How much has the MCU helped comic sales?

[LordUltimus]

Like it says. Since the rise of the MCU, how much have comics sales increased, if at all?

[Tony Stark]

My friend that runs a comic shop said he’s had 12 new people come in asking for and purchasing Moon Knight books due to the trailers and show coming out.

[Frontier]

It probably helps with trade sales as people pick up stuff for characters with movies or shows coming out, but from an issue-by-issue basis it probably doesn't have that much of an impact...although Carol's book seemed to finally start selling when her movie came out.

[charliehustle415]

My friend that runs a comic shop said he’s had 12 new people come in asking for and purchasing Moon Knight books due to the trailers and show coming out.

That's pretty good.

I suppose you can always start from Iron Man and see annual comic sales up until now and then compare it to the prior decade; but the numbers won't tell you anything concrete since there has been Marvel movies for a long time and then we had the 90's crash before that.

Anecdotally I have more friends who want to talk superhero stuff, but only pertaining to the MCU. They only care about the MCU canon and are not interested in the comics at all. I've let a lot of friends borrow TPBs of huge arcs; ultimately they never show much interest in the comics themselves.

So within my friend group I have normies who like the MCU and MCU canon only and then I have the cool dudes who like comics as well as the MCU.

Before the MCU the normies and I would discuss tax rates and insurance but now we can talk about how sexy Captain America's beard is.

[Force de Phenix]

Anecdotally I have more friends who want to talk superhero stuff, but only pertaining to the MCU. They only care about the MCU canon and are not interested in the comics at all. I've let a lot of friends borrow TPBs of huge arcs; ultimately they never show much interest in the comics themselves.

This is an important difference to make. There are people who see the comics as retro, and Disney realized this.

I don't have numbers, but I know a lot more people that are more interested in knowing about what things mean in the MCU. Anecdotally, the same thing happened with fans of the Walking Dead that love the show, but see the books stray away from the visuals and story of what they were most familiar with.

I personally got back into comics because of Agents of Shield, which consequently got me into the movies.

[Overhazard]

I would honestly like to know this myself. My brother and his wife are big fans of the MCU, they watch the tv shows and the movies, but they don't read comics, like at all. I always thought that the movie synergy within the comics was an insult to the intelligence of the audience. Like the higher-ups think that normal people who just watch the movies are too dumb to understand that the movies and the comics don't have to be exactly the same.

[kcekada]

It probably helps bring back lapsed collectors more than it brings in new people. However, I think it has an over all positive effect regardless of the degree. I doubt anyone stopped collecting a series because there is now a series or movie.

[HaveAtThee]

Little to no influence. It's not like comic shops are sprouting all over the place. Perhaps some lapsed collectors as others have intimated.

[charliehustle415]

This is an important difference to make. There are people who see the comics as retro, and Disney realized this.

I don't have numbers, but I know a lot more people that are more interested in knowing about what things mean in the MCU. Anecdotally, the same thing happened with fans of the Walking Dead that love the show, but see the books stray away from the visuals and story of what they were most familiar with.

I personally got back into comics because of Agents of Shield, which consequently got me into the movies.

I would honestly like to know this myself. My brother and his wife are big fans of the MCU, they watch the tv shows and the movies, but they don't read comics, like at all. I always thought that the movie synergy within the comics was an insult to the intelligence of the audience. Like the higher-ups think that normal people who just watch the movies are too dumb to understand that the movies and the comics don't have to be exactly the same.

exactly, the movies are a great gateway to the characters but not the comics themselves

[phonogram12]

If anything, the comics have helped the movie industry. It seems as if so many comics are written nowadays just so they can be turned into tv shows or movies (which is generally financially great for the original creative teams, btw. Although sometimes not. See Dave Aja in re to Hawkeye and and every artist Robert Kirkman has ever worked with).

[Lee Stone]

It's probably having a bigger impact on trades through mainstream means like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, where the common folk regularly shop.

[jwatson]

Not much. Most kids don't drive and most comic shops are open during work hours for most parents. Though i do think it creates awareness.

[charliehustle415]

If anything, the comics have helped the movie industry. It seems as if so many comics are written nowadays just so they can be turned into tv shows or movies (which is generally financially great for the original creative teams, btw. Although sometimes not. See Dave Aja in re to Hawkeye and and every artist Robert Kirkman has ever worked with).

This is a great point, I mean Millarworld is only a ideas machine for Netflix and Bendis is only making things to be part of the DC films and shows

[skyvolt2000]

Like it says. Since the rise of the MCU, how much have comics sales increased, if at all?

It mainly helps trades and digital sales (especially for those books that are NOT in print anymore like Marvel's Truth mini series).

It varies for comic book stores because not everyone is going to look for a store when Amazon and other places have the trades to buy.


Now back issue wise-it CAN help the bin sales.

See Jace Fox. I could have gotten his first appearance on Ebay for $30. The MOMENT his name came up for Batman that auction got taken down and came back up starting bins were $70.
See Bloodsport. I got that first appearance for 25 cent. Depending on where you go you are looking at $20 and up.

See Static. Getting copies of his first run was a battle BEFORE Static Shock, Young Justice & Teen Titans. Especially the last 20 issues. We have yet to see a movie and to get a complete run of his first volume will set you back $1000.

See America just RUMORED at first to be in Dr Strange saw the price of her first solo series jump in price especially the last two issues.

The more obscure characters Marvel use-only helps bin clearing out.

[Orbus]

Wasn't the big sales jump during the first Marvel Now wave attributed to the success of the movies. Whether this was new readers, lapsed ones or that established readers were simply buying more titles of characters and teams they'd never bought before is difficult to say. I'd wager a combination of all of them.

Certainly the success in digital and trade for Marvel's new wave of more diverse characters was initially new readers. The belief was that they simply were bought into the Marvel brand rather than specific characters and it was easier to jump in to a newer character than one that had decades of history.

I remember when Black Panther came out there was a lot of photos on twitter or people going to book stores and comic shops buying Black Panther comics. It was incredibly dumb on Marvel's part that this was one of the few times they didn't have a bunch of books based on the then current movie ready to go.