Coronavirus knocks out direct market - Diamond stops deliveries

[Holt]

The model was never sustainable to begin with. This is not a knock against older readers or anything like that, but businesses rely on being able to rotate in new, younger audiences to replace lapsed ones. Comics from the Golden to Bronze ages were written on the assumption that most of the kids currently reading them were eventually gonna lose interest and start focusing on things like cars and sports as they got older, and thus constantly bringing in new kids was a major priority.

I don't know when exactly that changed, but the audience has largely been stagnant now for a while, with a select few exceptions of new characters appealing to readers outside the direct market. They were always gonna have to either make a major play to appeal to newer, younger readers or just sit back and accept that the current state of the industry was eventually gonna go off a cliff.

[Jadeb]

I will say, I do find it very interesting that we're living in a world where public support is at an all time high for small businesses. The shop local movement is in full force, especially with younger generations. But, it feels like comic book stores aren't included in that, especially by regular comic book fans. While people are starting to turn away from big corporations towards smaller, locally owned small business, comic book fans are constantly like "evolve or die, old man."

I think that’s pure practicality. Comics no longer seem like a viable business long-term, even setting aside the pandemic. It’s like supporting your local newspaper — it’s great to do so, but even the most enthusiastic supporter can see the dwindling demand for print. Something has to change.

Do people think this publishing pause will be for only one month? I struggle to see how DC could survive if they don’t continue with digital. Even then, they might not.

[cranger]

I will say, I do find it very interesting that we're living in a world where public support is at an all time high for small businesses. The shop local movement is in full force, especially with younger generations. But, it feels like comic book stores aren't included in that, especially by regular comic book fans. While people are starting to turn away from big corporations towards smaller, locally owned small business, comic book fans are constantly like "evolve or die, old man."

A couple people on a message board are a poor way of generalizing comic book fans.

[kjn]

And while the direct market continues to die a slow and agonizing death, trade, bookstore OGN's, and digital have all seen strong increases over the last few years despite publishers treating those models like unwanted red headed stepchildren.

I think that's a long-term struggle within DC. When Diana: Princess of the Amazons sells 200K copies and ends up on the NYTimes bestseller list, then either the old guard of DC has to admit that everything they did was backwards, or end up deep in denial, and denial leads to destruction.

To limit DC Ink and Zoom to two titles a month is destructive, when they should give Michele Wells a free hand to develop DC Young Reader as she can.

[Holt]

Rumor of the day.

I understand that there is industry bailout funds being put together, which will seek to help retailers, creators, publishers and distributors under stress. There culd be a bit more co-ordination about everyone's efforts though. However, it is expected that a number of publishers and retailers will have to close as a result of this stress. There is a talent buying spree – creators who were told to stop working on their comics by their publisher, have been picked up already by Marvel, DC, AWA and Bad Idea, with a mission to keep on pumping out their pages in readiness for when everyone's had a cup of tea and all this has blown over. All Marvel and DC creators I have spoken to are still working on their projects.

The problem is that right now, Diamond has closed, distribution to the comic shops is shut down. Books that are printed now have nowhere to land. Away from comic stores and Diamond distribution, sixty traditional independent bookstores closed last week as it is, all with unpaid debts. And the big comics printer for DC, Dark Horse and more has just shut down.

There has been much-rumoured proposal at DC Comics to put the comics they are creating all on the streaming app DC Universe rather than just sell them as individual digital comics, as a way to make that service essential and give it a killer app. But a) it is still geolocked to the USA, b) would be seen as a death blow to US comic shops, undermining the physical sales that are most at threat and c) if it was meant to happen, it wasn't meant to happen yet. This would be just bringing it all forward and no one is ready yet.

There has been concern amongst creators who work on back-end payment only on creator-owned comic books, that a publisher making their comic book returnable especially without asking their permission first, may have broken contract with them, and may harm the individual creator who hadn't factored the costs to them of returnability, more than anyone. There are also alternative distribution plans being worked on by notable comic book industry figures, trying to work around the current restrictions and get new printed comics content to stores and to readers, but the obstacles, currently, are huge. Ingrams, which deals with graphic novels is still operating, for now, but for the comics industry it is a relatively small fraction.

It has been suggested that the perfect thing to put together after the situation is a big money-making Marvel Vs DC Comics crossover event. However, any discussion of this is nothing but wishful thinking, and based on a proposed Marvel/Wildstorm crossover still doing the rounds. I have been told that nothing like that is even on the cards or could be possible these days, but then of course, these are impossible times. But I am aware that long before the coronavirus pandemic, a major crossover comic book from some of the biggest names in Marvel/DC and creator-owned comics was on the cards.

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2020/03...virus-tuesday/

[Ascended]

I think that's a long-term struggle within DC. When Diana: Princess of the Amazons sells 200K copies and ends up on the NYTimes bestseller list, then either the old guard of DC has to admit that everything they did was backwards, or end up deep in denial, and denial leads to destruction.

To limit DC Ink and Zoom to two titles a month is destructive, when they should give Michele Wells a free hand to develop DC Young Reader as she can.

Yeah, the industry is in a crap position. The bulk of their fanbase are dedicated to an out-dated distribution that is killing us slowly, and whether the publishers lack resources or just don't want to piss off retailers, they aren't doing enough to reinforce and capitalize on their successes in other distributions.

I like my never ending, serialized continuity. I don't want to lose that. But I also want tons of self contained material out there in as many formats as possible for as many audiences as possible. I love stuff like Super Hero Girls. I'm not the target demo but it's bringing these characters to kids the direct market ignores and couldn't attract if they tried. That's a huge win. And we need more stuff like that, aimed at kids, at adults, at everybody. As it is, DC is undeserving these audiences and Marvel is all but ignoring them. That has to change, because old bastard Wednesday Warrior fans like me are not enough to keep the publishers profitable. We've held on a long time, and unless this pandemic wrecks even more havoc we can probably hold out for many years yet. But surviving is not flourishing, and I want these IP's to flourish.

[kingaliencracker]

Well, I've been harping on the notion that the current direct market model wasn't sustainable and it was only a matter of time before the industry went all-digital. I just didn't expect a quasi-apocalyptic virus to be the death nail.

For those that are willing to drop the medium if it does go all-digital, that's really unfortunate but as the saying goes, good luck on all future endeavors. It seems to me if you're completely unwavering in giving digital a chance, then you were more speculator than fan and the industry needs fans right now. I myself have been collecting floppies in varying numbers for over 30 years now but I'm perfectly willing to part with a physical copy in favor of a digital one if it means saving these characters to be written and drawn in comic book form. And the accessibility of digital comics is just so much more convenient than going to a niche store or purchasing them online and then having to wait for them to show up on your doorstep.

I don't want to see anyone lose their job or business, and I feel like comic book stores will still be around in some capacity for collectibles and back issues. But again, the direct model was going to crash soon anyway and this may finally force the industry to look forward rather than look back.

[Digifiend]

Rumor of the day.


https://www.bleedingcool.com/2020/03...virus-tuesday/

DC Universe? They'd better not. As mentioned, it's US only, so it locks out non-Americans.

[Clark_Kent]

Well, I've been harping on the notion that the current direct market model wasn't sustainable and it was only a matter of time before the industry went all-digital. I just didn't expect a quasi-apocalyptic virus to be the death nail.

For those that are willing to drop the medium if it does go all-digital, that's really unfortunate but as the saying goes, good luck on all future endeavors. It seems to me if you're completely unwavering in giving digital a chance, then you were more speculator than fan and the industry needs fans right now. I myself have been collecting floppies in varying numbers for over 30 years now but I'm perfectly willing to part with a physical copy in favor of a digital one if it means saving these characters to be written and drawn in comic book form. And the accessibility of digital comics is just so much more convenient than going to a niche store or purchasing them online and then having to wait for them to show up on your doorstep.

I don't want to see anyone lose their job or business, and I feel like comic book stores will still be around in some capacity for collectibles and back issues. But again, the direct model was going to crash soon anyway and this may finally force the industry to look forward rather than look back.

CBR desperately needs a 'Like' button.

[Flash Gordon]

I don't believe that the floppies are going anywhere just yet, we are in a pandemic right now so there are just simply more important things than comics shipping on time.

Way too many comic shops are just run by fans and consumers, without a ton of business sense. These are exclusionary to new readers. Maybe some will close and new shops can emerge.

[cranger]

Well, I've been harping on the notion that the current direct market model wasn't sustainable and it was only a matter of time before the industry went all-digital. I just didn't expect a quasi-apocalyptic virus to be the death nail.

So the digital format has been stagnant for 6 years, and you think people would either jump on it now, or if they don't they are just speculators? Digital is a completely different product and people who have avoided it, most of them 'fans and readers' have very valid reasons for that. If the publishers stopped printing periodicals they would not move the whole business to digital, there is no audience for it, otherwise digital would have already taken off, somebody would have been doing it by now.

And before someone goes on about Shonen Jump, they still print that, just because they don't print it in the US and instead provide an app they still make their money on people buying printed copies of manga in the book stores and turning these stories into anime. Marvel/DC do not use that model, and if they did then 'comics' would look a lot different than what they are now.

[Ascended]

Digital plateaued but I wouldn't call it stagnant. It didn't become the rival for the direct market some people thought it would be, but it also hasn't been pushed or advertised very much either and the pricing is out of step with the format.

I'm not saying all the print readers would switch over if print went down, but the industry could have done a lot more to promote and support digital

[Vampire Savior]

How in the world would digital become a rival for the direct market when digital comics are sold at the exact same (exorbitant) price as the print comics, which happens because the publishers don't want the digital comics undercutting the comics shops?

Before we say digital is stagnant and doesn't work, I would like to see the comics sold at a price point that isn't ridiculous.

[Digifiend]

Exactly. Digital comics are priced the same as print, but don't have the same overheads. They should be half the price.

[cranger]

Exactly. Digital comics are priced the same as print, but don't have the same overheads. They should be half the price.

Yes, cutting out the retailer would do that as long as Amazon/Comixology only wants the same cut Diamond gets and none of us can argue in good faith just what the costs actually are for Comixology and how much they need in order to make a profit. But, yes, arguably they could be cheaper than physical.