In a fascinating interview this week, Mark Millar talked to three large comic book retailers with over twenty stores and more than 60 years in the industry between them, and they all agreed – Marvel and DC dropped the ball and disrespected retailers.
The retailers told Mark Millar the public is being gas-lit into believing all is well with the American comics industry. They say that although comic websites like ICv2 report growth in comic book sales, those sales include Japanese manga and Dog Man comics (with starting print runs of five million), while Marvel and DC comics do not make up a significant portion.
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Phil Boyle from Coliseum of Comics says his 2023 compared to 2022 sales, adjusted for variance, for Marvel is down 24%, and for DC Comics it is down 17%. There is a consensus among them that the main reason is a drop in the quality of the comics.
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John Robinson from Graham Crackers says that Marvel and DC prioritize quantity over quality. That drop in quality first became noticeable around 2016 when many Marvel creators left the industry for Hollywood. Ryan Seymour says that since Hickman left Marvel, his store Comic Town’s X-Men sales dropped to where he is now, selling only about 20% to 25% of what he used to sell when Hickman was still at Marvel.
A new trend among young and old readers is buying more back issues instead of new ones. Boyle ascribes this trend to older comics, which have better stories, more defined characters, and better artwork. To emphasize this point, Boyle says it is hard to find something from Marvel or DC from the last five years to recommend as a “must-read.”
Boyle makes a valid point when he says that companies like Disney should treat the comic book industry like a Research and Development Department. They should support the publishers financially to help them attract A-list creators. Comic books are, after all, the source material for the films. It is hard to disagree with Mark Millar when he says screenwriters cannot “come up with anything.”
An honest discussion within the industry on possible solutions seems impossible. Boyle says that if he recommends ten solutions, but only one of them even touches on a social issue, then that social issue is what the whole discussion becomes all about. Robinson added that many people are worried about their jobs, and some of Boyle’s solutions are long-term plans that won’t generate immediate profits.
Millar asked him why there is this apparent disconnect between Marvel and DC on the one hand and retailers on the other, and he said that Marvel and DC aren’t invested in the industry’s history and aren’t good stewards of the characters. He mentioned that he had been in meetings with representatives from the big two, and they could barely hide their contempt for him. Clearly, Marvel and DC have no respect for retailers (that became clear earlier when Donny Cates instigated a mob of Cancel Pigs to harass comic book store owner Glenn O’Leary).
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Marvel and DC should take note. After all, these are the guys on the front lines (the “bartenders to the nerd sect” as Boyle says).
One last salient point from the interview – Mark Millar believes that there would be no indie comics scene with the “anchors” (Marvel and DC).
Leave a comment below and let me know if you agree with Mark Millar.
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