What the Walmart Distribution means to DC Comics and the future market

[Bor]

No it hasn't, actually. Ever here of Milestone? How The Ray selling?
Alpha Fight. Black Lightning, which was really a good book, went nowhere for decades.


What will sell is getting books with good stories into the hands of kids and adults by finding a replacement for the Newstand, not creating fake heat.

The idea that they should destroy the Hal Jordan or the Peter Parker legacy is frankly idiotic. These are billion dollar properies. They are protected usually for good reason.

I think you just wanted to highjack this thread.

And yet characters like Ms. marvel continue to do fine. Sometimes these characters comes along that does fine.

[Carabas]

Because they are crap storylines that nobody but a few fanatics are interested in reading. If you want to target a small market with limited reach... go for it. It won't sell in Wallmart.

Trade sales tell the opposite story. It's a massive market.
You think only straight white dudes go to Walmart?

And a story isn't crap just because you personally don't like it or believe it should not exist because of your personal politics.

[Carabas]

The day they get rid of the physical medium is the death of the entire industry. I can pull any book from a torrent. In fact, for certain Valients, I could only find them by torrents. There is no profit in that.Collecting books and strips have been a criticle aspect of comics 40 years before comic books. People collected the newspaper stripts, pasting them on whiteboards, not to read them over amd over again, but to collect them. Collecting is a strange human behavior of its own. We are like Bower Birds, collecting shiney things to show them off.

It is a blast to walk up to Metro Comics and see a dozen golden aged $10,000+ books and hold them in your hands.

We have always been collectors, as a civilization. We collect archeological objects, fossils, paintings, scupture, comics, baseball cards, coins, sticker, old computer equiptment, used furtiure, vintage dresses, etc ,etc ,etc.

Those genious kids who are not crazy enough to go get books off the racks or through pull lists, and also not crazy enough to sustain the industry, and will not be part of a business model that is profitable for mass distribution either. The industry needs both, mass distribution to the casual reader, intergration into the day to day lives of our civilization, and hobyist collectors.

Countries that don't have to deal with of all that crap have comicbook industries that dwarf America's.

[mrbrklyn]

Trade sales tell the opposite story. It's a massive market.
You think only straight white dudes go to Walmart?

And a story isn't crap just because you personally don't like it or believe it should not exist because of your personal politics.

No they don't. You are obviously not in the business...

[mrbrklyn]

And yet characters like Ms. marvel continue to do fine. Sometimes these characters comes along that does fine.

Sure, and being a minority character doesn't guarantee that a title will tank. It is just off topic to this thread, it is not healthy for mainstream characters to undergo broad changes, and not a magic key to improving the business.

A well written story line for a character will work. Making Bruce Wayne black or married to a lesbian black women will not improve Batman's value or sales in the long run at all.

It is true, of course, that all communities would like to read stories that represent their interests and culture, and can have cross interests in other communties. Incognegro is a great book.

But this has nothing to do with the Wallmart expereiment.

[Carabas]

Sure, and being a minority character doesn't guarantee that a title will tank. It is just off topic to this thread, it is not healthy for mainstream characters to undergo broad changes, and not a magic key to improving the business.

A well written story line for a character will work. Making Bruce Wayne black or married to a lesbian black women will not improve Batman's value or sales in the long run at all.

What has Bruce Wayne got to do with anything?
A well-written story for a character will work if it's written for a lesbian black woman instead of Batman.

Are there any lesbian black women in the Walmart books? If not, why bring it up?

[Nightcrawler92]

When do the Walmart books come out? Do we know yet?

[Carabas]

When do the Walmart books come out? Do we know yet?

Three weeks ago.

[millernumber1]

Countries that don't have to deal with of all that crap have comicbook industries that dwarf America's.

Other than Japan, what countries have massive sequential art industries?

[mhanna885]

I picked up the Walmart books yesterday. It was hard to find that little display in the baseball card aisle, and I was surprised to read that each store only gets 5 copies of each book. I have not read the exclusive stories yet and I already own all the reprint material but I wanted to check them out. I will say my favorite part of them is the paper they are printed on. I wish all of the DC titles would move away from the glossy stock to this stock. It is much more enjoyable to read from this kind of paper. Anyone else feel the same? It also makes the books lighter when stored in boxes.

[millernumber1]

I picked up the Walmart books yesterday. It was hard to find that little display in the baseball card aisle, and I was surprised to read that each store only gets 5 copies of each book. I have not read the exclusive stories yet and I already own all the reprint material but I wanted to check them out. I will say my favorite part of them is the paper they are printed on. I wish all of the DC titles would move away from the glossy stock to this stock. It is much more enjoyable to read from this kind of paper. Anyone else feel the same? It also makes the books lighter when stored in boxes.

Interesting that you found them so far after first release. I wonder if that was a restock (OR did you get the #2s? Out early?)

[CentralPower]

One think you need to understand is that new readers are sane, and are not going to bother with pull lists and picking up their books every Wednesday, or the price that is being charged these days for 10 sheets of paper and two staples. They gonna get the trades. Preferably not from a comic book shop.

What is wrong with comic stores and pull-files? (Just crazy, wanting to buy comics in a way that is convenient and consistent.)

I have not actually picked up anything for about 2 weeks. But, I have not missed anything because I have a pull-file. Why would any regular comic reader want those things to go away?

Other than Japan, what countries have massive sequential art industries?

And, Japanense manga is sold almost entirely as anthologies. Readers pay more and get more comics. But, they have to like more of what they are forced to buy. The anthologies obligate readers to buy 5 or 6 times as many comics at a time, even if they are not going to read all of those comics. (I like Rosenberg's Punisher run. But, how much Squirrel Girl would I read through to get that Rosenberg Punisher?)

[millernumber1]

What is wrong with comic stores and pull-files? (Just crazy, wanting to buy comics in a way that is convenient and consistent.)

I have not actually picked up anything for about 2 weeks. But, I have not missed anything because I have a pull-file. Why would any regular comic reader want those things to go away?

And, Japanense manga is sold almost entirely as anthologies. Readers pay more and get more comics. But, they have to like more of what they are forced to buy. The anthologies obligate readers to buy 5 or 6 times as many comics at a time, even if they are not going to read all of those comics. (I like Rosenberg's Punisher run. But, how much Squirrel Girl would I read through to get that Rosenberg Punisher?)

Haha. I love my pull file, but I read and bought comics for a long time before I had one (because my store wouldn't allow fewer than 5 titles in a pull, and I still barely make that most of the time). My collecting before that was much more nerve wracking.

I think the Walmart books are deliberately trying to mimic the manga approach, and we'll have to see if it works. I love your analogy about Punisher and Squirrel Girl. That's kind of how I feel about the Teen Titans Walmart title - I'm interested or at least willing to read all of the titles in the other three books, but there's maybe ONE story I'm interested in reading in the Teen Titans book, so I'm not getting that one.

[Carabas]

Other than Japan, what countries have massive sequential art industries?

Belgium, France, Italy...

I mean, yeah, sure, Japan is off the charts bigger. But America's is positively tiny when you look at the amount of people you have.

[millernumber1]

Belgium, France, Italy...

I mean, yeah, sure, Japan is off the charts bigger. But America's is positively tiny when you look at the amount of people you have.

I've never gotten a sense of the size of the Eurocomics market - what are the numbers for them?