Mark Waid on why digital is so important to the future of comics:
The problem with comics, and I’ve said this before, is that we have over the past 50 years very, very successfully taken what used to be a mass medium and successfully turned it into a niche market. Which is crazy, the idea that comics are a destination point now, that I can’t find them anywhere. If I’m in the middle of the country, I have to get in a phonebook and see if there’s a store within 100 miles of me that even carries comics. This is why you don’t see mass advertising for comics during movies, during the trailers. This is why you don’t see mass advertising for comics in, say, a “Got milk?” sort of ad campaign. There’s no “Got comics?” campaign. It’s not because we don’t want people to read comics. It’s not because that’s not an interesting way of advertising comics. But let’s say you’ve gone to see Avengers in a multiplex in the middle of Alabama. Let’s say Huntsville, Alabama. I’m pulling that out of the blue. And you leave that theater going, “Oh my God, now I’m stoked about the Avengers, and I saw this great trailer or commercial before the movie for Avengers comics. I gotta have an Avengers comic.” Well, where the hell are you going to go? [Laughs.] You know? You can’t go to the 7-Eleven. You can’t go to the mini-mart. You can’t go to the drugstore. You can’t go to the grocery store. If you’re lucky, there might be a comics store in the northern half of Alabama. I don’t know if there is. There may be one. It’s wasted advertising.You can do that with milk because everybody knows where to find milk. You can do that with beef, “That’s what’s for dinner.” If I see a commercial for beef, and I suddenly decide I want beef, I know where to find beef. [Laughs.] Comics is a different thing. The beauty of digital, the beauty of the iPad, the beauty of mobile devices is that that’s the new newsstand. That gives us the potential to reach out to people and give them comics on a platform that is as ubiquitous to them as convenience stores were to you and me when we were growing up. That doesn’t mean they’ll automatically find comics. It doesn’t mean that is an automatic fix. I’m not saying that because we sold a million iPads today means that there’s a million other people going to read comics next week. But at least there’s a fighting chance. There’s a much better chance to reach them through the iPad than through comics stores.
It’s from a great, somewhat scattered, interview at the AV Club (I wish there has been follow-up questions, personally) that is well-worth checking out. Waid is a great interview subject, a great writer, and someone with a very particular view on the industry through his many experiences. Go read.
July 11th, 2012 at 8:58 am
He knows, you know! I’m trying far more comics I would have previously, due to the cheapness of non-DC and Marvel books on digital storefronts, so it’s entirely possible that non-comic fans are trying the odd one or two. I wonder if the comics companies could get Apple to dock a dedicated comics-finding app to the basic iPad.
July 11th, 2012 at 9:24 am
I agree completely. While I am not one to read my comics in digital format, it is clear that they need to be there AND on the shelf of every corner, drug and grocery store again.
The fact that we need a comic book store locator number is crazy and if you have to “look” for a product you may only want to try out, 99% of people probably don’t bother.
I’m still surprised that for the movies, they don’t advertise certain TPB’s that align with the movie or are integral to understanding the genesis of said movie.
July 11th, 2012 at 9:26 am
I liked his interview but I think his whole thesis is predicated on people walking our of the Avengers movie wanting an Avengers comic. I don’t think they do. They probably would rather have the video game or the cartoon. Even if they did want it they could wander to their local book store, or Amazon, and find a wealth of Avengers collections/comics. Comics are a much more niche product than anyone wants to admit and the I just don’t think the market is there, no matter how readily available or well-advertised they are.
July 11th, 2012 at 10:34 am
He is probably right. But I can’t find any interest in reading a comic, or a book for that matter, digitally. I have tried. It just isn’t for me. Then again, I don’t own a tablet yet. But perhaps this is why I don’t.
July 11th, 2012 at 2:06 pm
Good post. Sometimes Graeme does something right. As to Jason saying folks don’t want a comic coming out of the Avengers movie well maybe they don’t, at least not everyone. But I’m sure there are some people, kids and adults, who would read a comic after that movie if they only knew where they were. Sure there’s Amazon or ebay or whatever for trades and collections but he was talking about single issues.
July 12th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Nice interview, and a good quote.
July 13th, 2012 at 4:08 am
when the direct market (e.g., comic book stores) first emerged it was great, because prior to that, god only knew what issues 7-11 would carry month to month. but i don’t think anyone really envisioned doing away with the nondirect market. that was stupid. i’ve said it before, but there should, at the very least be a spinner rack in every children’s hospital giftshop and every highway reststop. those two things would expose so many more impressionable children to comics.
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