• Top 6 Most Encouraging Trends in Comics.

The WonderCon 2008 Podcast Panel featured personalities from the podcasts “iFanboy”, “Around Comics”, “Comic Geek Speak”, and “I Read Comics” discussing the state of comics podcasting and comics in general.

One of the highlights was when the moderator asked the panelists what they thought were the most encouraging trends in comics today. Here are their answers, (along with my comments in italics):

1) “More Collected Editions.” Brian Deemer (Comic Geek Speak)

“Books in bookstores, because they reach a much huger audience than the comic book stores ever will. Original graphic novels, cheap trade paperbacks, all of that stuff is very, very, important. I think that’s the future of comics. I think the floppies’ days are numbered. It’s all going to be books in a bookstore.”

Ron Richards (iFanboy): “I love single issues, but we look at success by the number of comics sold on single issues in the top 300, but we don’t see any reporting on how many Amazon is selling or how many Barnes & Noble is selling or how many borders is selling and that’s going to be the real key.”

HP – If the floppies do disappear, this would be a major shift in the financial model of comic book companies… and it would shut down all the “mom & pop” comic book stores. It would make it harder on publishers because it would be more money up front to pay the creators for 144 pages instead of just 22.

And you would reduce two financial models into one – these companies make money twice from the same story – once from the floppies, then again from the collected editions. If this shifts, it’d be like television shows being released straight to DVD in entire seasons. You find that many readers buy the same story twice, much like television viewers will watch it on TV and then buy the DVD.

Most companies offer original graphic novels (OGNs) already, that is, they aren’t collected single comics, but a story meant to be printed all together… Except for (as far as I know) the big two (Marvel & DC). Some companies, like TokyoPop release only OGNs and their sales are through the roof.

I’m not sure this shift will ever take place, but it could be heading that way. I suppose it all depends on if the chain bookstores are ready to embrace the floppies. History has shown they aren’t. It’s a very small profit margin for a large amount of in-and-out inventory and floor space.

2. “The best trend in the past 5 years is the return to quality.” Ron Richards (iFanboy):

“You can put as much as you want out there, but if it’s crap, no one is going to buy it. You can have 17 “X” titles and if only one of them is worth reading, then the whole line is not worth anything. It’s got to be really good creators writing, drawing, & making good comics.”

HP – This, of course, is everything. There are some great comic books out there. And there is some crap out there. I wish that comic readers would be harsher with their purchases. Many readers will buy a book just because of the character or to have a complete set, even if the story sucks. This creates a model where publishers can put out any so-so story and readers will buy it. Money talks and if readers stop buying crappy books, then publishers will stop making them. I find that the more willing you are to explore smaller publishers, Top Shelf, Oni, Image, TokyoPop, the better stories you’ll find.

3. “Borders is doing the comic book store inside a store, folks, that’s the future.” Christopher Neseman (Around Comics)

“The Local Comic Book Store’s I love them, I go every week, but that business does not have a real bright future to it. It comes down to foot traffic. Plain and simple. The internet is cutting into that. Other entertainment forms is cutting into it. The bookstores are really looking like they will be the future of mass market sequential art. I firmly believe that’s where it’s going. And that’s a good thing.”

Ron Richards (iFanboy): “We all just lived through the music revolution of the late 90′s to early 00′s and it’s going to be the same thing. You’re going to see the mom & pop stores go under, unfortunately, which I hate because there’s stores like Isotope here in San Francisco, Meltdown in L.A., Rocketship in Brooklyn, that are just awesome stores , but as soon as the big boxes get involved you’re going to see the small stores go and you’ll see the internet cut in.”

HP – I’ve talked about this on numerous occasions and I completely agree. It is time that comics moved past the geeky little subculture it is and become a media in the forefront. The main reason I got into writing this blog is for this very reason. I want to see the comics I love be loved by millions. In order to break past that stereotypical subculture (whether it lives up to that stereotype or not) the industry needs to prominately settle itself where the majority of people already are – the chain bookstores.

4. “Digital Comics.” Ron Richards (iFanboy)

“I know the digital comics thing is a hot topic and we don’t know how that will play out but you can’t avoid that. The moment someone figures out how to read a cood comic on the iPhone, you’re going to watch it explode”

HP – This is a big “wait and see.” I personally can’t imagine reading comics on an iPhone, or Kindle or any device. But if the quality grows and the size, it may be a very natural transition. I’m excited about those that are experimenting with this. It will be fun to follow.

5. “There’s a lot more diversity in the comics you’re reading.” Josh Flannigan (iFanboy)

“Most comics are still superhero comics, but there’s stories about other things than super heroes. Y: The Last Man was a huge book, and having stories like that and having places like Vertigo and Oni and Image. They’re doing all sort of different things. I love that there are books that you can give to people or recommend to people that can challenge all the expectations of what it is. “Read this comic book.” “Well I don’t like superheroes.” This is a story, it moves you like any movie or any book you’ve ever read. I think that when you wanna talk about growing the whole base of everything like like putting them in bookstores and having collected editions, that’s really important.”

HP – This also plays a huge part in marketing comics to a larger audience. Comics need to be easy to find, easy to access, high quality, and of a diverse amount of genres. A lot of people still consider comics books Superhero-only. But this hasn’t be the case… well, ever. But that still sits at the forefront (in public opinion, and sales). But Josh is right, there are graphic novels out there that rival anything in movies, TV, or books. And more and more publishers & creators are embracing other genre’s, from romantic comedy, to horror, to drama, to action.

6. “I think in mainstream comics, the move to other media has been huge.” Lene Taylor (I Read Comics)

“Especially DC doing the direct to DVD stuff that they finally figured out that they should be making animated movies that aren’t shit.”

HP – This, of course, includes comic book movies on the big screen, not just with the big superhero movies (Spiderman, X-men, Batman) but also the smaller graphic novels being adapted well (V for Vendetta, 300, 30 Days of Night, Stardust, Sin City, A History of Violence) This could also be said of books that cross over into superhero territory & television shows like Heroes. I’m not sure how much these works bring in new readers, but I know with movies like Sin City & 300, where you can pick up the stories easily in collected editions, sales have sky-rocketed.

You can view the entire panel at iFanboy.com.

• The Future of Comic Book Stores is… Borders?

“ANN ARBOR, Mich., Feb. 14, 2008—After more than 18 months of development and testing, Borders will unveil the first of its highly anticipated new concept stores when grand opening festivities kick off Feb. 22 at its new store on Lohr Rd. in Ann Arbor, Mich., the company’s hometown. The 28,900-square-foot concept store—the first of 14 the company expects to open nationwide this year—represents a significant enhancement over existing Borders stores inside and out and fulfills the company’s mission to be a headquarters for knowledge and entertainment.”

“…we’ve put a strong focus on popular categories—including Travel, Cooking, Wellness, Graphic Novels and Children’s—by incorporating digital options and the online world, making these sections of the store interactive destinations where customers can not only shop our vast selection of books, but also take advantage of computer kiosks featuring recommendations from our expert buyers, related video content including interviews with experts and authors, and much more.”

“Borders, a long-time leader in the Graphic Novels market, has created a Graphic Novels Destination offering fans of this unique category an extensive inventory of Manga, Superhero and other Graphic Novels, as well as Anime DVDs, comic books and licensed collectible items.

Titles & Merchandise

• The Graphic Novels Destination in the concept store is instantly recognizable by images of licensed artwork such as that of Naruto™, Wonder Woman™ and Sandman™ on lighted drums suspended from the ceiling. Borders created these colorful drums to appeal to the visual nature of fans of Graphic Novels.
• The Destination contains thousands of titles as well as a large selection of comic books, how-to-draw books, magazines and DVDs. The breath and depth of the selection is larger than that offered by a typical Borders superstore.
• In addition to an extensive inventory of titles, the Destination also features a number of non-book items such as collectible figurines and plush toys to round out the offerings provided exclusively for Graphic Novels enthusiasts. Customers can also purchase software to create their own comic books.“

Okay, so what does this mean to the future of comic books?

Border’s already carries a great selection of graphic novels, and it has proven to be one of their best-selling and fastest growing areas. In these new concept stores, Graphic Novels is singled out as one of 5 “featured destinations” in the store.

This is a HUGE step forward in recognizing Graphic Novels as a widely accepted form of pop art. I really believe that these are the steps that will bring in new readers to the comic book industry – a friendly, neutral environment where the average consumer can investigate the world of graphic novels without feeling like they are showing up at the party uninvited (as, unfortunately, many still feel when going into a comic book store).

In addition to these feature destinations, there will be a significant area called the “community room” where they will host signings and discussions. These community room events can also be broadcast to be viewed live via webcast. Comic book creators and publishers need to jump all over this and really embrace the opportunity we’ve been given here to embrace the brand that Border’s is building around Graphic Novels.

It’s also great that these stores seem to embrace Superhero, Manga, & Art comics equally… which is greatly lacking in traditional comic book stores. I believe that one day, Superhero books will no longer be the lead sellers in comics.

Is this the end of traditional comic book stores?

No. Border’s still has a very limited selection of monthly titles. And I don’t see that ever changing. There is more of a profit margin on the graphic novels and less inventory to keep up with on a weekly basis.

What Border’s does offer is a window into the comic book industry. Consumers who wouldn’t normally buy a comic can find a graphic novel that interests them at a Border’s store. If they like what they read, hopefully the rest of the comic book industry will be open enough to learn to provide that window into our world.

I’m sure that Border’s is not interested in sending its customers to traditional comic stores, but hopefully it will at least be open to the online comics community through their interactive stations.

And maybe, the comics community can make a specific underground effort to expand the universe by embracing the community that these Border’s stores can provide.

At the same time, I hope this provides a challenge for traditional stores to be competitive with these Border’s stores – to provide the same kind of neutral environment where customers can browse and read and hang out without feeling threatened.

• Saving the comic book Industry.

Back in the early 90′s, the best-selling comic book was selling in the millions. Today, it runs about 150,000. Why the drop-off? Well the early 90′s were part of the “speculation market,” where companies would print comics with 10 different covers and collector’s would buy 10 of each cover thinking it would be worth something eventually. But it turned out that they weren’t worth much of anything and the bottom dropped out.

Now, comic books today seem to have it together. They are written and drawn a thousand times better than they were then. There are more independent comics infiltrating the market place. There are some amazing books being put out right now.

So, how do we get more people reading these great stories in comic books? I think a lot of the problem lies with the industry itself.

The comic book industry is very unique. The way it works is basically monthly comic books are sold almost exclusively at Direct Market Stores aka Comic Book Stores. Nearly all the monthly comic books are ordered through one distribution company called Diamond.

The Big Two comic book companies, Marvel & DC, keep these book stores alive as they create the vast majority of monthly comic books.

Comic books are also collected every 6 or so issues into Trade Paperbacks (TPB) or created originally in long-form books called Graphic Novels. Some of the terminology switches all around, but this is how I think of it, so this is how I’m referring to it. TPBs & Graphic Novels are also available at most major bookstores such as BN or Borders.

You can compare it to Television. If you wanna watch the Office, you can watch it weekly on NBC or purchase the DVD at the end of the year. NBC is the only place you can watch the Office weekly. The Comic Book Store is the only place you can read comics weekly. But you can still buy the Office DVDs at Wal-Mart. And you can still buy TPBs at Borders.

But, if no one watched the Office weekly, then it would never be released on DVD. In the same way, if no one read the monthly comics, they would never be released in TPB format. So, the Comic Book Stores are, in many ways, the life-blood of the comic market. Without them, the industry would be much more limited, as it’s more difficult for writer’s and artists to take off a year to create a Graphic Novel. With the monthly comics, it creates a source of revenue to keep them going.

Now, the problem is that a lot of times people are turned off to Comic Book Stores. Many of the stereotypes unfortunately turn out to be true. The snooty “comic-book guy” behind the counter. The disorganized floor. The fact that they are hard to find.

So, are there some ways to improve the Comic Book Store to better bring in new customers? Here are my suggestions:

A) Starbucks-ing Comics

As far as I know, there are no franchised comic bookstores. A guy may own one or two, but for the most part, they are individually owned and operated (funny that they all seem to look like though…)

What if someone had some capital and they took the initiative to start a comic book store franchise? As a franchise, they could negotiate a deal with Diamond for more of a discount since they would be ordering more books. Or better yet, Diamond should start their own stores, offering books at a massive discount to get people in the door.

More than just price though, a franchised store could set themselves up as non-’comic book guy’ friendly. Where an average Joe (and especially average Jane) could walk into the store, be greeted by the friendly, knowledgeable, and hip staff who ask them if they need help finding anything. The staff could ask what other media they are into… “What’s your favorite movie?” Based on their answer, they find them the book that best suits them.

Maybe they have a Barne’s & Noble-style open policy, where the books aren’t bagged, but someone can come in and sit and read a comic if they want without the staff hounding them.

Basically we need stores that are all over the country where a normal person wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen in them.

B) Selling Out to Corporate America

As I mentioned before, BN & Borders both have sections for Graphic Novels & TPBs, but their monthly comic sections is VERY limited. What if these stores created a section for monthly comics that carried everything from the hottest Marvel book, to the most out-there indie.

Many of these stores, from what I understand, order through a variety of distribution companies, so by starting a good monthly comics section, they most certainly would rise up some competition to (near monopoly) Diamond, thereby dropping prices.

Not only that, but these are stores that are already accepted. If someone is walking through looking for the latest Stephen King novel and runs across his Dark Tower series put out by Marvel, then they might pick it up. Whereas, this King fan would never be caught dead inside a comic book store.

C) 50 Years in the Future

Digital comics are coming our way, just not very soon. One day, you’ll be able to get online, order a comic book, be able to download it immediately, copy it to your “digital book” device, and read it right there. This will, of course, change the way people receive and read their comics.

The problem is, right now, no one wants to read a comic on their computer screen. There is nothing that can replace the touch and smell and sight of reading a new printed comic.

But one day, as technology grows, we’ll have devices that will take the place of books and no one will be complaining. Comic books could very well herald this technology in, as I would assume, pictures with words will look better on these things than just words.

I, for one, will hang onto the physical books as long as possible. But, if one day, it would be this easy to receive comic books, it is possible that the industry could grow enormously as we take out any obstacle one might face of buying a comic, whether that be embarrassment or just not being able to find a place.

I do think that something needs to change in order for this industry to grow. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.