by Howard
Irabor
– 5/1/2012
"When
you say that print comics are still catering to the collector's market, it leads
people to assume you either think that only superhero comics are being pirated
or that all print comics are superhero comics. Small and independent comic
publishers that don't cater to the collectors market and print in black &
white are also victims of online piracy. I know for a fact Radio Comic has had
problems with people scanning their comics and putting them online in the
past."
And they're working in an industry that has been designed for collectors. That's one of the reasons they have to be utterly exceptional to get noticed.
And they're working in an industry that has been designed for collectors. That's one of the reasons they have to be utterly exceptional to get noticed.
"Killing
off the direct market won't save print comics. If anything, it'll just hurt the
companies that cater to a broader audience because the local 7-11 doesn't want
to take a chance with a comic they never heard of."
Actually, that's what happens in the direct market. Ever take a look at the Diamond book? Non big publisher stuff vanishes into the inky depths. There are shop owners who do their best to pick up a wide variety, but with Marvel and Dc publishing a few hundred books a month, there is usually little room for the indies. Much like the Comics Code Authority, the big hero book publishers saw something they could use to dominate and control the business, and they've done it.
Actually, that's what happens in the direct market. Ever take a look at the Diamond book? Non big publisher stuff vanishes into the inky depths. There are shop owners who do their best to pick up a wide variety, but with Marvel and Dc publishing a few hundred books a month, there is usually little room for the indies. Much like the Comics Code Authority, the big hero book publishers saw something they could use to dominate and control the business, and they've done it.
And
I don't think it's too big of a stretch to recognize that sales have decreased
as comics have left the public eye. Back when I was a kid, if a comic was
selling what Identity Crisis was selling, it'd be cancelled.
And
for 7-11, putting up comics in the way they used to be put up (returnable)
before the direct market would be acceptable to them because they will see a
way to grab the kiddy market as they walk past the magazine rack with little
financial risk on their part.
Want
to know why Shonen Jump is out-selling everything Marvel and DC is putting out?
Want to know why the Japanese industry is in such better shape than back home?
The comics are sitting in the stores where the kids can see them, and not
located behind a rack of Lady Death possible action figure
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