This would be the fandom that, in a perfect world, would be recycling every few years? Or the fandom that, having stuck with comics well into adulthood, ought to be sophisticated enough to cope with the sorts of changes you describe?

You and I both know we don't live in a perfect world and the fandom we have is the fandom we have.  And looking over various other message boards, sophisticated is not the word I'd use to describe most of them.

WO

So, DC and Marvel have a choice: publish comics aimed at the non-existent recycling readership, and risk alienating their existing fanbase, or continue to write for the (mainly) adult readership, whilst crossing their fingers that a new generation will come along to replace dinosaurs like you and I when we're gone.

In their position, Wayne, faced with shareholders to keep happy and bills to pay, which course would you opt for?

If you truly think that comics are paying the bills, you haven't looked at recent sales numbers.  The big money, the real money comes from licensing.  But to answer your question, can I say both and neither?  I think that both of the big two need to do a serious reevaluation of their product.  Comics right now is a zero-sum game because we simply aren't bringing in new readers.  I know that people laugh when you say that eventually there won't be any readers when all us aging fans go away - but as corny as it sounds, it is true.  New readers have to be found.  Because when the day finally does come and there aren't any fans - that's when the licensing money will start to dry up. 

I just don't see why Marvel and DC don't work out some sort of deal with Scholastic to offer cheap newsprint comics that kids can subscribe to at school ala the Weekly Reader.  I also fail to see why something can't be worked out with Wal-mart to put the same kid-friendly, cheap comics in the magazine racks and at the check-out counters.  And if the aging fanboys want their "adult" storylines with Spider-man and such, give it to them with a seperate line sold through the direct market in comic shops.  If Marvel can publish x number of X-men titles a month, why can't they consolidate the books into the X-men newsstand book(s) and the Ultimate X-men book for the direct shops.  And if there are other GOOD stories to tell, do it with limited series that would appear on the newstand or only in comic shops depending on content.  Abandoning the newsstand was a fatal mistake.  And pandering to an ever-aging, increasingly-jaded fan is a mistake too.  But to paraphrase, "that's just my opinion, I could be wrong."

WO

In their position, Wayne, faced with shareholders to keep happy and bills to pay, which course would you opt for?

********************

The comic book companies are in somewhat the same shape the Federal government is in.  Both need to EXPAND the base of folks from which they depend on money (sales for comics and taxes for gov't).  If M***** and DC really do want to keep the shareholders happy, then they should be vigorously seeking out the biggest audience possible, and not catering to some niche market that will eventually dry up.  Otherwise, they will be force to charge more for the existing product in the hope that they can make more of a profit off of each unit sold (or in the gov't case, they will have to tax people more to make the same money).

And, Wayne, I totally agree with you.  Why don't we have comics at Wal-Mart at the checkouts, like the Archies?  Or at Walgreens?  Or the grocery store?

We need the kids back reading comics...and we needed that twenty years ago.

Matthew Hansel
matthewphansel@mac.com

We need the kids back reading comics...and we needed that twenty years ago./QUOTE]

You're both right. We need to get kids reading comics, if the medium is to thrive. In Britain, we have reprints of recent Marvel and DC comics on sale in newsagents, so presumably you can do the same thing there.

Of course, that doesn't address whatever concerns you have about the suitability of the content, but, as I mentioned earlier, I don't share those concerns.

Ian Muir wrote: Course, that doesn't address whatever concerns you have about the suitability of the content, but, as I mentioned earlier, I don't share those concerns.

Please, let's not open that can of worms..............

WO