I think two major issues are holding it back.

1. Back in the day, comics were cheap, ubiquitous and easy to follow. They were freaking everywhere, and you didn't have 25 X-books at one time. Now you have to go to specialty stores, they are $4 each, and good luck trying to figure out a main story to follow. I'd probably keep buying even if I rarely read them if it was $3 a week to keep up instead of $20.

2. There were a lot fewer entertainment choices back in the day. Now you have movies, streaming, internet, video games, 3D printers, TV, apps, how many ways to cheaply stream music etc. There's not just one family TV or record player. Everyone has multiple devices and ways to play, watch, read or listen. Way more competition for your entertainment time.

There's not much to be done about number two, but if the big publishers want people reading comics again they need to get them in people's hands. Since the big two are both now part of HUGE GIGANTIC MASSIVE COMPANIES WORTH BILLIONS UPON BILLIONS, it would cost a pittance to mass print tons of them, make them cheap, and put them everywhere. Grocery stories, Wal-Marts, Targets, gas stations, Costcos, in the newspaper if anyone still reads those, give them out at movie theaters, video game stores, etc. Bite the bullet, subsidize the cost and make them everywhere and make them cheap. Maybe streamline the lines two so there is one or two tops core books in each brand. Sure, have satellite titles but make them satellites and not redundant.

I mean, this is if the intangible benefit of keeping comic books viable as a form and brand leader for these characters is worth more than the cost. Maybe it's important for Marvel and DC for there to still be Spider Man and Batman comics out there to line up with the current popularity of superhero movies. People know and expect these characters are from comics, so maybe it's worth a certain amount knowing they are there if not profitable on their own. I mean the profit on just one of the movies a year probably blows out the production costs of their entire comics printing business or a single year (no idea how true that is, just speculating). Even if not, Disney has gobs of money and could make Marvel comics for free and still barely dent their bottom line. Then again, they just might not want to.

I hate to say it, but it's entirely possible that printed comics are just no longer a viable or desired product in 2017.

Don't know if this been mention earlier in the thread (not read all through) but anyway, last year a comic shop open in my local town. One and half month later it had shut as they couldn't keep up with the huge rental costs. Not as wasn't popular, it was hugely. Just shopping centres and town councils are greedy. No place for smaller independent business like lot comic shops are.


My next 'nearest' comic shop is 40 min away, with no direct bus so need lift there from family or taxi, and that is tiny shop, doesn't have great access, and as nice the guy that runs it is, he doesn't get in much 2000AD stuff despite me making it clear few times I would make the effort to visit each week (maybe buy more from him too of stuff he suggests) if he did order it in. So I need to find motivation to go there or stay with my weekly 2000AD Prog i can get after 15min and free bus ride to WHSmith

so yeah, comic shop owners that listen to customers and less greedy rates would be my solution for better sales

It's sad for them that they went under in such a short period of time, but this sounds far more like a problem with their business plan/model, or lack thereof, than a problem with the product. I would also guess they were undercapitalized, which is true of a large number of new small businesses. If the rent is causing you to go out of business in 1 1/2 months you were in the wrong place to begin with.

DC is set to launch 2 new imprints in 2018 announced in a NY Times article today. DC Zoom will focus on stories for middle school readers and DC Ink will focus on stories for young adults. Many (if not most) of the books will be written by established young adult writers (read novelists). They ill be skipping the monthly floppy format and releasing these as OGNs. FOr the Zoom line, they will be 128 page $9.99 releases, and for the Ink line 192 page releases priced at $16.99.

One of the first two releases of the Ink line will be Mera...



I don't know how well these will do in the direct market, but I applaud this effort. It is exactly the kind of thing needed to reach out and create a new generation of readers for the comic format (i.e. stories told visually in panels and pages) and targeted at a market where they can reach such readers and reach them at an early age. Succeed or fail it is certainly a noble effort, though the cynic in me says it might be too little, too late, but I fervently hope not.

I am intrigued by some of the proposed titles, and will most likely at least pick up the Mera book to see how it reads even though I am definitely not the target audience for it.

-M

Here's the official launch panel for the Dc Zoom and DC ink lines done at the American Library Association on Denver last week...



it runs about an hour, and many of the writers come up on stage and talk about the project they are working on after John Cunningham, Jim Lee and Dan Didio set up the spiel. There's a lot of amazing talent working on these and these could bring a lot of new readers into comics. SOme of these look very interesting, and some are just not for me, but I am excited about them and the possibilities they create anyways.

-M

I am usually critical of DC's current regime, but I think right now they have finally gotten the message and are finally reaching out to try to find a new audience. They are actually trying some new things. It started small-a few curated lines off the beaten path-Gerard Way's Young Animal and Warren Ellis' Wildstorm lines, both curated by creators who have audiences outside comics they could bring to the table, coupled with making a large chunk of their catalog available for free on Hoopla (though Hoopla does pay a fee and get paid by libraries so it's not exactly free to providers but is free to customers outside the tiny fraction of their tax dollars that go to public libraries). It does provide an affordable access point for potential readers though without having to go to a direct market shop.

Then they promoted a creator participation line to reward creators for creating new things with the New Age of DC Heroes line. They launched DC Super-Hero Girls courting a younger female audience with products outside the traditional comic book store. Then came the Zoom and Ink lines building on that foundation, which is one of the few things any of the big publishers has done in recent years that actually could be a game changer featuring popular young adult writers who have built in audience foundations matched with iconic characters tailored for a younger audience.

There are rumblings they are looking at a line in the other direction as well, a line geared towards mature readers featuring the iconic DC characters (building off the success of DKIII Master Race or so the rumors say), and it looks like a Kelly sue DeConnick helmed Wonder Woman title might be first out the gate (followed by Superman and Batman titles). there's also the Jinxworld line and the Bendis curated line coming out of the Bendis signing that will bring different (and likely older) audiences with them.

And lastly the news broke today of the Gaiman helmed Sandman Universe imprint, bringing Gaiman's audience back into play for DC (which will most likely show up in trade sales rather than single issues) but also featuring several established genre writers on the books each with their own built-in following.

It may not be enough at this point. But at least its something besides rebooting and relaunching the caped shared universe to sell to the same shrinking direct market audience again and again (though they are still doing that too with Rebirth, Doomsday Clock, Metal, etc. etc.).

So while a lot of what they are doing may not appeal to me personally, I think they as a company are doing a lot of good things to build potential audiences. I haven't felt that way about DC since te end of the Jeanette Khan era. They are reaching out to potential readers who are not comic readers (which to be honest is where the most potential new comic readers are to be found as non-readers aren't going to have an interest in reading anything, let alone comics even if they like stories featuring the characters in movies, on tv, or in video games).

Again, it may not be enough, but hopefully they find some success and that success can be built on to reinvigorate the industry and allow the industry to evolve as it needs to to be competitive in the 21st century marketplace.

-M

And cue the wailing and gnashing of teeth of the "real fans" who haven't read a new comic in a quarter of a century in...3...2...1...