Why Don't Alternative Comic Books Sell Better In Comics Shops?It's my belief that alternative comics and mainstream superhero comics have very different target demographics, and that since the “indie” books started being widely available at Barnes & Noble (and more and more widely in trades as opposed to floppies), those folks who don't buy mainstream comics probably have less and less reason to go into direct-market stores. There's also a weird kind of desire on the part of a lot of the indie crowd (the ones who have some kind of “geek chic” thing going on) to further ghettoize the superhero crowd. It went from “comics aren't just Batman!” to “to Hell with Batman!”
Why On Earth Does Marvel Think $3.99 Comic Books Is A Good Idea?
Marvel's time from floppy to collection is a lot better than DC's. It wouldn't surprise me at all if their logic is, “We'll raise the price so high and so fast that it'll injure the overall well-being of the monthly comics market, but our fans will still come get the trades from us and maybe injuring the market will hurt our competitors more than it does us.” It also seems as though going up a buck across the board is a way to ensure that if some people drop titles because of an increase, they're making enough more per-unit that it won't matter.Why Has DC's Final Crisis Been So Cocked Up?
I don't want to be yet another of the many people out there on the Internet ranting about how it's all DiDio's fault...but that's how it appears to me. I don't know the ins and outs of this particular comic, but I can say that the weird scheduling/plotting/other issues that are happening here are somewhat reminiscent of things I've heard from a number of creators about Dan DiDio's handling of other titles. Without going into specifics, it's my understanding that he changes his mind on a dime and, like Joe Quesada, has tighter control over the company than his predecessors did and therefore his whims can be really destructive.Why Have Sales Gone Up On The Lower Part Of The Top 300?
The Internet is my guess. It's so much easier for small fish to promote themselves competitively now than it has been in the past. The fact that the dominant comics media are now online changes the dynamic: at Wizard magazine, for example, they have limited page count and therefore have to make hard decisions regarding who to cover. But that's not (as much) true online, where you don't have to spend a ton of money to cover the small press community.Why Is It That People Still Don't Seem To Get The CBLDF?
People are politically apathetic and all news in this country is a weird, tabloid parody of real news. The fact that people want to ignore the important issues that the CBLDF exists to deal with and instead focus on whether they like the people the CBLDF are protecting is no surprise.Why Is No One Alarmed That DC/Marvel Dominate Market Share?
People aren't thinking about it. If they were, and were smart at all, they'd be terrified. It's true, DC and Marvel really DO only pay attention to what serves their own interests. And short-term interests at that. Cancellations on books like Blue Beetle are indicative of the way the Big Two don't take chances, and that they're increasingly set on bleeding the small, dedicated fanbase dry rather than bringing in new readers. See also: the return of tired Silver Age characters and concepts best left buried at the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Whatever Happened to Traditional Self-Publishing?
I think most creators are simply not able to take the kinds of chances that Jeff Smith and Terry Moore can. God bless the ones who can, but yeah...Image is an appealing option for most people who have enough talent to, honestly, make it on their own if Image weren't there. A promotions hand-up is a HUGE thing in today's market, where fans were increasingly selective and isolated even before the larger economy collapsed.Why Is The Fact That A Few People Are Making That Kind Of Money On Webcomics Not A Bigger Story?
Reporters are lazy. Just look at my answer for this question!How Many Staffed Editorial Cartoonist Positions Will There Be Ten Years From Now?
Not many. As the newspaper market contracts and wire services make the work of the most famous and popular cartoonists widely available for cheap, this wil be the kind of job that just ceases to exist at a lot of papers. Sad, but true. I'm guessing that the MAJOR newspapers will have paid cartoonists, very small papers will have unpaid cartoonists who do it to get published and everyone in the middle will either take advantage of the unpaid market or buy them off the wires.What Is The Big Picture Future Of Translated Manga?
Frankly, I have no idea. This isn't my area of expertise and I'll happily admit it. I think this is one area where, by and large, fans are more informed and could make better-educated guesses than reporters and bloggers are. At least reporters and bloggers like yours truly, who spend most of our time covering the mainstream, American comics business.
No comments:
Post a Comment