Adults, not kids, help comics business survive

[underthebigw]

The worst part about this situation is that kids LOVE comics.

 

That's not been my experience judging by my kid and any of his friends...girl or boy...

 

They think comics are "interesting" but have no desire whatsoever of actually taking up reading them on a regular basis...

 

Jim

 

I won't deny there's a ton of competition for their attention, and their money. And there does seem to be a point where if they haven't been exposed to comics, they seem old-fashioned to kids. That said, I've seen one of my friends son's come to fisticuffs over Essentials volumes of Spider-Man and Marvel Team Up. One of my wife's cousin's kids calls me up regularly to ask questions about comics and superheros. My own kids love them. The exposure has to be there, and it just isn't for most kids.

[gaute]

This is not news to any Retailer/Store owner. Ever since Lady Death the comics mainstream has been geared towards T&A. Even books marked as kid safe have women with nipples poking through their spandex. No self respecting parent is going to buy that krap for their kid. It's bad enough they hear this stuff on TV, see it at school, what parent wants to bring that kind of reading material into their home for their child? Sure there is "safe" comics, but those books don't pay the bills.

 

nipples.. scary stuff; no-one under 18 should be allowed to see one, lest they get mentally scarred for life!

If my parents had bought me a "safe" book when I was twelve, I would have laughed in their face

[brasseye]

Now more than ever - comic books need new younger blood

if this hobby is going to have any future...

 

 

 

Strangely enough, I disagree with that statement...

 

 

I see your point, but do think this will really be the long term solution

people that have no nostalgic connection to the medium?

 

One of the reasons why the movies and all the items other than the comics themselves

are selling is because there are ties on multiple levels to these characters.

 

Some nostalgic, some new, some collector - with hardily any kids...

 

Take the nostalgic and the collector away for this a vola we have a

20-30 year old market falling into the red.

 

 

 

Not entirely true, the reason why the movies are doing so well, is that the kid's have the connection to these character's through tv, specifically cartoon series.

Spiderman for instance has been in cartoon format for the best part of 30 years. But the trouble with this and all the other media offcasts from comic creativity is that there is no reference back to the comic books from which they came.

Marvel, and DC as companies have future's looking very bright, but the future of comics isn't so certain.

 

Joe public doesn't give a toss that x movie came froma comic book originally, even if it's every 3rd or 4th block buster started life as a comic book, it's only a foot note in some movie trivia contest at best.

 

The big threat would be to loose creative talent artisticly, and the writer's to other industries, then the end will be seriously nigh.

[brasseye]

Marvel, DC need to get on the 'product placement' bandwagon, and get comic's back into the mainstream of the typical american's psyche.

 

There is a lot of it about all ready, but obviously more is needed.

 

 

The last one I recall was 'The departed'. Jack Nicholson's character hands the young Matt Damon a wolverine book in the drug store, (1st series...issue #8..I could be wrong)

This is good, but it's historical reference... which is what we're trying to avoid.

[Wally's Comics]

Now more than ever - comic books need new younger blood

if this hobby is going to have any future...

 

 

 

Strangely enough, I disagree with that statement...

 

 

I see your point, but do think this will really be the long term solution

people that have no nostalgic connection to the medium?

 

One of the reasons why the movies and all the items other than the comics themselves

are selling is because there are ties on multiple levels to these characters.

 

Some nostalgic, some new, some collector - with hardily any kids...

 

Take the nostalgic and the collector away for this a vola we have a

20-30 year old market falling into the red.

 

 

 

Not entirely true, the reason why the movies are doing so well, is that the kid's have the connection to these character's through tv, specifically cartoon series.

Spiderman for instance has been in cartoon format for the best part of 30 years. But the trouble with this and all the other media offcasts from comic creativity is that there is no reference back to the comic books from which they came.

Marvel, and DC as companies have future's looking very bright, but the future of comics isn't so certain.

 

Joe public doesn't give a toss that x movie came froma comic book originally, even if it's every 3rd or 4th block buster started life as a comic book, it's only a foot note in some movie trivia contest at best.

 

The big threat would be to loose creative talent artisticly, and the writer's to other industries, then the end will be seriously nigh.

 

TV was one of the multiple levels that I was loosely implying.

 

good debate, and it would be interesting to know if Marvel and others could survive without

actually creating comics for many years into the future.

 

But, if anyone could, can you name anything that has survived the death of it's original medium

and stayed mainstream for any length of time?

 

I can't recall of anything right off hand...

 

One good example (if it exists) is if a radio story show left for another medium and has survived

until today. Did any show that was created first on radio make it to others? Because we pretty

much know that the radio serial is long gone...

 

I wonder...

 

 

[lighthouse]

Now more than ever - comic books need new younger blood

if this hobby is going to have any future...

 

 

 

Strangely enough, I disagree with that statement...

 

 

I see your point, but do think this will really be the long term solution

people that have no nostalgic connection to the medium?

 

One of the reasons why the movies and all the items other than the comics themselves

are selling is because there are ties on multiple levels to these characters.

 

Some nostalgic, some new, some collector - with hardily any kids...

 

Take the nostalgic and the collector away for this a vola we have a

20-30 year old market falling into the red.

 

 

 

Not all collectors are fueled by nostalgia... Begin ludicrous

 

I went to my first hockey game on October 19, 1991 at the Cow Palace, between the Sharks and Bruins. I was 20 years old and had no previous interest in hockey whatsoever. I didn't even care when the Miracle on Ice happened the year I turned 10.

 

We drove from San Antonio to San Francisco with no stops longer than 10 minutes. 34 hours there. Arrived twenty minutes before the opening skate. Watched the game (including a sweet Link Gaetz fight), got back in the car, and drove 34 hours straight back... Easily the most "college" thing I did during my college years. By the time we got back, all the news was raging about the horrific fires in the Oakland area that started that night. For years, my buddy and I lied and told people we could see the flames in the rear-view mirror as we left town...

 

That one experience turned me into a hockey fan. I was a season-ticket holder the first year the Stars moved to Dallas, driving 250 miles each way for every game the entire year. I watched Andy Moog's 300th win from the 7th row, dead-center ice. I played Strat-O-Matic Hockey in a play-by-mail league for five seasons... Collected roughly 25,000 hockey cards including multiple Gretzky rookies. Still have a couple cases of unopened wax from 1989-1990. And I can quote you the date-of-birth of every player who suited up in the NHL from 1991-1994...

 

Am I a raving lunatic? You bet!... But all that came after the age of 20. My hockey collecting wasn't fueled by nostalgia. In fact, I haven't bought a piece of memorabilia in about 8 years, the last being a game-used stick I bought on eBay.

 

Am I the prototypical hockey fan? Of course not... End ludicrous

 

I am not the prototypical comic collector either... And frankly, neither is anyone else... We get into this hobby for a wide variety of reasons.

 

And don't discount late-starting nostalgia... The "I love the 80s" generation wasn't 7 years old during the decade... A 40-year-old is just as likely to be nostalgiac for the stuff they loved at 20 as they are the stuff they loved at 10... Hooking a new comic collector at age 20 is just fine...

[Wally's Comics]

Now more than ever - comic books need new younger blood

if this hobby is going to have any future...

 

 

 

Strangely enough, I disagree with that statement...

 

 

I see your point, but do think this will really be the long term solution

people that have no nostalgic connection to the medium?

 

One of the reasons why the movies and all the items other than the comics themselves

are selling is because there are ties on multiple levels to these characters.

 

Some nostalgic, some new, some collector - with hardily any kids...

 

Take the nostalgic and the collector away for this a vola we have a

20-30 year old market falling into the red.

 

 

 

Not all collectors are fueled by nostalgia... Begin ludicrous

 

I went to my first hockey game on October 19, 1991 at the Cow Palace, between the Sharks and Bruins. I was 20 years old and had no previous interest in hockey whatsoever. I didn't even care when the Miracle on Ice happened the year I turned 10.

 

We drove from San Antonio to San Francisco with no stops longer than 10 minutes. 34 hours there. Arrived twenty minutes before the opening skate. Watched the game (including a sweet Link Gaetz fight), got back in the car, and drove 34 hours straight back... Easily the most "college" thing I did during my college years. By the time we got back, all the news was raging about the horrific fires in the Oakland area that started that night. For years, my buddy and I lied and told people we could see the flames in the rear-view mirror as we left town...

 

That one experience turned me into a hockey fan. I was a season-ticket holder the first year the Stars moved to Dallas, driving 250 miles each way for every game the entire year. I watched Andy Moog's 300th win from the 7th row, dead-center ice. I played Strat-O-Matic Hockey in a play-by-mail league for five seasons... Collected roughly 25,000 hockey cards including multiple Gretzky rookies. Still have a couple cases of unopened wax from 1989-1990. And I can quote you the date-of-birth of every player who suited up in the NHL from 1991-1994...

 

Am I a raving lunatic? You bet!... But all that came after the age of 20. My hockey collecting wasn't fueled by nostalgia. In fact, I haven't bought a piece of memorabilia in about 8 years, the last being a game-used stick I bought on eBay.

 

Am I the prototypical hockey fan? Of course not... End ludicrous

 

I am not the prototypical comic collector either... And frankly, neither is anyone else... We get into this hobby for a wide variety of reasons.

 

And don't discount late-starting nostalgia... The "I love the 80s" generation wasn't 7 years old during the decade... A 40-year-old is just as likely to be nostalgiac for the stuff they loved at 20 as they are the stuff they loved at 10... Hooking a new comic collector at age 20 is just fine...

 

well, I am sure there are plenty of examples that would negate my foresight.

 

But at the same time - wouldn't you as a seller like the "15 years of buying" that are missed

when a comic reader waits to pick up his first comic at age twenty???

 

 

[brasseye]

But, if anyone could, can you name anything that has survived the death of it's original medium

and stayed mainstream for any length of time?

 

I can't recall of anything right off hand...

 

One good example (if it exists) is if a radio story show left for another medium and has survived

until today. Did any show that was created first on radio make it to others? Because we pretty

much know that the radio serial is long gone...

I wonder...

 

 

One extrapolation, or dear I say 'What if', is that comic's moved from a book format to an ebook format....that would be one very likely possibility.

But saying that, paper format isn't something ready to die. Didn't Gates release a new product for easy desemination of emails, and msm's into paper print out's recently?

People still like the physical aspect of reading a book...nothing to plug in...no batteries to worry about. But I could definitely see a dual release for titles... one paper based, the other electornic. That would certainly broaden readership!

[brasseye]

well, I am sure there are plenty of examples that would negate my foresight.

 

But at the same time - wouldn't you as a seller like the "15 years of buying" that are missed

when a comic reader waits to pick up his first comic at age twenty???

 

 

 

Comics are like smoking... no one starts after the age of 24

[lighthouse]

But at the same time - wouldn't you as a seller like the "15 years of buying" that are missed

when a comic reader waits to pick up his first comic at age twenty???

 

 

 

You want an honest answer to that?

 

In many respects it is easier to run a profitable business with 100 customers that spend $200 a month each than it is with 1,000 customers that spend $20 a month each...

 

You get into some Prisoner's Dilemma analysis here... but the reality is that most any enterprise would rather have fewer customers spending more money each...

[piper]

This is not news to any Retailer/Store owner. Ever since Lady Death the comics mainstream has been geared towards T&A. Even books marked as kid safe have women with nipples poking through their spandex. No self respecting parent is going to buy that krap for their kid. It's bad enough they hear this stuff on TV, see it at school, what parent wants to bring that kind of reading material into their home for their child? Sure there is "safe" comics, but those books don't pay the bills.

 

nipples.. scary stuff; no-one under 18 should be allowed to see one, lest they get mentally scarred for life!

If my parents had bought me a "safe" book when I was twelve, I would have laughed in their face

 

Too true! What were you reading at 12? I was reading Stephen King and Clive Barker.

[gaute]

This is not news to any Retailer/Store owner. Ever since Lady Death the comics mainstream has been geared towards T&A. Even books marked as kid safe have women with nipples poking through their spandex. No self respecting parent is going to buy that krap for their kid. It's bad enough they hear this stuff on TV, see it at school, what parent wants to bring that kind of reading material into their home for their child? Sure there is "safe" comics, but those books don't pay the bills.

 

nipples.. scary stuff; no-one under 18 should be allowed to see one, lest they get mentally scarred for life!

If my parents had bought me a "safe" book when I was twelve, I would have laughed in their face

 

Too true! What were you reading at 12? I was reading Stephen King and Clive Barker.

me too plus Death Rattle and Omaha

[Karma23]

well, I am sure there are plenty of examples that would negate my foresight.

 

But at the same time - wouldn't you as a seller like the "15 years of buying" that are missed

when a comic reader waits to pick up his first comic at age twenty???

 

 

 

Comics are like smoking... no one starts after the age of 24

started smoking at 36

started comics longer back than I can remember

[Zonker]

But, if anyone could, can you name anything that has survived the death of it's original medium

and stayed mainstream for any length of time?

 

I can't recall of anything right off hand...

 

One good example (if it exists) is if a radio story show left for another medium and has survived

until today. Did any show that was created first on radio make it to others? Because we pretty

much know that the radio serial is long gone...

 

I wonder...

 

 

 

"Gunsmoke" started out as a radio series.

[Wally's Comics]

But, if anyone could, can you name anything that has survived the death of it's original medium

and stayed mainstream for any length of time?

 

I can't recall of anything right off hand...

 

One good example (if it exists) is if a radio story show left for another medium and has survived

until today. Did any show that was created first on radio make it to others? Because we pretty

much know that the radio serial is long gone...

 

I wonder...

 

 

 

"Gunsmoke" started out as a radio series.

 

I figured there was something,

but I was sure it was rare as hen's teeth.

 

 

[mica]

One good example (if it exists) is if a radio story show left for another medium and has survived

until today. Did any show that was created first on radio make it to others? Because we pretty

much know that the radio serial is long gone...

 

I wonder...

 

 

Soap Operas are still around and they were started with Radio.

(however it could be argued that Soap Operas are dramatic forms of gossip, and I suppose we've always had that while chatting with the neighbor over the fence)

[Wally's Comics]

One good example (if it exists) is if a radio story show left for another medium and has survived

until today. Did any show that was created first on radio make it to others? Because we pretty

much know that the radio serial is long gone...

 

I wonder...

 

 

Soap Operas are still around and they were started with Radio.

(however it could be argued that Soap Operas are dramatic forms of gossip, and I suppose we've always had that while chatting with the neighbor over the fence)

 

example!

 

[mica]

One good example (if it exists) is if a radio story show left for another medium and has survived

until today. Did any show that was created first on radio make it to others? Because we pretty

much know that the radio serial is long gone...

 

I wonder...

 

 

Soap Operas are still around and they were started with Radio.

(however it could be argued that Soap Operas are dramatic forms of gossip, and I suppose we've always had that while chatting with the neighbor over the fence)

 

example!

 

First google result.

I thought you were looking for a genre that survived, but if you are also accepting any answer similar to the Gunsmoke, then Father Knows Best and Lone Ranger were also there as well.

[shadroch]

Every store should have a spinner rack full of kids books right by the front door.The great part about Archies and such is that they have an indefinite shelf life.Kids and parents don't care if its the current issue or if its six months old.

[Dick Pontoon]

One good example (if it exists) is if a radio story show left for another medium and has survived

until today. Did any show that was created first on radio make it to others? Because we pretty

much know that the radio serial is long gone...

 

I wonder...

 

 

Soap Operas are still around and they were started with Radio.

(however it could be argued that Soap Operas are dramatic forms of gossip, and I suppose we've always had that while chatting with the neighbor over the fence)

 

example!

 

First google result.

I thought you were looking for a genre that survived, but if you are also accepting any answer similar to the Gunsmoke, then Father Knows Best and Lone Ranger were also there as well.

 

A huge percentage of early television shows came straight from the radio. Besides the one's Mica lists, Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, Milton Berle, and Amos and Andy all leap to mind.