How is the market for comic books nowadays? I use to love reading them. Are they a thing of the past?

Answer 1

The market is tough. Its harder to get new reads b/c of video games, a million cable stations the Internet. Kids and people of all ages have many things to take up their time. Back in the 80's everyone started saving their comics and now with eBay and high production numbers people no longer see them as a investment. Comic book stores find it hard to make a profit. They are now few and far between. Also in a effort to get new readers and b/c readers find it hard to know a long history of a book. Many titles have relaunched. Starting over at number 1. While this sometimes get new readers. It often kills any value to older comics b/c of rewritten history. This also gives people a perfect time to stop following a title. I personally don't like the new tend of long story arcs (often 8 issues long) This is so the can make the graphic novels the others talked about.
If you want to get back into reading check out free comic book day on Sat May 5Th
http://www.freecomicbookday.com/

Answer 2

Depends on your personal curiosity, I think.

One: Comics today are harder to find.

Two: Comics today are expensive to read. And to be clear, I'm talking about the typical pamphlet comic.

Three: Not enough is done by the stunted distribution and retailer speciality system to grow it back into the reading 'fetish' that it was decades past. Younger readers are treated, not as an actual MARKET, but a niche to be overlooked most times. Even the films are not utilized as completely as they could be.

More former readers invest in slabbed comics on that ever escalating effort to MAKE the comic book disappear.

Answer 3

There are still actual comic books, though they are pricey. I would be glad to pay $100 at the end of the year for a DVD that had say, all of DC’s or all of Marvel’s titles for that year on it. I’d even pay for the ones I didn’t normally read, if the disk had everything!

[BTW, see the answer to your question about the Kryptonian martial art back where you answered the question on Superman being a pansy.]

4 APR 07, 1959 hrs, GMT.

Answer 4

Depends on why you are buying them. As far as collecting, not going to be worth a thing since they are mass produced. The stories can be fairly well written. Some of the art work is decent, a lot is computer animated.

They still sell, especially things like the Death of Captain America and the Breaking of the Bat, other than that, they sell fairly well.

Morg

Answer 5

excellent question! I think comic books are ever-present. As long as young people need a world to escape to, BUT, the 50's..60's..70's.compared to present are VERY different..aren't they! Kids now have instant access to the world with a click of a mouse.But the need for subject matter is still there, no matter how fast it can be delivered.

Answer 6

I'm 17 and collect comics they are not as popular as they once were but I believe they're still great.

Answer 7

It is a mixed batch. Here's the 411: Comic books still have loyal readers, but the market, per se, has shifted. Comic books are rarely seen in outside distribution points such as drug stores, retail stores, etc., as they were in the past. They tend to be available primarily at comic book shops, book stores, and online. DC has expanded it's roster, as they have bought and included comics from other companies such as Wildstorm and Image. DC has also made great efforts to hire top-notch writers, notably Crime Noir and Science Fiction authors, as well as the best artistic talent around, and giving them well padded contracts to keep them at DC. The stories have gotten far more "serious" in the sense the characters don't face silly scenarios such as Batman and Superman playing baseball, or Lex Luthor marrying Lois Lane, etc. There have been instances where the Justice League mindwiped a villain because he raped a female character, and this had repercussions. Not your average storyline. Still, DC has managed to keep a lot of "old school" stuff, such as the Justice Society, but improving it with newer characters in addition to the old classics, such as the original Flash, Green Lantern, etc., and updating others like Hourman and Mr. Terrific. They've managed to retain a loyal following of DC fans while appealing to newer readers, which isn't easy to do. Marvel Comics has also stepped up their game by making some signifcant storyline changes, and even "updating" their characters by offering an "Ultimate" version of the original characters, where some of the stories and origins are changed, as well as the appearances of many of the characters. This was somewhat reflected in the Spider-Man movies, with Peter Parker's origin having been revised a bit. Marvel has been notorious for using a lot of in-fighting with its super heroes, and now this is evident with the Civil War storyline. There has been an increase of Independent comic book publishers, most notably Dark Horse comics, which has been around for awhile, but they have been very wise with choosing great properties to use as comic books, notably the Star Wars franchise. They have an eclectic supply of titles, ranging from Horror, to Sci-Fi, even to pin-up artwork. They are the ones who produced Hellboy both as a comic and the movie. There still exists a loyal, cult following for underground press, such as in titles like Eightball, Johnny, the Homicidial Maniac, Love and Rockets, Dead @ 17, etc. There are even more Independent companies whose names may escape me at the moment, but you can find them by searching via the net or looking in Previews magazine, or Comics Buyers Guide, or Wizard. It is still a viable market, BUT, the prices have jumped recently on many of the comic books, and it has become frustrating to be a reader and collector due to the impact on the wallet. You are aware of the recent stable of comic book related movies, and this should continue. I anticipate comic books themselves may go on the downswing in a few years due to the movies, and the lack of readers willing to spend more money on the books. One last thing; there have also been Trade Books, with collections of issues of titles included in one large book, so if you miss a year or two of say, Capt. America, you can buy a Trade and catch up without having to spend more money by searching for all the back issues.

Answer 8

Like everything else, they became too expensive for the average kid to collect them. Now everyone just waits for the DVD to come out so they can rent it!

Answer 9

not really if you read them online