Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: Comics, comixology, digital comics, entertainment, retail

Can ComiXology Create New Comics Readers?

Published Fri, 07 Mar 2014 16:00:00 -0600

Brian M. Puaca writes for Bleeding Cool

I have read many articles over the past year touting the success of ComiXology and the digital comics revolution that is well underway. It was only a few months ago that ComiXology reported the sale of its two hundred millionth digital comic sold. And that was less than a year after the announcement of its one hundred millionth comic sold. Despite the fact that the on-line retailer has been less than transparent about its sales data, there can be little doubt that digital comics has become a growth industry over the past few years. And that's a good thing.

Let me begin my essay with praise for ComiXology and what it has done for comics in its short life so far. It has removed the boundaries to entering the marketplace for smaller publishers that just want to get their publications into the hands of readers. In adding to the diversity of the marketplace, ComiXology has enriched the industry in important and meaningful ways. It is also able to provide a remarkable selection of back issues at a low price that allows readers to try series they've missed or fill in back issues of titles they've only recently discovered. And then there is the matter of being open all the time. That means that we are never more than a few seconds away from buying just about whatever it is our comics-loving heart desires.

In short, I am a fan of digital comics and have no illusions about the wonderful things that it has done and will continue to do for the industry. The question that I am most interested in, however, is whether or not ComiXology, the undisputed king of the digital comics world, brings new readers into the medium. Phrased differently, are new readers entering into comics or are established readers simply spending more money on a form of entertainment that has suddenly become much more accessible? On this issue, the evidence is far from clear.

As to the issue of established readers using ComiXology to purchase comics, there can be no doubting the digital platform's success. What dedicated comics reader hasn't used ComiXology to purchase a new comic on a Wednesday evening when he or she hasn't been able to get to the local comics shop? And it is also undeniable that ComiXology has also provided a great service to those comics readers who are in areas that are not well served by traditional comics stores. If the trip to the local comics shop is an hour or so away, and time is tight, certainly buying digital comics is an ideal way to keep up with new issues that are of immediate interest. Finally, we can thank ComiXology for returning the focus of readers to the quality of the comic book itself and eliminating hype over variant covers or other promotions.

The next question one might ask is whether or not ComiXology has helped recapture lapsed readers of comics? People who read comics five, ten, twenty, or more years ago but stopped for myriad reasons can now check out what's new from the comfort of their couch. I agree that this has probably been a boost to digital comics sales as former readers have checked out new books or purchased old favorites. Whether or not this is merely a nostalgia trip for these readers or a more lasting return to the comics scene is an open question. I would guess there's anecdotal evidence to speak for both sides of this question, but few would dispute that it's a good thing for these folks to return to reading comics, even if on a limited basis.

The main issue, of course, is whether or not ComiXology and digital comics brings new readers into the medium. These are people who have never read comics before. I would presume that the debate about new readers would align closely with discussions of targeting young readers — college students, teenagers, pre-teens, and even children in an age where toddlers wander around the house with iPads. That's not to say that new adult readers are undesirable. I am fairly sure, however, that hooking a young reader on comics would be a much more lucrative long-term venture for publishers. This is where the promise of digital comics is perhaps greatest, as well as where its effectiveness is perhaps most important. Without a new generation of committed comics readers, the medium faces a bleak future.

It has been almost three decades now since the direct market overtook the newsstand in terms of comics sales. Comics readers under the age of thirty are unlikely to remember the ubiquity of comics being available at gas stations, markets, convenience stores, and other locations frequented by most people on a regular basis. There was a time, not so long ago, when most Americans found themselves in close proximity to comic books just about every day. That doesn't mean that proximity meant sales, of course, as the comics industry suffered a perilous decline throughout the 1970s. Yet the argument could be made that it was easier to bring readers back to comics, and attract new readers, through their being widely available and easily accessible. The comics industry rebounded strongly at the start of the 1980s, and while some of the credit for this must be given to the emerging direct market sales, half of the major publishers' sales in the middle of the decade still came from the newsstand.

I am convinced that we, as consumers, are more likely to try something that we encounter regularly. Repetition creates familiarity. It's unlikely that I'm going to try a new food that I haven't come across before. I'm probably not going to buy a car that I've never heard of. That doesn't mean that I won't – or shouldn't – try new things. It just means that I am less likely to do so without feeling comfortable and familiar with that product or food. Unfortunately, while the direct market did help save the comics industry, it effectively removed comics from the shelves where they had been for the past fifty years. To come across comic books after the end of the 1980's, one had to actively seek out the product at specialty stores that, notably, declined in number after the speculator bust of the mid-1990s. Thus, the product had become harder to find, had gone up in price, and required extra effort on the part of the potential customer.

ComiXology, so the reasoning goes, has removed those barriers that had come along with the shift to the direct market. Prices are either the same (as in the case of new comics) or are generally lower (in regard to back issues). Digital comics are also much more accessible, since the downloading of an app is all that is necessary to begin perusing the virtual newsstand of ComiXology. Most people can probably be shopping for comics on ComiXology in less time than it would take them to find their keys and pull the car out of the driveway. And there is no comparison when it comes to the question of effort. I can toss my feet up on the coffee table after my son goes to sleep and shop for whatever I want.

But does ComiXology bring new readers into comics? It certainly is a popular app in terms of downloads, having ranked as high as #4 (iPhone) and #6 (iPad) in Books last October. It is also a high grossing app, ranking 10th overall in 2011 and rising to 3rd overall in 2012 (but falling out of the Top Ten in 2013). A lot of people have downloaded it over the past five years and bought comics, but it is impossible to know who these people are. Do people stumble across ComiXology having never read comics, download the app, and begin reading? Do they sample a few issues and then, liking what they see, begin spending their hard-earned money? On this point – new readers coming to comics through digital comics – I am skeptical. In my mind, the downloading of the ComiXology app requires a conscious decision that is based on personal interest. Why would I download an app that facilitates my consumption of a specific form of entertainment if it was one that I didn't already enjoy? Undoubtedly there are people who have tried digital comics – because of an interest in comics-related TV or film, recommendations from friends, or perhaps mere curiosity – and have fallen in love with comics. These people, I would wager, are a small minority. In light of the growing number of entertainment options that are easily accessible to Americans, even (or especially) for young people, why would they suddenly seek out, make time for, buy, and read comics?

In some ways, the sales data of the next few years will indirectly answer some of the questions that have been raised here. For example, if new readers are not being brought into comics in significant numbers, one would likely expect to see sales of digital comics plateau at some point, perhaps before the end of this decade. Virtual proximity to comics is most enticing to readers who are already buying comics. They will — and probably have been — spending more money buying print and digital comics. At some point, however, they will no longer be able to afford their incrementally growing habit. If new readers aren't there to pick up the slack, those sales numbers will no longer continue to rise. That doesn't mean that digital comics sales won't continue to grow for the next several years. That doesn't mean that they will necessarily decline either. The question is whether long-term growth is sustainable. Without new readers, it's hard to imagine that it is.

I hope my essay will provoke responses from readers and a healthy debate. I don't pretend to have all the answers, and in fact, I wish that there was more concrete information out there upon which to develop these claims further (or refute them). I imagine that over time, this data will be released and we will get a clearer picture of the relationship between digital comics sales, print comics sales, and new readers. Until then, it's more speculation than interpretation. That said, I think it's a fruitful debate to undertake. Even if we don't come to agreement, the discussion forces us to consider important issues about the future of an industry and medium that we care about. So have at it — I'm listening.

Brian M. Puaca is an associate professor of history at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, where he teaches a course on the history of comic books and American society. He can be reached at bpuaca@cnu.edu.

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