The Future of Comic Books 1 1

[exitmusicblue]

So were LPs.  Now only visible in specialty shops.  And yet the good ones are pricier than ever, sadly for me, in part due to demand from collectors who never even grew up with them.

Never underestimate the enduring power of hip analog anything.

[Quicksilver Signs]

15 minutes ago, exitmusicblue said:

I've seen enough hordes of youths digging into bargain bins at cons to be beyond the "digital generation"  generalizations.  I'd sooner worry about hobbies such as numismatics and stamps that don't get 1% of comics' mainstream attention.

It's fundamental to the identy of the movies and shows these days that they originate from comics.  No one is pretending otherwise, Marvel included judging from their omnipresent opening logo that embeds flipping through a history of comics pages.  Branding kids as un-nostalgic to me is the usual timeless old people tactic.  Many kids become nostalgic (few start out that way) and many like to be hip.  The tshirts and lunchboxes you see everywhere trace back to original, "analog" comics -- forevermore.

Of course kids will be nostalgic but only for their own life experiences - gaming, social media, TV/movies, sports pertaining to their own fond memories.

What percentage of kids today read comics?

[ygogolak]

8 minutes ago, Quicksilver Signs said:

No survey, just my opinion. I was a kid in the 70's, comics were everywhere, barber shops, every corner store, schools, pretty much a stack in every kids room. They were given away or thrown out by the millions. It was just a part of childhood, now comics are marketed to adults.

Yes, but there weren't comic book, gaming & magic shops then.

[exitmusicblue]

On 6/21/2017 at 4:20 PM, TheSSurfer said:

The Future of Comic Books

Me and my coworkers had a discussion today, because I recently bought a Hulk 181. They decided to bring up how baseball cards used to be worth a lot before, but currently the interest is slim to none.

 

With today's generation, how does everyone feel the market will be in the future for comics? Do they think it'll continue to grow, or eventually die out?

Also, even this opening post shows a lack of knowledge.

Go on ebay, search for "Bowman Chrome," and sort via Highest Price.

At top should be a 2009 Mike Trout superfractor auto listed at a best offer price of 500k, with hundreds of watchers.

[exitmusicblue]

13 minutes ago, Quicksilver Signs said:

Of course kids will be nostalgic but only for their own life experiences - gaming, social media, TV/movies, sports pertaining to their own fond memories.

What percentage of kids today read comics?

Far, faaaaaaaaaaar more than you think.  Btw the barometer shouldn't be "collect them regularly."  It should be "have ever been intrigued by, or tickled by, or moved by" a comic or related product.  The vast majority of my childhood + teen years was spent away from comics... I was more into video games, gals, you name it.

Fat lot of good that did me as I dived back into collecting.    This applies to countless other folks as well.  The mainstream attention is largely what drew me back.  And that shows zero signs of abating (thank you Disney).

Edited July 10, 2017 by exitmusicblue

[Quicksilver Signs]

16 minutes ago, ygogolak said:

Yes, but there weren't comic book, gaming & magic shops then.

There were more comic shops in the 80's than now. And they were just comic shops, presently an LCS can't survive without selling Magic and toys. 

Not trying to be a Debbie Downer here and believe me I want to sell my books in 15 years or so. 

[exitmusicblue]

5 minutes ago, Quicksilver Signs said:

There were more comic shops in the 80's than now. And they were just comic shops, presently an LCS can't survive without selling Magic and toys. 

Not trying to be a Debbie Downer here and believe me I want to sell my books in 15 years or so. 

Meanwhile kids are scarfing up books via ebay (smart) and even at cons (resourceful, depending on prices).  I just don't think LCS survival is a direct indicator of the state of things + things to come. 

Likewise LP hunting via searching out the remaining old vintage stops is a fun pastime for some, but the best prices are found online. 

For many collectibles, kids with their limited $$ and reach do a lot of buying online -- same goes for comics.

Edited July 10, 2017 by exitmusicblue

[ygogolak]

Just now, Quicksilver Signs said:

There were more comic shops in the 80's than now. And they were just comic shops, presently an LCS can't survive without selling Magic and toys. 

Not trying to be a Debbie Downer here and believe me I want to sell my books in 15 years or so. 

There are about 6 shops within 30 miles of me. Probably 10 in about 45 miles. Maybe half sell toys and I don't know any that sell magic. It just depends where you live. That's always the case when I see comments like this.

[exitmusicblue]

15 minutes ago, Quicksilver Signs said:

There were more comic shops in the 80's than now. And they were just comic shops, presently an LCS can't survive without selling Magic and toys. 

Not trying to be a Debbie Downer here and believe me I want to sell my books in 15 years or so. 

Plus, this is like equating the demise of Blockbuster stores (happened) to the demise of movie viewing (not gonna happen)... it's the death of a medium, nothing more.

Wouldn't worry, the market will be stronger than ever for your books in 15 years.

[Quicksilver Signs]

2 minutes ago, exitmusicblue said:

Plus, this is like equating the demise of Blockbuster stores (happened) to the demise of movie viewing (not gonna happen)... it's the death of a medium, nothing more.

Wouldn't worry, the market will be stronger than ever for your books in 15 years.

Thanks to streaming and internet movies are more accessories than ever(free), Blockbuster as a delivery service became obsolete . The medium for super heroes was comics, now it's TV/Movies. 

[Quicksilver Signs]

13 minutes ago, ygogolak said:

There are about 6 shops within 30 miles of me. Probably 10 in about 45 miles. Maybe half sell toys and I don't know any that sell magic. It just depends where you live. That's always the case when I see comments like this.

There is not one comic shop around me that sells only comics, same pretty much goes when I check out other cities. Magic is very common and profitable too I guess. 

[exitmusicblue]

6 minutes ago, Quicksilver Signs said:

Thanks to streaming and internet movies are more accessories than ever(free), Blockbuster as a delivery service became obsolete . The medium for super heroes was comics, now it's TV/Movies. 

Music is digital as well, meanwhile the LP market continues to boom. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanpassman/2017/01/12/vinyl-is-officially-booming-the-new-billion-dollar-music-business/#7a48e1c04054

"It may not be a coincidence that the vinyl resurgence in 2008 coincides with the launch of Spotify. In many ways, vinyl is like the print industry. As streaming continues to grow (and change), there will always be a market for the powerful emotional impact of something tangible, especially with a nostalgic tie."

As long as comics offer what TV/movies cannot, we will be just fine and dandy.

 

Edited July 10, 2017 by exitmusicblue

[mackenzie999]

54 minutes ago, ygogolak said:

Yes, but there weren't comic book, gaming & magic shops then.

There absolutely were, unless I am misunderstanding the kind of shop you mean. MTG didn't exist in the '70s but there were comic and gaming shops in Boston where I grew up.

[ygogolak]

8 minutes ago, Quicksilver Signs said:

There is not one comic shop around me that sells only comics, same pretty much goes when I check out other cities. Magic is very common and profitable too I guess. 

Right, like I said, it's different depending where you live. To paint a broad brush across the entire country is not accurate.

[ygogolak]

Just now, Mackenzie999 said:

There absolutely were, unless I am misunderstanding the kind of shop you mean. MTG didn't exist in the '70s but there were comic and gaming shops in Boston where I grew up.

There might have been some here and there, but not like now. I mean it's simple logic that people don't buy comics at grocery and convenience stores but there is still a demand. Thus, more shops dedicated to it.

[mackenzie999]

53 minutes ago, exitmusicblue said:

Far, faaaaaaaaaaar more than you think. 

This whole debate could probably move in a more conclusive direction if we could attach comparable numbers to this statement, there is anecdotal evidence to support both sides of the argument. 

I haven't made the baseball cards analogy because I think that's kind of its own thing. Seems like baseball cards as a hobby have been a bit of a rollercoaster, but the ups are certainly there. Also baseball exists on many levels, as a spectator sport, as a recreational sport, youth leagues, in schools, etc. It really has been given every opportunity to succeed, and if there really is a recent card legitimately priced at half a million I'd say it's doing just fine.

Having Disney backing you up is certainly a recipe for success, but I suspect it views Marvel mainly as a source of thousands of pre-scripted, pre-storyboarded properties it can turn into movies. I hope this keeps going on forever, but I suspect it will wax and wane, people will tire of it after a while, then a fresh new audience or major talent will pump it back up. But I still maintain that kids will not develop nostalgia for a medium that wasn't as prevalent as it was when some of us were kids. There will always be love for Bats and Spidey due to their corporate overlords, but when today's kid gets that collecting itch it will more likely be for toys or games.

Exitmusicblue, you make a strong argument for optimism, and while I remain unconvinced, I really hope you are right.

[VegasJeff]

Kudos to the OP for starting this thread. I was thinking of starting a similar one based on what I've been seeing.

According to trends I've been seeing in comic book sales data, my analysis indicates that within 40 years new comic books (at least in their paper format) will cease being made (and perhaps as soon as 20 years if trends accelerate). I'm sure this won't be a surprise to many who have also noticed declining sales. This also does not answer the question if the comic industry will survive the leap to digital online based comics. That discussion would probably be best saved for another thread. 

So to have a better understanding of why this is happening, we need to do a root cause analysis of the situation. If we go back to the beginning of comic books, we must remember they were created as a cheap form of disposable entertainment.

When I first started reading comics in the late 80's as a kid there were simply not many alternatives for entertainment. Perhaps an hour or two of cartoons in the afternoon on 2 or 3 channels, play video games (if you could afford them), listen to the radio or cassettes, read a book (boring for most kids), there was no internet, not much else besides going outdoors. Now fast forward to today, while comics books have gotten more expensive, there is an almost limitless supply of free (or nearly free) alternative forms of entertainment that are also more convenient such as netflix, youtube, free downloadable games on your smartphone, websites, etc. plus we know have the ability to download digital versions of books instantly. That is one of the key reasons why books/magazines/comics have been in a downward spiral. I don't believe digital sales will make up the the difference. I'm also under the impression that the format we are used to will die as it was designed for the limitations and cost of paper and it doesn't transition all that well to digital compared to other stuff.

[exitmusicblue]

17 minutes ago, VegasJeff said:

Kudos to the OP for starting this thread. I was thinking of starting a similar one based on what I've been seeing.

According to trends I've been seeing in comic book sales data, my analysis indicates that within 40 years new comic books (at least in their paper format) will cease being made (and perhaps as soon as 20 years if trends accelerate). I'm sure this won't be a surprise to many who have also noticed declining sales. This also does not answer the question if the comic industry will survive the leap to digital online based comics. That discussion would probably be best saved for another thread. 

So to have a better understanding of why this is happening, we need to do a root cause analysis of the situation. If we go back to the beginning of comic books, we must remember they were created as a cheap form of disposable entertainment.

When I first started reading comics in the late 80's as a kid there were simply not many alternatives for entertainment. Perhaps an hour or two of cartoons in the afternoon on 2 or 3 channels, play video games (if you could afford them), listen to the radio or cassettes, read a book (boring for most kids), there was no internet, not much else besides going outdoors. Now fast forward to today, while comics books have gotten more expensive, there is an almost limitless supply of free (or nearly free) alternative forms of entertainment that are also more convenient such as netflix, youtube, free downloadable games on your smartphone, websites, etc. plus we know have the ability to download digital versions of books instantly. That is one of the key reasons why books/magazines/comics have been in a downward spiral. I don't believe digital sales will make up the the difference. I'm also under the impression that the format we are used to will die as it was designed for the limitations and cost of paper and it doesn't transition all that well to digital compared to other stuff.

For all the extrapolations and doomsaying, in the end comics are a form of art.  Art has thrived and will continue to thrive for as long as we are human.  A hundred years from now people will still be collecting Monets and Warhols, ukiyo-e woodblock prints and sculptures and Pollock and china and so on.

Will all the modern produced today still be desirable?  Of course not.  But I pity the layperson who lumps together the longevity of a modern variant #215315326 limited edition with a Schomburg or a Kirby, an AF15 or a Mystery Men or an AC1, a Frazetta or a Baker.

If anyone sells early thinking things will get worse... comics as an art form have always and will continue to prove them nearsighted.

 

 

[FineCollector]

Does anyone know how many Archie digests are sold through grocery stores, and how that number compares to floppies sold through specialty comic shops?

[ygogolak]

1 hour ago, FineCollector said:

Does anyone know how many Archie digests are sold through grocery stores, and how that number compares to floppies sold through specialty comic shops?

Paging @RockMyAmadeus