It is the last thing
I wanted to post about. British comics. It’s just that I cannot make
any sense of what is going on. It goes against all logic and whatever
theory you try to put forward you can then counter with “but that just
does not make sense!”Panini launches Thundercats with a superbly illustrated and coloured 13 pages long strip. Does it tell anyone? No. Only now have they bothered mentioning it on their website. But this is a comic strip that needs its own title and publicity to back it up. Throwing it in a cheap Lucky Bag” (as kids we used to buy these sealed paper bags-a mix of sweets with small toy and even the odd collectors card) is not a way of attracting buyers. Why pay creators to write, draw, colour and letter a comic strip and just…well, I think I’ve made myself clear?
And today I heard from John, who normally passes me D. C. Thomson snippets. I am finding it hard to believe the sales figures I’ve been given. If true, then some editor at Thomson should now be seated in a closed office with a pistol in front of him and about to do the “decent thing”!
I’ve done scientific research as well as market research and you look at every aspect of a subject/product -even the really unexpected side of things.
But what Thomson is doing is…well, it has absolutely no sense or logic to it.
And still we have certain “Yes Men” saying that editors/Thomson know best? Know what best -how to destroy their business?
I’m hoping that someone somewhere at Thomson wakes up and realises what they are doing. This makes them a joke in the business market.
Until that day and until Panini realises what its got and prioduces more and treats it with more respect I have nothing more to say.
The last of “The Big Two” is dead.
Madness. I see D.C. Thomson have released a Broons and Oor Wullie 'Holiday Annual' - priced at £5.99. Because it's called an 'Annual' and not a 'Special', it'll be placed in the book section of Smiths where not many kids will see it - instead of on the shelves amongst the comics for the age group it's aimed at. No doubt the ludicrously high price will also ensure that only a few diehard fans will fork out for it. It seems to be DCT's intention to milk the few remaining fans for every penny they can get, instead of trying to attract new readers with a more attractive and appealing price policy.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kid.
ReplyDeleteI think the release of another Broons and Oor Wullie set in England proves the point. Is either still published in Scottish newspapers? Who the **** under 45 is going to know what either is? "Let's flog another book at a high price that only a few will be interested in!" After all these years they MUST have used up all the strips!
What about their adventure characters -Billy The Cat (mix of old with the newer Dobbyn colour strips), General Jumbo...in fact, there are so many of these I could go on! But people want action and adventure along with a few thrills and a few laughs.
Thomson has always been about money.
I've discussed what they are doing with lots of people outside the UK industry but most will NOT believe me until they check it out and then they are as stumped as me. What do the directors do when they see the losses?? Give the editors a raise?!
I've been told sales of Dandy are at just over 6000 but I can't get that confirmed AND I've been told twice that the figures Down The Tube posted are "print runs not sales"??!! Certainly the people I speak to in Tesco, W. H. Smith and even smaller newsagents tell me they only get a few copies and are lucky to sell those.
I just don't get it.
And Panini only JUST publicising (by mentioning it on their web site)their new Thundercats magazine (NOT a comic). Apparently not many shops ordered copies because it was not promoted and John Paul Bove tells me he went into his Smith's and they had no copies.
People in France think I'm joking because none of it makes sense!
But like I said, there are no longer "the big two" now. Thomson is dead.