Why are Comic Sales Still Down, Despite Movie Tie-Ins and Event Books?
I feel that Marvel and DC should use their resources to make commercials promoting the reading of their books and therefore comics will become more widely known and more and more people will start loving comics once more. Heck this could end up having a graphic novel put up on the New York's Best seller list someday who knows?
Anyways, I still think the Video Game industry is the key market comic book publishers need to capture. Marvel is doing a good job, DC...not quite there it, but it's getting better, with Batman and DCUO. I remember saying this not too long ago in a similar topic, but they should just put a rack on the counter in video game stores, with 5-6 comics from DC and Marvel, and a few from the other publishers too. Stuff like Batman, Superman, GL, Spiderman, Avengers, Hellboy...but also stuff like All-Star Western and Sgt. Rock & the Men of War.
As a predominantly Marvel reader, I've cut down quite a bit on comics. Mainly because I feel Marvel talks down to it's readers. How? Let me count the ways....I cut it down to the section i agree with whole heartedly (well the most) as it annoys me that many characters never get comic time or more mini's like Ares & so many more are just left in limbo most of the time unless the story requires a jobber . .@labarith said:
9- Smaller characters with potential are frequently plowed over by cash cows, impeding on the variety of the different franchises. If there weren't so many new ways to market Marvel characters like with action figures and videogames, they would already be bankrupt. They treat everyone like 13 year old boys, well guess what? 13 year old boys can't drive to comic shops or shop online...play to people in their late teens-20's, this isn't the 60's.
What is really hurting comics is the tendancy to stretch even the most mundaine stories over a 4-6 issue arc, with the intent to be a better graphic novel release. And yes, I have found myself waiting for IDW Transformers Graphic Novels (largely because I hate what they're crapping out - seriously, editing and common sense just aren't there), but if you're selling a $3-4 book, it better have something worth reading in it. It is, I think, a little ironic that many GOOD books get 4 issue miniseries (Annihalators), while when someone says "I have an idea for batman", they get a 5 issue mini without even thinking about it.spot on & annihilators has been awesome but 4 issues a story isn't enough with a team that complex & with rich history are just forgotten or over looked plus the art is meh also which some what bothers me at times like its rushed or half arsed ...
There are multiple factors contributing to the decrease sales of comics. Personally I think we need to do what Japan and Europe does with their comics and expand more with other genres. Sure there are other publishers that are doing that, but we need to let new ideas in and stop the domination of Super Hero on almost all of the market. Most people who got into comics that I know have read amazing stuff like Preacher, Y the Last Man, The Walking Dead, 100 Bullets, etc. We need to destroy the notion that comics are only Super Hero based and support artist/creators to do what they want to do. Also we need to encourage kids to read more instead of relying on the education system which isn't helping them. I'm not saying Super Heroes should be gone and done with in fact I love Super Heroes, it's just that Marvel/DC shouldn't be the massive dominant in comics market. Sure DC had Vertigo but with the current reboot do you want to see these characters in Fables or Young Lairs associating with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman? Unfortunately this will never happen and soon comics like all print media will enter in a slow trajectory into the abyss.
If they'd like these movie releases to garner new readers I think they ought to start putting comics into people's hands right at the movie theater. With characters that have decades of history, people often tell me they just "...wouldn't even know where to start."Great Idea, EXCLUSIVE floppy tied in with the Pre-Movie ADVERT. That is a blockbuster formula
Comic sales are dropping because it's a printed medium, and it would take a lot to get someone new interested. All printed mediums are dropping in sales (magazines, newspapers, novels, etc).
Comics have to move to a more digital and more easily accessible format. It's too complicated for new readers. All of the popular characters will survive in movies, TV shows, and video games because those are the popular sources for entertainment.
its kinda like a double edged sword. i am going to explain and hopefully i will not blow minds with a lot of words.
comics now are a part of culture now we can not get away from. years ago fans were begging for it to be part of the main culture view, now movies are everywhere, television shows, games, clothes, shoes, caps, you name it. it is just something you cant turn your head and not see. when it comes to it, sometimes it is good. when it comes to comics and games, look at batman arkham asylum, or spider man: shattered dimensions. AA was a game which is now considered one of the best games of all time, and got tons of readers into batman and his universe. some of my friends played it and then asked me to go to the comic shop with em and find some good batman books. shattered dimensions? well who of us can remember spider man 2099? he was thrown by the wayside, and his levels were come of the coolest in the game. it brought more readers back to find old 2099 issues and marvel is hesitant on releasing the trades again(dumb move). its also why he (miguel o'hara) is going to be in the new spider man game coming soon.
the bad thing when it comes to this is that it basically is seen as the dot com boom. who remembers x-men vol 2 number 1 is the best selling comic EVER with nearly a million issues sold. now, the books roughly crack 20 bucks on price guides. everyone has a comic or tries to know about them but never really sits down and tries to READ and really KNOW the comic. someone goes and sees or buys green lantern when it comes out on blu ray at the end of the year, and when a sequel comes out, they think they are a pro. they know more than a comic reader. NO. people, some games, films, shows(i am glad that wonder woman never came to tv because it would start bandwagoners again) are made for a casual viewer. they are made for them to go in, the plot is streamlined, it alienates the comic fan, but basically doesnt give the casual reader a reason to go to a comic shop, but they will buy apparel(clothes, underwear, games). there really isnt a great bridge to these properties. nolan was great when he said he loved the batman books, that is why his films are awesome. bryan singer shined when it came to the first 2 x-films because he could relate and understood the fact that lee and kirby wanted to show; that everyone is different(singer is gay and said he related to them). when it comes to games, it goes the same way, someone needs to learn and understand the history of the property to make a great game, hence the reason rocksteady delayed asylum for almost 2 years because they wanted the game to be perfect not just for the gamer, but the comic fan who is a gamer. *SIDENOTE* the wachowski brothers enjoy making films and if they do the flash film, i think they would rock doing that film. these days comic properties are cookie cutter, they all come out and before you can breathe, they are out again. last year we had iron man 2, this year we have thor and captain america, next year the avengers, and black widow and iron man 3. do we really need all of these films in a row? its not making anyone want to run out to read a book because its spoiling years of history!
if the property is put in the right hands they CAN inspire folks to go read more about them, but when they are simply seen as a way to make money, that is all they will be, and the comic industry and fans will continue to suffer.
Thankfully comics are the only real hobby I have. So I'm able to afford them. I dont play video games, I stopped playing and writing music and my girlfriend works at a movie store so I see any movie I want for free.
Why don't marvel and DC do commercials like everyone else to advertise there industry, DC comics did this once in the 90's on the batman animated series. But I guess marvel is owned by Disney then perhaps will see something on TV and at Disney parks advertising marvel to help out.
Geoff Johns needs to stop writing movie scripts ASAP
The problem starts at the amount of disposable income, but in the end it is what people feel will give them more bang for their buck. The big comic publishers have consistently put out crap on top of crap and charged anywhere between $2.99 - $4.99 for a story that gets retconned, rehashed or worse disappears as if it never happened. Why would anyone invest in something that has no payoff, no long term value. This is why comics like The Walking Dead and DMZ are shining stars among the crap that gets put out. DC would be smart to rev up its Vertigo imprint as would Marvel with its MAX imprint. Bring people something different, something more that will have an actual lasting impact in the medium. Comics should be treated for what they are, graphically depicted novels and not the dumping grounds for tv and book scribes who need to pay the rent between printings.
Honestly, when you look at the writers who actually deserve your money it all comes down to maybe ten; Mark Millar, Grant Morrison, Robert Kirkman, Geoff Johns, Alan Moore, Brian Wood, Brian Michael Bendis (when he is only focused on one book anyway), Mark Waid, Ron Marz, J. Micahel Straczynski and Garth Ennis. These men deserve your money, because they actually bring quality and substance to their stories. The majority of crap put out by newer writers and approved for publishing by their editors isn't even worth bothering to download illegally (yes, you pirates know what I mean). Give the people something worth their money over the hacked and slashed adaptation of a movie that is begging for at least $10.50 a ticket for less than two hours of entertainment. I'll stick to Irredeemable, Witchblade, The Walking Dead, Green Lantern, DMZ, American Vampire, my Punisher MAX trades, and Powers (whenever the hell it comes out again, DAMN YOU BENDIS!! GET TO WORK!). Why would I want to invest in several books starring the same character that take place during the same point in time that are never connected and have no real purpose to serve other than to make money.
Marvel and DC, you are publishers selling the Enquirer and saying it is as good as A Time To Kill. Stop being lazy and greedy and take care of your fans. Give us the good stories and low price we deserve. Cut the gimics and stop relying on your film divisions to do all the money making work.
Movies are just that, movies. You won't make money off them selling comic books and vice versa. This makes as much sense as selling more pepperoni pizzas so people will buy sausage pizza. Its two different flavors and you have to sell to those with the taste.
I could be wrong here but I still firmly believe that comic book fans/readers are developed over time and aren't made overnight by the success of a comic book movie.
It may not be the case for everyone but I would say for many their love of comic book super heroes starts at a young age. It's then up to Marvel, DC (etc) to sustain that love through cartoons, toys and video games. Though I imagine grabbing their attention with cartoons might be tough now a days with anime and all that. And the more comic book video games with the same TLC as Arkham Assylum the better.
I'm sure there are people who started reading comics when they were younger. Lucky for them they could afford it since the average kid can't especially now a days with so many events (big and small) that would suck their allowances dry if they dared to follow everything.
There is always the trades option though, I ran into a kid once @ Barnes & Noble looking at Batman Books. I recommended DKR
Basically I just think Marvel/DC stand a better chance to with gaining future comic readers in kids (than teenagers and young adults) who more than likely will pic up comics when their older as oppose to immediately...........IMHO
I agree with a lot that has been said. Besides the economy and the price for the value ($10 for a 2 hour movie versus $3 for 15-20 minutes spent with a comic), I find the market littered with too many monthly titles. There are about 10 Batman or Batman-related titles every month. That's enough material to publish a trade every month. I like trades better because I know when the story will begin and end; I don't have to hunt for previous issues. Also, trades would be easier to sell in more locations. In Japan, most manga are sold in vending machines (especially at train stations; their size is ideal for reading on a train). I'm not proposing vending machines, but being able to find comics in more locations might help as well. Yes, I know about ordering online, but many people impulse buy. There are book sections in Target and Walmart, maybe a comics sections in places like that would help as well.
I don't want to go into the whole economic side of the problem (essentially because I'm not very good at it).
For the narrative point of view there's a major problem comics are pulled in two different directions. On one hand the authors rae asked to keep the francise always new and interesting, on the other they have to stick to a certain tradition and style. And they're precluded the strongest resource to do this: ending.
An open-ended franchise is a double edged sword, it allows a great deal of freedom, but after a while a character will run out of stories, ideas or things to say. At that point the author will be forced to end the story or go back on the same steps over and over. Mega-events, crossovers, continuity resets are just palliatives to the problem of stagnation.
This is true...
There are several reasons why sales are down. Its not just one thing and its not just movies. They mainly break down into social and economic reasons.
On the Economic side, the economy is still down, the U.S. is at 9% unemployment. As much as I like comics I like food more. Comics, movies, and video games are considered luxuries that most people can do without. Also there is the Single issue vs. Trade Paperback debate. I prefer to wait for the trade to come out than buy it from amazon instead of buying single issues, that way I can read the entire story arc collected instead of individual issues. It just makes more sense to me
and other people that trade wait.
Then there are cultural reasons, which are much more complex.
1. There is the negative stigma that comic books are for children. The majority of people that don't read comics still believe that anyone over the age of 10 who reads comics is considered "immature" and "childish" Even though mainstream books haven't been kid-friendly since the late 80's.
2. Comics are still too "geeky." Even though the world has seemingly become more geek friendly, because of the rise of technology and heavy reliance of the internet, comics are still too taboo for people to be open and honest about. Everybody and their brother calls themselves a geek now even though they just might screw around on facebook all day.
3. There seems to be an air of "elitism" among comic fans. This can be said of anything really, but with comics, a person tends to get looked down upon if their tastes don't match up. It happens more so on the internet than it does in real life. For instance, some one who might read vertigo or dark horse or image exclusively might look down on someone who read super hero comics exclusively, or vice versa. We tend not to respect each others' opinions and we resort to trolling and flame wars in order to feel superior.
4. This is the big one: Hypocrisy. Sometimes I think we fans want a little too much. I think we expect it because comic creators interact with fans more so than in any other entertainment medium through conventions, blogs, twitter, facebook etc. I know its impossible to please everyone, everyone has their gripes but it seems like fans keep getting more and more irritated about things. When DC's revamp was first announced, people flipped out about it. They wrote blogs and rants and went on and on about how they were going to boycott DC, but I'm willing to bet that they are still going to buy the books come September. A lot of us say we want change, and then when we get it, we complain that they are "Ruining our Childhood." Our childhood memories will still be there, but there is nothing wrong with making new ones. DC stories rely more on continuity than Marvel. So they decided to toss some of it (but not all of it) out the window so that it it would be less intimidating to newer readers.
Increase price in a bad economy does not help... Also the constant change of writer's for story archs and characters, seem to be increasing... I can't buy a book that slaps the character I know in the face...
The industry needs more consistency and needs to be done in a fashion that is like a story, with a begining, middle, and end. Then you can have a alternate tail about that character.
@foxglove said:
Great Idea, EXCLUSIVE floppy tied in with the Pre-Movie ADVERT. That is a blockbuster formula
If they'd like these movie releases to garner new readers I think they ought to start putting comics into people's hands right at the movie theater. With characters that have decades of history, people often tell me they just "...wouldn't even know where to start."
Just like the awesome movie tie-in videogames! :)
@turoksonofstone said:If done right yes, cartoons too.Just like the awesome movie tie-in videogames! :)@foxglove said:
Great Idea, EXCLUSIVE floppy tied in with the Pre-Movie ADVERT. That is a blockbuster formula
If they'd like these movie releases to garner new readers I think they ought to start putting comics into people's hands right at the movie theater. With characters that have decades of history, people often tell me they just "...wouldn't even know where to start."
IT BEEN A LONG GREAT BUT YET DIFFICULT YEAR AND THERE A LOT OF CONFUSION ABOUT THE REBOOT
There is a correlation between media and comic sales, the "problem" is that it's a long term investment that doesn't see the immediate up-tick that other comparable films because there's generally more and better merchandising choice.Perfect answer, I tip my hat to you. These comic movies do make a ton of money but it all goes to the parent companies, its not like any of it gets funneled back to the comic wing of the company. I've been in comic retail for over half my life so I can state for a fact these movies do indeed increase sales for LCS but it is only from a tiny fraction of the new readers, most new readers will not go into a LCS for comics they will go to Borders or Amazon and get trades, out of a hundred new readers maybe five will go to a LCS and if they like what they get in trade maybe another five from the 95 will become collectors that decide to go to a LCS and collect more. With the remaining 90 30% will probably keep reading trades and the other 70% will just be short term and give it up when the next big thing hits.
Make no mistake, comic films- even bad ones- still make a ton of money on the tail end in terms of licensing and merchandising, especially when WB or Disney own all the subsidiaries making all the products (a little less so for Marvel since a few of its major properties belong to other licensees).
Here's the difference, however, when someone leaves "Captain America" versus "Eat Pray Love"... even if the film has created some loyalty in you, some brand attachment, some consumer desire... what you CAN spend your money on affects what you WILL spend your money on. If you've finished watching "Eat Pray Love", "Julie & Julia", or "Dear John"... what exactly are your merchandising choices? Basically the book itself, perhaps a trashy romance novel, or something branded / written by Julia Child or Julia Roberts, right? And indeed, those books see a significant up-tick in sales due to movie buzz. The source material AND the ancillary cookbooks get a bump, but that's because that's basically all there is.
If you're someone leaving "Captain America", "Batman", "Green Lantern", or "X-Men" you've got practically an unlimited choice in merchandising... toys, videogames, clothing, collectibles, cartoons, etc. There's a dozen ways to scratch the loyalty / brand / consumer itch- not the least of which is purchasing the movie you just saw- WITHOUT resorting to the source material (which is arguably intimidating, not as distilled / elemental or quality as say animated adaptations, and potentially in a challenging format, with a price point that provides limited value compared to alternatives). Even if you want a comic, why the monthly format when- typically- there are tons of quality trades available at the same time (thus comic format competing even with itself). Those things assuredly DO see a significant boost in sales (which, typically end up going to big box retailers- Walmart, Toys R Us, Barnes & Noble, etc- rather than LCSs) which typically justify the films irrespective of MONTHLY comic book sales. If you measure trade sales, they go up, whether we're talking about Watchmen, Scott Pilgrim, or even Jonah Hex.
The thing is, after all the merchandising and marketing dies down and the options fade away, quality movies will still leave an impression, character loyalty, brand recognition, nostalgia, etc. with some consumers who later- perhaps years- seek out the source material as a means to reconnect with the characters... and thus enter comics readership. The amount and quality of the comic media adaptation needs to be high enough for this effect to take place... and for the industry to see an appreciable effect the rate of attrition has to be smaller than the gain. DC saw this boost years after Bruce Timm's DCAU, Marvel was seeing this boost after the Spider-Man / X-Men films... (again "after" being years after the initial media release) but attrition is over-taking those series of booms with MONTHLY comics... whereas trades are continuing to sell strongly.
The point is, the single issue format and pricing is weak right now and not the best metric of whether the films are making fans necessarily... a better measure might be to ask new and recent fans what character or property brought them into comics and how? I suspect a larger proportion of them will cite back to some cartoon, some film, some game, or some trade as being their first and most influential superhero impression. I'm sure there will be some who say a single floppy did it, but they're likely the minority. So we can't be looking for the immediate monthly up-tick when that's the most insular aspect of the property despite being, ironically, the source material.
Scott Pilgrim is a perfect example of how to do things right, they didn't spend a ton of money they just made a solid movie that was well marketed (and not to the extreme) and the money came rolling in and Oni wasn't stupid they didn't put out a ton of new versions of the comic or spin offs all they did was sell the original comics and just kept putting out new printings to keep up with the demand.
And just like in the article I had no clue what Flashpoint was about, the build up was pathetic, I thought it was going to be little Flash-centric mini event, I didn't know it was going to snowball into this fubar relaunch.
Personally I think it's because of the price point. I mean when I first started reading comics, they were like $2.50, which I thought was a lot for the time. Then when I got back in recently, everything was $3-$4! It's just so hard to invest into a pull list when kids and teens disposable income may be less than $20 a week. I sure never have gotten more than that in one week myself.
Maybe the comics should anticipate the movies and have at least one comic that goes along with the main hero (like Iron Man) just being the basic hero from the comics. Saving the day from bad guys, the basic idea of the comic. Instead of having the story weighed down in continuity or having the character out of character. Like when Spider-Man 1 came out Norman Osborn was all over the Spider-man comics, then when Doc Ock was in the movie he was all over the comics, then when Spider-man 3 came out Spider-man went back to Black in the comics. Maybe they should try to tie them in a little more without bogging it with continuity.They have been doing this to an extent in recent years, when the Nolan Batman movies came out they started tweaking the comics so that they reflected the movie versions and when Iron Man 2 came out they did the same thing with Iron Man changing the armor and making the character look more like Robert Dawney Jr.
@VanTesla said:I don't think it helps that all comic movies say that it is based on/inspired by/whatever by the graphic novel and never actually says comic book, people see graphic novel they aren't thinking they have to go to a LCS they think Borders or Amazon and that is where they go and where the money ends up.@turoksonofstone said:If done right yes, cartoons too.Just like the awesome movie tie-in videogames! :)@foxglove said:
Great Idea, EXCLUSIVE floppy tied in with the Pre-Movie ADVERT. That is a blockbuster formula
If they'd like these movie releases to garner new readers I think they ought to start putting comics into people's hands right at the movie theater. With characters that have decades of history, people often tell me they just "...wouldn't even know where to start."
In the past though a few movies did actually give out promotional material when viewing the movie, the one that comes to mind was The Wizard, when that came out in theaters they also handed out free copies of the first issue of Nintendo Power (magazine), it was a while ago but I think when the first Spider-Man came out some theaters handed out a free mini-comic as well. They really should do this more when movies come out, I know they do it a lot for preview releases, I saw preview releases for 300 four times and they gave out large cardboard shields and swords, Resident Evil handed out little packets of skin lotion and even There's Something About Mary handed out packets of hair gel. Companies are just getting too lazy with stuff these days.
You probably work at Starbucks or something, huh?Marvel and DC are a part of Major Corporations. Who cares about their sales? Let them eat the losses, they can afford it. What goes around comes around kids.
Despite what the article says THE main reason I started reading and loving comics so much was because of the Batman movie in 1989. I was a senior in high school and loved the movie so much I had to pick up a comic to see what it was like and to see if it was as good as the movie. Not only did I love it but I thought it was better. That led me to buying more and more and more. I have been collecting comics for 22 yrs now and don't intend to stop. The movies might not get everyone into comics but I'm sure it gets more people interested then if the movies were not released
They could try spending some of their budget advertising books instead of the movies.
I don't think I've ever seen comic sales spike because of a movie. Ever. It just doesn't happen. Movies, even if they're good, do not send new readers flocking to the comic shops to jump into current issues. It always bugs me when publishers act like they might. Marvel is especially bad about this, because you'd think they would have learned the lesson by now with how many movies they've done. But they've been flooding the market with excessive and largely weak Captain America and Thor books. They've sloppily put together a Cap/Thor event in Fear Itself. And they've even said it wouldn't make sense not to have Steve Rogers back in the Captain America in time for the movie. What sense exactly? Who is going to care?
Say someone comes out of the Thor, Green Lantern or Captain America movie with an interest in reading more. What do you expect them to do? Do you really believe they will track down the nearest comic shop and grab current issues? Or do you think they'll go on Amazon and order trades? I think the latter makes a whole lot more sense. I think much more moviegoers are ordering collections of JMS' Thor than anything Matt Fraction is writing or collections of Geoff Johns' earlier Green Lantern work like Rebirth than the current War of the Green Lanterns. And I don't think moviegoers would care at all if Bucky was still Captain America in July because what they're going to be reading is the start of Brubaker's Captain America run with Steve was still Cap and Bucky was just being brought back.
The idea that comic book movies will ever send waves of new readers to comic chops is just crazy to me.
So many things to cover regarding this topic.
First, comic book prices. Yes, we are aware that the supplies needed to publish have increased in price, things like paper, printing, ink, the digital end of it all, not exactly cheap. The comic book companies seem to generate a portion of revenue by allowing advertisements in their books and many of the same comic book companies are owned by "umbrella" companies or have some type of entertainment connection, such as Marvel with Disney, DC with Warner Bros. Not to forget, Dark Horse and Dynamite Entertainment have garnered licensed properties as well, such as Star Wars for Dark Horse. So one would assume the prices would be at a level readers could afford. Yet they aren't.
Especially as Sara points out in the article, if a young person is given an allowance and has to choose between comics and a movie, he will see the latter, and even some DVDs are at the same price as a comic. Not to forget video games, even though they are more costly and some are available online, it is indeed a tough sell for comic books because video games as a whole are more appealing. It is a tough market for comic books.
Usually, older fans are picking up comic books which is OK to an extent but it isn't helping the comic book industry as a whole. If younger people aren't also buying the comics that means the companies are going to try and snare much money as they can, which means asking higher prices for the comics.
Anyone wanting to self-publish a comic is facing a challenge as well. No real income can truly be had, perhaps a small scraping of the money barrel perhaps but smaller Indie companies and self published comics are really getting hit hard. Sadly I think this area will be affected.
Additionally, the major companies continually push and push and push with all these crossovers and events it tends to scare off those who are still buying. Having multiple comics for the same character doesn't help. We know the drill about that point.
Here's what I say would be great to help comic book publishers and buyers alike:
I wouldn't care if comic book companies went back to using newsprint for the comic books themselves or a less expensive type of paper. Stop hiring writers and artists outside the comic book arena and paying them high salaries. While its great to have big names on comics, has it really made that much a difference? Does it need to be said? Lower the prices. Just a little. Please.
Stop writing so many multiple crossovers, tie-ins and events. If they do, pare the amount down to a few issues, not a year or two or three years long. These are fun to read, yes, and I like them but too much is just that, too much.
What I failed to add is that this year especially, the economy in the USA has had a major impact, fuel prices, food, etc., the list goes on but hopefully things will improve. That also played into the drop of sales. Comic book or gas or food? Yeah, you know what most choose.
I think, though, what will happen, is that digital comics will indeed be the marketplace, and printed comic books are soon going to be a thing of the past. And that's something I don't want to happen.
Even movie tie ins wount save what the companies are doing to comics these days.That retailer who said their was no pick up in sales after a comic movie must not have been in buesness back when http://www.comicvine.com/batman/223-4/ came out. Their was a increase in sales.I know cause back then i helped to watch over a comic shop for a friend.
Parents would come in a buy batman comics for thier kids.When http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_The_Animated_Series became popular two or three shows in we had parents an kids intrested in batman. So um with all due respect to eric thorton hes wrong .
Its not the lackluster movies ( tho thor an xmen have made big money) its the comic companies now thats pile driving comics into a early grave.Think of the dumb things dc has done this year alone pr wise even if you liked all their costume changed an character core changes. As well as the dumb cross over events marvel seems intent on doing 2 or three times a year now.
When one of the big two do dumb things it afects the whole industry.I fear for the future of comics because of this .Any title i look at as a posible monthly now will be changed or retconed out in september by dc.An marvel wel...l captian america i buy in harbound trades an the rest their is loseing my intrest more an more per month.
I think the independants may be the only way for me to find a monthly title now.But its realy not rocket science why comics are in a slump now despite big movies.Least from some one on the out side that is.Also think of it this way.. i spent 21 bucks today on gog.com buying old pc games 7 classics with hours an hours of game play. for the same money i get maybe 7 comics .. an maybe a hour reading material.Which will only be retconed ,rebooted,flashpointyheaded,52crisis bright zero day hour infnaite cival crossover war. /bleh.
Their loseing the fight in value .As well as entertainment.
When X-men origins came out Deadpool sales increased - dont try to deny that!
From personal experience as well I believe this to be incorrect, in fact after I saw Thor with some mates then afterwards a couple of them asked me to take them to the comic book store to pick up some issues; Similar story with kick ass.
So I disagree with this article.
The biggest problem with the comic book industry is it's over reliance on the big mega cross over events. They've done so many in so little time that now they don't mean anything anymore. I think older readers, and maybe even younger readers, could remember the time when one character showing up in another character's series was a huge deal. That's not even remotely the case anymore.
On top of that constantly churning out these big series is making it confusing to even keep track of what's going on anymore. If you were to ask me what's going on in the Marvel 616 universe I couldn't tell you jack. I certainly don't know what DC is even like these days considering the whole reboot that sounds like more and more like a horrible idea when I think about it.
Also the whole thing strikes me like both companies aren't even really thinking about what they're doing ahead of time anymore. How does Marvel celebrate the 50 anniversary of Fantastic Four? By not having the Fantastic Four even around at the moment (Future Foundation doesn't really count).
When I around 5 or 6 I saw Superman and loved it. I was even younger when I saw Superman and it was waaaaaay to dragging for me. Not enought Superman action. Then on Fox they used to show double features of the HORRIBLE Spider-man T.V. show as a Friday night movie (with only 3 commercials) and it was also horrible. So damn cheesy. Of course I watched Batman with Adam West and was just annoyed at how damn tounge and cheek it was. What did grab me were the cartoons. Specifically the very first Spider-man cartoons where he battled gangster with the fedoras and trench coats. Not the villains he would later fight. Then of course Fox had those on with Spider-Man and his amazing friends. The way to comics for me were the cartoons. I don't know exactly how the kids are reacting to things now because Tom and Jerry, Wood Woodpecker and Bugs have been replaced by Sponge Bob, and some of the stupidest damn cartoons ever created. It's all boogers and farts and just humor that I don't get. Anyway the super hero movies that were available were weak. The Hulk show was weak, Captain America was weak, Spidey, and only as an adult do I like Superman. Superman 2 was good but that's because of the battles, which are so fake now they should be played on Mystery Science Fiction Theater. I don't even want to get into Doctor Strange because I have no idea what the movie was even about. Could be cool now and I hate Doctor Strange. I saw Green Lantern this weekend and I was afraid that they would not be able to get the constructs down right. To my they did a fantastic job. It actually made it same like Green Lantern isn't fast enough in the comics they way the bulldozed thru the construct scene where Hal is in training. I completely forgot the point I was trying to make (ADD) but I think it was that the way I got into comics was from the animation outlet. Spider-man was on so long that I knew the characters when I started reading about them. I knew about a lot of DC characters because the Super-Friends faught a large amount of villains in the Legion of Doom so I was familar with them. It makes the transaction great. I think as long as Batman the Brave and the Bold is on it' will make at least the DC transition to comics easier. Otherwise, what kid is going to know who the hell Blue Beetle is etc. I think one reason Marvel does so much better then DC is because the names of their characters and teams are more Marketable at first glance then DC. Think about it. What sounds cooler to a kid. Seeing titles like Blue Beetle. The Justice Society of America, Booster Gold, Animal Man, Birds of Prey or something like Black Panther, Dare Devil, X-Men, Wolverine, Avengers. Kids pretend to be super hero's as kids. Would you rather pretend to be a guy called Booster Gold, or a guy called Dare Devil. It's obvious.
Well the movies are just the modern way of making comic books social. Unless the comic books find some other way of manifesting themselves socially this is the way its going to go... maybe if some propaganda happens and people don't trust each other anymore then they will spend more time alone indoors :P.
Last week I was talking with a friend who doesn't read comics about movies based on books and comic-books.
We got to that point when comparing directors doing whatever they wanted with the characters, like giving Shaw the powers of Bishop, the nazi genetist past and putting Riptide on his club and also changing Riptide powers, among a lot of changes not only to the personalities, but to the powers, using just names to attract the public but then telling a different story with characters that could have different names and wouldn't be copies of Marvel characters because they are completly different on a completly different story.
I compared it with Peter Jackson deciding that Pippin, Merry and Legolas weren't necessary to his film, and that Gimli should be a beautiful mermaid instead of a dwarf.
But then I realized based on our conversation, that from the perspective of someone that doesn't read comics, while if you see a movie or TV series based on a book, you read the book, with comics is different because all the stories has so many crossovers, story arcs and origins based on really old comic-books, that for casual readers is nearly impossible to get it right and they simply doesn't take the effort, assuming that the movie is more or less like the stories told on the comics (wich is why I watch the X-Men films only to make the list of things to correct when my friends talk about them lol).
So really movies based on comic books aren't helping the comics sales because of that, and the ones that watch the film because they (we) read comics, are already readers anyway.
Well some of the people, like me, read them for free so that may be one of reasons :p
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