cooling on ebooks

I was never one to jump on any "ebooks are evil" bandwagon. I was also never one to insist a person choose between one format or the other (print vs. ebook.) I saw both as tools in the arsenal. eBooks had some value. Less expensive. Physical eReaders (not eReader apps on tablets or computers) are easy to carry around and hold. My tired eyes were thankful for font adjustment, or choosing an ebook because the print font was ridiculously small. And lots of out-of-print books coming back in eBook form.

But there was always that little voice that reminded me, "You don't own eBooks. You buy access to the eBook. It can be pulled at any time."  So, really, what it means is you're renting the eBook. If you're lucky, in most cases, it's a one-time fee and an open-ended rental. I never really saw it as much of an issue.

Until last week.

Everyone thought it would be Amazon.

It was Dark Horse.

I had a period--when I first bought an iPad--where I binge purchased digital comics through various sales. I fell off that eventually, and my son bogarted the iPad. Flash-forward a few years, and my son hasn't been using the iPad as much. I had access the other night. Side quest: I was going to watch the new HELLBOY: The Crooked Man movie. I knew the film was based on a comic. I couldn't recall which digital HELLBOY issues I had acquired. I went to check.

And this greeted me;

Dark Horse are done managing their digital library. Hey, I get it if it's too much work and no returns. And, in future, they will offer digital comics through other platforms.

But what does that mean now? It means, the Dark Horse no longer supports their app. Their library is no longer accessible. If you want to read your comics, you needed to download them all already. And just leave it all on your tablet.

They will also keep a website browser live--but that is also end-of-life, probably at the end of summer.

In their write-up, if you clicked over the FAQ (which I did) one of the prominent questions was;

"Don't I own my digital Dark Horse comics?"

"No, you don't. See Terms & Agreements."

So, there you have it. eBook access revoked. Digital Dark Horse personal library gone.

Now, I am far less eager to add anything else to my Kindle library--even $1 sales.