24 October 2011

How To Save Comic Books - PART 4

Even though I love comic magazines I do think they are going the way of the dodo and the six-issue arc nonsense doesn't help. Plus, print is dieing off across the spectrum. I think the big comic publishers will eventually be forced to stop printing comic books due to declining sales -- much like the newspapers that are shutting down all over the country. All I'm advocating is moving more into the digital comics and deciding for themselves when to stop printing comics instead of waiting until lack of sales makes that decision for them. Do I think everyone should stop printing comic magazines altogether?  Nope.

I think there MUST continue to be printed comic magazines. However, I think the big guys should only print magazines of a mini-series, if any at all. If the only physical comic magazine that you could get from Marvel (not counting trades or graphic novels) was a two-issue mini-series about Scarlet Spider -- then it should sell-out even with a large run. If it's not a big enough story for a graphic novel or a trade, then a mini would be perfect. It would be a special event when a comic was made. They could even put the two issues together for a digital mini-trade.

I really do mean mini. If there is enough story to make a six-issue arc and a full size trade, then just release it as digital and then make a trade later. Otherwise we are just going in a circle. To reiterate: no comic magazines except for occasional minis, more digital comics which become trades, and more graphic novels. For the big guys. What about the independent publisher and small companies?

The little guy can show his stuff on the internet, but will not have the following to sell digital comics. Characters with almost 100 years of publication behind them like Batman can sell online comics. The character from an unknown/little known creator isn't going to sell online. The indy guy needs to put his stuff online for free like the webcomics model.

That's fine for online and to gain a little popularity, but he also needs something physical to sell at conventions and to earn income. Indy publishers will most likely start with a homemade mini comic that he can run copies of at the local Fed-Ex Kinko's which will be taken home to fold and staple. He can later move on to a "real comic book" thanks to companies like Ka-Blam. One or two issues for a low priced item to sell would be ideal.

If they stick with and build a bit of a fan base then they can print their own trade later on. Or even make a mini-series or graphic novel instead of just collecting what they already have online. These bigger comic book make a good higher priced item to sell alongside of the lower priced comic magazine.

Sometimes when a big-chain convenience store closes a location, then a small family owned operation will open up in the same exact building. The large corporation cannot justify keeping it, but the family can do just fine. Same thing in comic books. The large corporate comics will continue to be unable to justify their magazines. So they do some crazy stuff like taking away Superman's red underwear, killing Ralph Dibny, erase everyone memories, kill the the main charcter(s), bring characters back to life, and anything else they  think will temporarily boost sales. They need to knock it off and accept the fact that print is going away. Not all print, but what seems to be hurting are periodicals. Whether it's a newspaper, magazine, or comic book.

Once the denial stops and reality is faced then a plan can be made to deal with it. These posts are my ideas about "How To Save Comic Books". What's your idea?


Remember...
  1. Don't try to save comic books.
  2. Go more digital - at a low price point.
  3. Collect the trade from the digital comics.
  4. Make comic BOOKS (graphic novels).
  5. Print indy comics and mini-series.

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