Posted in: Comics | Tagged: comic store in your future, Comics, entertainment

Comic Store In Your Future – That Was The February That Was

Published Thu, 09 Mar 2017 10:00:48 -0600

Last updated Wed, 15 Jun 2022 16:29:38 -0500

Rod Lamberti of Rodman Comics writes weekly for Bleeding Cool. Find previous columns here.

After reading how this year's February didn't exactly set the comic industry on fire, it didn't come as a surprise by any means.

February's comic sales had Marvel in the top ten with Darth Maul and the main Star Wars title. None of their comics from their super hero line made it.

Even though Marvel published more titles the unit share was surprisingly close to DC.

I would assume a lot of retailers did like I did. Started ordering lower on their Marvel superhero titles after taking a beating for awhile. What will Marvel's excuse be this time? After effects of DC's New 52 returnable program? Rebirth already was blamed.

Marvel is finally getting away from their first issue addiction problem later this year. It is a problem. I have been open only for over six years and there are how many first issues for the various Marvel titles and spin-offs? Avengers. Avengers Academy, Avengers Arena, and more have been largely forgotten in the vast sea of comics. Captain America has had how many first issues? Daredevil, Thor, X-Men and their many spin-offs. For years I have written on my website about how Marvel was so short term sighted and had no long term vision. And for years it seemed Marvel's non-stop renumbering with first issues were not really hurting the industry. Then my Marvel sales dropped. As I stated in a previous column, Valiant a company with fewer resources and less popularity were passing Marvel's lower selling titles and giving name brand titles such as the Avengers a run for their money in store. I never thought the main Avengers would drop so badly. Did customers angrily drop Marvel? A few. Most just gave up. Voted with their wallet and said enough is enough.

The upcoming X-O Manowar series has more people excited here than any upcoming Marvel projects currently. Why doesn't Secret Empire the next Marvel company-wide crossover have people excited? Monsters Unleashed isn't setting the world on fire. Civil War II was not a hit with the readership. Just like when Bendis wrote Age of Ultron people went what the heck was that?

And everyone knows Captain America will return to being the Captain America we all know and love. How he gets back might be messy. Oh, a cosmic cube returned things to normal yet somehow Captain America still was a traitor?

Even the world's best comic store with the best customer service will be unable to sell something that is not in demand.

Another troubling fact. Millions of people have seen the comic book based movies. From Avengers to the recently released Logan. But yet somehow there is maybe a trickle of people that come in to check out the comic the movie is based from. Old Man Logan's comic should be on fire sales wise just from all the advertising for the movie yet isn't.

The Harry Potter movies made the books even more popular. Yet comic book movies have little effect.

And yes this is an issue with DC also. The movies somehow make no real impact on comic sales. The people that come in because of an upcoming movie don't return for some reason. I am assuming that reason is because the comic doesn't make them go oh wow I need to get the next issue.

I would go so far as to say the movie actually hurt the comics. So much focus on the movies that comics seems an afterthought at the time. Marvel movies' opening credits used to start out with a generic comic book with its pages being flipped. Now they just show off their characters from past movies. Geoff Johns. Anytime he is on a title it sells very well. He spends more of his time working on movies now instead of comics. Granted he is coming back which is great news for comic sales. As a comic fan and retailer, I would rather see him writing comics.

We haven't seen a new superstar artist in years. A superstar that a new or younger generation of comic readers could call their own.

What are the current comic standards currently? Anything goes? Rocket Racoon made it to issue 5 so a relaunch of another issue 1 is needed? I am going to order it like it was issue 6. It's too close to its last first issue.

Some easy sales that Marvel could make. The Rogues One adaptation may be in the same month that the movie releases instead of months later. The Force Awakens did the same thing. The C-3P0 one shot about his arm had fans excited but then it got delayed.

No Fantastic Four comic. Hasn't enough time gone by from when the movie came out?

Marvel that's great that you are making money off your movies. It just seems you don't nearly care as much about the publishing side currently.

I write this not to be an arrogant bitter comic store owner. I write this because I do not want the comic industry to go silently into the night. The comic stores you read about that are closing or closed? It's because demand has went down. Costs have gone up. Not because they were lazy or not good at selling comics.

Do I despise Marvel? No, as a fanboy I own plenty of Marvel comics in my personal collection. Some of my favorite superhero story lines are by Marvel. The classic Siege story arc from the first Avengers volume I still enjoy. The earlier run of Uncanny X-Men by Chris Claremont was a hit with any kid at the time. Including this one who while older still loves the run. Newer material such as the first Avengers Academy was a fun read for me.

Marvel show me the money! You have the characters. You have been in the publishing business for years. Leave behind the variant covers. The yearly relaunches. The massive spin-offs. Get people reading comics. Be the golden goose. Be the publishing company known for their great storylines and art. Be the House of Ideas again.

I don't want to become the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons and one day close and say "Oh, I've wasted my life."

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