Have movies based on comics increased comic sales in your opinion?

[HaveAtThee]

If I had to guess I'd say no, especially since comics have been continuous stories since the 60's if not sooner (at least the current Marvel Universe). Perhaps there are temporary sales boosts here and there with collected volumes, as the term "graphic novel" has become more and more relevant, but I doubt that monthly sales in general have increased substantially due to the films. Otherwise there wouldn't be a need for constant relaunching of even major titles. At this point the only thing that's keeping the industry afloat is a hardcore fanbase and the revenue generated from the films themselves. I think the industry is still damaged from the unsustainable overproduction of the 1990's that destroyed collectability. That and the advent of technology like video and computer games that attract the attention of young kids. Perhaps the fact that comics are tailored more to teenagers and adults hurts.

[Greg]

I'd say it's mostly when it comes to indie books.

[ed2962]

Generally retailers will tell you that if a film based on a comic is popular, there'll be a bump in sales for a moment, but most of those movie fans don't become regular comics buyers. When the next trend comes along, those customers fade away.

[MECHANO]

I dunno, these days comics is not much more than a private hobby that I mainly continue digitally.
I tend to buy and read comics (and comment on them here) on the couch with the ipad, while my girlfriend watches some awful soap or reality series.
So it is not a subject that comes up much in everyday conversation.

That said, thanks to the movies there is a much broader awareness of many comic book characters. Like today all my co-workers know who Iron Man is. Ten years ago the best I could hope for was that one or two knew the Black Sabbath song.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rT4KpfiFcNc

It is really hard to turn down comixology's $.99 sales that are timed around the release of the movies... I cleaned up on GotG and Uncanny X-Men this year...

[From The Shadows]

Not really wich is why it is stupid when the 616 matches itself after movie conon,Rouge can't fly,all black team costumes,ect.

I agree but the thing is I never understood why they feel the need to make changes to appeal to the movie goers. I mean will it really make them not want to read the comics? Usually an audience would expect the source material to be different from the movie. Re: movies based on books and tv series.

[Master Planner]

I agree but the thing is I never understood why they feel the need to make changes to appeal to the movie goers. I mean will it really make them not want to read the comics? Usually an audience would expect the source material to be different from the movie. Re: movies based on books and tv series.

Not only that,but there are tons of previous trades where movie viewers can fill the dots,soit's not necessary to make 616 close to movie versions.I could understand that move only if there are proofs that monthly buys are increased after movies.

[brainwasher]

I have no idea. And unless someone works for Marvel or DC, I doubt they know either.

I'd like to think they do, though. Especially since both companies keep doing it.

Companies keep doing movies because the movies makes millions and millions of dollars by themselves not because they help sell 10k copies of a TPB once in a while, I would assume.

[autbey]

Lets say 300 million people watch the avengers. If even 1/1000 of those viewers bought the books they'd be selling 300k copies a month.

I'm pretty sure the movies don't bring in new readers. It might bring back some older reader but your casual watcher isn't going to follow a monthly book.

[LifeIsILL]

No, none of my friends read comics or knows anything about them even with all the Marvel movies. They think the comics and movies are all the same.

They were shocked when I tell them stuff from the comics.

[Dabrikishaw]

I didn't think there was any doubt they didn't.

[The_Asgardian_Jotun]

While I was already interested in Spider-Man man comics, the Avengers movie is what really got me interested in Thor and now I read them bi weekly. Maybe I'm a small minority. Honestly, I didn't even know Thor or Norse mythology existed until the first Thor movie came out. I was always bombarded with Greek and Roman mythology in school and maybe a dash of Chinese myths.

[JediMindTrick]

Sales numbers tell you definitively that the movies have not helped on the monthly level. I don't know about the trade level.

Really only The Walking Dead has seen any kind of significant bump thanks to the TV show but even that is puny. WD now sells 40-60 thousand copies a month. I'm not sure what it used to sell other than it didn't used to be a regular fixture in the top 30 books of the months. Regardless though any bump is obviously trivial compared to the tens of millions of people who watch the show.

Someone else touched on what I think part of the problem is. If you like the Walking Dead TV show and want to try out the comic you've got exactly one option and its going to feel fairly familiar to the TV show. If you like a Marvel movie and want to try out a comic your going to be overwhelmed at the multitude of choices, none of which will even remotely be like the movies. Over saturation of Avengers / X-men titles makes existing readers buy more but it scares off potential new readers. It can even scare off existing readers who might want to try something new - one of the reasons I've never gotten into Batman beyond the occasional TP is that reading Batman basically requires a commitment to read all the Bat family books because of the constant crossover. The same thing frequently happens with Avengers and X-men. Right now a new reader wanting to read Avengers has to commit to three Avengers books (Avengers, New Avengers, Avengers World) to understand the story since there is so much crossover.

[JediMindTrick]

I agree but the thing is I never understood why they feel the need to make changes to appeal to the movie goers. I mean will it really make them not want to read the comics? Usually an audience would expect the source material to be different from the movie. Re: movies based on books and tv series.

Call it the X-men effect. Back when the first X-men movie came out the X-books looked nothing like movies. The X-books at the time starred characters like Maggot and Joseph. Marvel execs felt at the time they really missed the opportunity to push the X-books so ever since they've tried to make the movie characters be in the books at the same time. Its why I and many correctly predicted over a year in advance that Peter Parker would be brought back to life just in time for the new Spiderman movie this year.

[FuturePasta]

I just don't think it has, I think casual fans would be okay with watching a comic movie in lieu of a comic book, but wouldn't mind reading a few books here and there.

[MattPriceTime]

It may do a little job, but it could and should be better. They are comic book companies, all their tie ins are for two reasons #1. promote comics and #2 make as much cash as they can.

Trades no doubt catch most of the interest because they are far more accessible to the average person than monthly issues. You can find trades easily and sometimes marked down in the book stores still standing. You can't really find issues to the casual person anywhere other than a comic shop.

If comic companies want more people to jump in because of the movies, they need their product more available to the people they want to attract. The Walmarts and the Targets of the world don't carry every book, video or game out there, but you damn well know when something new is about to come out for a franchise they make sure they have copies on the shelves, and people will check them out. Why not stock trades of big x-men stories when the latest x-men movie comes out? Same with Avengers? For tv lots of bigger stores only stock the first season of popular shows. If people like it then they can go to specialty stores or amazon and dig further. But until they make trades all that more accessible i doubt the uptake in comic consumption will go anywhere beyond what it is currently.