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Robert Walsh
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Joined: 24 July 2008
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| Posted: 21 June 2009 at 2:00pm | IP Logged | 1
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He went that route before too long but he seemed to be trying extra
hard to push the superhero stuff. There was a couple of Vertigo books
I followed for a while but nothing really in Sandman's league.
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Peter Svensson
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Joined: 30 January 2005
Location: United States
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| Posted: 21 June 2009 at 2:05pm | IP Logged | 2
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I consider Sandman to be akin to the Harry Potter of comics. It's a good series that tons of people who normally don't read will end up picking up and enjoying, but not everyone who reads it is going to move on to read other series. Most will just be content with what they've read and not feel the need to continue with other books by other writers.
Which is in no way meant to impugn Sandman, just acknowledging that not everyone is going to become a life long comics reader after reading one title.
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Arc Carlton
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Joined: 13 April 2009
Location: Peru
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| Posted: 21 June 2009 at 2:22pm | IP Logged | 3
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Robert Walsh: I had a friend who was mostly into Vertigo titles and independent series, but he would never read super hero titles. At least you gave them a try, which is always good.
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Wallace Sellars
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Joined: 01 May 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 17756
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| Posted: 21 June 2009 at 3:36pm | IP Logged | 4
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I have to say I haven't really run into "I don't read comics, I read graphic
novels!" people.
---
Unfortunately, I have... and in two different comic book stores of all
places!
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Guests
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Joined: 01 October 2003
Posts: -26
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| Posted: 21 June 2009 at 4:59pm | IP Logged | 5
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I know there's a lot of crossover between Sandman fans and super-
hero fans but if you're dealing with someone with no particular interest
in superheroes then there really wasn't a whole lot back then to
recommend (if my friend's taste in comics was representative of what
the industry offered).
Robert,
I think I can appreciate what your saying, but in reverse. There is very, very little I like outside of superhero comics. I've read (comics, graphic novels, etc.) outside the superhero genre, but for various reasons, there isn't anything I want to pursue beyond a one time read (if a particular book is an ongoing series).
Edited by Dan Walsh on 21 June 2009 at 5:00pm
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Steve Lieber
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Joined: 16 July 2004
Posts: 295
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| Posted: 21 June 2009 at 7:07pm | IP Logged | 6
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The only place I ever hear that distinction made any more is by advertising agency people who don't read either comics or graphic novels. But I've had several different art directors tell me when they hire me that what they want is something that's "Less comic book, more graphic novel." Different ADs at different agencies have used this exact phrase.
I never know what they mean by this, but I say "okay" and draw a comics page and they seem happy.
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Erik Larsen
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Joined: 19 February 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 344
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| Posted: 21 June 2009 at 8:56pm | IP Logged | 7
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John Byrne wrote:
In the end, from time to time the Companies have said
Sure! We'll make the books returnable -- but the DSM has to turn itself
into a real distribution system, like real book stores, where ordering the
latest hot titles means you are also required to order the latest not-so-
hot titles. And the Companies will limit how many you can order. So far
the DSM doesn't want this. They want only the perks -- with the
Companies taking all the risks. |
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I was with you up until this last line (although I kept a few others to keep
some context) --isn't it the other way around? Aren't the stores
taking all of the risks by buying books on a non-returnable basis, sight
unseen? The companies just print to order.
Otherwise a nice concise summary of events.
You skipped over a few bumps along the way though. A particular
scheme of note, early on, were comic book stores who conspired with
other outlets who dealt in returnable comics so they could dump excess
inventory--returning their books via the other stores and making a small
profit in the process since the non-returnable product was purchased at
a steeper discount. Eventually the comic book companies realized that
they were getting more returns, in some locations, than they were
sending product and that led to direct market versions of books.
It's my belief that, based on the product on hand, that if everything was
made returnable it would be a bloodbath. Outside of the comic books
stores a LOT of the books would rot on the shelves. If that policy was
intact we'd be back to Marvel, DC and Archie in no time.
Better for all in the long run? I don't think so.
We know it's broken but I'll be damned if I can find anybody with the
answer which will fix it all.
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Joe Zhang
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Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
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| Posted: 21 June 2009 at 9:32pm | IP Logged | 8
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Some of the shops take virtually zero risk by not ordering a book unless a customer pre-orders it. So there will be no shelf-copies of something like Savage Dragon.
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Arc Carlton
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Joined: 13 April 2009
Location: Peru
Posts: 3493
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| Posted: 21 June 2009 at 9:37pm | IP Logged | 9
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Unfortunately, I have... and in two different comic book stores of all
places!
_____________
In that case I think you could have talked some sense into them...
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Robert Walsh
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 24 July 2008
Posts: 456
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| Posted: 22 June 2009 at 2:52am | IP Logged | 10
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I had a friend who was mostly into Vertigo titles and independent
series, but he would never read super hero titles. At least you gave
them a try, which is always good.
* * * * *
This would have been circa 90-91, so this was actually pre-Vertigo. Hard to remember exactly what he handed me and what I discovered on my own a couple of years later, but the only Vertigo style books I remember from those early days were Shade and Hellraiser (I loved Shade intensely for about a year, but it turned to crap; and I could never quite get into Hellraiser although the story where he got cancer was pretty good). I remember reading a really good Swamp Thing graphic novel back then but the regular book was crap.
Not that the Vertigo launch held much interest at the time, as much of it seemed to be boring, badly drawn takes on super-heroes. It was as if they took the least interest aspect of Sandman and cloned it endlessly.
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Wallace Sellars
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Joined: 01 May 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 17756
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| Posted: 22 June 2009 at 6:04am | IP Logged | 11
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Unfortunately, I have... and in two different comic book stores of all
places!
_____________
In that case I think you could have talked some sense into them...
_____________
Oh, but I tried... the first time. It was the customer's belief that because he waited to buy story arcs collected in single volumes, he was reading "sequential art novels" (his words), and if I didn't understand the difference between that and following a series on a monthly basis, I just didn't get it. The second time I heard someone make a similar comment, I held my tongue.
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Darren Taylor
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Joined: 22 April 2004
Location: Scotland
Posts: 6041
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| Posted: 22 June 2009 at 6:47am | IP Logged | 12
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I think -First-and-foremost- Companies need a product to sell, one that people actually want to buy.
Looking at those sales figures, no-one but a very small, dwindling group want to buy this product.
Perhaps that needs to be looked at before a strategy for getting their products to the customer is changed.
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