Wednesday, November 28, 2007
PUBLISHING FOLLIES
"Using comics in such a way highlights why so many start-up comic companies (Tekno, Malibu's Ultraverse, CrossGen, etc.) have folded by imitating this model. They are not publishing comics as a means to connect writer to audience (and thus creating quality reading material), but with the primary hope that they can create marketable properties to sell off to other lucrative licensing deals such as toys, movies, etc. This is most evident in that these companies work to create characters, as opposed to develop or seek out stories. Most likely, because they do not command the same level of product familiarity, they struggle both to secure a solid base of readership and interest as well as demanding high advertising rates. In a market that often banks on nostalgia and familiarity, establishing new properties with hopes that they will consistently flourish without the pull of creators working on them is an extremely hard sell."
A short excerpt from a great article by Neil Cohn , detailing the mistakes comic publishers have made... and continue to make and what next-gen comic creators should keep in mind to keep comics flourishing.
A short excerpt from a great article by Neil Cohn , detailing the mistakes comic publishers have made... and continue to make and what next-gen comic creators should keep in mind to keep comics flourishing.
Comments:
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It's true, if I had a nickel for everytime I hear a creator or publisher talk about movie deals with their book I'm gonna puke. Wizard World Texas all I heard was everyone talking about the damn writer's strike like it was effecting comics. I wish people would start realizing comics are their own medium and not a genre.
sorry, ran a little long there.
Brent
sorry, ran a little long there.
Brent
In the eighties publishers could sell enough books to make the comic an end in itself. Places like Image actually had books (Spawn) that would sell over a million copies. A successful book would regularly sell 500-800 thousand.
You know more about the industry than me Ben, but it seems like a big run for a popular book today is more like 200 thou. with 98% of them falling far below that.
On the other hand a guy like Steve Niles sells his comic properties to Sam Rami for millions.
Its unfortunate, but you can understand the economics of it.
You know more about the industry than me Ben, but it seems like a big run for a popular book today is more like 200 thou. with 98% of them falling far below that.
On the other hand a guy like Steve Niles sells his comic properties to Sam Rami for millions.
Its unfortunate, but you can understand the economics of it.
It's very true!
I just feel in my soupy artist heart of mine, that if you truly concentrate on the comic and make it something amazing and new, it would sell.
All too often creators and companies concentrate on "what would look good on a lunch box" and not "what would be a good story"
I'm tired of the "I'm using comics as a stepping stone to movies" mentality. I understand that's where the money is and it's great to reach for that brass ring, but I also feel it's responsible for a flood of half-assed projects that hurt comics in the long run.
That being said, if someone were ever to make a movie of one of my books, I'd take their money in a heartbeat... but mostly because it would mean I could put that money into making more comics.
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I just feel in my soupy artist heart of mine, that if you truly concentrate on the comic and make it something amazing and new, it would sell.
All too often creators and companies concentrate on "what would look good on a lunch box" and not "what would be a good story"
I'm tired of the "I'm using comics as a stepping stone to movies" mentality. I understand that's where the money is and it's great to reach for that brass ring, but I also feel it's responsible for a flood of half-assed projects that hurt comics in the long run.
That being said, if someone were ever to make a movie of one of my books, I'd take their money in a heartbeat... but mostly because it would mean I could put that money into making more comics.
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