Future of Comic Books

[42]

So, I saw the History Channel's documentary on super-heroes and comic books. It was interesting, but sort of depressing. They ended by talking about the business problems that comic books currently face. During the golden age of comics, comics sold in the millions and tens of millions. Now they say they they are happy when a comic book sells 150,000.

So I'm wondering where comic books are headed. What I fear is that they will become elitist and unaccessable like modern art.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Ok, I haven't watched the show yet, I only found out about it today. But I'm taping this saturday's showing

But Naturally I have some other comments.

Some other thoughts. Comics today cost (literally) 20-30 times as much as a golden age comic. Comic book property owners (at least the main stream ones) also haver a lot of lucrative merchandising options and movie deals that they never had in the golden age. In other words, the "big four" and others who want to emulate their success (like Dreamwave, who seem to be doing a great start with the properties they've got rights to: GI Joe, Transformers, TMNT, et al) are unlikely to go "underground" and become elitest. They're more likely to go "hollywood."

However, there is a strong underground market, and for them, well, "too late." Most of the ones that make it "big" for independents are already inaccessible or at least very strange and deliberately shocking for the sake of shocking. To be honest, I'm less impressed with a lot of independent work than I am with mainstream work. There are naturally exceptions. spiegelman, McCloud, Sims for example. All have accessible work, but meaningful and aesthetic approaches. I'd recommend checking out all of their work.

The problem is a lot of this stuff dies right away or is bought by mainstream publishers like marvel and DC. In the long run, this is probably good, actually. Since it weeds out a lot of crap and leaves the industry stronger. Most independents it true, don't make a lot of money, but many continue jsut because it's what they want to do.

And like I said, I think between increased prices, merchandising, and media expansion, the mainstream isn't really in danger of going away.

Scott McCloud actually has a lot to say on the subject of the future of comics. Both his web site and his book "Reinventing Comics" are worth reading. He has a lot of innovative ways for comics to regain profitability and grow stronger. The web, both as a storefront and as a publication medium feature in his ideas a lot. Which is why I'd also point at Web comics. Some are donig pretty well for themselves. Penny Arcade, PVP and User Friendly are only a few of the examples.

Sure, I think the industry is going to go through a pretty rough time, forcing traditional publishers to rework and reinvent a lot of practices and morays - and small press to become very innovative, but I don't think the industry will die.

[42]

I don't think the industry will die either. What I see happening is like what happened to modern art.

A lot of art forms start out as underground movements. Modern art and comic books actually share this in common. Then at one point the art form becomes popular, and the producers meet the demands by pushing out more stuff. This starts the era of the collectors, where the product is grabbed up in mass, in hopes of turning a profit. However, the producers eventually over-produce to meet the demands of the collectors. This drives the value down because there is now a glut of product. Course, now the industry is established, with traditions and history. So instead of dying out they go for quality to attract the collectors. This means producing less of a product but at higher quality. Course, this relying on collectors shrinks the market and causes the product to only be accessable to those who can afford to collect it. That what happened to modern art, and it seems to be what's happening to comic books.

So I think it kinda sad that what was once afforadable and available to every kid, is now only available to appreciative adults.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

The biggest current demographic, if I remember, is males 17-27. Which is a market with a lot of disposable income. It's also a market which, currently, will buy a lot of stuff just cuz it "looks neat" or has any sort of nostalgia value. The second biggest demographic is teenage males, which shares those traits to a large extent. But neither of those markets are terribly "mature" in terms of their aesthetic sense. Yeah, I think your pattern is a predictable path of the market in the future, but I don't think the big 4 will change that much -- except maybe to include more manga style material which is currently very popular -- because the target audience is mostly just find with male power fantasy, so long as it's drawn to their conception of "well"

[House of Mustard]

I also watched the show, being a History Channel addict.

My complaint with Comic Biz, related to 42's complaint about it being to inaccesible, is that I have a hard time finding comic books unless I go to a hobby store.  Recently I've been looking for them at grocery stores and convenience stores and have come up mostly empty handed.  Only one grocery store (of the four I frequent) has any comics, and they're almost all GI Joe and Superman, two stories I'm not interested in.  Occasionally I can find a Spiderman at the 7-11.  I don't see how the industry expects to draw new readers if they only sell their products in specialty stores.

[Fellfrosch]

I've read a few articles on...a comic website who's name I can't remember...about a similar phenomenon: comics are the only merchandise where the people selling it actively berate you as a customer. Thinking back over my experiences, I have to agree--the people who work in comics stores I have visited establish selective, clique-y environments that deter outsiders and newbies; when someone gets the courage to go in, the clerk talks down to them and (often) makes disparaging remarks about whatever title they're going to buy.

We always joke about the annoying 13-year-olds that play games in malls, but the 37-year-olds who work in comics stores often have the same attitude, and that can't be good for the industry.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

When I was a 7 year old kid in Fort Hood TX I bought tons of comic books. TV back in the day sucked, (most people did not have cable) and youth activities were mostly based in sport. My dad and I didn't see each other much because of his job too which really sucked. But when he got the chance he and I would go down to the base shopette and buy ten or twenty books at a time. I got some of the books he liked, (superman and Batman and Spiderman and a few newer titles that suited my taste. He was always glad that I was reading, and he liked comic books because they told stories about hero's and how to be a good american.  For us Comic books weren't juvenile or stupid (which is ironically what my mom thought) they were exciting and fun. Plus they were something my friends and I could share after we finished playing pong on our Atari's or take to our tree fort after school.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

I've read a few articles on...a comic website who's name I can't remember...about a similar phenomenon: comics are the only merchandise where the people selling it actively berate you as a customer. Thinking back over my experiences, I have to agree--the people who work in comics stores I have visited establish selective, clique-y environments that deter outsiders and newbies; when someone gets the courage to go in, the clerk talks down to them and (often) makes disparaging remarks about whatever title they're going to buy.

We always joke about the annoying 13-year-olds that play games in malls, but the 37-year-olds who work in comics stores often have the same attitude, and that can't be good for the industry.

Once upon a time most people got their comics from the local drugstore, then small bookstores and now its hard to get comics outside of the comic shop. The culture of comic books isn't about reading or using the books anymore its about collecting.
Collecting is kind of sad when you think about it. Not using an item and packing it away untill there are so few left that it becomes valuable. Comics used to be meant for reading, not collecting and thats why many people dont go for em anymore.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

In the show, Kevin Smith makes some remarks that address what you guys say. Being so snotty and inaccessible and well, icky, is a way comic fans have found to give themselves credibility, and at least respect. By doing this, they force other fans to acknowledge that there is some sort of bizarre elitism in the field. Usually it's met with condescention from the outside, but you have to admit that the comic nerd is hard to understand, which is generally good enough for most geeks of many ilks.

Though you're right. If the industry wants to expand a reader base, they need a cost effective way to reach a broader audience. Enter well made movies and Internet shopping. Yeah, it may result in the death of comic book STORES (or at least many), but to be honest, other than being able to whine about something to a sympathetic ear, it doesn't do much for me. And I can whine here (and at least pretend you're sympathetic). Combination game/comic stores seem a good solution. Especially ones like the local Game Parlour chain that encourages sociality by providing LOTS of space to play.

[Spriggan]

There was a comic store chain back in Lincoln, NE that was the exact opposite.  If an employe berated a costmer or what he was purching in any way he'd get chewed out by the owner or one of the managers.  They often gave very opinionated views on comics or RPGs if asked, but never anything to drive people away.  Great store.  Another hobby store there (hobby town, Lincoln is where the franchise originated from) was cool two.  The owner of the Hobby Town franchise was the manager there and he was an awsome guy.  There use to be one here in provo called Captin Salamander that's owner was cool too.

I've never been insulted at Dragons keep, but the people there just plain scare me.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

It was my first trip to Dragon's Keep where I heard an argument about Vulcan philosophy. They scare me.

And I've actually never been insulted by a comic store employee. Game store, yes. Comic store, no. I think the whole esoteric attitude, combined with social ineptitude and vastly different interests often gets perceived as condescension and insult. (No, not all comic readers are socially inept, but there is a tendency for it).

Oh, and I don't think comics are just about collecting, I think that more people actually READ and LOOK AT their comics than just throw them on the shelf. The hermetically sealed, never-been-touched comic is very rare.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

yeah, but its the impression I get whenever I enter a comic shop and see all the super rare comics behind the glass at vastly overrated prices. There's a reason comic g\book geek on the Simpsons is so funny. "That is a rare radioactive man number three! What do you plan to pay for it with Mr. Santos!"

[Entsuropi]

I have never read a comic book in my life. Apart from the Beano, which doesn't count i think. The only place i know of to get them is in a RPG /Wizkids /magic /comics /animedvds /cool action figures place. So i only actually see them while buying 10 packets of Heroclix at once. So, yeah, i am not surprised the industry is smegged. When people have to travel to another *town* to get their comics it tends to cool their hankering for it a bit. And when people never actually lay eyes on a comic, it is not surprising that your fanbase is small. Compare that to Japan, where bookstores had entire isles dedicated to Manga.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Ok, in every comic store that i've been in that was mroe a comic store than another type, the most prominant thing is ALWAYS the racks of new comics. they're displayed so you can see the covers and see that they're new. old comics are in long boxes or in storage that simulates long box storage, and you actually have to file through and pull comics out to see the covers. There are, of course, some super rare stuff most places have that they'll put on the wall behind the counter or under the glass in the counter, but they're hardly more prominant than the new comics.

I also reckon the comics market is different in the US than the UK. Used to be you'd find a comic store in every town. now I only know two stores in the area that sell more than just a few genre specific monthly titles, though B&N and Borders both carry a fairly decent selection of graphic novels or collected reprints. I did see a comic shop when I was Dublin, and several when in Helsinki and Tampere (Finland), so I think maybe you just live in a freak town, Entropy. which makes sense with you being a freak and all.

However, these are not to say the industry can't take measures. Getting monthly titles back into newsstands would be a start. After all, Newsweek is full color and glossy, comics should be cheaper to print. Granted, Newsweek probably commands a heckuva lot more for advertising than even Superman does. But it seems like something like that could be done.

[42]

So I wonder if comic book stores will become like art museums that parents and teachers drag their kids there so that they can experience culture?