And there is the punch to the jaw of UK comic retailers.
Looking at this week's UK comic pull videos as well as blog reviews it seems that the new prices have hit quickly.
On average it seems long term comic fans are now only purchasing between 6-8 (at the most) titles. They have cancelled all their other books because it is now too expensive and Marvel and DC are "not really producing much that good". From the reviews it seems 1 or 2 Marvel titles and maybe 2 DC titles and the rest are Image or IDW.
Some have cancelled Wonder Woman stating that they were interested in seeing what her "true origin" would be revealed as but "So far, the book doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. It seems to be retreading over things it already covered". No one will explain to me just WTF is going on with Wonder Woman so...meh.
If we take it that the eight I watch/read are cutting back to just 7-8 comics, and their friends are cutting back more in certain cases, that's a lot of cash comic shops in their specific areas are losing. Some say their "comic guys" are being nonchalant and have adopted the "They'll all be back to buying the same number of books in a month!" stance.
Dumb is dumb.
Sadly, I don't get enough feedback from individual comic buyers to see what the real picture might be but if die hard fans are even thinking of dumping the 1-2 Marvel/DC comics that is not good. And, yes, remember all those posts of mine (and pre-"Brexit") stating that comics were going to kill shops off as well as themselves?
If anything I had hoped that on this one I was wrong (comic shop owners are their own worse enemies) and people keep pointing to the, uh, "burgeoning Small Press comics" (which many of them ridiculed and ridiculed me for supporting for almost 40 years but now it suits their arguments).
Well, wake up because 95% (more like 97%) of Small Pressers do not read comics. They have no idea who is who in comics, that the movies like The Avengers or even Watchmen are based on comics. They have no idea who Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko or even Gene Colan are. The people who buy their zines or books are usually a group of friends or associates who do not give a crap about US comics or --sorry, I almost wrote "British comics"!
They are NOT going to sweep in and save comic shops and boost the dead UK industry. Comic shops will not stock Small Press comics so why would they go into one?
Wertham and others failed. But comic companies like Marvel and DC really do appear to be unable to stop stabbing themselves to death.
Good points - I myself have cut my regular titles form 3 (yep only 3 sine my high of 7 way back) to none - no comic intrigues me at all now - my last 4 visits to Forbidden Plant have resulted in me walking out with no purchases. My single comic purchase in last 2 months is the UK Mighty World of Marvel 25 (as it has Dr Stange reprint - will gt 26 later today) - I tend to just pick up £1 grab bags (5 comics for £1 and I feel most are a waste of cash) To be fair there are times when there are a few titles I like all at once but not recently - I am almost 100% on back issues now there are just no fun titles (that I am aware off) on sale ll dark some stunningly illustrated a lot rubbish etc sigh!
ReplyDeleteYou know, back in the 1980s-early 1990s before prices sky-rocketed and newsagents stopped getting comics (let's say Titan distribution put a 'stop' to that) I used to buy every main Marvel and DC title. That was a lot. I cut back to certain main titles but one by one they went because the writing and stories got awful. The way they ended West Coast Avengers or Avengers West Coast, written by an English writer who was shit. Sorry, but he obviously NEVER read Avengers comics. The original team closes down the WCA BECAUSE security was breached at their HQ compound. HOW many times has Avengers mansion been attacked, had security breached??? AWFUL. And it got worse. There is some GREAT art in a lot of comics but the stories and dialogue...no. I'm like you -old back issues and there are a lot of others going for this now!
ReplyDeleteMaybe, as the people of the 60's and 70's wrote their stories for their times - we have to write the stories for our times ? What are the themes of our times...? How should we - how can we - present them in a way that communicates with the people we need to reach ? If comics is an art medium it has to have this : relevance and accessibility. How do we do this ?
ReplyDeleteI know, I witter. I'm tired. Talk to you later in the ( my ) day. Take it easy - oh, and the Wonder Woman trailer looks interesting. FINALLY, they're going to take the 'warrior woman' and let her be a WARRIOR. It could be worth watching. Outta here.
Well, they've looked at that. People liked dark and violent movies? Comics and TV became darker and more violent. The Marvel movies are keeping things bright and entertaining but that is because Di$ney knows or has people who know movies. There IS some great comic art but as one after another vlogger and blogger has said: stories and scripts are CRAP. People are buying 35-40 year old comics to be entertained. Let fan boys in to run things then they roll over for money men. Read my epic posting (in print it comes to over 20 pages!)of today.
ReplyDelete