Just when you thought the current state of the world economy couldn’t get any more depressing, along comes the Columbus Dispatch to prove you wrong. There are certainly worse things going on in regards to the economy than falling comic book sales, but if things don’t start turning around sooner rather than later, the comic book industry as a whole could be irrevocably damaged. As the article states, we’ve already seen a few publishers go under, and chances are, more will fall by the wayside. Comic shops will be the hardest hit, with many stores forced to shutter their doors like we’ve seen in every other area of business. Even the stores that manage to survive may be forced to lay off their employees. The speculator bust of the 90s will seem like a walk in the park in comparison.
There is something of a bright side, however. No matter how many publishers or stores fall victim to the recession, comic books will never go away. As much as I personally dislike digital comics (I’m old school. I need to hold the comic book in my hands.), they do provide a more economical means of publishing. In the unlikely event that the direct market system crashes, you’ll still be able to purchase comics via online distribution means. And of course, there will always be enterprising and ambitious creators willing to self-publish their work, even if it means heading down to Kinko’s and photocopying ashcan books. Like our favorite superheroes, the comic book industry survives one way or another. It lived through Frederick Wertham and the Speculation Age, and it will ultimately endure this economic crisis.
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:06 am
I know times are tough, and that things are hard, but as someone who opened a shop in 2007 and is doing well (just moved to a new location and had the best month for single issues since we’ve been open), I’m tired of hearing HOLY CRAP WE’RE ALL GOING UNDER!
Yeah, the economy sucks and yeah the amount of “disposable income” that folks have is dwindling, but we need to stop acting like this is a foregone conclusion. The comic book economy can be turned around, and it’s up to consumers, publishers and retailers to make sure that it happens.
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:28 am
Congrats on your store’s success. That’s good to hear.
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:10 am
While I’m not trying to say that the economy isn’t having an effect, it’s a mistake to say that one company closed their line and two cut back, so we must be hitting it hard. Even in good times, there are companies that fail to make it, and companies that overreach and scale back. Virgin wasn’t some long-running success brought down by the economy, but a big-budget attempt that failed to fly.
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:55 am
“In the unlikely event that the direct market system crashes…” – Corey Henson
“Unlikely” must be a new slang word meaning “very likely”. Anecdotal evidence that comics book stores are doing just great isn’t any more substantial than anecdotal evidence that they’re sinking. As much as I hate to admit it, every “big picture” analysis points to dark days ahead.
“The comic book economy can be turned around, and it’s up to consumers, publishers and retailers to make sure that it happens.” – Thatcher E. Cleveland
How do you mean? I’m not being a jerk or just baiting you, I’m curious what you mean by that. What specifically is to be done, given that retail spending has bottomed out and niche markets are hit the hardest when people have trouble making ends meet?
February 2nd, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Thanks, Corey.
One of the things I hear most often from lapsed comic readers (most who read and collected in the go-go 90s) was that the prices just became prohibitive. Even though now these are guys with jobs and not high school or middle school kids anymore, they just look at the price and shake their heads.
To me, $3.99 is a problem. I sincerely hope the powers that be at the big two take every measure to make sure that doesn’t become the norm for non-special event comics, even if that means cheaper paper and maybe lower executive salaries. Do we want comics to go the way of the companies that request a bailout and then hand out bonuses (or make billions at the movies?). That’s as close as I can come right now, D. Peace, to specifics without further researching the issue. We’re a relatively new store, so a lot of what we’ve been doing has been focused on keeping our bottom line up. Given the state of the industry, that focus has begun to shift to a more “industry wide” view.