As a dole mole who is attempting to become a comic creator, I need to ask myself if downloading the titles I can't afford is justifiable. Sure, I need to know about the comics I wouldn't normally read but to do so means supporting and participating in a practice most industry figures find loathsome. Is it worth it?
I spend, on average, twenty five quid a fortnight on my regular, monthly comics and maybe another ten quid on a graphic novel. However, downloading complete runs of certain titles, especially those I have bought in the past and no longer own is very appealing, no matter how many creators blog or tweet that it is stealing and all the rest. They are liable to feel that way in defence of the industry that pays them well, and it is their right to want to protect it. For the most part, I only download what I can't afford, and make sure to keep buying as much as I can afford, as a guilty gesture. I think that someone who only downloads comics has no right to consider themselves a fan, and would have a cheek to enjoy something they are helping to destroy.
However, torrents could, to some extent, be helping keep comics alive in the UK. Independents are pretty rare here, with Forbidden Planet taking up the lion's share of the marketplace and there seems to be no sign of reversal. Who knows, in 15 years the Direct Market could be gone, with all comics released digitally from the creators. Nah, but there are those that would believe that is better for the planet. For my part, I am resigned to the fact that downloading free comics is a gravy train that will have to stop. When it does, I'll be slightly better of for its having existed(In digital comics terms), but will be glad to have the moral dilemma swept under the carpet for good.
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