The 2020 Comic book crash

[TGLS]

Most comics released in the past 20 years probably have easy to transmit media (probably just a matter of putting it in the right format). Then you just do everything after that piecemeal. If some past event is important, digitize that and publish. Historically important like the first Batman? Digitize and publish. I mean, who the hell watches old soap episodes? No reason to put very old episodes on Netflix, the recents will do.

[Robovski]

Marvel basically squandered the whole synergy of 10 years of hit movies. People looking for the heroes they saw on the big screen could not find them in the current comics. There were several popular animated series that resembled the movies, but the comics? Hard pass apparently. Captain America is a secret Nazi. Iron Man is dead and is now a black girl and Dr. Doom? I feel bad for the LCS, as I feel they are much like the LGS and they are places special to me, but comics can fail. Something better may come from the ashes or the indies may rise up or digital will be the future but I do not see buying a basic monthly comic book again. Last "comic" I bought was a hardbound anthology and I don't see changing that. Digital is the future otherwise IMO.

It is the future, but IMHO, I would like to ask you... when do you foresee that happening? I mean, because there are literally millions of pages of comics out there, no hyperbole, and the sheer economics in scanning them, downloading them into a PC, and then uploading them onto a home page is just mind-boggling for an entity that owns an IP. Several web sites have already popped up in the absence of that. Wouldn't it just be easier to seize control of something, like, say, RCO and make them pay them more money? Sorry if I'm being a bit slow here. I'm just curious!

So classic print comics will continue to be a niche collectible, but there are some fans who will want digital copies (I know it was my main draw for the time I spent with Marvel's digital service). It is possible for the IP owners to do just as you describe, to scan and format old print copies and make them available for sale or access. They can also make hardbound compilations if they think there is a market for it. For example, here is a hardcover collection of Flash Gordon strips: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857681540/?coliid=I19Z5JWNC4UH0W&colid=39M2K84214TZJ&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Current and future comics can be digital for distribution through various means and there is nothing stopping those coming out in a manga-like anthology or some other print format if there is enough demand. I personally feel (and YMMV here) that comics as they have been are overpriced and do not represent good value for entertainment. Digital distribution makes it possible to hit a cheaper price while keeping up with regular short interval product while print anthologies of a story arc or a quarterly or even annual run would satisfy the collector and reduce the risk to the stores.

[Captain Crimson]

Marvel basically squandered the whole synergy of 10 years of hit movies. People looking for the heroes they saw on the big screen could not find them in the current comics. There were several popular animated series that resembled the movies, but the comics? Hard pass apparently. Captain America is a secret Nazi. Iron Man is dead and is now a black girl and Dr. Doom? I feel bad for the LCS, as I feel they are much like the LGS and they are places special to me, but comics can fail. Something better may come from the ashes or the indies may rise up or digital will be the future but I do not see buying a basic monthly comic book again. Last "comic" I bought was a hardbound anthology and I don't see changing that. Digital is the future otherwise IMO.

It is the future, but IMHO, I would like to ask you... when do you foresee that happening? I mean, because there are literally millions of pages of comics out there, no hyperbole, and the sheer economics in scanning them, downloading them into a PC, and then uploading them onto a home page is just mind-boggling for an entity that owns an IP. Several web sites have already popped up in the absence of that. Wouldn't it just be easier to seize control of something, like, say, RCO and make them pay them more money? Sorry if I'm being a bit slow here. I'm just curious!

So classic print comics will continue to be a niche collectible, but there are some fans who will want digital copies (I know it was my main draw for the time I spent with Marvel's digital service). It is possible for the IP owners to do just as you describe, to scan and format old print copies and make them available for sale or access. They can also make hardbound compilations if they think there is a market for it. For example, here is a hardcover collection of Flash Gordon strips: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857681540/?coliid=I19Z5JWNC4UH0W&colid=39M2K84214TZJ&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Current and future comics can be digital for distribution through various means and there is nothing stopping those coming out in a manga-like anthology or some other print format if there is enough demand. I personally feel (and YMMV here) that comics as they have been are overpriced and do not represent good value for entertainment. Digital distribution makes it possible to hit a cheaper price while keeping up with regular short interval product while print anthologies of a story arc or a quarterly or even annual run would satisfy the collector and reduce the risk to the stores.

Thanks for the heads-up! I was mainly referring to material like DC and Marvel, since those are the IPs who have millions of pages of comics. Getting them all up online would probably take weeks if not months.

[Robovski]

Well, it would be work and not something they can do instantly, but it is something that they were supposed to already be doing DC and Marvel-wise. I used to have an annual to Marvel Unlimited, they had some old scans but not everything plus new material https://www.marvel.com/comics/unlimited?SEM=20200302_Google_FT_Copy03&CID=MarvelUnlimited&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhZr1BRCLARIsALjRVQPLrE3yC_7bpU2vvPNxvm2B1xVhWRRtadBL9cxozVEtoW9KfzxSumgaAqv5EALw_wcB

[Darth Wedgius]

FWiW, back when he was working for DC Dan DiDio said:

We do these Facsimile Editions where we reprint older issues of comics including all the old ads and stuff…and in some cases these are selling more than the new comics with these characters. People are more interested in buying the stories from 30 or 40 years ago than the contemporary stories, and that’s a failure on us.

We should be focused on moving things forward, always pushing the boundaries and finding new stories to tell. That’s how we’ll survive and grow this industry.

[Mecha82]

I was wondering does IDW have something similar? It would be nice to way get to read they run for Transformers.

[ProfessorDetective]

I was wondering does IDW have something similar? It would be nice to way get to read they run for Transformers.

I know most of their output is on Comixology Unlimited, but a dedicated service? I haven't heard of one.

[GreyICE]

Comics will be fine. The best stuff isn't made by Marvel/DC anyway.

Superheroes will be fine. Comic books can be considered a vanity project. The entire profit of every comic book sold in the world for the year doesn't add up to what Avenger's Endgame made. That's one movie.

Floppy magazine-sized comics? Yeah, that business has been on life support for decades. It's probably over. Most of these issues should be coming out in Trade Paperback anyway.

[Thebestoftherest]

I do wonder if they should just stop mutli issues over the months just have them be large one issue.

[GreyICE]

You could get more interesting stories too. More pages to work with, no need for the story to hold you issue to issue with action each issue.

Mind you, they can probably keep the big ones. Spiderman, Action Comics, XMen, Detective Comics, etc. There's a good two dozen, maybe three dozen titles you could easily do that with. But this entire trying to have hundreds of monthly titles, it doesn't work.