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[Captain Irony]

I am just curious as to why so many classic comics were transferred to fiche format. Who was the target user? --Was it done by and/or for institutions, or was it intended primarily for collectors and fans? Were these sold to collectors through ads in comic fanzines, and the like, or where, exactly? And was there a window of time when most these fiches were produced and sold?

On another note, why is the quality of fiche comics usually so lacking? If these were copied to fiche with an eye toward preservation, how long did it take for the people producing them or buying them to recognize the basic inadequacy of fiche as a means of saving the content of these comics?

And finally, is there a way to view comics on fiche that produces crisper images? If you're using a microfiche viewer, the kind libraries used to have, do they look better than they do transferred to cbr's or cbz's?

Thanks in advance for any info anyone can give on this.

[boox909]

I am just curious as to why so many classic comics were transferred to fiche format. Who was the target user? --Was it done by and/or for institutions, or was it intended primarily for collectors and fans? Were these sold to collectors through ads in comic fanzines, and the like, or where, exactly? And was there a window of time when most these fiches were produced and sold?

On another note, why is the quality of fiche comics usually so lacking? If these were copied to fiche with an eye toward preservation, how long did it take for the people producing them or buying them to recognize the basic inadequacy of fiche as a means of saving the content of these comics?

And finally, is there a way to view comics on fiche that produces crisper images? If you're using a microfiche viewer, the kind libraries used to have, do they look better than they do transferred to cbr's or cbz's?

Thanks in advance for any info anyone can give on this.

Microcolour is the company that I think is the source for a number of the fiches that have appeared online. I could be wrong though...

Arkbuck

[misappear]

I don't know where Microcolor got their comics, but the scans were not anywhere near what we would consider passable today.  They marketed their own reader.  I bought tons of this stuff when it came out, as there was no real alternative at that moment in time.  What I used to do was take off the frosted reader screen, put in the fiche upside-down, and project the image on to a wall.  In a totally dark room, the image was very readable.

I find myself being less critical of the product today, as it seems to have contributed to the movement toward digital preservation.  Many early DCs had been reprinted regularly in paper comics, but the access to early Timely and Fiction House fiche was pretty welcomed in my area.  Funny thing, tho:  I ended up passing the fiche and reader around to various people who didin't want to make the investment, but didn't mind the idea of looking at some of the old stuff. 

Low-tech "file sharing!"

--Dave

[Captain Irony]

"What I used to do was take off the frosted reader screen, put in the fiche upside-down, and project the image on to a wall.  In a totally dark room, the image was very readable."

-- That's an awesome memory.

"I find myself being less critical of the product today, as it seems to have contributed to the movement toward digital preservation."

-- I understand, misappear. Along those lines, I bought a bunch of Alan Light reproductions of golden age comics back in the day, which were essentially xeroxes. As far from perfect as they may have been, but they satisfied a fan's itch, for sure.

Thanks for the responses!

[The Australian Panther]

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Cheers!