Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, entertainment

Tens Of Thousands Of Comics Destroyed Every Week – Hospital Donation Campaign Launches

Mark Hall of the pressure group BusinessWaste has called on the tens of thousands of British comic books destroyed every week to be donated to hospitals or charities for child patients.

Unsold comics in British newsagents are returned to the publisher, or simply destroyed at the point of sale, tens of thousands every week. Recycling is often not an easy option as many kids comics are polybagged in plastic with free gifts, so they end up being burnt or on landfill sites. Even though, especially in the bagged state, they are still in perfect saleable condition.

The organisation suggests the comics could even be bought at cost, the payments of which could be funded by charitable donations.

"The nay-sayers have a valid point in that it might hit sales from the newsstands," says Hall, "And that's why we say such a scheme would be limited in scope to make sure that doesn't happen.

"Shops and publishers have businesses to run, after all!"

One nurse told BusinessWaste.co.uk,: "You should see the books and comics that we have for the children – they're falling apart at the seams, and I think even prisoners get a better deal. We rely on what parents bring in, but it's depressing to see kids' get bored because they have so little to read and do.

"A regular supply of recent comics and magazines would be brilliant," she said.

Recently, DownTheTubes looked at the rather terrible state of comic books distribution and display at Britain's largest newsagent chain, WH Smith.

But surely there comes a point where publishers really should kick up a fuss, when their titles are jammed so tightly on the rack it is near impossible  for a potential customer to find them – and when they are encouraged into promotions entirely inappropriate for the title? (WHSmith Lancaster is currently offering buyers of war comic Commando – a copy nowhere to be seen – a free chalk set).

Publishers used to be more uppity, of course. When they had better budgets, newspapers – national and local – had teams of staff patrolling newsagents, checking their titles were being displayed correctly. Those days are long gone, which is a shame when you consider they might spend at least £18,000 – £25,000 to get a new comic onto shelves, the sum charged for a launch that includes gaining a spot in most major WHSmith and key newsagents (which in many cases WHSmith control distribution to).

No wonder so many are being pulped…

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