The San Jose Mercury News asks if the shaky economy could lead to slashes in sales for all those movie spinoff toys that are coming out based on Indy, Iron Man, Prince Caspian etc etc? Not necessarily.

Longtime Bay Area comic book store owner Joe Field said comics and graphic novels – a core piece of the spring merchandising push – are classic “counter-economy” products.

Comics and some related items, Field said, become “inexpensive nesting entertainment” when budgets are stressed. Field, who owns Flying Colors Comics in Concord, said people decide they can’t afford the theater, concerts or eating out, so they stay home reading, playing games and returning their attention to neglected hobbies.

Amazon toy manager Sarah Wood states that their toy sales have been growing thus far this year.