Why I never see kids in Comic Book stores?

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Why is the decade when you happened to be a kid the only 'true' experience of childhood?

Kids today will never experience the joy of Optimus Prime rising from the grave to smite the Decipticons ! lol

[G. Boney]

The local comic shop that I used to hang in closed in 2013 (there are a couple other locals shops that I frequent but they aren't places I hang out at otherwise), but when it was open they had a decent amount of kids that would come in. Teenagers, not many little kids. The few little kids there were usually had a parent who liked comics and had passed that interest down.

[Cimmerian]

It’s a dying form of entertainment.

When I was a kid and first got into comics in the early 80’s, there was no internet or cell phones or iPads.

During the day we rode our bikes, gathered up kids from the neighborhood to get a 7 on 7 football game going, etc. Then when we had to go home at dinner time, we would read comics and watch The A-Team/Nightrider.

Now it’s rare that you even see kids playing outside, much less showing interest in comic books.

Charging $4-5 for a quick 10 minute read doesn’t help either.

[ed2962]

It’s a dying form of entertainment.

When I was a kid and first got into comics in the early 80’s, there was no internet or cell phones or iPads.

During the day we rode our bikes, gathered up kids from the neighborhood to get a 7 on 7 football game going, etc. Then when we had to go home at dinner time, we would read comics and watch The A-Team/Nightrider.

Now it’s rare that you even see kids playing outside, much less showing interest in comic books.

Charging $4-5 for a quick 10 minute read doesn’t help either.

The weird economics of monthly comics even turn off people who already like comics.

[MajorHoy]

Kids today will never experience the joy of Optimus Prime rising from the grave to smite the Decipticons ! lol

I really never understood the fascination with Transformers or the Power Rangers.

I guess I was too old when they were introduced.

[CaptCleghorn]

The weird economics of monthly comics even turn off people who already like comics.

I'm not sure the term weird applies here. The economics of monthly American comic magazines are on a downward spiral, but basic economic principles like economies of scale and fixed expenses lead to an increasing cost per page. The changes isn't good for comic fans like me, but nothing about it isn't explained through basic economics.

[numberthirty]

Why is the decade when you happened to be a kid the only 'true' experience of childhood?

Without jumping on a side, it is pretty hard to look back on the times mentioned without seeing just how much of it was strictly about the gears of commerce grinding along.

Nobody was trying to make sure you weren't being cheated. It was nintey-nine percent sales pitch.

[PwrdOn]

I really never understood the fascination with Transformers or the Power Rangers.

I guess I was too old when they were introduced.

It is a bit odd to think about just how commercialized the experience of growing up in the 80s and 90s really was. The nostalgia wave that is all the rage these days seems be defined purely in terms of movies, toys, and video games, and while these things undoubtedly have a huge presence in the mind of any kid, they obviously only represent a small part of our childhoods all things considered.

As for why kids aren't really into comic books these days, we have to remember that the boom years of early 90s only represented a brief passing fad, in a decade that also saw Pogs, Pokemon cards, and Beanie Babies achieve similar, and similarly fleeting, levels of success. Other than that, comics were generally loss leaders and publishers were always chasing the dream jackpot of adaptations and merchandising, rather than expecting the books themselves to turn massive profits. In the modern age, they have finally achieved this and superheroes are more popular and mainstream than ever, so there is no longer any need to sell comics to kids as a cheap gateway drug into the fandom.

[MyriVerse]

I really never understood the fascination with Transformers or the Power Rangers.

I guess I was too old when they were introduced.

Power Rangers are like kung fu movies for kids. Giant robots have been a thing since the 50s. It should be easy to see the fascination, even if you don't connect with the characters.

[MajorHoy]

Power Rangers are like kung fu movies for kids. Giant robots have been a thing since the 50s. It should be easy to see the fascination, even if you don't connect with the characters.

I don't know. They just seemed too cheap, lame, and commercialized to me.

(Then again, when I was taking care of a buddy's young stepson many years ago and he insisted on watching a vcr tape of the ******ng Power Ranger's first episode twice in a row, I couldn't take it anymore!)

[MyriVerse]

Well, "cheap and lame" is just what kung fu movies are. "Commercialized" really isn't the bad thing people make it out to be. Together, these are just what most kiddies have always loved.

Also, both aren't really much different from superheroes. It's just that Transformers' spandex is boxier. Autobots = Super-Friends.