For those of us who assumed that the Marvel Season One OGNs might be primarily based at a Disney Store audience, David Gabriel has an interesting response during an iFanboy interview on the line:
I want to be clear that the direct market is still our #1 source for getting this type of material out to all consumers. It’s up to us and our retail partners to work on methods of driving new faces into those stores. This content in everySeason One story is what we believe is perfect for bringing new readers into both comics and comic stores.As far as book store markets go, while of course we are all dismayed at what has happened with Borders, keep in mind that there is still a vibrant market for graphic novels out in the world. The point here is to get fresh new content out there and work with those existing book market retailers to do what we can to make this as successful a launch as possible.
Don’t forget, the fans are still out there, the readers and consumers still exist. They will find places to go and our job is to now get these titles into as many outlets as possible so they have the widest selection.
I’m not sure whether the “the direct market is our #1 source” is meant to be a reassurance to DM retailers, or just a statement of fact as to the way things are right now. Certainly, saying “our job is to now get these titles into as many outlets as possible” implies pushing outside of the DM, and the Disney Store seems like an obvious next step for Marvel. Digital, too, but there’s every possibility that Marvel might be purposefully lagging on that to see how DC’s linewide day-and-date goes when it launches in September.
