Chris Butcher is Cynical Orange

[doronjosama]

This is a must-read for anyone interested in the continuing health of the North American comics industry.

That's not hyperbole. I'm seeing this stuff from both sides, as both a comics publisher and a comics retailer, and Chris nails it. This is what has been going on. How much stuff are we missing at the shop I work at, the shop that is considered to have the best selection in our city? Never mind the things that have been hit with a Code 28, what things weren't even listed that we might have normally carried?

I end up doing a lot of searches for people looking for things at work. And it's always upsetting to find things that have been out for six or eight or ten months that Diamond Distribution apparently just didn't even bother to list. (Ouran High School Host Club Season 1 Part 2 DVD set? REALLY?!)

I admit, my taste is not the average comic reader's. I don't read superheroes aside from cursory pass-throughs on my lunch breaks to keep up with stuff for work. I read a lot of obscure indie stuff and a lot of manga and manhwa that categorically Do Not Sell in our store (I special order). But I do know if I find something that I think is awesome and amazing, I CAN HAND-SELL THAT. I am damn good at hand-selling. It's what I've done since I first started working in a comic store when I was 19. (jameshanrahan and I hand-sold literally dozens of copies of The Death of Speedy and dozens of copies of a brand new comic called Bone, back in the day.)

I can't hand-sell stuff when we can't even get it in the store because we didn't even know it existed. This is where the Direct Market is going to fail us as retailers, and where it is going to fail us as consumers.

It's kind of already failing me as a publisher, so it shouldn't be too unexpected, really.

Comments

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

It's an excellent article and I really appreciate you sharing it as well as your thoughts/experiences.

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

P.S. Love to know what you like to read someday!

[doronjosama.livejournal.com]

Before the move, I often updated with what I was currently reading at the end of posts. ^_^ I need to get back to doing that!

The last comic/manga I read that I was *really* excited about was Ooku: The Inner Chambers (http://www.amazon.com/Ooku-Inner-Chambers-Fumi-Yoshinaga/dp/1421527472) by Fumi Yoshinaga. It was a great read, and put together in a gorgeous package!

[ruggels.livejournal.com]

What is the solution, if any?

Scott

[badjahsensei.livejournal.com]

The article alludes to it: induced competition. Retailers seek out other distributors for their wares--ones who are happy to provide the service Diamond won't.

If they're smart, Marvel and DC will break exclusivity with Diamond (and since both are now corporate--Disney and WB--their lawyers ought to be bigger and better than Diamond's) and start selling to these smaller distributors. It won't be like the old days, with Diamond and Capital keeping each other in check, and smaller regional distributors there to step up when one or both blew it.

I don't think we're going to see the death of the pulp any time soon. It's nice, alarmist, and makes for good drama on the discussion boards, but nostalgia alone will keep that medium going for a while now...

[doronjosama.livejournal.com]

We're seeing a LOT of long-term, dedicated comics readers dropping titles left and right from Marvel and DC lately. They're fed up with year-long crossover events and the $3.99 price point is really making people take a long hard look at what they buy. If a guy has a $20 a week budget for comics, and all the comics he wants to buy are $3.99, he's going to drop down to the few series he's the most interested in. The days of the Marvel Zombie or the DC fanatic are going the way of the do-do, as those hardest of hardcore guys who will put aside any and all other life expenses in favor of buying every title on the stands are getting older and older.

And, why pay $3.99 each for six issues of a comic when you can wait and buy the trade paperback for $14.99? We're seeing a lot of that going on.

I can't say what Diamond's biggest motive is, but if they could ONLY carry trade paperbacks and graphic novels, I think they would. They've pretty much said as much to small press publishers- basically, do trades, or don't bother us with your products. They absolutely are not interested in small press floppy pamphlet comics from anyone except Marvel, DC, IDW, Image, BOOM! or Dark Horse. It's all about money.

[robby-bevard.livejournal.com]

I figure comics as they ARE, he 24 page pamphlets, will be flat out dead within 10 years, aside from the nostalgia value on title like Super, SPiderman, etc. The sheer constant rising prices on books is absurd at this point, its impossible to bring in a casual fan who is just curious onto a 3.99 book.

Rising prices, diminishing sales, (interlinked factors, obviously) stupidity at Diamond, internet. We're rapidly approaching the end of this particular brand of medium.

Now, anthologies, or longer books, will still persist. 5 dollars for a 48 page feels fine for whatever reason, possibly because "oversized"bookshave had that sort of price point for a long time. But when even *I'M* considering "Well hrm. I love Usagi Yojimbo and have read it for 10 years, but maybe I should give up the monthlies and wait for the trades..." and I don't buy a single marvel or DC book anymore, while WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY... its just not good.

the 3 dollar pricepoint was about the casual limit I think, something is gonna have to give with prices consistently higher now.

In 10 years 48 pagers might be standard, or comics might on average cost 7 dollars, I don't know. If I knew the future I'd go into the lotto. but its definatley changing.

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

very salient points & ruggels asks a good question, one that I started working on immediately.

Does some kind of Internet page usurping Diamond have to start or something (in the meanwhile)? Will we have to connect to one another outside of the self-created industry? It just seems so weird, I see people detaching from their audience in other avenues too. Like television going off the air. I wonder about radio too (which has gone partially to the "subscription" type audience) and I see the loss of simple pay phones as if you MUST buy a cell wether you want one or not. There is an industry going more exclusive and less interested in the general consumer it seems.

[doronjosama.livejournal.com]

I don't buy any Marvel or DC books anymore either. I'll occasionally pick up a CMX manga (which is technically DC via Wildstorm). I read most stuff in trades, really.

That's the joke of most industry people- "I work in comics, I can't afford to buy them!" XD

[rsjr.livejournal.com]

Oh god. I thought I was the only one. XD

[lothos.livejournal.com]

It's frustrating that there's no sure vaccine to stop this sickness!

[jameshanrahan.livejournal.com]

We really had to work to get the store to order those early copies of Bone though as I recall. Hand selling them was easy.

And that sort of holds true for the comics in the store now, whether they are graphic novels or pamphlets or manga or what-have-you. I do not work in a comic store any longer but I can, as knowledgeable-customer-guy, sell your customers on graphic novels when I'm just hanging out($95 worth in one instance). Selling them is easy, people come to the store WANTING to spend money on SOMETHING entertaining; your job is half-done right there. But does your store even HAVE them? Do the store employees even know they are out? And I am talking about comics, GN collections, and the manga as well.
I know that store budgets come into play, but if the store and the distributor force a customer to wait a long time than the chance of losing business to Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc. increases. And THOSE places will usually give you some sort of discount on manga and GNs.
So, um, yeah. I agree.