How to Make Marvel Comics Popular Again

[rilynil]

i have to disagree, its getting worse. but i believe thats the medias fault. i think they have this country so scared to spend money that is making the problem worse. i know many people that havent been affected at all but they dont spend money because the media says were in crisis.

You're both right ... perception is reality, so if every media outlet, talking head, and new advertising campaign tells people they need to hunker down/cut spending/abandon premium brands, well, it turns into a bit of a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Of course, this might be the case UNLESS there really is an economic crisis and people really SHOULD BE hunkering down and cutting spending. Then the media are simply giving good advice.

Does it really make sense to think that the media are playing up this economic crisis so that they, the media, end up getting financially pummeled, too? That's simply nonsense.

[TomBelandTSSTG]

We are the last generation of comic fans. 40 years from now there will not be a comics industry.

Go to Paris and visit the Latin Quarter and look on the main intersection and see the comic shops that rest on each corner. Go inside and see the insane diversity of customers buying new and old stock and you'll understand why comics will never disappear. The U.S. is so far behind in understanding this medium of entertainment.

[The Alias]

I would think the success of comics, like anything else, would depend on how much it suits the needs of its intended target audience. They definitely suited our amusement and escapism needs when we were kids (in the 70s and 80s) as we didn't have the internet, videos/dvds, cell phones, or computer/games to compete for our play time. Nowadays, kids are far more interested in the newer escapism and amusement options. Sorry to say, it's pretty much over for comics. We're the last of a dying breed. Marvel should consider opening comic stores next to retirement homes.

However, if Marvel were to take one last at-bat before retiring, I would suggest focusing on accessibility, that is, start giving them away for free. I would offer them as free inserts in newspapers, give a free year subsciption to any Marvel X-box or PS3 game owner, give them away as part of some promotion with things kids enjoy like part of a cell phone renewal package -- things like that.

[The Alias]

Go to Paris and visit the Latin Quarter and look on the main intersection and see the comic shops that rest on each corner. Go inside and see the insane diversity of customers buying new and old stock and you'll understand why comics will never disappear. The U.S. is so far behind in understanding this medium of entertainment.

It should be noted that Europe does not publish anywhere near as many different titles and/or books as the US does. Many of the more famous European artists may publish only one or two graphic novels a year, if that. Also, there's so much graphic misogynistic porn and gratuitous nudity in European comics. The storyline themes tend to appear quite outdated and old fashioned, that is, post apocalyptic and hopeless in nature. That sort of thing doesn't appeal to me yet Europeans tend to love it. The comparison between the US and European comics never made any sense to me. European comics strikes me as a more cultural medium, that is, it's written more for the European experience just like American comics are written to accomodate our experiences and dreams. Implying that one is better than the other or that one should supplant the other seems silly and shortsighted. Both styles appeal to a different set of ideals and imaginations.

JMO