As the new year begins, I thought I'd take some time to reflect on this hobby which has captured the attention of Nick, myself, and our listening community. How does the comic industry fair today, as seen from the point of view of myself, as a consumer and critic.
Public Perceptions
One of the greatest boons in recent times has been a much wider acceptance of comic books by the wider public. More people are looking at comics as an acceptable artistic medium, particularly for adults. This has, historically, been one of the biggest hurdles to the art form. Specifically, the burst in films based on comic books has been very helpful, and not just in regards to superheroes. Sure, Spider-man and Batman have garnered their share of box office profits, but I think the real victories lie in smaller, more independent comics translating to the big screen: Road to Perdition, Sin City, 300, 30 Days of Night, A History of Violence, all the Alan Moore movies. While superhero movies show a continued cultural memory for classic characters, I think that the production of movies like these help to support the argument that comic books can tell substantial stories that hold up to critical scrutiny. And movies are, by far, the best form of popular media for comic books to piggyback; the combination of words and pictures in both just works better than, say, a novelized comic book (Oh man, how bad some of those can be!).
There are other signs that comic books are finding their way into mainstream American culture. Comic books have fit very aptly into the "geek chic". How many hipsters can you find wearing a Green Lantern or Flash shirt? Also, comics are artistically trendy; at a talk I went to earlier this year by Scott McCloud, the auditorium was filled with Philadelphia-area art students, hanging on his every word. Take a look at the comic stores themselves; it's been a long time since I've happened upon one of those dungeon-esque holes that I used to creep into for my weekly fix. Now, stores are open and clerks more helpful and welcoming. My new store is well-lit, open, somewhat trendy, and even has a nice little reading area. While there are certainly some downsides to becoming more acceptable to a wider audience and would rather comics stay a niche hobby, I think the overall benefits that come with commercial and critical acceptance far outweigh and should be a primary concern in the coming years. Which brings us to our next topic:
The Readership Problem
The biggest problem facing comic book companies today is the lack of a steady, new readership. Gone are the days when kids would run to the drug store or newsstand for a new issue of Superman. Nowadays, comic books are mainly relegated to small specialty stores where a small but loyal group of readers supports the vast majority of the industry. Every year, the average age for comic book readers increases as that group grows older and no new consumers enter the arena. While this is fine for now, especially when that group grows financially with age and it may seem like comic sales do slightly better, the only long-term and lasting solution is to find a way to reach out to new readership. This is where mainstream acceptance really plays into the equation. If more people overcome their notions of what a comic book is seen to be, they'll be more likely to pick one up. And if more mainstream news and review sources are willing to cover comic stories, the exposure can help to bolster sales. Books like Watchmen, Pride of Baghdad, Maus, Persepolis, and the like have gained critical acclaim and can be found on the book lists of college classes and on the front tables of book stores. These are the stories that can help gain new adult readership. But the younger audiences have been far more difficult to reach. Both DC and Marvel's all-ages lines provide stories that are geared towards introducing kids to some classic characters and the wider universes. But they don't succeed very highly, from the looks of sales as well as their appeal within the comic stores. The real successes occur in manga and in independent graphic novels and series like Bone.
To me, one of the best gauges of the future success of comic books in the mass market is their treatment in book stores and libraries. As you no doubt know, comic books are shelved in book stores in a very secluded manner, with their own particular section. Books are filed together, regardless of their widely varied content. This poses a problem, since books that might otherwise be picked up by new or casual readers of a particular genre or ilk are being holed away and must be sought out specifically or otherwise remain unknown. If you are an avid mystery or thriller reader and might love a series like Queen and Country but you would never happen upon it while perusing the Mystery section of the store, how else will you find out about it? I gave my girlfriend's mother a copy of Blankets last Christmas, and she really enjoyed it. I asked her if she knew where to find it if she wanted to pick up a copy, and she had absolutely no idea. Nor would someone like herself be inclined to sift through the entire Graphic Novel section to find something she might like. Similarly, in libraries, comics are delegated to their own place within the Young Adult section. This presents a new issue when books with content that's inappropriate for that age group is shelved their solely because of their comic book nature. Is it any surprise that adults then turn around and complain, giving comic books more negative press? While there has been some success in these issues (Maus and Persepolis, I've noticed, are now found in some stores under the Biography section), I still find it hard to say that comic books are accepted as an art form and literary genre until such issues are addressed.
The Big Two
This past year was huge for fans of Marvel and DC, particularly in regards to the revival of the comic book blockbuster: the event. While the years before brought some heavy hitting stories like House of M, Infinite Crisis, and the beginning of Civil War, 2007 saw the event in full force. With a bevy of books that either featured or tied-in, it was hard to swing a cat in a comic store without knocking over a shelf of event books. This was certainly exciting for us fans and provided a nice boost to sales for the companies, but the Big Two should definitely be wary of this new trend in years to come. The concept of event fatigue has been bandied about, although sales numbers don't support it yet, but the major issue to me is alienation. Marvel and DC run the risk, in providing all these earth-shattering changes to their titles, of distancing readers from their characters while attempting to provide massive, involved stories. When I wanted to jump into more DC titles in 2006, I was immediately put off by Infinite Crisis. It was huge and featured characters and preceding events that I just had no background in, and as a result, I shunned a large amount of what came out during and after it. I worry that, as stories get larger and more involved, all but the hardcore readers will participate, which further cannibalizes existing comic readership and alienates potentials. Regardless, the further success of current Big Two titles hinges on quality.
The quality of art and story in Marvel and DC books remains very high. Writers and artists display a real enthusiasm in their given playgrounds, and the stories they tell are, for the most part, very good. Just look at books like Captain America, Detective Comics, Ultimate Spider-Man, and many others and you'll see books that consistently deliver superior art, dialogue, and storytelling. But this year saw a drop in quality in several books that set off red flags. The major one, in my opinion, is Countdown. Following a series like 52, it had a hard act to follow, and it pretty much immediately dropped the ball. Where 52 was done as partly an experiment and partly a labor of love, Countdown really seemed to be in it just for the money. A book a month and a promise of huge payoff drew in the funds of a lot of comic fans, myself included. But it just showed that there needs to be more to the means than just the end, and hopefully DC has the foresight to not jump into the next weekly book in the same manner. Similarly, Spider-man's One More Day story just didn't have the quality to warrant the attention and massive changes to the book that it provided. I'll leave you to decide how World War Hulk fits in.
Independents
This year really was the year of the Independent titles. Image, Dark Horse, DDP, Boom Studios, and many more companies saw huge success with a variety of their titles, moreso with the critics than in sales numbers. I admit that I am not much of an independent book person, so I can't comment very widely on the year. But there are some highlights that I want to touch upon. Buffy the Vampire Slayer saw the best independent success of any other independent book in terms of sheer numbers. Pretty much every issue hit the top 10 sales charts for the month, vying with the Big Two's best books. It marked the high point in a trend that many of the independent studios are attempting to cash in on: the cross-market book. Whether it's a title that was previously a movie or TV show (like G.I. Joe or Star Wars) or one that is made for movie or TV optioning (like Hack Slash), these books entertained a great deal of success and provided an alternative for future comic book success. And as Buffy shows, a cross-market comic can still be of high quality and not just rely on its name for success.
And, as always, independent titles really explored the bounds of comic book art and storytelling, providing stories that could vary either slightly or greatly from the superhero norm. One of the most prominent this year was Nightly News, which combined a fantastic, and very volatile, concept with dynamic and innovative art that borrowed from the graphic design realm. Also of note in the new comics realm are Phonogram and Scalped. Books like Walking Dead, Invincible, Fables, Y: The Last Man, and DMZ continue to impress audiences as well.
Online Presence
And finally, this year saw a marked increase in the online presence of comic books. The biggest news comes from the Big Two again with their launch of separate online comic resources. DC launched Zuda Comics, at which aspiring comic creators and webcomic creators submit stories that are voted on by readers. The winners get to create for DC. This provides a great platform for stories that otherwise might go unnoticed. Webcomics, in previously years, quickly jumped in popularity, but I can't help but feel that some of their popularity has wained. With so many out there, it's hard to narrow it down and find the really good ones. Hopefully, Zuda can provide some focus and a second wind for online comics.
Marvel, going in a separate direction, launched Digital Comics Unlimited, an online resource for their collection of books. For a monthly or yearly rate, you get access to their database, which is understandably massive. The drawbacks, though, are that you don't get to download and save the issues and also Marvel doesn't release new issues online for some time, in an attempt to gain continued issue sales. Still, time will tell as to how successful the project will be.
And last, but not least, is the online community of fans. This year saw a jump in the number of comic book podcasts, including the one you are reading right now! With a lack of any central critical or discussion outlet, comic fans have taken very quickly to the concept of podcasts. Homegrown news and reviews have fit very aptly in the comic book community, with the big ones being Around Comics, iFanboy, Indie Spinner Rack, Fanboy Radio, Wordballoon, and so on. And, of course, the message boards have provided a forum for comic fans from all areas to gather. The Internet has been a huge boon for comic fans as well as the industry, with our community being so small and communication amongst it all otherwise very difficult. Many companies have seen the merits to this system, sending teaser images and packages to news sites as well as providing interviews and opening lines of communication to the fans. Comic books' online presence can only continue to grow.
