Got a link to the article? I would like to read that.
Okay, so revenue is down, yet trades/OGN's have seen a 6-11% increase from 2018-2019. Are we looking at a increase of overhead and production costs perhaps? Administrative overlap soaking up the profits? "Creative" accounting being used to hide losses elsewhere? Could it simply be that the years before were exceptionally good (we would've been building up to the MCU's Infinity War and Endgame which might've increased sales for a bit perhaps) and this is just leveling off back to normal? I don't have a big enough picture of the whole enterprise to see where the problem lies. But assuming both of our numbers are correct, we're still looking at a market that is enjoying solid growth; if DC and Marvel are struggling to maintain their market share among trade/OGN sales it shouldn't be too hard to adjust things and solve the issue. Throw some theory of constraints at that bitch and fix it up!
That's *why* they should do their research! I'd instantly fire someone if I found out they didn't do their due diligence; especially on this level you're talking tons and tons of money either made or lost based on the choices you make....and how can you make viable choices without some facts? Even taking into account the "thirds" theory of management (where a manager only has a third of the facts they need and relies on others and intuition for the rest) you gotta know the market you're dealing with.
I research this stuff because I love it, but if I'm drawing a paycheck for something, I research that too. Common sense, right? But I've realized that, having recently graduated, all those "basic business do's & don't's" are far fresher in my mind than the old guys who've been sitting around board meetings for years.