And even the odd mainstream comic comes out ad-free. It's like the difference between a movie and a television show. Of course, ads are not without their inherent problems when applied to comics works. And, though I don't intend to spend the room in this editorial laying out the legalese specifics of this case, suffice it to say it's now one hell of a complicated matter. But ads aren't going to go away.
Ads mean money.
And, God knows, we're not the biggest profit-making industry out there. Comics and ads have been intrinsically tied to one another since near comics' beginnings. Indeed, no media is ad-free these days. Product-placement seems to be the ad wave of the future. And yes, placed products have even begun creeping their way into comics.