Do you think the business and publishing model of comics limits its potential?
As long as I have read comics there has always been this intent to seek some legitimization(if not through sales then as respected form of art/entertainment) but the comic industry has always remained small, compared to music, tv, movies, video games, novels, manga, etc.
But as long as there has been this frustration, the industry hasn't done anything different to change how they publish and produce comics. In some ways they've even reverted back to their old habits(variant covers, crossover events).
If I want to read a novel I can just go buy the book, a tv show I can look it up and download it, a movie, a song, etc. It's very easy to get access to a specific product and that product is usually self contained, but with comics the monthly and trade and graphic novels seem to actively make it difficult for new readers.
If I go to the comic store almost every book is going to be part of a larger piece and not getting an entire story. This is not just main superhero comics, but independents as well. The cover art rarely matches the inside, they are filled with advertisements, and they can be expensive. Anyone who takes a chance and tries out a comic will likely be confused or annoyed at what they bought.
This is also somewhat true of graphic novels, not just DC and Marvel and their mainline superheroes, but a lot of smaller companies as well. The numbering is inconsistent, the stories seem to require a specific knowledge of events, and in some cases are ongoing.
I know some smaller publishers (Humanoids, Top Shelf, Fantagraphics) try to sell individual graphic novels and offer those as specific self contained stories, but they are the exception.
I think part of the appeal of manga was just how clear and convenient they are at publishing and selling. They made their products accessible, identifiable and much cheaper. If the stories are not self contained they have a very clear numbering method to make it easy for new readers.
Even just looking at a comics rack compared to the manga rack shows a drastic difference in attitude.
[url]https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P101.jpg[/url]
[url]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Manga_at_Barnes_%26_Noble%2C_Tanforan_3.JPG[/url]
How much of the industries difficulties do you think is related to the publishing and business model? Do you think that will ever change? Do you want them to?
I wonder if the industry will ever get to the point where comics are only told in complete stories and separated by genre like how so many other forms of stories are read and enjoyed.
