![]() It just means changing their role in the overall comics infrastructure. However, embracing digital comics doesn’t mean the same as ditching these important brick-and-mortar structures. Some of my fondest memories have occurred in comic shops. Step 3: Make Comic Shops More Than Comic Shops The first company to figure it out will make millions and entice a new generation of fans. I’m not smart enough to figure it out, but digital offers so many rich opportunities. I’m not sure what that something is, be it a motion comic or something that sets itself apart from a traditional paperback. Why not give us something we can’t get anywhere else? Services like Marvel Unlimited are nice, but they’re just giving us products that were already released. In conjunction with that growth, the industry needs to embrace the other opportunities that digital offers. That can’t be the extent of how digital comics impact the industry.Īt the moment, digital comics are only a small part of overall comic sales, but they’re growing rapidly. That’s great, but it’s basically just an extra convenience for those who don’t live near comic shops. Most comics are already released digitally on the same day they come out in shops. However, digital comics have grown a great deal and are more accessible than ever, thanks to companies like Comixology. These days, you can’t find comics in grocery stories. They were easy and, much to my parents’ delight, cheap ways of putting a smile on my face. As a kid, I got most of my comics from the grocery store at first. Decades ago, comics were easy to access because you could buy them at news stands and grocery stores. This step plays directly off the first in that it embraces new technology. It’ll help create an entirely new generation of fans who are less inclined to go to crowded movie theaters. Make every dollar feel like it was well-spent. Books like DC’s Earth One series are basically single-issue graphic novels that tell a rich, complex story at a higher price and it’s worth every penny.Īt a time when people are strapped for cash and looking for value, the comics industry is in a perfect position to tap into it. It’s just a matter of making those products more valuable. However, there’s still a place for comics in the publishing world. Markets and consumer habits have changed. That kind of easy access is what helped create the massive fandom that these franchises enjoy today. You could, conceivably, follow every major event in the Marvel or DC universe for less than $40, adjusted for inflation. Companies like Marvel and DC Comics grew the most when they were just publishing a dozen or so titles a month, with a few mini-series on the side. This is not a sustainable business model. Even if they were only a dollar apiece, there’s only so much consumers can consume. Publishers made too many books that not enough people bought. It’s a problem that has lingered since the industry almost crashed completely in the early 1990s. However, this is a problem that predates the current crisis. There are just too many books coming out all at once. To keep it simple, here are four steps to saving the comic book industry in a post-pandemic world. However, as a long-time fan and follower of the industry, I have a few ideas. I’m certainly not smart enough to know what that overhaul entails. ![]() ![]() ![]() This crisis has shown, among other things, that the current model that the comic industry utilizes just isn’t sustainable. It can’t go back to the way it used to be. However, this hit has nothing to do with some overly political T-shirt that Mockingbird wore.Įven after the pandemic ends, this industry that I love will never be the same. A handful of people, namely the whiny agenda-pushing loser types, have been talking doom and gloom about the comics industry for years. I certainly have felt that after multiple weeks of no new comics. The industry that I’ve loved since I was a kid has never been this vulnerable. Comic shops are likely to go out of business without that influx of new product. I know you can say that about a lot of industries amidst a global pandemic, but the comics industry has been extremely hard hit. The comic book industry is in a state of crisis. ![]()
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