Digital Comics General Discussion

[Shadow_Mask]

Right, recently I've been trying out this here new Digital Comics service thing whatsit.

Being a long time Transformers fan (more the toys than anything else, massive Toy collector), I thought I would go for thr Transformers Classics #1. I really enjoyed it, so I also went for #2. And I was about to get the next when I read the description and thought.... "Eh?" much like Optimus Prime does in a panel of #2 I believe it was. For the description did not match waht should be happening next...

... that's because this wasn't Classics #3, but #4. #9 is also missing.

... What is going on?

 Are there tickets, and these comics are currently "out of Stock"?

 Could they not find a copy of these issues of good enough quality to make into a digital copy?

 Were there some Copyright or other issue? (like how the 2000AD Judge Dredd collections miss out some  comics that had some very blatent references to KFC, etc)

 Did my Doctor steal these comics? *brandishes Baseball bat*

Does anyone know why there are gaps, and if these gaps will be filled at some point in the future? I mean, I know I can look up on the TF Wiki what happens in those  comics, but it's the principle! Or something...

[Shadow_Mask]

Worked it out for myself.... Kinda obvious when I found out...

Similarly, #9 features Circuit Breaker, another Marvel owned character, even though she was created for Transformers...

*****....

[BryceS]

But as Marvel are also on the store, surely it must be possible to work out a deal to fill these holes?

It's a big turn off for many people knowing that there will be gaps in the story. It's stopped me buying that series and it must have stopped others.

[kevlarAK]

I would think Marvel and Hasbro would be able to work something out since they're both on the Digital Comics Storefront.  I still have my near complete entire run of Marvel's G1 Transformers.  I am missing a few here and there that I'd like to complete, so if those showed up, I'd download them for my PSP in a heartbeat.

Plus a few years ago if you saw one of the two recent Michael Bay flicks in the theater, you could buy a cd-rom that had these TF comics on PDF for like $5-$10 or something like that.

[Ravenblade86]

It's all down to licensing. Those Transformers  where originally published by a different company that IDW I believe, was it actually Marvel? So IDW have bought the rights to reprint them, but Marvel don't want a different character making money of something that includes one of there characters.

[Paul_H_01]

TITAN BOOKS in the UK printed the entire TRANSFORMERS run in several Tradepaperbacks a few years ago and included the hard to find UK weekly issues as well. 

These volumes may still be available in your local comic book store as they did have, at the time, an International release and are probably the best way to legally obtain the missing issues that are not included on the PSP service (outside of buying the original print issues on e-bay).

The version that has been put onto the PSP comic reader service by IDW, is actually a direct copy of IDW's CLASSIC TRANSFORMERS No.1 Tradepaperback, which also did not reprint any issues that featured MARVEL owned characters. (Circuit Breaker appeared in SECRET WARS II and is owned by MARVEL.)

Ironically CLASSIC G.I. JOE issue 10 features the HULK (or a least a guy in a costume).

So I suppose why can't MARVEL and IDW be friends (or at least share the profits) and put on the entire TRANSFORMERS RUN.