Do comic shops actually hurt comic sales?

[Hedji]

I also feel like there's too wide a divide between kiddie fare and adult stuff. The G rated stuff can't be taken very seriously by any kid who wants to read. The mainstream books are too dark and badass (in theme and coloring) to be attractive to young readers. And they're too expensive. Seems like a middle class set of standard hero books is needed.

[Hedji]

I would love for comics to go back to newsprint and simple coloring. The old comics were so much more visually appealing with a bold, limited color palette.

Bingo!!!! I oughta make that my new signature.

[EMCE Hammer]

We made a pit stop at the library this weekend and picked up some DC trades. One of them was a New 52 JLA arc. My ten-yr-old started to read it on the ride home, and didn't make it five pages before passing it up to me. His words" "Hey dad, I probably shouldn't be reading this. It's way too violent." There's just not enough Art and Franco to go around; there's no natural path of progression anymore from elementary books to more serious titles, especially for superheroes.

My local TRU carries comics, but it's spotty. I don't know how a kid would ever follow an arc buying from them. Most big box stores and grocery stores still have a 'kid book' section, at least one around here "Meijer" even has them in spinner racks. Those books have taken the place of comics. The brick and mortar space is still out there, it's just populated with different stuff. I'll snap some pics when I get a chance and post them.

[hedrap]

I'm with you guys, but it's no longer that simple. I'm sure MegoMilk or Samurai could delve into this better, but a lot of the old methods are gone. Think of it in Mego context; things that could have been done stateside decades ago can't be done now because the actual equipment is gone or the material has changed.

So on a boutique scale, it could be done, but it's a haul for a major publisher. I remember Alan Moore had Image run the gauntlet so his 1962 series could mimic the Silver Age process, and that was in '92.

[Mego Magyar]

Yes to everything that's been said. It's that comics aren't for kids anymore but for the collectors. For years I've thought that if the companies wanted to increase sales they should go back to printing the cheapest way and lower the cover price and try to get into every convenience store, since the mom and pop shops where I used to buy don't exist anymore. What kid, or parent that wants the kid to be quiet in the back seat is going to spend $4 dollars on something that they aren't buying to collect. And stop year long subplots that take another year to play out.

The closest comic shop to me is 2 hours away and the only place I've seen a few books locally is the Hannafords where I do my grocery shopping.

Even though I don't buy anymore I miss the old days of newsprint and spinner racks.

[kingdom warrior]

I would love for comics to go back to newsprint and simple coloring. The old comics were so much more visually appealing with a bold, limited color palette.

and the wonderful smell of old comic books.....these new prints although look better have no warmth to them.
It's sad not to be able to find comics at a regular news stand. That was a joy to go through the rack and find your favorite books.

[enyawd72]

Say what you will about better paper and printing on modern comics. They sold back in the day cause they were inexpensive entertainment.

- Marty

I would love for comics to go back to newsprint and simple coloring. The old comics were so much more visually appealing with a bold, limited color palette.

[ubermanx]

Up here in Canada you can usually find Archie, Simpsons and a few select Marvel/DC titles on magazine racks in grocery stores and Walmart. So I feel like Marvel and DC do indeed test the newstand waters to see if demand is there. Our large chain book stores, Indigo/Chapters, usually have one full spinner rack of comics from Archie, Marvel, DC and Dark Horse.

What I find pretty neat too is that subscriptions are still available. My one friend gets all his comics directly from DC and Marvel and hasn't walked into a comic shop in over 15 years.

But still, I think it is simple cost ... when I was a kid I got a dollar and ran to the corner store to buy one comic book, one soda pop and one chocolate bar. Each were about equal in price. Today a can of pop will run you "around" $1, a chocolate bar also $1 but a comic book is $4.99 on the newsstand.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/03/...-99-newsstand/

Say what you will about better paper and printing on modern comics. They sold back in the day cause they were inexpensive entertainment.

- Marty

[enyawd72]

^You said it perfectly.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I'm of the personal opinion comic companies massively screwed up when they pretty much abandoned the newstands in the early 90s. I know newstand real estate has shrunk, but you can't tell me, with some effort, DC and Marvel couldn't get their flagship titles on the racks.

Look at Archie. Archie Comics is the only comic publisher with newstand presence. DC had a good digest program and threw it away in the mid-80s. Marvel's was subpar and shortlived, after DC had given up. But Archie prevails.

The dissing of the newsstand goes hand-in-hand with comics taking themselves way too seriously, and becoming far too insular for the general public to get. When every issue has to be a masterpiece, earth-shattering, epoch-making epic, then nothing is. It was better when there was just a new monthly adventure of your favorite character to read. The cream would rise to the top.

Chris

[enyawd72]

I think they do. I live in Jefferson, Ohio. The same small town I grew up in, and these days the closest comic shop from me is Madison, Ohio...almost 40 minutes away.

There isn't a single place anywhere in town to buy comics at all. Now it occurs to me that with the popularity of all these superhero movies, having their respective comics easily accessible to everyone, especially kids, would really boost sales.

Case in point...the daughter of one of my wife's friends is really into Spider-Man, thanks to the movies and cartoons. She has several Spider-Man toys and even had a Spidey-themed birthday party. Her dad was saying however that he couldn't find any Spider-Man comics anywhere, and she WANTS to read them.

I told him about the shop in Madison, but it's even farther away for him since they live 20 minutes south of us.
That's just ridiculous. I remember when I was growing up in this fleaspeck of a town, which had less than half the businesses it does now, and there were FIVE different places to buy comics here.
Convenient Food Mart, Golden Dawn, Stutzman's Newsroom, Ben Franklin, and Revco Drug. They ALL had the standard spinner rack full of comics every month.
Is it any wonder sales aren't what they used to be? By limiting comics to so few retail outlets, many people can't even find them to buy them if they wanted to.