Saving the Hobby - This is the Answer

[Mister_Comics]

To Joe Collector, I believe the grey beard collectors want thier old silver age heroes back. I'm one of those that grew up buying silverage comics. I'd love to see those kind of stories/comics again.

 

Here's a example of something that happened not too long ago in my home. My daughter who grew up watching and reading He-Man, Ren & Stimpy, Care Bears, and such. Went to the comic shop in our neighborhood. Its a pretty good shop that carries all kinds of comic stuff. Well she came home complaining about how He-Man was changed in the new comics. Tellin' me how every thing was changed about the Masters Of The Universe. She was really upset.

 

So what I believe, is that every generation likes what they grew up with. I like my old silverage heroes. She likes her stuff that she grew up with. And that goes on for everyone else. I think, if the comic industry is going to restart a title or character, they should at least keep it as close to what it originally was like. I don't see old readers picking up any of these new versions. If you want new readers, start with new characters and keep the old ones the way they were. And maybe you'll have both new and old readers around buying comics. But the way I see it now, I think its a dieing hobby thats kept alive by us collectors. I don't believe modern comics will ever be as collected as silverage or bronze age books are.

 

I use to love watching those Hanna-Barbara Jonny Quest cartoons. I can't stand watching those new Jonny Quest cartoons. Just not the same. Thats how it is with comics and people.

[Kevin Boyd]

But if you used that same logic, then the silver age would never have happened as most of the DC characters were new versions of their golden age counterparts.

 

Marvel's were mostly new, and they revived the golden age characters without really revising them, but there wouldn't have been a super-hero revival at Marvel if there wasn't already a successful one at DC.

 

Kev

[delekkerste]

I would imagine that $14.95 TPB would be more like $24.99 if all the creative costs had to be re-couped from a first-printing TPB.

 

I'm not sure about that...if the pamphlets were eliminated and all TPBs were original material, the pamphlet readership/revenue would shift to the TPBs. And, as I have shown earlier, the TPBs are often priced at higher levels than the individual issues than they contain. Coupled with a mass distribution strategy of these durable first-run TPBs, you could actually boost overall sales. And, while it may cost more to put together a TPB vs. 6 or 8 individual pamphlets (not even sure about that), you could reduce the paper quality (like in Japan) to cut costs and you'll also be saving big-time on shipping & handling costs (1 heavier shipment of TPBs must still cost far less than 6 or 8 lighter shipments).

 

I think your price increase scenario assumes that TPB volume would remain stagnant or rise only slightly, which I doubt would be the case. Sure, some pamphlet collectors might drop out, but I am hoping that a much improved distribution system would boost volumes and revenues as a whole. In other words, at the current level of TPB sales, you can afford to price at $14.99 because you've already made back your costs through the pamphlet sales. Without the pamphlets, you wouldn't necessarily have to price at $24.99 because you'd get huge volume increases in for the TPBs from people who ordinarily would've bought the pamphlets!

 

Gene

[delekkerste]

Anyone have an example of an all-original TPB?

 

I'm not sure about TPBs, but certainly there have been all-original graphic novels which have contained at least 64 pages of story and have been sold at a higher price point, as well as often not conforming to standard comic book size. In Japan, you have huge manga books which I guess could be considered TPB equivalents. In Europe, they sell all-original, complete-story, hard-cover comics.

 

For example, I have the 13th issue of "XIII" (a Bourne Identity-type European comic) that I picked up in the Brussels airport a while back. It's 112 full-color, glossy pages, hardcover, 8 3/4" x 11 1/2" in size and cost about $14. Now, if you saw this book, I think you'd agree that $14 is not an unreasonable price for it, though I can see how paying $14 a pop is probably not the way to keep the hobby growing. However, what about shrinking the size, putting a soft cover on it (but still more durable than regular pamphlet covers), and reducing the paper quality? Might you not be able to get that price down to $8?

 

And as for hooking kids into this kind of original GN/TPB market, the last time I was in France, I picked up one comic with a durable soft cover (reinforced by a plastic coating), containing a 56-page done-in-one story, printed on cheaper paper, and measuring 8 1/4" by 11 1/2". Best of all, it only cost $1 or $2 retail! I think it is a reprint of a hard-cover version like I mentioned before, serving as a loss-leader to get kids reading comics (they who will eventually graduate to the more expensive first-run hard-cover versions).

 

Anyway, I'm not sure what the best strategy is in the US, but I do think that the pamphlet has outlived its usefulness and that somewhere there is a strategy whereby original TPBs/manga books/graphic novels can be used to improve distribution and overall sales.

 

Gene

[bronze]

I think that the next generation of Artists that are out there need to get away from video games and onto a drawing board and learn how to draw *everything* well,not just superheroes.......

[Darthdiesel]

Racks full of magazines and kids looking through the mags while the turning wire rack full of comics is ignored.

 

Little kids in the groceries around here are busy flipping through the soft core men's mags like Maxim and FHM...actually seeing that is what got me interested in these mags...darn kids...

[Daredevil]

I don't blame people for not buying new comics. I am not currently. Especially when there going for 2.50 a pop!!!! It's pathetic. The comic companies would still be making millions if they lowered the prices. They would probably attract more people to the business if they lowered the god#amed prices!!!

[Bonds25]

Great post Kev, and all true!

[blowout]

Anyone have an example of an all-original TPB? I'm thinking of original graphic novels in hardback form that typically are the equivalent of 2 to 3 issues of monthly continuity. If I recall correctly, such books cost around $20?

 

One of the most famous all original graphic novel was 'The Death Of Captain Marvel' by Starlin. Not sure how it was priced, but certainly one talented creator handling both story and art helped to get it out.

I am not sure how artist/writer combo's who struggle to get a monthly book out on time (eg millar/hitch) could cope with a three issue size book.

[Bonds25]

I haven't bought a new comic in ages due to the price. I just can't see the value in spending $3 or $4 for a 10 minute read. However, the Essentials TPB I bought took me almost 3 weeks to read, and it cost me $15.

[blowout]

The essentials TPB's are great. Its time Marvel ramped up production on them.

[Rickdogg]

They need to make #2 of the MTU essentials

[dam60]

Yo dogg, what's up with the Avatar?

 

DAM

[Rickdogg]

[dam60]

From my perspective, it looks like you got Tupac(?) with both his middle fingers pointed straigt at me

 

DAM

[Rickdogg]

100% correcto

[dam60]

That's not cool Dogg!

I thought that we were friends

[Rickdogg]

Heheh, well....the middle fingers aren't exactly pointed at anyone in particular

[dam60]

What ever happened to that nice Silver Surfer avatar?

 

DAM

[Mister_Comics]

But if you used that same logic, the silver age would never have happen as most of the DC characters were new versions of their golden age counterparts.

 

When the silver age began, Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman were the only new versions. ALL FLASH was canelled some 10 years earlier before the Barry Allen FLASH was introduced in Showcase. And so forth with the other new versions. The old heroes were never fogotten. DC brought them all back into existance by guest starring them in the newer silver age comics. DC never cancelled a volume to start a same titled book under a new volume during the golden age or silver age as far as I can remember. If you notice Flash issues numbers are a continuation from All Flash.

 

What I think, that could work to bring back readers to the hobby and keep the ones that are around and possibly bring in new readers, is to have the old heroes return as they originally were. Bring back the original 1st volumes. Continue where they left off. This would make the old collectors like me happy. How to bring them back, I don't know. Maybe do some kind of reverse CRISIS / ONSLAUGHT thing. (I hated Crisis and Onslaught but thats another subject.) Keep the ULTIMATE line around to keep the current readers happy. And create new superheroes for the new readers. And get some comics out there for the little kids. Spongebob, Barney, whatever they're watchin on TV. Ya can't leave out the kids because thats were it starts. Ya loose the kids, ya loose the hobby. Comics should not be for collectors only. Make comics out of cheaper paper. A comic is ment to be stuck in a kids back pocket while he goes off and plays ball. Not something that you have to handle like its breakable glass and ya can't get fingerprints on. The hobby needs to get back to reality.

 

Its nice that the comic industry is catering to the collectors by giving us nice shiney new covers that will look great when slabbed. Thats fine and dandy for new collectors. Old collectors like myself probably don't really care about the new books slick shiny covers because we probably wouldn't slab them anyway. Cool looking covers, but I just can't seem to enjoy the new comics. They are just not the same as what I grew up with. The industry should try to capture everything. Old readers, current readers, new readers, collectors, and non collectors. Kids to adults. Men and women. And then maybe we'll see a new age for comics. An ULTIMATE AGE? It could happen.