comic sales drop substantualy year over year

Cyberstrike · Post by **Cyberstrike** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 7:41 pm

Tim wrote:
IMJ wrote: I said this a long time ago - once our generation is done with the hobby, then the hobby is done.
Yep. Been saying this for a long time too.

My cousin is 9 years old and LOVES superheroes. His walls are plastered with posters of Spider-man, Iron Man, and the X-Men. His toys are ALL superhero toys and he can name any superhero you throw at him.

The kid has no interest whatsoever in reading a comic book.

I don't blame him.

Most Marvel and DC mainstream titles are either over his head or so wrapped up in continuity that he'd get no enjoyment out of them, and most of the kiddie stuff is so kiddie it does nothing to engage or challenge him.

When we're dead, so will comic books be.

Sad but true.

superman-prime · Post by **superman-prime** » Mon Sep 20, 2010 8:14 pm

yep sad but true

ian_house · Post by **ian_house** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 4:09 am

very very sad with a hint of truthful juice.

maraxusofkeld · Post by **maraxusofkeld** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 8:14 am

At my LCS, I never have seen younger kids buying books monthly at all. The closet I've seen was a few teenagers in high school and even those are scarce. It is such a shame though, I guess with video games and computers kids have no interest.

greg · Post by **greg** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 8:40 am

maraxusofkeld wrote:At my LCS, I never have seen younger kids buying books monthly at all. The closet I've seen was a few teenagers in high school and even those are scarce. It is such a shame though, I guess with video games and computers kids have no interest.

We just need the Big Bang Theory tv show to influence a few million kids and we'll be alright.
They go to the comic book store about every other episode.

leonmallett · Post by **leonmallett** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 11:14 am

I know I am working to cut back my spending; £2.83 GBP for most of the titles I get is too much (which will go up by 6p per title as soon as UK VAT increases next year), so I am stopping titles that I have read for a long time, bit by bit. What has annoyed me a hell of a lot is forced crossovers in recent years, with a story told over seperate titles.

Maybe they have indeed increasingly priced themselves out of the market, especially ikn the face of global economic problems.

As a hobby it is simply too expensive for me to indulge in the same way I did when I was younger.

So if it is expensive for young people; the problem is two-fold - not just lack of catching a new audience through appropriate channels, but also discouraging new readers based on price.

superman-prime · Post by **superman-prime** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 6:25 pm

same thing sports cards did 10 years ago

OmenSpirits.com · Post by **OmenSpirits.com** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 10:33 pm

Like any publishing venture (my friend and I were discussing novels & the advent of Kindle) there will be a time of adjustment, finding the balance between tech & paper where the two will not be in competition with one another.

Idea ex. Lower the price on paper while taking the lower price and make up for it by selling the online ontent at the price cut from paper. Say you sell a comic for 3.99 normally.

Instead, sell it for 2.50 & sell the online content not available in print for 1.49.

You just made the same amount, got twice the exposure, and increased viability of both mediums, traditional & internet.

people will feel less angst against dropping 3.99 if you split it up to 'look like its less and you give the option of whether to go for that extra or not. PR people can deal with making the extra enticing for the buyer.

Just an idea.

But like the novel publishing industry, no one will listen.

That's why book publishers are goin ape *SQUEE*. No vision past the old system.

StarBrand · Post by **StarBrand** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 12:57 pm

This article features commentary on the issue at hand. Some of this seems anomalous in nature. For example, "there were no major line-wide crossover events at Marvel or DC." Also, "there were no major new titles launching in August."

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page ... e&id=28466

Second_Death · Post by **Second_Death** » Thu Sep 23, 2010 10:57 am

Very much like the Turok banner at that link.

Second_Death · Post by **Second_Death** » Thu Sep 23, 2010 11:01 am

IMJ wrote: I said this a long time ago - once our generation is done with the hobby, then the hobby is done. Nothing is being done to make comics truly accessible to new readers - what is being done is a misdirected effort. It's like creating that line of books for kids, and then putting them in comic stores. Kids don't go to comics stores. The logic is misaligned.

So true. Since regaining interest in comics a few years back, I have not seen a single customer under 30 years of age in my LCS. Not one.