- As a reader of both floppies and trades, In general I find floppies to be too expensive for what I get. I will read a first issue, possibly two then wait for the trade because comics at $2.99 a pop doesn’t make sense to my budget-minded brain.

- If I were a new reader I would want the floppies to be cheap and plentiful so I could spread my money around buy a lot of different experiences. That’s why I’ve supported FELL and CASANOVA (beyond the terrific tales within).

- By observation, I don’t see the industry encouraging new readers through either format or content. I read a couple of issues of 100 BULLETS and thought it was great – I would wait for the trade. Then I saw the price of the trade and yet again, my budget-mindedbrain said, “no.” 100 BULLETS is the perfect example of a book that should come out in the ESSENTIAL / PHONE BOOK format. Imagine a row of those sized books in the mystery-thriller section of the bookstore. Priced reasonably and always in print.

Mystery-thriller readers would flock to these books — THEN get the more costly color versions if they so chose. But when a series goes to trade and that trade is more expensive than the combined cost of the floppies…

It gets stupid.

I realize that you can’t do thissort of thing for every book, but there’s far better ways to encourage bigger and more diverse readership than the plan they have going. There are fans that would love a B/W MASTER OF KUNG FU ESSENTIAL with the work of Gulacy and Day, et al. It’s also a genre that pushes out past the superhero reader, and has press potential to sell books.

I realize I’m stating the obvious here, but if it’s so obvious then why hasn’t it been done? What part of the comics business model am I missing where you don’t grow your customer base with afordable products of value?

Just felt that it might be of very minimal value to state that, as a 15% superhero reader (that is, approx. 15% of my comics purchased are Marvel/DCU), I certainly wait for the trade. Every time. Haven’t followed a monthly series since… 2001, I think. Perhaps 2000.

Does this mean I’ve contributed to the cancellation of American Virgin? Perhaps. I did read the first two trades, thought them decent enough, but probably wasn’t going to get vol. 3. Decent enough isn’t really sufficient to justify indefinite purchases.

(I’m not really a fan of reading comics on the web. I find they’re often not formatted properly for a screen, loading the next page often slogs down the reading (even with cable), and frankly, I just like the tactile experience of holding the book. FYI, for those espousing that format. Then again, I’m in the techno-dark age. Why do I need a phone that can go online?!)

As far as the whole issue of launching new characters, etc. in the marketplace… it’s far too complicated for me to get into, and probably for me to understand.
Purely from a personal perspective, there are dozens of factors that play into my choices. AMERICAN VIRGIN got a trade because the subject matter seemed interesting, and the writer and artist were both creators whose work I usually find decent, and occasionally exceptional. This book I found decent. SIMON DARK (doesn’t have a trade out, which I noted earlier eliminates it from consideration anyway) has a writer I’ve never really enjoyed, has received very little to no positive word of mouth that I’ve heard, and honestly, has to compete with the rest of the DCU line for my attention. For me, there’s definitely a limit to how much I’d prefer to spend on Marvel or DCU properties. They’re a hell of a lot of fun in their place, but it’s not necessarily my bag. I hated HATED SuperFriends when I was six, after all.

So there you go — my purely anecdotal, completely personal validation of the “non-superhero readers” don’t read floppies/monthly/serials argument, with a dash of “where are the readers for new stuff” rambling thrown in.

Because they are stupid. That’s the only answer I can come up with.

There is still a lot of resistance in schools and libraries, but not as much as a lot of people think. Elementary school teachers especially are already used to books that use art and words to tell stories. The problem is usually getting them to understand that comics can be as elegant and literary as picture books, not that art doesn’t ever belong in kids books.

Scholastic and Tokyopop have already done a lot of the persuading of teachers and librarians for Marvel and DC. So they don’t even need to do that, they just need to bother to put the damn books on the shelves in bookstores. And yet, while the kids’ manga/comics section at the BN I work at now takes up a bay in half (the section itself is barely a year old) there are a grand total of four titles in the entire section by DC and Marvel combined. One copy each.

The kid’s graphic novel section at the library I work at is practically empty most days because the books are almost always checked out. And there aren’t any DC or Marvel titles there.

“Another thought, for those who think supperheros are past their day. How many kids do you think will grow up to be avid book readers, because of Harry Potter and Liminy (SP?) Snicket? ”

No, Superheroes they aren’t past their day. Superheros are really popular among kids. Heroes and magic and gadgets and special powers always have been, and always will be. (What is Harry Potter but a superhero in another guise?) Marvel and DC superheroes are still very popular among kids – they want to play at being Spiderman or Batman all the time. They even want to read about them all the time. We sell tons of kids books about DC and Marvel characters. They just aren’t comics/graphic novels. They aren’t even the kind of high quality picture book/easy reader that one could say is practically a one panel a page graphic novel -like Mo Willems easy readers. The pics are always there to give the kids something to look at while the parent reads, they almost never help tell the story.

Marvel and DC’s problem is that it’s already out there, they just aren’t the ones making it. Bone, Babymouse, Artemis Fowl, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Kat and Mouse, Phonics Comics, Amelia Rules, Amelia (different amelia) and ten kabillion cinemanga of everything from Spongebob to High School Musical. I even now have parents coming in asking for Bone for their kids.

Granted, not all of these comics are superhero comics, and a lot of the superheros ones aren’t “traditional” superheros. But, well, there’s a reason why Captain Underpants is insanely popular, and it’s only partly because Dav Pilkey is a comic genius.

Oh, and it’s Lemony. As in lemons. :)

And re: serialization, the best audience for serialization is kids. The younger, the more they want series. Kids just learning to read books with chapters practically refuse to read anything but series. Reading is still hard and kinda scary, they are often afraid of failing or being disappointed, so they want something they know they can handle and will like. Plus, little kids crave routine and repetition. Part of the trick, though, is that the younger the kid, the more definite an ending each chapter and book needs. It takes a lot of work to get through just a few pages, so they need constant payoffs. Plus, easy reader graphic novels need to have to easy to read sequential art, not just easy to read words. I suspect a lot of comic book publishers don’t get that, and so mistakenly think little kids don’t like comics. They do.

And re: Dark Hunger. Yes the stigma remains, but it’s shrinking. A lot. People who didn’t know what they were getting may have been pissed off, but I mentioned it to several people when I was ringing up other Feehan and paranormal romances and they at least sounded interested. Which explains the actual sales.

Gabaldon’s fans are super excited about her forthcoming comic (myself included). And it should very much not suck, since she used to write Donald Duck comics for Disney, so she has some experience with the medium.

I’ve lived in Mississippi all of my life and there are only about 7 comic stores in the state. 3 of those are within 30 miles of each other in the central part of the state. 3 more are spread in the southern and eastern parts of the of the state, and at least one may not even be open now. That is to service nearly 3 million citizens in the state, not all of which are comic readers of course. There are several chainbookstores that carry comics, but overall there are only a few more of them than there are comic stores. Also the conditions and selection at these chain stores are horrible and it is not uncommon for employees to damage the books while restocking or checking you out. So part of my concern is that there is a definate lack of interest in getting comics to the people. Are there even ANY other distributors besides Diamond?

Price drops may help, but that would mean a drop in paper and printing quality (I think). Unfortunatly, I think that “the market” is perceived as wanting the high quality paper and variant covers. Some people just want the story.

I don’t think that the traditional comic is going to disappear, but it may morph into a new form. Magazine size with more ads? Manga size with more story? Who knows. I think that the concern over the issue insures that it will be worked on before it is to late.

Using DC as an example, here are my suggestions/ideas on how to save the comic book industry (or at the very least, Marvel and DC).

1. ALL interconected ongoing and limited series DCU superhero,sci-fi,and horror comics should be both aimed at and suitable for kids/all ages. So no on panel graphic and bloody violent scenes,no cuss words (bitch, bastard,ass,or goddamn),and no strong sexual innuendos. This imprint would also be the home of licensed and creator own material aimed at and suitable for kids/all ages. And for the record, when I say “suitable for all ages”, I mean comics that don’t talk down to the readers and that can still deal with mature subject matter in a tasteful and subtle manner (like PAD’s HULK run,SPIDER-GIRL,and Larry Hama’s G.I. JOE and WOLVERINE runs).

2. Wildstorm will be home to creator owned,company owned,and license product aimed at teens and adults. This imprint will be able to get away with all of the things that I listed in the DCU imprint in terms language,sex, and violence.

3. Vertigo will be the same way as it is today, and would include company owned,creator owned,and licensed property aimed at adults.

4. All monthly ongoing and limited series will be combined and published as a line of over sized monthly magazines. For example all Batman related titles will be featured in a monthly BATMAN magazine.

I realized that I’ve been somewhat spoiled by big city comic shops, where a wide assortment of comics get more or less equal facing by a staff that’s broadly versed in books new and classic. I realized this because at present I have to usually settle for an outer suburb hole in the wall where they believe, and I am not exaggerating, that Image and DH are “indies.” (Perhaps in 1992.) Roughly 2/3 of the store is Marvel and DC mainstream, many of which get multiple facings; they don’t even order a full assortment of Vertigo. The smattering of smaller press, most of which are probably leftover from shot in the dark orders from five years ago, are stuck in a corner near the bathroom; the manga is hidden in a non-descript bookcase in the opposite corner. They lament about sales and wanted to expand, but when I talk about anything that doesn’t involve spandex their eyes immediately gloss over. (A glimmer of hope I saw today was when one clerk stated in wild-eyed astonishment that he’s HEARD that there are many cute girls at indie cons, even GASP! behind the tables! Never underestimate the selling power of a remote possibility of sex.)

The culture is the industry; the industry is the culture. They’re both fucked up and if not for the fact that they’re hogging more worthy real estate I’d say let them keep eating their own shit as long as there’s a peanut or kernel of corn to sustain them. Honestly, anyone who wants to make even a remotely mature comic nowadays is likely best served by forgoing anything resembling the industry model. The loss-leader concept is flawed at its core. Either the books work in that format alone or they don’t; if you chop a cat into pieces you don’t have a cat anymore, you have cat meat: a decent filler in certain restaurants but it won’t purr when you pet it. If it’s important that a potential audience be exposed to the material as time allows you to create it, put it online and let it be its own best advertising. If the material is strong enough, put the whole book out cold and let the market decide. But the floppies are stultifying every aspect, creatively and economically, and I think we’re just about ready to drop that vestigial tail.

BTW, I love Dean’s idea: I will buy an iPod when it resembles a Mother Box. If it comes with a dock that resembles Metron’s chair, I will knife my way to the front of the line.

I’m not excited. But, you win anyway because you do know better, as one inside the industry.

As you said, everything is fine up sales wise which you’re clear to point out at Vertigo and DC, so this entire news bulletin about the State of The Industry Alert really is just a false alarm.

I stand humbly corrected.

It is no surprise that some of these books got cancelled. Low monthly sales leads to cancellation.

Will the “floppy” exist in 5-years? I don’t think so. The webcomix model will go through growing pains and a serious trial but I believe serialized comix will need to join the iPod/iPhone/iMother Box [thank you Jack Kirby] in order to compete with TV and Beer. And, even though we’re entering the Digital Age of Comix, what matters most is good stories and interesting characters which we have an abundance of.

Yeah, I started reading comics just four years ago. The only stereotypical superhero books I’ve read are The Dark Knight Returns, Secret Identity and The Watchmen. I buy nothing from the main DC or Marvel imprints. I do read Y: The Last Man (in the collections) and I’ve tried to get into Fables so I do read some Vertigo.