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The majority of people are focusing on just sales, retail stores, etc. which are all vitally important (don't get me wrong) but that's just the immediate tactical concerns of the situation.
The long-term strategic concerns of some of these decisions (which Marvel's newest announcement hints at) are things like:
1) If you put your books on hold completely (digital and print) then what about publishers' day-to-day business of creation?
2) For creators on books that are "on hold" - without actively creating in the here and now, what do they (and editors, etc.) do in the meantime?
2a) If under exclusive contract they might get paid in the interim... but how long can that be sustained?
2b) For freelancers, they are going to find gigs elsewhere (advertising, animation, whatever and wherever)?
3) Will anyone who does what they have to do to keep afloat during this time be available to come back once the situation is over?
4) How many readers (not the die-hards on forums like this but your more casual reader) are buying ~$5 floppies (physical or digital) out of habit? If there is a forced break in that habit for a month or two, how many will return to their old buying habits and how many might go, "you know, I don't miss comics that much and I like the extra $X in my bank account"? I bring this last one up because, after a couple month hiatus when money was tight, I went for almost 7 years without buying a comic and knew others who 'lapsed' as well.
So, I'm not sure the "no digital" stance is helping anyone. At least if they put out digital books the publishers would keep their own productions moving and perhaps justify keeping people on a bit longer (end sales would obviously have to improve with digital for this to be more than a very temporary stop gap) and would keep at least some customers from potentially leaving.
Or not. There are no easy answers or someone would have already come up with one, but there are a lot more types of dominos that could (and might already) drop in ways that hurt the current incarnation of the industry.
ETA: Considering that a majority of the creative work behind a comic can and is done remote, they can continue to create product during this time... but they need to be able to sell it. If they won't do digital then they got nothing and no reason to justify keeping the day-to-day businesses of creating comics going.
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My hopes for X-factor or Moira's book coming out this year have died :(
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[QUOTE=Astroman;4919119]The majority of people are focusing on just sales, retail stores, etc. which are all vitally important (don't get me wrong) but that's just the immediate tactical concerns of the situation.
The long-term strategic concerns of some of these decisions (which Marvel's newest announcement hints at) are things like:
1) If you put your books on hold completely (digital and print) then what about publishers' day-to-day business of creation?
2) For creators on books that are "on hold" - without actively creating in the here and now, what do they (and editors, etc.) do in the meantime?
2a) If under exclusive contract they might get paid in the interim... but how long can that be sustained?
2b) For freelancers, they are going to find gigs elsewhere (advertising, animation, whatever and wherever)?
3) Will anyone who does what they have to do to keep afloat during this time be available to come back once the situation is over?
4) How many readers (not the die-hards on forums like this but your more casual reader) are buying ~$5 floppies (physical or digital) out of habit? If there is a forced break in that habit for a month or two, how many will return to their old buying habits and how many might go, "you know, I don't miss comics that much and I like the extra $X in my bank account"? I bring this last one up because, after a couple month hiatus when money was tight, I went for almost 7 years without buying a comic and knew others who 'lapsed' as well.
So, I'm not sure the "no digital" stance is helping anyone. At least if they put out digital books the publishers would keep their own productions moving and perhaps justify keeping people on a bit longer (end sales would obviously have to improve with digital for this to be more than a very temporary stop gap) and would keep at least some customers from potentially leaving.
Or not. There are no easy answers or someone would have already come up with one, but there are a lot more types of dominos that could (and might already) drop in ways that hurt the current incarnation of the industry.
ETA: Considering that a majority of the creative work behind a comic can and is done remote, they can continue to create product during this time... but they need to be able to sell it. If they won't do digital then they got nothing and no reason to justify keeping the day-to-day businesses of creating comics going.[/QUOTE]
All good points, friend. And if this does indeed go on much longer, they're going to shift into survival mode.
We pray to the GODDESS Ororo that things return to normal sooner than later.
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marvel is trying to do damage control. Gonna be awful if freelancers doesn't receive money after the books are put on hold.
So it seems like Marvel will continue on digital
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[QUOTE=spirit2011;4919351]marvel is trying to do damage control. Gonna be awful if freelancers doesn't receive money after the books are put on hold.
So it seems like Marvel will continue on digital[/QUOTE]
Yeah, that's what I'm taking. Their big selling books may continue next month possibly..but then again, so much of their line was tied into that Empyre event so I'm doubtful. And for X-Men specifically, Hickman's X-Men book ties in with the other x books pretty frequently, I imagine if you delay some x books, you'd need to delay them all.
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[QUOTE=DragonPiece;4919462]Yeah, that's what I'm taking. Their big selling books may continue next month possibly..but then again, so much of their line was tied into that Empyre event so I'm doubtful. And for X-Men specifically, Hickman's X-Men book ties in with the other x books pretty frequently, I imagine if you delay some x books, you'd need to delay them all.[/QUOTE]
As long as they aren't spoiling when referencing events, x-books will be fine
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[QUOTE=Journey;4919048]Can we all just agree that 2020 has been shit? World War 3, Corona, Fallen Angels, Kobe Bryant Fantastic 4/X-men!!! Now it feels like I'm never gonna get to read Empyre and all that Hulking goodness!!! God Why!?!?!?[/QUOTE]
Well on the anime and manga side of the world every is better then ever, so I'm 50/50
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[QUOTE=Dthirds3;4919499]Well on the anime and manga side of the world every is better then ever, so I'm 50/50[/QUOTE]
What makes Manga/anime situation different/better than American comics?
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Anime can still be released. Manga though... aren't most of the bookshops closed?
[QUOTE=H-E-D;4919110]I definitely have sympathy for the comic shops. But, like you say, they seem averse to [I]any[/I] adaptation or change. That's part of the reason this is such a crisis. By in large, comic shops have done nothing to adapt to changes in technology and environment.
I saw a lot of people shit on ComicHub for wanting to be a "middleman" – but if Doordash, Shipt, Saucey, Postmates, InstaCart, etc etc etc etc are any indication, people are totally fine with middlemen. If comic shops had a middleman to work with, maybe people would still be able to give them money.
In large part, the comics industry is a hobby industry run by [I]hobbyists[/I], not by business-minded people.[/QUOTE]Heck, Diamond is a middleman. Comixology get their stuff directly from the publishers, but shops go to Diamond, who go to the publishers.
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[QUOTE=Digifiend;4920017]Manga though... aren't most of the bookshops closed?
[/QUOTE]
Exactly, I keep reading people saying Manga is doing better than comics on this crisis all over the internet but I don't understand why.
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[QUOTE=Digifiend;4920017]Anime can still be released. Manga though... aren't most of the bookshops closed?
[/QUOTE]
bookstores are delivering books
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How do you think this is going to affect the current X-line?
What books will be cancelled or postponed?
Will that change in any way the ones that were in publication until recently?
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[QUOTE=phoenixzero23;4920482]How do you think this is going to affect the current X-line?
What books will be cancelled or postponed?
Will that change in any way the ones that were in publication until recently?[/QUOTE]
I don't think even Marvel knows that yet as their plans seem to be continually changing... here's hoping that this week they formulate at least a clear goal that isn't muddied down by too many competing priorities (i.e., keep Marvel running vs. keep retail stores happy vs. how can we get Diamond back up vs.... etc. etc.). That way, even as they shift the specifics of their plans, their end-goal will stay constant.
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[QUOTE=phoenixzero23;4920482]How do you think this is going to affect the current X-line?
What books will be cancelled or postponed?
Will that change in any way the ones that were in publication until recently?[/QUOTE]
Johan Hickmessiah will release his limiters, allowing his brain to grow to Evil Sheen levels so he can telepathically send the images to our brains. The price? Every precious memory we hold dear.
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For sure marvel won't cancel X-books, none of the books are on the cancelation levels. The problem is new releases on the middle of corona crisis