Yet again, it appears the comics industry is doomed, because kids don’t read comics.
Of course, that’s not really what the article is about. The article is about Marvel and DC superhero comics not being for kid. Which is true, for the most part, but it’s only really a problem if you run a business that orders 95% of your inventory from those two companies.
I don’t have any problem with the idea that publishing superhero comics aimed almost exclusively at adults is a pretty dim idea, but Marvel and DC have plenty of dim ideas beyond that one. Even if they started publishing dozens of family-friendly books every month, it’s unlikely that many comic stores would actually order them, catering as they do to the twenty- and thirty-something crowds.
It’s kind of a chicken-and-egg thing, though it makes me wonder: How many of the retailers quoted in the article make an effort to stock these books and attract a younger audience? Most comic stores – and there some very good exceptions – stock only a certain kind of product aimed at a certain audience, so how can they complain when they don’t seem to attract anyone else?
Manga gets a cursory mention, but in the usual sense of being something other than comics – that is, kids are buying comics (that aren’t really comics) in stores that aren’t comic stores, so it doesn’t really count.
No mention is made of the books that have had significant success with young readers, like Bone or American Born Chinese. Again, I guess those sales aren’t coming from the average comic book store.
Thankfully, the article gives us one awesome example that totally proves its point:
The power of graphic novels — lengthy, illustrated stories published in paperback or hardcover — is evident in the upcoming film “300,” which is meant to be a live-action translation of author-artist Frank Miller’s visual style. But “300,’ … [is] rated R, which means no one under 17 is supposed to get into the movie without being accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.
Y’know, Zodiac is out this week, and it’s based on a book, and it’s rated R… does that prove any sort of point that no one publishes prose books for kids? It’s not the same thing, but it doesn’t feel too far off. 300 may be R, but Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man 3 are all sitting around the PG level.
There’s a very telling quote in a similar article from Marvel Publisher Dan Buckley:
“Books that lean more toward the humorous don’t do as well in the hobby market.
[emphasis mine]”
It’s so completely, depressingly true: The direct market is largely about a hobby, not about reading. No, comic shops don’t cater to kids, but neither do stores that sell souvenir spoons and Elivs Presley Commemorative Plates.