Over at ComicsCrew.com is a story on a Marvel DMCA takedown notice to a blog that was featuring rapidshare links to scans of comic books. Now there are a bunch of sites like that out there but a lot focus on classic comics from the 50’s and the 60’s, stuff that is not reasonably taking away business from artists and comic book companies, maybe only from nostalgia dealers. This site however also features the newest stuff.

Now we can probably all agree that piracy is wrong and this isn’t about debating the issues inherent in whether it’s fair to use DMCA takedowns against sites that only list Rapidshare links but aren’t providing the comics per se, because let’s face it the debate is silly and technical.

I think it’s more interesting to question whether the comic book industry should be taking some lessons from the music, books and movie industries. I mean Marvel isn’t suing 12 year old girls or dragging dead people into court. A DMCA takedown against a site linking to pirated content is pretty velvet glove by the standards of the way the game is played these days, but I gotta ask, does that really accomplish anything?

Right now more and more TV shows will be offered online under ad supported models because the only way to compete with free is with free. In 5 years we’ll likely see most TV shows available online, for sale via download or under ad supported models.

Now we all remember and love the crisp feel of a comic book cover, the smell, the way your hands smell afterward and all that good stuff but the comic book industry might want to really take a look at doing more than web comics online but selling issues in digital format for download and offering classics from their library under an ad supported model on a large scale. There would be a huge demand for that I’m sure.

Books have been going increasingly E-Book, music has been going increasingly MP3 and movies going DIVX, the comic book industry needs to stop being complacent and begin taking a real look at the digital future.