Coronavirus knocks out direct market - Diamond stops deliveries

[cranger]

If digital is a little ahead, is that really a problem? Retailers will bitch and moan, but they're trying to stay afloat in a dying market so of course they're going to complain about anything that might snag customers away. But if digital came out a little early, *would* that actually steal that many customers? We've had same-day digital for almost a decade now, and it doesn't seem to have had that big an impact on direct market sales. As DC themselves said, these are different audiences; serving one doesn't necessarily under-serve the other. Would print readers really abandon floppies just so they can get their book a couple weeks early? Some would I'm sure, but generally I don't think they would.

I think it would be a problem. There are people who cannot wait. If the biggest universe changing event just happened, is 90% of the readership really just going to wait 2 months, or 2 weeks even, or however long the delay is? Nope, they are either going to pay for the digital or pirate it, or at least find out all the spoilers and then have no excitement for the issue. It pretty much breaks the habit.

It also shifts the money off by months, meaning that is two or three or however many more issues committed and done before the first issue even drops or something else happens to affect readership/buying. Marketing also becomes much, much harder.

I am sure if we were honest we could come up with all sorts of other 'problems' that if not industry harming at least would require bigger changes to the way things are done.

Some comic shops have already been buying very few shelf copies of most titles, and zero for many smaller titles if no one requested them. They order what their savers/subscribers have standing orders for. Or for special orders placed using Previews. They take some chances on a few others.

Yes and no. Yes, for most stores a lot of titles are not ordered at all except on request, but not all stores are primarily subscription boxes. That is a lot to assume and the possibility that there are a lot of stores that do most of their sales off the shelves should be allowed.

So - a lot of business is locked in. And I think people with pull lists will still want their printed copies.

Since publishers are making comics fully refundable going back to mid-March and for at least several months going forward, the risks are mitigated. Stores will be returning unsold copies.

The bigger problem is if the stores can survive long enough for all of this to matter.

Returnability is big but I think that first line is also a lot to assume. I mean, they will still want them, mostly, if they can afford them -- even a handful of issues. Even if most of the customers plan to buy their pulls, some could take weeks or months to catch up, and in the meantime it makes it difficult for people to even manage their pulls. Usually it is no problem to get something off your pull list about a month ahead, but now I am possibly committed to months worth of comics that I might not even like the first issue I read coming back?

Regardless how you feel about the likelihood of any of those issues, it is going to put a giant stress on everyone, from the publishers to the printers to Diamond to the shippers to the stores to the readers.

[Ascended]

I think it would be a problem. There are people who cannot wait. If the biggest universe changing event just happened, is 90% of the readership really just going to wait 2 months, or 2 weeks even, or however long the delay is? Nope, they are either going to pay for the digital or pirate it, or at least find out all the spoilers and then have no excitement for the issue. It pretty much breaks the habit.

Perhaps, but these aren't new problems.

You can already pirate the book if you don't want to pay for it. You can already find spoilers before the issue hits. And unless you have the time to drive to your LCS on Wednesday, digital readers will have the book before you do.

If digital came out early then yeah, it makes these problems a larger factor, but the problems already exist and haven't hampered the market.

Maybe this would impact the market, but I suspect most people who are still reading floppies are going to continue reading floppies until the direct market is in its grave. And if readers did switch over, that's not necessarily a bad thing either. I love my LCS as much as the next guy, but the direct market is dying anyway. Better for DC to have those readers switch to another format than lose them completely.

[Digifiend]

On a lighter note, Batman's been visiting my town...


Here's the explanation: https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news...advice-4011620

[Gaastra]

Marvel is joining manga and now giving away some of it's older trades for free on comixology and marvel unlimited.


https://www.newsarama.com/49685-civi...omixology.html


Pasted from another site--

Avengers vs. X-Men
Civil War
Amazing Spider-Man: Red Goblin
Black Panther by Ta-Nehisi Coates Vol. 1
Thanos Wins
X-Men Milestones: Dark Phoenix Saga
Avengers: Kree/Skrull War
Avengers by Jason Aaron Vol. 1: The Final Host
Fantastic Four Vol. 1: Fourever
Black Widow Vol. 1: S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Most Wanted
Captain America: Winter Soldier Ultimate
Captain Marvel Vol. 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More.

[Clark_Kent]

Man, I'd hate to lose comic books. I don't like reading on kindle. If they do go all digital could people print them on their own?

Not ideal, but you could take screenshots of every page & then print out those "pictures" you took 1 by 1.

[Vordan]

Marvel is joining manga and now giving away some of it's older trades for free on comixology and marvel unlimited.


https://www.newsarama.com/49685-civi...omixology.html


Pasted from another site--

DC should do likewise, but they’ve dragged their feet on digital for years. Hopefully they start getting their act together.

[Ascended]

On a lighter note, Batman's been visiting my town...

I'm just happy knowing Batman is out there, doing what he can.

Hey, anyone remember that "London Batman" guy? Whatever happened to him?

[Vampire Savior]

Marvel is joining manga and now giving away some of it's older trades for free on comixology and marvel unlimited.


https://www.newsarama.com/49685-civi...omixology.html


Pasted from another site--

In the link it says:

"Each of these extraordinary epics owe their origins to some of Marvel’s greatest comic books released in print over the years," reads Marvel's press release announcing the free collections. "In celebration of that tradition, Marvel has added an information page to each story with details on how to find your local comic book shop and start your very own Marvel collection of back issues and printed trades."

Marvel, what good is that going to do when your local comic book shop is probably closed and may possibly never open again?

Just strange to me.
"Here are some free digital comics that we're putting out to celebrate the tradition of print, and here's how to find a shop in your area that is probably closed so you can buy some print comics!"

[Digifiend]

Yeah, all that'll be is advice to visit https://www.comicshoplocator.com/

[Gaastra]

And that's it for comichub saving comic stores.

https://www.newsarama.com/49692-comi...g-forward.html

[cranger]

In the link it says:



Marvel, what good is that going to do when your local comic book shop is probably closed and may possibly never open again?

Just strange to me.
"Here are some free digital comics that we're putting out to celebrate the tradition of print, and here's how to find a shop in your area that is probably closed so you can buy some print comics!"

There are still many shops open, and many closed shops are able to operate in some way. Companies have to hope a lot of restrictions start to get lifted (of course it will not be all at once) to allow small businesses to operate again. If not, everyone may as well just pack it in.

Of course, it could just be Marvel trying to look good to the retailers and they don't really care but they can say they did it

[Pinsir]

I think a lot of people get comics to discuss them on social media. If digital is ahead then you've essentially just destroyed another reason to purchase comics.

[Frontier]

DC should do likewise, but they’ve dragged their feet on digital for years. Hopefully they start getting their act together.

I thought DC had a stronger relationship with Comixology, to be honest.

[DragonPiece]

And that's it for comichub saving comic stores.

https://www.newsarama.com/49692-comi...g-forward.html

So what is going to happen at the end of April now? Bleeding Cool implied it'd be devestating if this pandemic kept shops closed for a month, seems likely to happen now.

[Vordan]

I thought DC had a stronger relationship with Comixology, to be honest.

They might, but Marvel has Marvel Unlimited up and running for years before DC even started on Universe. Even now DC has made idiotic decisions like limiting Universe to the USA while Unlimited is Global.

So what is going to happen at the end of April now? Bleeding Cool implied it'd be devestating if this pandemic kept shops closed for a month, seems likely to happen now.

Do not be surprised if all of May follows April with a lockdown. That’s what I’m betting on and why I was baffled by all the people acting like the industry can just go back to normal after this. Shops are going to close, it’s inevitable at this point. DC and Marvel are either going to have to bypass Diamond and get the distribution up and running themselves or tell the retailers to eat it and start releasing digitally. Else they’ll have to put their entire workforces on “pencils down”.