I agree with you, but I think you're under the assumption that the people in charge of these companies are operating under some sort of logic. Based on the actual business decisions Marvel/DC have made in the last twenty-odd years, this doesn't seem to be the case.

The people in charge have no incentive to change, so why would they bother?

Good letter Matt!!

(mine would say: Stop Publishing @$$holes!...You have damaged the media too!)

Andy wrote: ...Matt, how do you think your plan would impact comic-book stores?...

In the long run, it can only help. Any comic shop retailer that thinks having comics available in more outlets will ultimately affect their business adversely are being short-sighted.

Retail chains like Target, Wal-Mart, and the like, and other newsstand outlets have no desire to be a specialty shop for comics. But these places can and would breed new comics fans, many of them, in turn, discovering specialty shops and seeking those shops out. Comics shops would gain readers that they never would've otherwise. A place where such fans can get back issues (possibly making the back issue market viable once more), and related merchandise, and offering services that Target, etc., would not offer to a comics fan.

Jason wrote: ... The people in charge have no incentive to change, so why would they bother?...

Only the foolish publisher would think that there is no incentive. Survival is the incentive.

Somehow, I don't think survival is a consideration for publishers that let the 'talent' write masturbation fan-fic involving 'killing the original Superman to make our story important' or 'intoducing Gwen Stacey's Goblin Love Children'.

Also, I'd argue that changing the distribution without changing the content would ultimately be as effective as putting on a pair of safety googles to stop an on-rushing tide of acid. And we all know how that worked out...

Matt L wrote: ...I think one way you could offer both formats is to put out the magazine format first, then a month later publish the individual stories in a traditional direct market format...

The only problem with that is that, there again, it would create either a waiting-for-the-trade scenario, or one format would be perceived as being inferior, and would undermine the plan.

It would be a big adjustment, but we as comics fans (yes, I'm a fan as much as I am a retailer) would have to accept that the format for what we know as "comics" has forver changed.

It isn't the first time, either. While not as drastic a difference in size, comics have went through three seperate standard sizes since the beginning of the industry (four, if you include Platinum Age comics, though those publications were more akin to comic strip collections like those "Garfield" books).

Basically, fans would have to accept that the new format is the new comic book. 

This brings back memories for me, Matt.  In late 1992, I was working for a major magazine distributor as an outside salesman/merchandiser.  When the death of Superman story came out, we couldn't keep up with the demand.  Issue 75 was the biggest selling newstand comic in many years and at our wekly sales meetings, all the guys were talking about how crazy people were going for the books.  They were also complaining about how they wished that it were priced higher and they would make a better commission off of it, as most of our regular magazines were priced at $2.95 at the time.  This gave me an idea. 

I wrote a letter similar to yours suggesting to the big companies that they revive and update the format used by the old M***** magazines.  Most magazines are 50% ads anyway, so why not take advantage of that and produce a standard format magazine that would feature two new stories (one stand-alone, one serialized), a classic reprint, articles on both the inner workings of the stories presented and related current pop culture trends.  Then sell the same amount of pages in ad space to off-set the cover price.  All under a slick, non-traditional comic book cover for $2.95. I went into further detailed ideas and summarized that this could be a natural evolution for the traditional format and could only help perpetuate the industry.  Perhaps even save it from itself. 

I never got a response from anyone on those letters.  I was happy to see the "megazine" books a few years later (Thanks Glenn!), and eventually the Ultimate and Knights magazines that had a new approach., But in both cases, being composed completely of reprints meant that the sales weren't strong enough for them to stick around long enough for the non-fanbase audience to find them. 

Cheers to you for stating your ideas, Matt.  I hope that you get a response and look forward to hearing it here if you do.