decreases our ability as retailers to sell hardcopies.  DC has just stated what everyone was worried about, and have acknowledged this as a real step forward for the industry.  It may be a step forward for the digital aspect of the industry, but regrettably for bricks and mortar retailers it may be the first step into the grave.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.