I think mainstream comic characters are as popular as ever DC and Marvel both make more money on publishing than they do publishing comics. Which means kids and adults both know who these characters are and have some level of interest. Which means interest or awareness isn’t the problem it’s getting people to buy comics.
I think the issue comic publishers’ face is the same one that music issue is dealing with currently. What’s the best way to get the product to the customer? The music industry has shifted from local record stores to itunes in the last twenty years.
I think the comics industry may have the same problem. The direct market probably saved the industry in the 80′s as it lost space on newsstands. It became a viable distribution channel for the industry. The problem was that it also removed comics from the mainstream. Comic shops aren’t exactly the easiest place to find, if you have one locally. When comics left the local grocery store spinner rack the industry basically said bye-bye to the kids in favor of an adult audience who have the means and the ability to get to the LCS’s.
This new and more limited distribution channel also drove the cost up. One of the first issues I bought (at a newsstand) was Secret Wars #1 for $.75 if you adjust that price for inflation it would be $1.54 in 2007 dollars. The average price for a comic in 2007 is $3.17. No, wonder kids don’t buy comics.
Trades seem to be a compromise that addresses the distribution and the price issue. They have wider distribution because you can find them in any book store and they are relatively cheaper than buying the floppy equivalent. I use to be a straight to trade guy for the reasons just stated. Over time I realized that the core strength of comics is that it’s episodic, every month we look forward to see what happens next. Waiting 6 to 8 months between trades will cause people to lose interest. The other issue with straight to trade is that it has a cheaper price because the production cost is subsidized by the sales of the monthly floppies. When you take that away you lose the cost differential between the trade and the floppies.
Digital comics have the largest distribution channel available, the internet. The problem is that people still want something to hold in their hand which is quite an adjustment for most comic readers. However the kids who will be the future of the industry are more receptive to the concept. The only outstanding issue is the pricing; nobody has come up with a viable business model. If the issues where cheap enough it could get pep
I think things we stay the way they are for quite a while. I think that things will stay the way they are for quite a while, because everybody is making money. I eventually see a time where we will have the comic equivalent of itunes (especially if they have a similar pricing structure where and individual issue is around a $1.00), the floppies and trades will still be around because some people will prefer it that way. I think it will be along time before floppies go away completely.
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This post was written by Lobo on February 11, 2008
