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Any books that discusses the history of the comic book market or 90s crash?

Started by Baron,

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Baron

Baron

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Just finished reading the book " Mint Condition: How Baseball Cards Became an American Obsession" by Dave Jamieson which went into the back story of the baseball card market, the inception of baseball card market as well as the collector marketplace and the crash in the 1990s due to speculation.

 

I don't collect sports cards at all but grabbed this book since it had a detailed background on the card market and collectors, the resale market, and why the card market crashed when collectors bought tons of cards in the 80s for "investment" and when they went to sell them they were turned down by dealers who had a glut of them already.

 

I also got a kick when the author discussed the collectibility of the hobby when people started buying cards in droves to supposedly finance their retirement. The card market had an average age of collectors during the 80s around 14-17 years old and currently the avg. age is 38+; and how (in parallel with comics) kids moved from cards to video games and non-traditional cards like Magic/Pokemon and how losing one generation will end up costing sports card companies ongoing generations when dads/parents move away from the hobby and therefore not exposing their kids to the hobby as well.

 

There's also a section detailing the grading and grading companies for cards and their impact on sales along with auction houses. A few chapters described some of the long-term and high-dollar collectors and their collections and how they see the state of the hobby today, especially when you think how the card and comic market once viewed mainly for kids are now high-dollar items for older adults and kids have transitioned to video games and Pokemon.

 

Does anyone know of any books such as this that pertains directly to the comic book marketplace since it would be great to read one that's specific to our hobby. Reading this, I found how closely the sports card market mimicked the comic book industry and during the last 20 yrs and also found the section where the author saw in person one of the grading company's different rooms and stages in grading cards totally intriguing.

 

 

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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and currently the avg. age is 38+; and how (in parallel with comics) kids moved from cards to video games and non-traditional cards like Magic/Pokemon and how losing one generation will end up costing sports card companies ongoing generations when dads/parents move away from the hobby and therefore not exposing their kids to the hobby as well.

 

While inherently true, this trend has absolutely nothing to do with "exposing their kids to the hobby". You could drag kids to the local card shows all year and they'd still look at card pack prices of $100-$500+ a pop, and shake their heads.

 

It's all comes down to publishers/manufacturers choosing to target one market demographic (affluent adults) over another (mass market kids) in order to get an influx of short-term cash. Cards and comics are marketed directly at adults, priced for adult consumption, and written/printed with adults in mind. It's a strategy that will kill the business in the long-term, but a walking heart attack like Joe Q probably doesn't care.

 

In a scenario like that, there is no hope to "expose kids to the hobby" since there is no hobby for them any more. So they naturally gravitate to items directly created for, and targeted at, children, like Pokemon cards, video games and Manga.

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EastEnd

EastEnd

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and currently the avg. age is 38+; and how (in parallel with comics) kids moved from cards to video games and non-traditional cards like Magic/Pokemon and how losing one generation will end up costing sports card companies ongoing generations when dads/parents move away from the hobby and therefore not exposing their kids to the hobby as well.

 

While inherently true, this trend has absolutely nothing to do with "exposing their kids to the hobby". You could drag kids to the local card shows all year and they'd still look at card pack prices of $100-$500+ a pop, and shake their heads.

 

It's all comes down to publishers/manufacturers choosing to target one market demographic (affluent adults) over another (mass market kids) in order to get an influx of short-term cash. Cards and comics are marketed directly at adults, priced for adult consumption, and written/printed with adults in mind. It's a strategy that will kill the business in the long-term, but a walking heart attack like Joe Q probably doesn't care.

 

In a scenario like that, there is no hope to "expose kids to the hobby" since there is no hobby for them any more. So they naturally gravitate to items directly created for, and targeted at, children, like Pokemon cards, video games and Manga.

 

I've been saying the same thing for while now... it's not so much that kids aren't inherently interested in comics anymore... it's more that comics are neither written for nor marketed to kids. The target audience now is 20/30-somethings. Whether this is good or bad for the hobby is debatable... media formats and technologies are converging in unpredictable ways these days so maybe the strategy makes sense but it's hard to say. I remain very comfortable however, that there will be no back issue market crash in comics in my lifetime... correction yes (and I think it's already started)... but not a crash.

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ComicConnoisseur

ComicConnoisseur

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and currently the avg. age is 38+; and how (in parallel with comics) kids moved from cards to video games and non-traditional cards like Magic/Pokemon and how losing one generation will end up costing sports card companies ongoing generations when dads/parents move away from the hobby and therefore not exposing their kids to the hobby as well.

 

While inherently true, this trend has absolutely nothing to do with "exposing their kids to the hobby". You could drag kids to the local card shows all year and they'd still look at card pack prices of $100-$500+ a pop, and shake their heads.

 

It's all comes down to publishers/manufacturers choosing to target one market demographic (affluent adults) over another (mass market kids) in order to get an influx of short-term cash. Cards and comics are marketed directly at adults, priced for adult consumption, and written/printed with adults in mind. It's a strategy that will kill the business in the long-term, but a walking heart attack like Joe Q probably doesn't care.

 

In a scenario like that, there is no hope to "expose kids to the hobby" since there is no hobby for them any more. So they naturally gravitate to items directly created for, and targeted at, children, like Pokemon cards, video games and Manga.

 

I've been saying the same thing for while now... it's not so much that kids aren't inherently interested in comics anymore... it's more that comics are neither written for nor marketed to kids. The target audience now is 20/30-somethings. Whether this is good or bad for the hobby is debatable... media formats and technologies are converging in unpredictable ways these days so maybe the strategy makes sense but it's hard to say. I remain very comfortable however, that there will be no back issue market crash in comics in my lifetime... correction yes (and I think it's already started)... but not a crash.

What era are you talking about? If your talking 1930`s to 1970`s stuff I agree but if its post 1990`s and up stuff then I disagree because other then a handful of post 1990`s books there is no back issue market. ;)

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500Club

500Club

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and currently the avg. age is 38+; and how (in parallel with comics) kids moved from cards to video games and non-traditional cards like Magic/Pokemon and how losing one generation will end up costing sports card companies ongoing generations when dads/parents move away from the hobby and therefore not exposing their kids to the hobby as well.

 

While inherently true, this trend has absolutely nothing to do with "exposing their kids to the hobby". You could drag kids to the local card shows all year and they'd still look at card pack prices of $100-$500+ a pop, and shake their heads.

 

It's all comes down to publishers/manufacturers choosing to target one market demographic (affluent adults) over another (mass market kids) in order to get an influx of short-term cash. Cards and comics are marketed directly at adults, priced for adult consumption, and written/printed with adults in mind. It's a strategy that will kill the business in the long-term, but a walking heart attack like Joe Q probably doesn't care.

 

In a scenario like that, there is no hope to "expose kids to the hobby" since there is no hobby for them any more. So they naturally gravitate to items directly created for, and targeted at, children, like Pokemon cards, video games and Manga.

 

It's not only this, but also the fact that the world has changed. When I was a kid, sports cards and comic books captured my imagination. I have no doubt that if I were a kid today, I'd forsake them for video games and other digital entertainment.

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ComicConnoisseur

ComicConnoisseur

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and currently the avg. age is 38+; and how (in parallel with comics) kids moved from cards to video games and non-traditional cards like Magic/Pokemon and how losing one generation will end up costing sports card companies ongoing generations when dads/parents move away from the hobby and therefore not exposing their kids to the hobby as well.

 

While inherently true, this trend has absolutely nothing to do with "exposing their kids to the hobby". You could drag kids to the local card shows all year and they'd still look at card pack prices of $100-$500+ a pop, and shake their heads.

 

It's all comes down to publishers/manufacturers choosing to target one market demographic (affluent adults) over another (mass market kids) in order to get an influx of short-term cash. Cards and comics are marketed directly at adults, priced for adult consumption, and written/printed with adults in mind. It's a strategy that will kill the business in the long-term, but a walking heart attack like Joe Q probably doesn't care.

 

In a scenario like that, there is no hope to "expose kids to the hobby" since there is no hobby for them any more. So they naturally gravitate to items directly created for, and targeted at, children, like Pokemon cards, video games and Manga.

 

It's not only this, but also the fact that the world has changed. When I was a kid, sports cards and comic books captured my imagination. I have no doubt that if I were a kid today, I'd forsake them for video games and other digital entertainment.

You don`t have to be a kid to pick video games over comic books as a form of entetainment, A few of my friends in the 25 to 45 year old range rather play video games then read comics,so it goes beyond just trying to get kids back into reading comics, the bigger concern is the aging comicbook fanbase are now playing the videogames over collecting the comics.So in conclusion the average 25-45 year old is now buying videogames instead of buying comics at his local lcs. 2c

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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and currently the avg. age is 38+; and how (in parallel with comics) kids moved from cards to video games and non-traditional cards like Magic/Pokemon and how losing one generation will end up costing sports card companies ongoing generations when dads/parents move away from the hobby and therefore not exposing their kids to the hobby as well.

 

While inherently true, this trend has absolutely nothing to do with "exposing their kids to the hobby". You could drag kids to the local card shows all year and they'd still look at card pack prices of $100-$500+ a pop, and shake their heads.

 

It's all comes down to publishers/manufacturers choosing to target one market demographic (affluent adults) over another (mass market kids) in order to get an influx of short-term cash. Cards and comics are marketed directly at adults, priced for adult consumption, and written/printed with adults in mind. It's a strategy that will kill the business in the long-term, but a walking heart attack like Joe Q probably doesn't care.

 

In a scenario like that, there is no hope to "expose kids to the hobby" since there is no hobby for them any more. So they naturally gravitate to items directly created for, and targeted at, children, like Pokemon cards, video games and Manga.

 

It's not only this, but also the fact that the world has changed. When I was a kid, sports cards and comic books captured my imagination. I have no doubt that if I were a kid today, I'd forsake them for video games and other digital entertainment.

 

But there would be no need to "forsake" them as a kid, as publishers have totally forgotten you in favor of the "easy money" of adult nerds. Comics are not for kids anymore, and haven't been for over 2 decades.

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joe_collector

joe_collector

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[A few of my friends in the 25 to 45 year old range rather play video games then read comics,so it goes beyond just trying to get kids back into reading comics, the bigger concern is the aging comicbook fanbase are now playing the videogames over collecting the comics.So in conclusion the average 25-45 year old is now buying videogames instead of buying comics at his local lcs. 2c

 

It comes down to VALUE - Moderns are so vastly over-priced, and continue to spike with each new increase, that virtually any other entertainment purchase gives you a superior return on your money.

 

The Marvel Ultimate Alliance Gold I picked up for $4.99 at EB is a great example - would I rather buy that or a new comic? hmlol

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tth2

tth2

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I remain very comfortable however, that there will be no back issue market crash in comics in my lifetime... correction yes (and I think it's already started)... but not a crash.

Would 70% off peak prices for prime pre-1964 SA HG books constitute a crash? Would 50% off peak prices for HG pedigree GA books constitute a crash?

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500Club

500Club

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and currently the avg. age is 38+; and how (in parallel with comics) kids moved from cards to video games and non-traditional cards like Magic/Pokemon and how losing one generation will end up costing sports card companies ongoing generations when dads/parents move away from the hobby and therefore not exposing their kids to the hobby as well.

 

While inherently true, this trend has absolutely nothing to do with "exposing their kids to the hobby". You could drag kids to the local card shows all year and they'd still look at card pack prices of $100-$500+ a pop, and shake their heads.

 

It's all comes down to publishers/manufacturers choosing to target one market demographic (affluent adults) over another (mass market kids) in order to get an influx of short-term cash. Cards and comics are marketed directly at adults, priced for adult consumption, and written/printed with adults in mind. It's a strategy that will kill the business in the long-term, but a walking heart attack like Joe Q probably doesn't care.

 

In a scenario like that, there is no hope to "expose kids to the hobby" since there is no hobby for them any more. So they naturally gravitate to items directly created for, and targeted at, children, like Pokemon cards, video games and Manga.

 

It's not only this, but also the fact that the world has changed. When I was a kid, sports cards and comic books captured my imagination. I have no doubt that if I were a kid today, I'd forsake them for video games and other digital entertainment.

 

But there would be no need to "forsake" them as a kid, as publishers have totally forgotten you in favor of the "easy money" of adult nerds. Comics are not for kids anymore, and haven't been for over 2 decades.

 

My point is that even if comics were still 'for kids', I suspect they'd be passed over in favor of the current wave of digital entertainment options. I completely agree with your point, though - in targeting the adult nerd demographic, there is no longer an easy entry point to the hobby for kids.

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crimson dynamo

crimson dynamo

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I remain very comfortable however, that there will be no back issue market crash in comics in my lifetime... correction yes (and I think it's already started)... but not a crash.

Would 70% off peak prices for prime pre-1964 SA HG books constitute a crash? Would 50% off peak prices for HG pedigree GA books constitute a crash?

 

 

70% where are these being given away at????

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tth2

tth2

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I remain very comfortable however, that there will be no back issue market crash in comics in my lifetime... correction yes (and I think it's already started)... but not a crash.

Would 70% off peak prices for prime pre-1964 SA HG books constitute a crash? Would 50% off peak prices for HG pedigree GA books constitute a crash?

 

 

70% where are these being given away at????

Actually, I mis-spoke. A 9.4 Flash 125 just sold in this past Sunday's Heritage weekly auction for $956, including BP, which is a bit more than 80% below the $5250 price that the 9.4 Mound City copy sold for not so long ago.

 

Now you might say that this copy had C-OW pages, but so did the MC copy.

 

For further perspective, back in 2006, a 9.0 copy sold for $3100. If a 9.4 copy had existed at that time, it would've sold for much more than $5250.

 

There are probably more than a few ultra-HG pedigree GA books in the past year or so that have sold for 60-70% below their peak prices.

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EastEnd

EastEnd

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I remain very comfortable however, that there will be no back issue market crash in comics in my lifetime... correction yes (and I think it's already started)... but not a crash.

Would 70% off peak prices for prime pre-1964 SA HG books constitute a crash? Would 50% off peak prices for HG pedigree GA books constitute a crash?

 

No... such a decline from pre-bubble pricing would constitute a crash... giving back the bubble advancement (i.e., the peak you refer to) is a correction... the bubble pricing isn't sustainable to begin with.

 

 

 

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