The same can be said for the American market embodied by the big 2. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman are all 75 + years old. Tintin debuted in 1929, only 9 years before Superman. Asterix didn't premiere until 1959.
So what comics from the big 2 are doing well that haven't been around since our grandparents were young?
If you are going to use 75+ year old characters, which market is healthier, one where they sell 50-100K units or one where they sell 5-8 million units?
and IP is intellectual property, something anyone who wants to discuss entertainment media in the 21st century should understand because that's what it is all about. Characters value as IP is far more extensive than the sales of the publications they themselves appear in and decisions are made based on that value, not on how many copies they can sell in one iteration.
-M