UK Comic Sales -Facts.

People (we know which ones) bleat on that “today’s comic market” and all it has to contend with does not produce great sales.  If that were true then the UK would be unique in its declining sales. But it should be pointed out that I am NOT the only source when it comes to UK sales info.
There is Down The Tubes where you can read this:

“(With thanks to Ian Wheeler and Jeremy Briggs): The ABC sales figures are out for the first half of 2011 and DC Thomson’s Dandy – revamped in October 2010 and promoted with a massive initial print run – is not looking at all healthy. It is not even making a 7,500 issue average compared to over 15,000 in the previous period (view the report here).

The detailed figures it indicate Britain’s oldest humour comic doesn’t even sell an average of 6,900 copies in shops in the UK and Eire combined, suggesting the revamp has failed to capture new readers.”

And these figures…spot the really bad sales one?

Barbie – 53,013
Dandy – 7,448
Beano – 37,146
BeanoMax – 24,438
Disney Princess – 63,238
Disney Tinkerbell – 29,016
Doctor Who Adventures – 50,013
Doctor Who Magazine – 30,682
Simpsons Comics – 64,882
Spectacular Spider-Man – 28,003
Toy Story – 42,294
TOXIC – 40,503
VIZ – 67,851
World Of Cars – 31,532

You can find this all here:

http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/are-falling-sales-bad-news-for-dandy.html

And note the link within the quote that takes you to the full listings mentioned.

Humour comics not doing well?  The Simpsons still gets almost 65,000 sales despite many saying interest in the series on TV is waning after so many years.  If  the recent rumours -they are just rumours- are correct then sales of The Dandy are currently at 6,400-500. I asked in my local W. H. Smith as well as larger Tesco and they say the title sells “very poorly.”

I’m seriously drawing a blank on reasoning here. WHY is D. C. Thomson management seeing this very embarassing suicidal sales flop and just sitting back and doing nothing?  It just makes no sense unless…
1) it’s to create a tax loss

2) Thomson want to get out of comics but want an excuse to show “comics don’t sell any more” -even though they do.

The business market must just be scratching its head and what about investors??

The answer is simple because you should be able to publish comics and get sales.  Sack the editorial staff.  Seriously.  If I ran a company and was paying wages and printing costs not to mention all the distribution stuff, and I saw sales kamikazee-ing into concrete I’d get rid of those editors responsible and get someone new in to overhaul kids comics.  Someone who knows the industry.

It has re-launched and re-launched and the bosses let it go.  It has tried adding a little European touch, varying art styles (please, do not get me started) and even desperately tried to latch on to the cult of TV personality.

IT HAS FAILED.

Are we ready for a re-launch (number 5654 I believe)?

Thomson needs to get a grip. I seriously would hate to see Thomson fade from the UK industry -it would be a real loss. Pity the Thomson management don’rt seem to care as well.