Archie Goes Digital With ‘Bronze Age’ DVD-ROM
Following in the footsteps of previous digital media initiatives, Archie and the crew from Riverdale will soon be making their adventures available via the ol’ computer machines.
A recent press release from Archie Comics indicates that the publisher has put together a new DVD-ROM collection that will feature high-quality image files from a large number of Bronze Age Archie comics.
The specs, according to the official PR:
This includes a total of 97 comic books covering a span from February 1970 through December 1979, including annuals, all articles, and every single advertisement. All comics can be printed or viewed on your PC. The high-quality DVD-ROM is compatible with nearly every platform, including Windows 95 / Me / 98 / XP / 2000 / Vista, Mac OS X, Mac OS 9 and below, Linux, Mac OS X Intel. Purchase the Archie Bronze Age Series at your local computer software store or buy it online at http://stuffshop.archiecomics.com/arbragesedv.html
Since the Archie titles remain one of the only current series that seems to stay afloat selling in supermarket checkout lines, I have to wonder how well they’ll do in the new frontier of "computer software stores." I’m not going to bet against them, though, as it seems like anything is possible with Archie.
How can I burn DVD's with scans of my old Comics?
It's my understanding that you can archive whatever you own. That is perfectly legal. So all you would need is a scanner, a computer with a DVD burner and some DVD-Rs (writable or rewritable DVDs). Oh, and you will need a lot of spare time on your hands. There are legitimate reasons for doing this, including wanting to read are reread collectible comics without risking damaging them. You don't run into copyright problems until you try to sell or distribute your copies. Then, unless you have permissions from the publisher (like GIT Corp has with this Archie collection), you will be breaking the law. Are you looking for a step by step guide on how to do that? Look for forums on the subject, they'll have the informed recommendations you'll need, the best scanners, brands of DVDs, and methods to use.You might also want to look into getting a program to archive and view your files. Something like "ComicRack." [This is not a recommendation. I don't have ComicRack. I just have seen chatter about it and and ads for it.]GIT Corp was the company that was making the popular Marvel DVD compilations, so popular that Marvel decided to try it's own method of digital distribution and pulled the copyrights out from under GIT Corp. It was sad, GIT Corp had copyrights through 2007, they had just released a compilation of all the "Civil War" titles at the beginning of December (and had several other titles in the pipeline) when Marvel announced that they were rescinding copyrights in just a matter of weeks! Pulled the rug right out from under them. Now the bulk of GIT Corp's titles are officially "Out of Stock." Although you can still find some of them through retailers on Amazon.GIT Corp does have an archive of National Lampoon and Mad Magazines available. "Mad" is a Warner publication, so somebody over there must be testing the waters on DVD distribution.For my money (which is none because this is still FREE), the best digitally available comics are here on ComicMix.