The Comic Industry and Diamond

I'll spare you the details on the comic industry's distribution practices. Here is the overall picture though: Publishers like Marvel, DC, Image, and their smaller companions distribute their goods through Diamond Distributing Co. who gets the comics to comic shops. Diamond just instituted a new minimum that the majority of bloggers, comic insiders, and industry vets proclaim as stupid/dumb/bad business and a potential death knell for the current way of doing things. 

From what I have gathered it stands to hurt the little guy most.  Everyone has an opinion on this, it seems and I just read one a few minutes ago by Tom Spurgeon. <--- A very long article that I more skimmed than read thouroughly. 

A major argument against the new minimum is that it will hurt the comic form. By squeezing out the little guy, you are putting the Direct Market (comic shops) into close competition with the big bookstores and that monster competitors: The Internet. 

Now, I have read comics on the computer. Not just webcomics, but ones in cbz or cbr form. I much rather read them in my hand. You  can better appreciate the art when you can look at it in person. I have the Watchmen trade and wanted to compare to the digital version. Not even half as good. I don't know if I would have liked the book as much. 

It makes me think about the books I have read onine (Y:The Last Man) and how much better they must be in physical form. ( Yes, I am planning to buy Y: The Last Man). 

So making Internet distribution a more viable option for smaller publishers and even the big two will hurt the comic art form. Comics will lose a big part of their appeal. I compare it to movies. Imagine if companies started getting away from theatre distribution and only made web movies. Yes, I know HD looks bad ass and whatever, but there is nothing quite like being theater. They make movies for the theater experience. Comics are made for the comic book experience. 

I realize-and this has been covered by many people-that Diamond can make their own business decisions. I just think they should realize that they are making one that will hurt them in the not-to-far-off future. They are sacrificing long-term for short-term. Horrible.