Quote Originally Posted by JKtheMac View Post
That's a strange stat. Where do you get that information? Can you actually prove this or are you just guessing or minimising the direct market just because it suits your narrative?
As has already been pointed out, the information is the very statistics you provided. Numbers for actual superhero comics are down, way down. The only way that the comics industry was able to record growth is through some creative accounting. Most notably by using a new 'other' category which is dominated by crowdfunding comics that Marvel and DC have no control over. Not to mention all the Manga that continues to outsell superhero comics but still gets counted next to Marvel anyway. So, you take away the Manga and the crowdfunding and the sorry state of the comics industry is revealed, a moribund business that would rather deny the problems it’s facing then come-up with any solutions.