DC Comics in Wal-Mart!

[Hobgoblin]

"What better exposure can comics get than in Wal-Marts, where nearly everyone shops?"

 

Speak for yourself. The only time I've ever been inside a Walmart was when I was down in South Carolina for a golf junket and went there to buy some cheap golf balls at 10 p.m.

 

I'm perfectly happy that no Walmart exists on the sacred soil of New York City.

 

As for comics, is Walmart going to make DC tone down some of the sex and violence in the comics?

 

See, you prove my point. Nearly everyone shops at Wal-Mart, at least at one point or another.

 

Unless there is a Target in town

[the blob]

"It's sad when a company can't sell Scooby Doo comics to kids." He was commenting on how comic companies don't know how to market to kids. The artist-writer said that getting comics back into stores like Wal-Mart would be a step in the right direction. I think it's great that I could find Adventures of Superman and Scooby Doo in Wal-Mart and I think that DC has made a start to getting its comic back into the hands of the readers who matter most — the kids."

 

yeah, but at $2.99 a pop for scooby and $6.95 for donald duck, those seem too expensive to a lot of parents. i probably wouldn't buy at that price for my kids (I'd fish stuff out of the 50 cent bin!) a $1 - $1.50 price point seems more realistic and would get a lot more check-out line sales. seriously, does marvel or DC really have to shell out big money for "talent" to pay people to draw scooby?

[Kevin Boyd]

And regardless of what the insufficiently_thoughtful_persons on these threads will say, yes, comics are for kids.

 

Nice. You've got it all figured out.

 

Sure, there are adult comics lines like Vertigo and Marvel's Max, but those are low-selling comics for one group.

 

When they are selling 1/3 of the number of copies of a Batman or Superman title then I have a hard time accepting that they are low-selling comics for one group. All comics these days are low selling comics.

 

Do you actually read any new comics or do you just like to make statements where you call people insufficiently_thoughtful_persons? Comic books - including the ones you declare are for kids - are not written for, or purchased by, children.

 

The ones that are SPECIFICALLY written for children sell less than a third of those low-selling adult comics you mentioned earlier.

 

Other comics, like Batman and Superman and Spider-Man... those are for kids.

 

No argument that they WERE for kids, better check with the retailers as to who is buying and supporting those characters now. Marvel Age Spider-Man is written for kids, Amazing Spider-Man is not.

 

They SHOULD be for kids... however they are not. And when Marvel Age Spider-Man sells 5,000 copies and Amazing Spider-Man sells 60,000 copies - then you aren't going to see more Spider-Man comics written specifically for children.

 

You never saw Jeff Smith's Bone curse at all. Only one curse word made it into the 1400 pages of that comic, because Smith knew the audience to which he was writing.

 

Jeff Smith was writing a comic they way he wanted to tell it. Cursing would have been inappropriate, but if you ask Jeff Smith as to what his readership was built on I think you would be surprised at the answer. Bone was a successful book marketted to a direct market audience, where the buyers are still mostly adults.

 

When I started buying Bone, around issue 3, the only people that I saw buying and supporting that title were adults. After years of shipping delays hardly anyone cared when an issue shipped. The great thing about Bone is that it's had a life at comic shops in the One Volume edition and as trade paperbacks.

 

He knew that he could make big bucks from Bone — just from the child readers his kid-friendly comic would get.

 

Jeff Smith has not made big bucks from Bone, he's done well. I doubt you will find a person in this industry, including Jeff Smith, who would be naive enough to think that there were big bucks to be made making comics.

 

If anything, he might have thought that his all ages friendly comic might have appeal to other media that would pick up on it - like the Disney mags which started to carry a Bone strip. Or the videogame that is coming out. Or a potential cartoon show or movie.

 

Now, Scholastic, one of the leaders in children's book publishing, is selling Bone trade paperbacks and they're doing well. Wal-Mart had them and sold out in my area.

 

Gee, wasn't this something that I brought up in my original reply? Scholastic saw value in bringing this specific story to kids in a format that could be promoted and sold to kids. It's a smart play, and that's where I think the future of kids comics is heading.

 

But you don't see Scholastic taking other existing comics and repackaging them for kids in the bookstore market. Instead, they are commissioning new works in the same format, like Raina Telgemeier's upcoming Baby-Sitter's Club series.

[Hobgoblin]

[RTBrandy]

"with sales growing to a whopping $125 million"

and what were comic book and comic tpb sales in that same period? have comic sales gone down in the last 3 years? Everything I read says they're up, somewhat

Moreover, it can hardly be said the comics are just men in tights. The shop I go to, at least 1/3 of the titles on the stand are not superhero books.

 

Comic sales are up, but the readership is growing older and older. I was talking with an Eisner-winning comic artist and writer recently and he said that when he goes into a comic shop mostly everyone in there is 40-years-old and male. He said that's a bad trend, because there aren't that many new readers coming into comics and those that have been here are getting older and older. There's an old song by George Jones that's called "Who's Going to Fill Their Shoes" and it's about the next generation of country music singers. In the last few years, the comics-reading community has gotten older and older. I've tried in vain to promote comics through my weekly newspaper columns, through promoting Free Comics Day for months before it happens each year and by buying comics for the kids in my family. My nephews know each birthday and Christmas they're getting the best comics on the stands. But, that's not enough. I first read comics because I saw the four-color heroes on the stands in the mid-1970s and thought "Hey, that Super-Team Family (No. 9) looks pretty cool. A guy all in flames flying up out of a volcano, four guys fighting for their lives... wow, this is cool." When I looked inside, I got one of the best Challengers of the Unknown stories and a great Doom Patrol reprint that made me a DP fan for life. Then, my dad took me to the local grocery store and I bought Ghost Rider 27 and Avengers 167, the first part of the Korvac saga. From that point on, I've been a comics readers and collector. But, nowadays, there are no outlets for kids to buy comics like we had when I was growing up. The nearest comic store is 100 miles away and, up until now, places where kids go with their parents — like Wal-Mart — have not carried comics. With Wal-Mart carrying even one comic, it exposes a whole new group to the wonders of our favorite entertainment and helps keep comic business up, which, in turn, helps to keep companies alive.

Do I think sex and violence needs to be toned down in comics. Yes. No doubt about it. There are plenty of comics out that I won't read myself because of the cursing, the violence and the sex and I surely wouldn't give them to kids.

Why would a parent ever want to give his or her kid a copy of All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder No. 2? There are 26 uses of profanity — in a BATMAN comic book.

And regardless of what the insufficiently_thoughtful_persons on these threads will say, yes, comics are for kids. Sure, there are adult comics lines like Vertigo and Marvel's Max, but those are low-selling comics for one group. Other comics, like Batman and Superman and Spider-Man... those are for kids. You never saw Jeff Smith's Bone curse at all. Only one curse word made it into the 1400 pages of that comic, because Smith knew the audience to which he was writing. He knew that he could make big bucks from Bone — just from the child readers his kid-friendly comic would get. Now, Scholastic, one of the leaders in children's book publishing, is selling Bone trade paperbacks and they're doing well. Wal-Mart had them and sold out in my area.

But, you have DC and Marvel still trying to sell to an aging readership and giving adult themes that make their characters unrecognizable from what kids see in the cartoons. You don't hear the cartoon characters using profanity.

I'll end this by echoing the thoughts of the same artist-writer I spoke of above: "It's sad when a company can't sell Scooby Doo comics to kids." He was commenting on how comic companies don't know how to market to kids. The artist-writer said that getting comics back into stores like Wal-Mart would be a step in the right direction. I think it's great that I could find Adventures of Superman and Scooby Doo in Wal-Mart and I think that DC has made a start to getting its comic back into the hands of the readers who matter most — the kids.

 

 

 

This may have been the dumbest post on any thread, anywhere, I've ever read.

 

Grow a set you [embarrassing lack of self control] [embarrassing lack of self control]. Apparently YOU are Wal-Marts target audience

[matewan1990]

 

This may have been the dumbest post on any thread, anywhere, I've ever read.

 

Grow a set you [embarrassing lack of self control] [embarrassing lack of self control]. Apparently YOU are Wal-Marts target audience

 

What makes this a dumb post? Because I explained myself and my opinion thoroughly? Because I took the time to present my opinions and the facts to back them up? Or, because you don't agree with my opinions? Ah, there's what makes it so dumb... right? You're one of the insufficiently_thoughtful_persons, along with Kevin Boyd (who thinks he knows everything about comics and has nothing better to do than to argue for argument's sake), who I was talking about. And yes, I am Wal-Mart's target audience — someone with cash in my pocket who is looking to buy comics.

I buy lots of comics each week; it'd be nice to get comics at a local Wal-Mart when I have to travel 115 miles to my local comic shop each week. With gas prices rising, it's not so easy to buy comics. With only about 5,000 comic stores nationwide, that leaves a whole lot of potential comic readers out in the cold. So, yes, Wal-Mart is a great outlet for comics.

I also get a lot of comics free through the mail, since I've been writing a comic book review column for the past 10 years for more than 300 newspapers each week.

So, I read a whole lot. More than most of you on this list will ever read in your entire lives, probably. I also interview artists, writers, editors and marketing people with many of the comic companies and they all tell me the same thing: Comics aren't finding their target audience — kids. Spongebob Squarepants is a marketing sensation, but Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four aren't? Spongebob Squarepants sells to every kid who ever watched Nickelodeon. Spider-Man has had cartoons and movies and I still see his toys sitting on shelves for months and months at ToysRUs and KayBee Toys.

But, he has toys, and toys aren't primarily marketed to adults, so why would you think comics are marketed primarily to adults?

All comics have their place and audience; sure, adults have Vertigo. The larger audience, however, is kids. Yeah, you can be a fat, slobbish fanboy all your life, sitting in your mother's basement (Kevin? Is this a description of you?), thinking that comics are meant mainly for you, but they're not. Look at comics companies geared toward the adult market. They sell in the hundreds and even low thousands and many don't break even. There simply aren't enough adults interested in the adult market comics, so we go read comics with characters we read as children. Comic companies try to make their heroes and villains more adult, and, with this trend, and the direct market, comic sales have slid every year.

I was standing in a comic store here in West Virginia doing a story on the promotion of comics and a dad brought in his kids on Free Comic Book Day and he looked around, got a few of the free comics, bought a book or two, then asked his kids if they wanted anything. After a few minutes of looking around and flipping through several comics, the kids said they were ready to go. They didn't want anything. NOTHING in the store appealed to any of the kids. They didn't even want any of the free comics. NOTHING.

When I asked the retailer what she thought of Free Comic Book Day, she said it was marketed to the wrong crowd. She said FCBD is marketed to the already-comic-reading people, rather than the kids and those who aren't reading comics. She said she has very few children buy comics because there aren't many comics out there fit for kids these days.

That's oh so true. When Batman and Robin can't refrain from cursing 26 times in ONE issue, then something is wrong. Frank Miller should be ashamed of himself, but also, DC Comics should be ashamed for letting one of its kid-friendly titles fall into the hands of Miller. They should have told him not to forget he's writing Batman and not SIN CITY.

Another retailer has been preaching doom and gloom for the past decade. He says that there are no children entering the hobby and all us old fanboys will soon be gone. Who's going to replace our generation?

RTBrandy and Kevin Boyd, I'd like both of you to tell me how you first discovered comics?

Most of us first discovered the wonder of comics at a spinner-rack and not at some hole-in-the-wall comic shop, hidden away in a big city far away from most urban areas.

And no matter what you say, Kevin Boyd, Vertigo titles sell in terrible numbers. One-third of Superman and Batman is bad. Some Vertigo titles sell under 10,000 copies a month.

I remember a time before the direct market destroyed newsstand distribution when comics were cancelled for selling under 200,000 copies. Wow. That was a time when kids were STILL READING COMICS. Now that it's a bunch of 40-year-old, never-kissed-a-girl, still-playing-with-your-action-figures men, sales have dropped and Scooby Doo, a cartoon character whose licensing sells everything from Scooby Snacks cookies to under wear to houseshoes to stationary to whatever else marketing teams can dream up for the character, doesn't sell as much as Firestorm.

You take comics, built on a readership of kids, try to make them more adult and what do you get? Comics for an adult audience that sell in low numbers.

Look at marketing for these characters. You'll never see Batman or Spider-Man using extremely foul language in a movie. You'll never see Batman, Superman, Spider-Man or Daredevil getting an R rating in a movie. Smallville. Justice League Unlimited. X-Men cartoons. Spider-Man cartoons, Iron Man, Fantastic Four and Avengers cartoons. Batman Begins. Spider-Man 1, 2 and 3. Hulk. Fantastic Four. All marketed to kids. Did any of those movies carry an R rating? Was there a lot of cursing and sex in any of those movies or cartoons? No, because they were marketed to the same people buying Spongebob Squarepants. That's where the money's at and they know it.

You insufficiently_thoughtful_persons, Kevin Boyd and RTBrandy and a lot of others on these boards, are living in a comic book world where you're blinded by the bright colors you thought were made for you.

[Kevin Boyd]

I don't like to call people names, but since you like to throw insults at those that dare to doubt your holy word...

 

You sir, are purely and simply... a jerk.

[the blob]

"With only about 5,000 comic stores nationwide, that leaves a whole lot of potential comic readers out in the cold."

 

I seriously doubt it is that much anymore. With some mainstream titles at 50K circulation, that would mean on average, only 10 are getting ordered and you know there are plenty of shops that order 25-50 copies.

 

Actually, your point about not having the schlep to a shop has its drawbacks. If they have the full line it will hurt the shops. I suspect that Walmart will probably only want to carry a few titles anyway. OTOH, Borders probably has about 50 titles on its spinner rack near my office. (All trashed.)

 

How it is that Marvel doesn't have an employee who is devoted to trying to get comics, even if they're the kiddie line or reprint digests or whatever, in every supermarket in america is beyond me. do they have any long-term planning skills? nowadays there are lots of $1-$2 celebrity and teen magazines on the stands, so the "more expensive magazines pushed out comics on the shelf" argument doesn't cut it.

[Kevin Boyd]

Now that I've read your post jerk, I think you are completely incapable of reading and interpreting the words of others without getting hostile.

 

In theory WE ARE ARGUING THE SAME POINTS... comics are not selling to kids, whether that is because kids are not interested in what's being published or whether what's being published isn't for kids is debatable... but the end result is the same KIDS ARE NOT BUYING COMICS.

 

I agree comics COULD BE for for kids again. However, as I've tried to bring up and you keep ignoring me and calling me an insufficiently_thoughtful_person, attempts to go back and market comics JUST to kids have been dismal failures. The kids aren't interested is the general consensus. Just like any example, this isn't cut and dry - clearly SOME kids are still interested. They are the ones that are buying Manga trades at the bookstores, or Scholastic's Bone series (although I don't have any sales figures available on Bone's bookstore sales).

 

Your story of the kids going into the store on FCBD is a perfect example of this. You can't tell me those kids wanted to leave because they thought comics cost too much. They came, they saw, nothing interested them, it was time to go.

 

I personally do not want my children to pick up a comic book wherein Gwen Stacy is shown engaging in sexual activities with the Green Goblin. Yet that was something that happened in the Amazing Spider-Man title about a year ago. You can't honestly tell me that was a comic book written and marketted to children?

 

And I think Spider-man should be written with kids in mind... I'm not disagreeing with you. So should Superman and Batman, etc. But they ARE NOT. That's a problem. We should be trying to figure out WHY THEY ARE NOT instead of resorting to name calling.

 

Did you actually see any of those superhero movies? I know plenty of parents who won't let their kids watch them because of the violence and adult content. Particularly in the X-Men and Spider-Man films. They were, if you would like to check, all rated PG - parental guidance suggested.

 

Batman Begins, out on DVD tomorrow... is NOT a children's film. I suggest you see it before you show it to any young children. The Scarecrow is a disturbing image that will upset young children. Just as the Green Goblin was a disturbing character to young children in the Spider-Man film.

 

Perhaps you should review those other films again. I do recall some minor language used... Wolverine, for example, swears in at least one of the X-films. Oh yeah, a guy with knives attached to his hands killing soldiers in X-2. Definitely something you would want to show a kid right after they watch the Spongebob movie.

[Kevin Boyd]

How it is that Marvel doesn't have an employee who is devoted to trying to get comics, even if they're the kiddie line or reprint digests or whatever, in every supermarket in america is beyond me. do they have any long-term planning skills? nowadays there are lots of $1-$2 celebrity and teen magazines on the stands, so the "more expensive magazines pushed out comics on the shelf" argument doesn't cut it.

 

The major DC and Marvel Comics cost about $2.50. Where are they then? Are they hidden behind the celebrity and teen magazines? Many of these comics ARE available for order from the magazine distributors. We assume that comics are only available to the direct market... but aside from aforementioned Archie Comics line, there are about 15-20 DC and Marvel titles that can be ordered - including Amazing Spider-Man, Daredevil, Uncanny X-Men, Batman, Superman... just to name a few. Like mags they are returnable.

 

If they sold they would be ordered more and you would see them. However, since they are available it can be assumed that someone out there must be ordering... and selling... them.

[RTBrandy]

 

What makes this a dumb post? Because I explained myself and my opinion thoroughly? Because I took the time to present my opinions and the facts to back them up? Or, because you don't agree with my opinions? Ah, there's what makes it so dumb... right?

 

no, what makes it dumb is how out of touch it is with reality, and how pompous and self important you sound.

 

You're one of the insufficiently_thoughtful_persons, along with Kevin Boyd (who thinks he knows everything about comics and has nothing better to do than to argue for argument's sake), who I was talking about.

 

And yes, I am Wal-Mart's target audience — someone with cash in my pocket who is looking to buy comics.

 

you sound proud of that...

 

 

 

 

I buy lots of comics each week; it'd be nice to get comics at a local Wal-Mart when I have to travel 115 miles to my local comic shop each week. With gas prices rising, it's not so easy to buy comics. With only about 5,000 comic stores nationwide, that leaves a whole lot of potential comic readers out in the cold. So, yes, Wal-Mart is a great outlet for comics.

I also get a lot of comics free through the mail, since I've been writing a comic book review column for the past 10 years for more than 300 newspapers each week.

So, I read a whole lot. More than most of you on this list will ever read in your entire lives, probably.

 

I'm impressed, really. I write for the Chicago Tribune, does that make my opinion more valid? (the answer is no)

 

I also interview artists, writers, editors and marketing people with many of the comic companies and they all tell me the same thing: Comics aren't finding their target audience — kids.

 

well, if they truly think that kids are their target audience, they're very poor at their jobs....and their logic....are movies for kids? are paperback books for kids? do you see where your logic fails? Are marvel and DC's KIDDIE lines for kids? see where this is going?

 

Spongebob Squarepants is a marketing sensation, but Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four aren't? Spongebob Squarepants sells to every kid who ever watched Nickelodeon. Spider-Man has had cartoons and movies and I still see his toys sitting on shelves for months and months at ToysRUs and KayBee Toys.

But, he has toys, and toys aren't primarily marketed to adults, so why would you think comics are marketed primarily to adults?

 

I had them as a kid, and I found scooby doo insulting to my intelligence, until i realized the funny part about it was the fact that scooby and shaggy were hippy stoners. Of course i didn't realize that until i was older

 

 

All comics have their place and audience; sure, adults have Vertigo. The larger audience, however, is kids. Yeah, you can be a fat, slobbish fanboy all your life, sitting in your mother's basement (Kevin? Is this a description of you?), thinking that comics are meant mainly for you, but they're not.

 

 

you forgot four-eyes... a lot of comic book readers wear glasses. and greasy hair. oooh, and big butts, so when they bend over you can see their plumber's crack. weren't you the one complaining about name calling earlier?

 

Look at comics companies geared toward the adult market. They sell in the hundreds and even low thousands and many don't break even.

 

 

the fallacy here is your OPINION of what is geared to the adult market

 

There simply aren't enough adults interested in the adult market comics, so we go read comics with characters we read as children. Comic companies try to make their heroes and villains more adult, and, with this trend, and the direct market, comic sales have slid every year.

 

 

but, you just said, earlier, that comics were written for kids? why would they target adults with the writing if they're for kids?

 

 

I was standing in a comic store here in West Virginia doing a story on the promotion of comics and a dad brought in his kids on Free Comic Book Day and he looked around, got a few of the free comics, bought a book or two, then asked his kids if they wanted anything. After a few minutes of looking around and flipping through several comics, the kids said they were ready to go. They didn't want anything. NOTHING in the store appealed to any of the kids. They didn't even want any of the free comics. NOTHING.

When I asked the retailer what she thought of Free Comic Book Day, she said it was marketed to the wrong crowd. She said FCBD is marketed to the already-comic-reading people, rather than the kids and those who aren't reading comics. She said she has very few children buy comics because there aren't many comics out there fit for kids these days.

 

mmm....

 

That's oh so true. When Batman and Robin can't refrain from cursing 26 times in ONE issue, then something is wrong. Frank Miller should be ashamed of himself, but also, DC Comics should be ashamed for letting one of its kid-friendly titles fall into the hands of Miller. They should have told him not to forget he's writing Batman and not SIN CITY.

 

have you read Batman in the last 15 years or so? you think the character is geared towards children?

 

 

Another retailer has been preaching doom and gloom for the past decade. He says that there are no children entering the hobby and all us old fanboys will soon be gone. Who's going to replace our generation?

 

 

you see, as todays kids get older, and more advnaced, they will grow into the genre, just as the older fans die off. It's called economic evolution, but you really don't sound like someone that believes in evolution

 

 

RTBrandy and Kevin Boyd, I'd like both of you to tell me how you first discovered comics?

 

1985 i was 14 years old. North Shore Comic Connection in Chicago

 

 

Most of us first discovered the wonder of comics at a spinner-rack and not at some hole-in-the-wall comic shop, hidden away in a big city far away from most urban areas.

And no matter what you say, Kevin Boyd, Vertigo titles sell in terrible numbers. One-thirdof Superman and Batman is bad. Some Vertigo titles sell under 10,000 copies a month.

I remember a time before the direct market destroyed newsstand distribution when comics were cancelled for selling under 200,000 copies. Wow. That was a time when kids were STILL READING COMICS. Now that it's a bunch of 40-year-old, never-kissed-a-girl, still-playing-with-your-action-figures men, sales have dropped and Scooby Doo, a cartoon character whose licensing sells everything from Scooby Snacks cookies to under wear to houseshoes to stationary to whatever else marketing teams can dream up for the character, doesn't sell as much as Firestorm.

 

You take comics, built on a readership of kids, try to make them more adult and what do you get? Comics for an adult audience that sell in low numbers.

 

ok, mr. wizard, would you rather market owarsd the guy spending $300/ month ( me) or 90 kids spending $3/month

 

Look at marketing for these characters. You'll never see Batman or Spider-Man using extremely foul language in a movie. You'll never see Batman, Superman, Spider-Man or Daredevil getting an R rating in a movie. Smallville. Justice League Unlimited. X-Men cartoons. Spider-Man cartoons, Iron Man, Fantastic Four and Avengers cartoons. Batman Begins. Spider-Man 1, 2 and 3. Hulk. Fantastic Four. All marketed to kids.

 

 

 

all marjeted to kids? reallly? again, that's your opinion. Was Star Wars marketed towards kids? no, but things were added and removed to get the kid audience, and it made it an [arguably] weaker piece of work.

 

Did any of those movies carry an R rating? Was there a lot of cursing and sex in any of those movies or cartoons? No, because they were marketed to the same people buying Spongebob Squarepants. That's where the money's at and they know it.

You insufficiently_thoughtful_persons, Kevin Boyd and RTBrandy and a lot of others on these boards, are living in a comic book world where you're blinded by the bright colors you thought were made for you.

 

 

now go back to writing your fluff pieces for the iowa advocate.

[Kevin Boyd]

As for who I am and when I started buying comics. Here's a copy of the interview questions I was given by Diamond along with my answers. These were printed in the Diamond Dialogue that came out two+ weeks ago.

 

---------

 

When were you born?

I was born on October 14th, 1969.

 

And where?

In North York, Ontario, Canada (just north of Toronto).

 

Did you grow up there or elsewhere?

Most of my childhood was spent in Toronto, although I did live in Vancouver, British Columbia when I was aged 4-7 and went to University in London, Ontario.

 

When did you begin to read comics?

Before I can remember actually, comics have always been a part of my life. My older brother David had a small collection of (mostly Marvel) comics so I gravitated towards those and, according to legend, learned to read from comics by sounding out the words and linking the words to the images. My pronunciation was terrible, but I was reading by the time I was three years old. Comics gave me an edge over my classmates.

 

What was the first comic book you remember buying?

Buying? That’s a tough one. My father used to buy comics for me so I didn’t actively start buying comics until 1976-77. So it’s difficult to remember when I made the transition from passively receiving them to buying them for myself. I also used to trade comics a lot with other neighborhood kids. I do remember buying Star Wars #1.

 

What were the circumstances (where, when, etc)?

Well, I used to go to the three or four corner stores near the school and seek out whatever comics I could find and afford.

 

How long from the time you first bought a comic book until you considered yourself a collector?

I’ve always been a reader, but I saved and took care of my comic books right from the start. I made the transition to learning about the preservation side of collecting when I got my first Overstreet guide in 1979 and visited my first comic book store in 1980.

 

What were your early favorites?

Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel Team-Up, Brave and the Bold, Incredible Hulk, Star Wars, Batman, Detective, Conan, and any other 1970’s Marvels I could get my hands on.

 

How did your collecting develop from that point?

I went out of my way to learn as much about comics as I possibly could. I would read most new comics, but I concentrated by back issue collecting primarily on Spider-Man comics and appearances.

 

Did you have other collecting habits, too? If so, what?

As a child I collected Star Wars action figures and toys, and as a teen I collected paperback novels by writers like Michael Moorcock and Robert E. Howard.

 

How did your family react to collecting? Were they supportive? Disinterested?

Mostly disinterested. I would occasionally get a book collection of DC or Marvel material (like Batman: From the 30’s to the 70’s or The Origins of Marvel Comics), but they mostly ignored it. They did build me shelves in my closet to store my comics (out of sight I guess!).

 

Did any of your family members collect comics or other items? If so, what?

My older brother got me started but he stopped when he started playing sports, but I wouldn’t say he was a collector. My younger brother had some interest in comic collecting but stopped as a teen.

 

Did you drift away from collecting at any point (as some collectors do), or did you stick with them as you grew up? (And either way, why?)

No I’ve never stopped collecting comic books. I’ve always been able to find something that interested me. In a lot of ways I think comic books grew up with me because the content of comic books matured quite a bit during the 1980s and 1990s. I think the reason why I’ve stuck with it is by not focusing on a particular character or title. When you do that you get discouraged when the series takes a turn for the worse. I see a lot of readers getting frustrated with new Marvel books these days and my best advice would be to let go and look around at all of the other great comics being published – specifically Invincible – but also realize there’s a lot more to comics than just superheroes.

 

Compare what excited you about comic books early on to what excites you about them now. Is it the same thing?

Quality stories and art are the foundation for any great comic and excited me as much then as it does now. I’m sure my preferences for what defines a quality story/quality art may be different now from what I was reading when I was seven, but the core is essentially the same.

 

Do you collect and specific area of comics? i.e. Silver Age, Bronze Age, Pre-code Horror, etc.

My main focus of collecting has always been on new books that appeal to me, regardless of publisher. And if I get turned on to a long-running title or a specific creator I go back and seek out previous works. I buy my Gold/Silver/Bronze comics in hardcover format these days – in Marvel Masterworks and DC Archives. Currently I prefer a nice hardcover collection to a room full of back issues.

 

What are the prizes of your collection?

It used to be my complete run of Amazing Spider-Man. I’ve sold a few of those recently, but I still have my number 1 (which I’m going to get Stan Lee to sign for me). My current prizes are my full run of Cerebus the Aardvark, including the #5 that Dave Sim recently gave to me to complete my run. But there’s also my original art collection, my complete run of Marvel Masterworks, my other hardcover collection and my Bowen statues.

 

What are you collecting at the moment?

Marvel Masterworks, DC Archives, DC Absolute Editions, about two dozen regular titles, original art that I like that crosses my path and can afford, and limited artist sketchbooks and prints. I also collect statues and mini-busts, particularly ones from Bowen designs.

 

Do you have any stories about the one that got away?

None that stand out to me at this time. A few years ago I sold a page of original art by John Byrne from Marvel Team-Up #54 that I wish I hadn’t. I also sold a page or original art from Cerebus #1 on eBay for a friend that I wish I could have afforded.

 

Do you have any specific comics that you sold that you wish you had kept?

There aren’t any specific comics that I’ve sold that I haven’t been able to find again.

 

What comics are on your want list?

I’ve shifted away from back issue collecting so there isn’t anything I’m actively pursuing on that end. I’m excited about upcoming projects like Infinite Crisis, Darwyn Cooke’s Spirit series, Matt Wagner’s Batman and the Monster Men, and titles like Invincible and Sea of Red.

 

What do you find the most rewarding about comics and collecting in general?

These days, aside from enjoying the material, it’s the people that I meet in comics that make reading and collecting comics enjoyable.

 

You are the co-promoter of The Paradise Toronto Comic Con. How did this show come about and what type of work do you do relating to it?

Paradise used to do local one day shows and I used to be an occasional seller at these events. In 2002 Paradise owner Peter Dixon and I started talking about doing something bigger with these shows, specifically to get the types of guests the area hadn’t seen in many years and revive interest in collecting and enjoying comics by keeping the focus on comic books – not other media, which has been the way that most other conventions seemed to have been heading in. We’d watched the local con start drifting in that direction and they weren’t really interested in listening to us at the time. We thought we had been to enough shows and talked to enough dissatisfied fans and collectors that we could provide something that this region hasn’t had since the early 1990’s.

 

What has been the response to the convention?

Response had been overwhelmingly positive from the professional, fan, and collector communities. Feedback has been great from the get-go from those that have come in for the event. Attendance has been growing from year to year and we’ve won the fan voted “best Non-US comic book convention” award at www.comicbookconventions.com every year that the show has existed.

 

Where do you see comic conventions going in the next five years?

I see comic conventions heading in two separate directions. One direction is the media-driven, pop culture event where comics are but one facet (such as we have now in San Diego and to some extent at the Wizard shows). The other direction is the comic-centric shows like Baltimore, Heroes Con, Emerald City, and our own con. Both have their merits. We’re lucky to be in an area which can support both types of conventions (as well as a SPX-style comics Festival).

 

Since your convention is held in Canada do you see this as affecting the number of U.S. collectors and retailers who attend the show?

One of the things Peter (Dixon of Paradise Comics) and I have been working hard to eliminate is the fear of the border. Many retailers don’t come to Canada because the border is a big unknown factor to them. They can’t just hop in their truck, drive in and set up as they would at a US con. We’ve tried to inform retailers and make it easy for them. Fans from the northern US have been coming to Canada to vacation for years and we recommend Americans get a passport before they consider coming up – and having a passport is certainly worthwhile for everyone who likes to travel. We hope that the show will enticing to more US collectors and fans to come up and visit Toronto, which is one of the biggest and best cities in North America, comparable to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles in terms of size and diversity. We try to encourage people to make our show part of a vacation.

 

What is the comic book market like in Canada when compared to the U.S.?

Canada has had a vibrant and growing comic book market for many years, but it’s one that is hampered by the size of the country and the population. Certainly the Toronto area has its advantages because of its size, as there are dozens of comic book stores in the Greater Toronto area. One-third of the comic stores in Canada are clustered around Toronto, and the rest are in areas like Vancouver, Halifax, Calgary and other larger centers.

 

Some collector’s complain that comic conventions are not enough about comics. Do you think that this is a legitimate complaint?

Definitely. It’s the foundation on which our convention was built. The other local comic book convention (or Expo as they prefer) was shifting towards the pop culture model that takes the focus away from comics and onto other media, we are placing and keeping the attention on comics.

 

---------

 

Some asides:

 

As well as the convention I am also involved as the Associate Coordinator of the Joe Shuster Awards for Canadian Comic Book Creators. So my job with the awards relies upon my awareness of who is doing what and where in the comic book industry, as well as the history of the medium, particularly in Canada.

 

My role as convention organizer/promoter relies on my awareness of what is going on within the industry AND the hobby.

 

In the past I have written for other publications and been an advisor for CGC for their Signature Series label. I am also, as of this year, an Overstreet advisor.

 

And here's the second last paragraph from my Overstreet report:

 

"So overall, I think we need to start doing more to get people interested in comics, and I think the easiest way to do that is to start showing them to family and friends, particularly children. It’s very hard to connect with comics as an adult without some grasp of the “language of comics” we learn as a child. If we don’t start sharing more then we will end up with an entire generation of kids who will think that comics should be read from right to left, if they can figure out how to read them at all. This to me, is the largest problem facing the hobby today, because if we don’t get new people interested in the medium, we will have fewer readers and collectors across the board. And if no one is buying or reading new comics, then no one is going to be around to buy back issues and the hobby will die with the current crop of twenty-something readers and collectors."

 

--------------------

 

I am currently single, and I live by myself in an apartment. I moved out of my parent's house after I completed by University degree - just under 13 years ago. I am currently employed as a Research Associate coordinating studies relating to understanding the Genetics of Cancer and I make a very decent living doing that. Comics and comic-related projects take up the majority of my free time. I am at most major comic book conventions where I spend a great deal of time talking with the people that are involved with the creative, publishing, buying and selling of comic books.

 

 

[matewan1990]

What makes this a dumb post? Because I explained myself and my opinion thoroughly? Because I took the time to present my opinions and the facts to back them up? Or, because you don't agree with my opinions? Ah, there's what makes it so dumb... right?

 

no, what makes it dumb is how out of touch it is with reality, and how pompous and self important you sound.

 

You're one of the insufficiently_thoughtful_persons, along with Kevin Boyd (who thinks he knows everything about comics and has nothing better to do than to argue for argument's sake), who I was talking about.

 

And yes, I am Wal-Mart's target audience — someone with cash in my pocket who is looking to buy comics.

 

you sound proud of that...

 

 

 

 

I buy lots of comics each week; it'd be nice to get comics at a local Wal-Mart when I have to travel 115 miles to my local comic shop each week. With gas prices rising, it's not so easy to buy comics. With only about 5,000 comic stores nationwide, that leaves a whole lot of potential comic readers out in the cold. So, yes, Wal-Mart is a great outlet for comics.

I also get a lot of comics free through the mail, since I've been writing a comic book review column for the past 10 years for more than 300 newspapers each week.

So, I read a whole lot. More than most of you on this list will ever read in your entire lives, probably.

 

I'm impressed, really. I write for the Chicago Tribune, does that make my opinion more valid? (the answer is no)

 

I also interview artists, writers, editors and marketing people with many of the comic companies and they all tell me the same thing: Comics aren't finding their target audience — kids.

 

well, if they truly think that kids are their target audience, they're very poor at their jobs....and their logic....are movies for kids? are paperback books for kids? do you see where your logic fails? Are marvel and DC's KIDDIE lines for kids? see where this is going?

 

Spongebob Squarepants is a marketing sensation, but Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four aren't? Spongebob Squarepants sells to every kid who ever watched Nickelodeon. Spider-Man has had cartoons and movies and I still see his toys sitting on shelves for months and months at ToysRUs and KayBee Toys.

But, he has toys, and toys aren't primarily marketed to adults, so why would you think comics are marketed primarily to adults?

 

I had them as a kid, and I found scooby doo insulting to my intelligence, until i realized the funny part about it was the fact that scooby and shaggy were hippy stoners. Of course i didn't realize that until i was older

 

 

All comics have their place and audience; sure, adults have Vertigo. The larger audience, however, is kids. Yeah, you can be a fat, slobbish fanboy all your life, sitting in your mother's basement (Kevin? Is this a description of you?), thinking that comics are meant mainly for you, but they're not.

 

 

you forgot four-eyes... a lot of comic book readers wear glasses. and greasy hair. oooh, and big butts, so when they bend over you can see their plumber's crack. weren't you the one complaining about name calling earlier?

 

Look at comics companies geared toward the adult market. They sell in the hundreds and even low thousands and many don't break even.

 

 

the fallacy here is your OPINION of what is geared to the adult market

 

There simply aren't enough adults interested in the adult market comics, so we go read comics with characters we read as children. Comic companies try to make their heroes and villains more adult, and, with this trend, and the direct market, comic sales have slid every year.

 

 

but, you just said, earlier, that comics were written for kids? why would they target adults with the writing if they're for kids?

 

 

I was standing in a comic store here in West Virginia doing a story on the promotion of comics and a dad brought in his kids on Free Comic Book Day and he looked around, got a few of the free comics, bought a book or two, then asked his kids if they wanted anything. After a few minutes of looking around and flipping through several comics, the kids said they were ready to go. They didn't want anything. NOTHING in the store appealed to any of the kids. They didn't even want any of the free comics. NOTHING.

When I asked the retailer what she thought of Free Comic Book Day, she said it was marketed to the wrong crowd. She said FCBD is marketed to the already-comic-reading people, rather than the kids and those who aren't reading comics. She said she has very few children buy comics because there aren't many comics out there fit for kids these days.

 

mmm....

 

That's oh so true. When Batman and Robin can't refrain from cursing 26 times in ONE issue, then something is wrong. Frank Miller should be ashamed of himself, but also, DC Comics should be ashamed for letting one of its kid-friendly titles fall into the hands of Miller. They should have told him not to forget he's writing Batman and not SIN CITY.

 

have you read Batman in the last 15 years or so? you think the character is geared towards children?

 

 

Another retailer has been preaching doom and gloom for the past decade. He says that there are no children entering the hobby and all us old fanboys will soon be gone. Who's going to replace our generation?

 

 

you see, as todays kids get older, and more advnaced, they will grow into the genre, just as the older fans die off. It's called economic evolution, but you really don't sound like someone that believes in evolution

 

 

RTBrandy and Kevin Boyd, I'd like both of you to tell me how you first discovered comics?

 

1985 i was 14 years old. North Shore Comic Connection in Chicago

 

 

Most of us first discovered the wonder of comics at a spinner-rack and not at some hole-in-the-wall comic shop, hidden away in a big city far away from most urban areas.

And no matter what you say, Kevin Boyd, Vertigo titles sell in terrible numbers. One-thirdof Superman and Batman is bad. Some Vertigo titles sell under 10,000 copies a month.

I remember a time before the direct market destroyed newsstand distribution when comics were cancelled for selling under 200,000 copies. Wow. That was a time when kids were STILL READING COMICS. Now that it's a bunch of 40-year-old, never-kissed-a-girl, still-playing-with-your-action-figures men, sales have dropped and Scooby Doo, a cartoon character whose licensing sells everything from Scooby Snacks cookies to under wear to houseshoes to stationary to whatever else marketing teams can dream up for the character, doesn't sell as much as Firestorm.

 

You take comics, built on a readership of kids, try to make them more adult and what do you get? Comics for an adult audience that sell in low numbers.

 

ok, mr. wizard, would you rather market owarsd the guy spending $300/ month ( me) or 90 kids spending $3/month

 

Look at marketing for these characters. You'll never see Batman or Spider-Man using extremely foul language in a movie. You'll never see Batman, Superman, Spider-Man or Daredevil getting an R rating in a movie. Smallville. Justice League Unlimited. X-Men cartoons. Spider-Man cartoons, Iron Man, Fantastic Four and Avengers cartoons. Batman Begins. Spider-Man 1, 2 and 3. Hulk. Fantastic Four. All marketed to kids.

 

 

 

all marjeted to kids? reallly? again, that's your opinion. Was Star Wars marketed towards kids? no, but things were added and removed to get the kid audience, and it made it an [arguably] weaker piece of work.

 

Did any of those movies carry an R rating? Was there a lot of cursing and sex in any of those movies or cartoons? No, because they were marketed to the same people buying Spongebob Squarepants. That's where the money's at and they know it.

You insufficiently_thoughtful_persons, Kevin Boyd and RTBrandy and a lot of others on these boards, are living in a comic book world where you're blinded by the bright colors you thought were made for you.

 

 

now go back to writing your fluff pieces for the iowa advocate.

 

What have you written for the Chicago Tribune? I checked there and there isn't a trace of your writing. What'd you write, some love poems or something. C'mon, don't try to make yourself look better by lying.

Star Wars, per George Lucas, was marketed towards kids. His own kids, in fact. Have you ever read anything about any of the Star Wars movies? Lucas didn't want to give the last one a PG-13 rating, because he was marketing the movie toward kids.

I am proud that I buy from Wal-Mart. There's no shame in that. What's so wrong about buying from Wal-Mart? You save money if you buy there rather than at the little stores.

How do I sound pompous and self important? I've been reading and collecting comics since 1976. I speak from the perspective of someone who has bought comics from the newstand and from comic shops. I love reading comics so much that I travel hundreds of miles each week to get my comics each Wednesday. I also love comics that I do research and write historical articles for newspapers and magazines on comics. I can sound as self-important as I want, because I've been there and have researched most everything you people wrongly spout off about.

The highest grossing movies are the ones for kids. It's the largest market out there. You seem to forget movies like Shark's Tale, Shrek, Shrek 2, Little Mermaid, The Lions King and many, many others that have broken box office records, while many movies geared toward adults fail to even break the Top 10 movies.

I really hate that you were so smart that Scooby Doo insulted your intelligence. Scooby Doo was a fun part of my childhood. I'm glad to say that I, unlike you, weren't so pompous and self-important that I couldn't find the humor in Scooby Doo.

If you could read, Mr. Chicago Tribune writer, then you would have understood that what I was saying was that readership is falling because comic companies are trying to make books like All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder, into adult fare. Learn to read before you shoot off your mouth.

Batman is geared toward kids. It's why he's in cartoons and on Underoos. It's why when you go to Wal-Mart, there's a hundred Batman costumes for sale for kids. It's why Batman has his own fruit roll-ups and cereal and popsicles. The character has gotten too dark and that's why DC is going to be making him a lighter character — to make him more accessible to new readers.

The marketing machine that is DC Comics knows they're missing out on a large audience of children.

You bought your first comic from a comic shop and don't have that grand memory of buying them from the spinner-rack so you don't know what you're talking about from first-hand experience here. You just know what pap your fed.

And I would much rather have 90 kids spending $3 a month on comics. Chances are, those kids will grow up into teens who buy $30 a month, then buy $300 a month. We need a constant flow of new readers. Not a bunch of fanboys — like yourself — who believe the X-Men are real.

My comments about what typical fanboys look like really touched a nerve with you, didn't they. Gosh, if the shoe fits, wear it. Keep believing that comics are all made for you. You're living in a dream world, much like th Dungeons and Dragons playset you probably have tucked under your twin-sized bed with the airplanes hanging overhead and the posters of half-naked girls on the back of your door. Where do you really hide your action figures late at night when you're all alone in your room, looking for love from a two-dimensional character, RTBrandy?

[RTBrandy]

 

What have you written for the Chicago Tribune? I checked there and there isn't a trace of your writing. What'd you write, some love poems or something. C'mon, don't try to make yourself look better by lying.

 

 

***the point was that it's irrelevant. maybe I'm a poet. I write prose about flowers and love.

 

Star Wars, per George Lucas, was marketed towards kids. His own kids, in fact. Have you ever read anything about any of the Star Wars movies? Lucas didn't want to give the last one a PG-13 rating, because he was marketing the movie toward kids.

 

I am proud that I buy from Wal-Mart. There's no shame in that. What's so wrong about buying from Wal-Mart? You save money if you buy there rather than at the little stores.

 

 

****if you don't know or care, I'm not going to bother explaining it to you...

 

How do I sound pompous and self important?

 

***because you keep spouting [embarrassing lack of self control] like this. I don't care about your credentials, any more than I care about your opinions.

 

I've been reading and collecting comics since 1976. I speak from the perspective of someone who has bought comics from the newstand and from comic shops. I love reading comics so much that I travel hundreds of miles each week to get my comics each Wednesday. I also love comics that I do research and write historical articles for newspapers and magazines on comics. I can sound as self-important as I want, because I've been there and have researched most everything you people wrongly spout off about.

 

*****right, no pomousness there at all.

 

 

The highest grossing movies are the ones for kids. It's the largest market out there. You seem to forget movies like Shark's Tale, Shrek, Shrek 2, Little Mermaid, The Lions King and many, many others that have broken box office records, while many movies geared toward adults fail to even break the Top 10 movies.

 

******

1. Titanic (1997) $1,835,300,000

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) $1,129,219,252

3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) $968,600,000

4. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) $922,379,000

5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) $921,600,000

 

What's your point? that movies for adults shouldn't bother being made?

 

here's the rest of the top 25

6. Jurassic Park (1993) $919,700,000

7. Shrek 2 (2004) $880,871,036

8. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) $866,300,000

9. Finding Nemo (2003) $865,000,000

10. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $860,700,000

11. Independence Day (1996) $811,200,000

12. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) $808,700,000

13. Spider-Man (2002) $806,700,000

14. Star Wars (1977) $797,900,000

15. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) $789,458,727

16. Spider-Man 2 (2004) $783,577,893

17. The Lion King (1994) $783,400,000

18. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) $756,700,000

19. The Matrix Reloaded (2003) $735,600,000

20. Forrest Gump (1994) $679,400,000

21. The Sixth Sense (1999) $661,500,000

22. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) $653,200,000

23. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) $648,200,000

24. The Incredibles (2004) $624,037,578

25. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) $614,300,000

 

you know what trend i see? movies that appeal to a broad range of audiences, and have the highest ticket prices make the most money....

 

 

 

I really hate that you were so smart that Scooby Doo insulted your intelligence. Scooby Doo was a fun part of my childhood. I'm glad to say that I, unlike you, weren't so pompous and self-important that I couldn't find the humor in Scooby Doo.

 

If you could read, Mr. Chicago Tribune writer, then you would have understood that what I was saying was that readership is falling because comic companies are trying to make books like All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder, into adult fare. Learn to read before you shoot off your mouth.

 

 

****no, I can't read. now you've brought that up, and now I'm sad.

 

Batman is geared toward kids. It's why he's in cartoons and on Underoos. It's why when you go to Wal-Mart, there's a hundred Batman costumes for sale for kids. It's why Batman has his own fruit roll-ups and cereal and popsicles. The character has gotten too dark and that's why DC is going to be making him a lighter character — to make him more accessible to new readers.

The marketing machine that is DC Comics knows they're missing out on a large audience of children.

 

 

You bought your first comic from a comic shop and don't have that grand memory of buying them from the spinner-rack so you don't know what you're talking about from first-hand experience here. You just know what pap your fed.

And I would much rather have 90 kids spending $3 a month on comics. Chances are, those kids will grow up into teens who buy $30 a month, then buy $300 a month. We need a constant flow of new readers. Not a bunch of fanboys — like yourself — who believe the X-Men are real.

 

***the X-Men aren't real? damn. pap I'm fed by whom? blow-hards like you?

 

My comments about what typical fanboys look like really touched a nerve with you, didn't they. Gosh, if the shoe fits, wear it. Keep believing that comics are all made for you. You're living in a dream world, much like th Dungeons and Dragons playset you probably have tucked under your twin-sized bed with the airplanes hanging overhead and the posters of half-naked girls on the back of your door. Where do you really hide your action figures late at night when you're all alone in your room, looking for love from a two-dimensional character, RTBrandy?

 

 

***you may not have noticed through your insane rage, but I haven't commented on you beyond what I've read from you, beacuse, simply, I wouldn't KNOW. I'd come off as stupid sounding as you do. What scientific process did you use to decide that I am so different from you? (I am assuming, from your rabid tone, that you must not be the stereotypical 30 year collector, you have your own home with a big bed, no airport, and you don't like posters of half naked girls??!!)

 

You just keep diluting your opinion more and more. Why, if everyone here is so idiotic and geeky, are you here? Are you going to save us? enlighten us?

[Darthdiesel]

[matewan1990]

Here's the original point to my post:

Wal-Mart is a super-giant retail chain that serves millions of people each day. With an audience of potential readers that large, it's great that comics are finally back on the stands in Wal-Marts. I hope the stores carry the full lines of Marvel and DC Comics so that everyone can be exposed to the four-color joy that comics have brought to my life and thousands of others. It's only a good thing when comics are found in giant retail stores. I loved it when Target got those oversized Marvel reprints. Good stuff and I saw kids and people who normally wouldn't buy comics picking them up.

Anytime a seed can be planted, it's good for comics. We need all the readers we can get. We need to have comics available to everyone. Not just in comic shops. You could probably fit all of the comic shops into one giant Super Wal-Mart. That's not a good thing. Getting comics into retail stores and out to the largest part of the population is great.

That's my final word on this because many people are deluded and believe that comics are for adults. They started with kids and they've always been a kids medium. We've tried to make them more adult, but the more we try, the more people we lose.

Hopefully, getting comics in Wal-Marts will stop the readership from hemorraging.

[the blob]

"The major DC and Marvel Comics cost about $2.50. Where are they then? Are they hidden behind the celebrity and teen magazines? Many of these comics ARE available for order from the magazine distributors."

 

The comics aren't on the racks at supermarkets, that's obvious. Who was saying anything different? I don't like arguing about things by criticizing reading comprehension skills, it's not nice, and I'm sure you're very educated and all, but you're not comprehending if you read me as saying the comics are hidden behind teen magazines. But the old argument was "comics take up space that could be devoted to $3.99 magazines" --- but nowadays there are a lot of cheap magazines taking up space too. It's called being a salesman, not hoping that some grocery chain decides they like comics and goes through the trouble of ordering them. Marvel should go in there and cut sweet heart deals to get some comics on the check out lines.

[the blob]

I'd add that I think kids like comics when they're exposed to them.

 

When my classes were over in law school I used to work security at my friends shop that was near and elementary and a middle school. This was circa 1992 - 1995 or so. Every day after school there was a huge rush of kids pawing over the comics, reading them and maybe buying one or two. But their money would only go so far, even then.

 

I don't think kids have really changed all that much in 10-13 years, do you? They had videa games back then and cartoons and lots of other distractions. All they didn't have was the internet.

 

When I was a kid in the 70s, granted, there were fewer options. video games sucked, we only got 3 TV channels with the bunny ear antenae and cartoons were mostly lame (and there weren't 3 24 hour cartoon networks!), we couldn't pop in a video or any of that. so comics were actually a big chunk of the entertainment arsenal.

 

So if kids liked comics then, why can't they like them now?

[Kevin Boyd]

The comics aren't on the racks at supermarkets, that's obvious. Who was saying anything different? I don't like arguing about things by criticizing reading comprehension skills, it's not nice, and I'm sure you're very educated and all, but you're not comprehending if you read me as saying the comics are hidden behind teen magazines. But the old argument was "comics take up space that could be devoted to $3.99 magazines" --- but nowadays there are a lot of cheap magazines taking up space too. It's called being a salesman, not hoping that some grocery chain decides they like comics and goes through the trouble of ordering them. Marvel should go in there and cut sweet heart deals to get some comics on the check out lines.

 

I think you might have missed the sarcasm in my posting. Comice ARE available for order, which is my point. My point is that they aren't being ordered - hence - they are not on the rack between the teen magazines. They are not on the rack at all (in most places). Why aren't they on the rack if they are available for ordering? Ask a store owner and see what he has to say. Don't rely on my opinion if you don't believe me - go right to the horse's mouth.

 

Is it because Marvel and DC don't have a devoted salesman convincing store owners to order their product? I'm sure that their respective sales departments do try to get store owners to order these books. They worked out a sweetheart deal with 7/11s a year or so ago that more or less has flown under the radar. Are they still there? Marvel worked out a sweetheart deal with Wal-Mart before. Are they still there? Has DC worked out a sweetheart deal with Wal-Mart or did matewan1990's local Wal-Mart have a clerk who thought to order some DC comics for the magazine rack? I don't know. Usually they put out press releases when they do that. I suspect it's just that particular Wal-Mart's ordering person thought to order some comics for the magazine rack. Maybe he could ask that particular Wal-Mart's sales staff just how well those comics are performing for them and if they plan to continue ordering comic books.

[Kevin Boyd]

Thank you for clarifying your position matewan1990.

 

I agreed with you until you wrote the following:

 

That's my final word on this because many people are deluded and believe that comics are for adults. They started with kids and they've always been a kids medium. We've tried to make them more adult, but the more we try, the more people we lose.

 

Comics are an all-ages medium. You are deluding yourself if you think it is a medium ONLY for children. It is flexible enough to be many things to many people. You can have comics for children, and comics for adults and comics for all ages.

 

In my poor deluded world there's room on the racks in a comic shop or bookstore for Archie, and there's room for Watchmen. A place for Bone and a place for Love&Rockets. A place for Scooby Doo and a place for Sandman. For the last 30 years we've had this kind of diversity.

 

And it would be suicide to scrap all adult comics in favor of making more children's comics - especially at this time when the industry is largely designed to keep and hold older readers. The industry would disappear overnight without the support of the ADULTS that keep the industry alive AT THIS TIME. I don't see many, if any, kids out buying comic books at the stores I frequent and the conventions I attend.

 

And I do agree we should be working to get them back, but not at the cost of alienating the existing audience.

 

We would be better served making the focus of the mainstream DC and Marvel lines more child-friendly to get the kids back. Which gets back to the basic truism of comics of any era... make good comics and the people will come back.