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  • Marvel Comics going the way of Toys R Us?

    Posted by tauntaun on July 18, 2018 at 7:21 AM

    We’ve kind of already seen this to a degree with the Star Wars comics, but today it was officially announced that Marvel is going to start outsourcing their major comic book characters to other comic book companies, like IDW, rather than make their own comics. With the downward spiral that the comic book industry has been in for the past couple of years it seems like Marvel may no longer exist as a comic book company in the next few years.

    replied 5 years, 7 months ago 0 Member · 5 Replies
  • 5 Replies
  • Unknown Member

    Deleted User
    July 18, 2018 at 3:32 PM

    Was it true that Fantastic Four’s comic was cancelled a while back, when Sony wouldn’t let MCU use them in the films? If so, that shows what’s truly important to Disney/Marvel/ESPN/ABC/Star Wars Inc. Just delete what you can’t have or gets in your way (sounds eerie to Infinity War…).

    My gripe, and not just an in-my-day old fogey opinion, for years has been the cost of comics. When they run $5 on average each, you cannot have a younger population regenerate the industry. They don’t have to be under a buck anymore, but maybe $2 or so is a workable amount. Too much is becoming digital, and people don’t buy digital (especially with collectibles).

  • tauntaun

    Member
    July 18, 2018 at 5:21 PM
    Bel-Cam Jos, post: 3085308, member: 62 wrote:
    My gripe, and not just an in-my-day old fogey opinion, for years has been the cost of comics. When they run $5 on average each, you cannot have a younger population regenerate the industry. They don’t have to be under a buck anymore, but maybe $2 or so is a workable amount. Too much is becoming digital, and people don’t buy digital (especially with collectibles).
    While digital media and rising cost in physical media certainly are playing a part, those are mostly symptoms resulting from a bigger problem being dubbed as ComicsGate. Most of the comic book industry (Marvel, IDW, Image, DC) over the last several years has kind of intentionally gone out of their way to drive off a good chunk of their customer base in kind of the same way we are now seeing done by Lucasfilm following the outcry over The Last Jedi (both with how things are being portrayed within their product and their response in social media to criticism resulting from said product). A good chunk in the rise in comic prices is the comic book companies’ attempt to compensate for loss in sales of the people they’ve driven off by passing on that loss to the remaining consumers.
  • Unknown Member

    Deleted User
    July 18, 2018 at 6:15 PM

    And that business model is logical how? Gone are the days of blind “shut up and take my money” fans. :(

  • OC47151

    Member
    August 3, 2018 at 12:30 AM
    Bel-Cam Jos, post: 3085308, member: 62 wrote:
    My gripe, and not just an in-my-day old fogey opinion, for years has been the cost of comics. When they run $5 on average each, you cannot have a younger population regenerate the industry. They don’t have to be under a buck anymore, but maybe $2 or so is a workable amount. Too much is becoming digital, and people don’t buy digital (especially with collectibles).

    I was just going to say it’s your old fogey ways, BC. ;)

    I think it’s two things: the impact of digital technology and reading in general. I don’t think the younger generation is reading as much as ours. My two step-sons, ages 22 and 19, hardly read; if it’s not a biography about a singer or a band, they’re not into it.

    Personally, I like the feel of the pages.

  • JediTricks

    Moderator
    August 5, 2018 at 6:17 PM

    Marvel has grown very insular, it seems. IDW knows how to strike out hard and fast with readers, all they do is licensed works and they’ve been content with those sales. I don’t believe Marvel will be shutting down the majority of their comics, just outsourcing the job of connecting to new readers. That said, what Marvel did right in the ’60s-’90s was connect with new readers, so if they are unable to foster that mindset in writers, I think they’re going to be unpleasantly surprised with the reader attrition they suffer.

    Bel-Cam Jos, post: 3085308, member: 62 wrote:
    Was it true that Fantastic Four’s comic was cancelled a while back, when Sony wouldn’t let MCU use them in the films? If so, that shows what’s truly important to Disney/Marvel/ESPN/ABC/Star Wars Inc. Just delete what you can’t have or gets in your way (sounds eerie to Infinity War…).
    Fox, and that’s the long-standing rumor but I don’t know that it was ever confirmed.

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