As news of the deal spread throughout the comics industry over the weekend, some comic shop owners expressed concern about the implications of a major retailer getting exclusive content from fan-favorite creators. The main sticking point isn't just competition from Walmart, which is terrifying for any small business, but the fact that comic stores will not have a way to sell content that is sure to play well with the hardcore fans who constitute the lifeblood of their customer base.
It also means that diehard fans will have to go to Walmart to read Tom King Superman stories or Brian Bendis on Batman, spending money at the retail giant that would otherwise go toward their monthly comics budget at their local shop. Walmart may not count those pennies, but they mean a lot to independent stores already operating on a razor's edge of profitability.
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The thing that I find exciting here is that the mass market for paper comics has been shrinking and now we get a chance to expand that market again so that the public will have comics in front of their faces wide and large.
This could be interesting to see how well this experiment is going to work.
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I bet it won't hurt the comics shops one bit.
It's not if all you put in those books are mainly Batman & Superman & their friends.
Because they will have their over ordering no matter what with stores.
Now if you were to do Supergirl, Static, OG Wally and others-you might see an issue.
I mean 100 pages for $5 with Supergirl, Static, Jessica & Simon, New Superman & Green Arrow-I have no reason to buy their floppies individually. Since they will still get individual trades probably.
Now you have an issue.
The market is growing. It's not Lion Forge or Archie's fault stores choose to ignore them. Something like this should make a store promote other books and stop relying on two companies.The thing that I find exciting here is that the mass market for paper comics has been shrinking
The Marvel backlash should have been a warning. You can't make a company exclude certain demos because you don't like them having books. Because what Marvel & Dc don't do-OTHERS will and many will not care if it's the adventures of Faith or Turok or Midnight Tiger instead of Black Widow or Hawkeye or Hal Jordan.
How do you figure that?
http://www.comichron.com/yearlycomicssales.html
That looks fairly stagnant with an inflation rate standnat figures as well.Code:Unit Sales for All Diamond's Comics(est., based on Diamond's reports): Unit Sales for Diamond's Top 300 Comic Books from each month (est.): 1997 100.32 million copies 1998 84.45 million copies 1999 78.08 million copies 2000 69.26 million copies 2001 66.92 million copies 2002 70.27 million copies 2003 73.02 million copies 2004 74.14 million copies 2005 76.13 million copies 2006 81.85 million copies 2007 85.27 million copies 2008 81.34 million copies 2009 78.4 million copies 74.88 million copies 2010 73.8 million copies 69.20 million copies 2011 77.2 million copies 72.13 million copies 2012 86 million copies 80.55 million copies 2013 91.8 million copies 84.51 million copies 2014 92 million copies 82.65 million copies 2015 98 million copies 89.17 million copies 2016 99 million copies 89.35 million copies 2017 89.44 million copies 79.74 million copies
I won't even touch on the numbers according to my youth, in the 60's and 70's and they were complaining then about sales that would make publishers druel today.
Last edited by mrbrklyn; 07-11-2018 at 06:57 PM.
I don't think it will hurt them that much either. Most people who stumble across these in a Wal-Mart will never stumble into a comic shop. All this is a good thing imo.
Comics for awhile are always talking about new readers, new readers, new readers, but don't actually change anything aside from new story direction new title new writer etc. New product distribution and new outlets is what will get new readers.
I imagine there will be a lot of talk in my hometown of how they used to make comics 20 years ago.
"I remember those!"
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I really don't get where LCS think that the people who actually come to their stores already will stop coming because of the Walmart comics. I've heard literally zero customers saying this.
Yup. 20-100k is a tiny number compared to the number of people who watch superhero shows or movies.
I don't know if I'd go that far, but I think the net gain for LCS will outweigh any real loss.
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Hopefully, one day we'll get something like this...
"There's magic in the sound of analog audio." - CNET.
I suppose what the shops are worried about is the prospect that DC comics will eventually be distributed in the United States ONLY by Walmart and its website. And that's not entirely impossible.
That would actually be a better distribution system than through the comics shops. It would reach a much larger population..
What shops might be worried about is this becoming a huge, massive success, with other mainstream retailers wanting in on the action, basically the return of the comic book as an actual mass medium in the USA, leading the direct market pretty much obsolete when it comes to selling new books.
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