Distributor Profile: DriveThru Comics

When I first had the idea to do digital distribution for AIM Comics, the first place I thought of was Drive Thru Comics.  They're one of the oldest and most robust download comic shops on the net.  I have long enjoyed their offerings, and find that even browsing the books they have available is a good indicator of what is happening in the indy comics market.

DriveThru makes its books available in convenient pdf format.  While this is not my preferred format (I really do love .cbr and .cbz!), they always have high quality scans and I have yet to meet a device that is not able to handle pdfs, so my own preference is rather subjective.  I find their site very easy to navigate, with lots of graphics and previews as is fitting for what they sell.  Their signup process is as simple as can be and literally takes seconds, while their checkout and download process is just as simple.  They accept Paypal as payment, which is almost a must for anyone doing business on the net today.  The books you purchase remain available to download again at any time through your account history, so you need never be without your library of comics.

DriveThru has a long list of publishers offering titles through their store, from heavy hitters like Heavy Metal and 2000 AD to small independent brands like...well, like AIM Comics.  In addition to the books available for sale, there's also a wide variety of free books to get you started.  Most of their books are a buck or two each, which, compared to retail prices, makes some of this stuff a real steal.
Of course, while you're there, you might also want to check out their other stores, DriveThru RPG and DriveThru Fiction, where you can find, among other things, downloadable game manuals, ebooks and even soundtracks.

If you're new to digital comics, or just haven't tried this particular store yet, I recommend taking a look around DriveThru Comix (starting with our publisher page, of course!) to see what they have available, then signing up for a membership and at least trying out some of their free books to see if you like what they have to offer.  Remember that our own publication, Why Comics?, is one of their free books, and is as good a place to start as any.

There's a lot of debate right now about digital versus printed comics, and while I don't have enough experience in publishing to weigh in strongly for one side or the other, I do know that if digital comics is going to succeed it is going to be through the efforts of well-implemented sites like DriveThru Comics.