Recent statistics indicate that comics are doing well...and those statistics are quite interesting.
Digital sales are up 80%. (No indication of whether this counts people downloading Marvel's free electronic copies).
Print sales are up 18%.
In books, digital product is eating into the sale of physical product. Why is this not happening with comics?
I think there's a simple answer. People hang comics on their walls. Comics are not just about the story, but about the art - and people collect art. Sure, the art is just as good viewed on a tablet or a PC, but it is not as good displayed that way.
I'm going to stick my neck out and say that even if print books fully make the transition to digital media, comics will always be printed...and the statistics indicate not even in smaller numbers.
I have a few friends who prefer digital comics -- they're cheaper, more portable, and don't take up physical storage space. Most of our peers, however, grew up reading, loaning, and collecting print issues, so that's a hard habit to break.
ReplyDeleteE-readers still require potentially toxic batteries, aren't optimized for two-page spreads, and are subject to digital rights management rather than easy sharing or resale. The direct market of independent comic shops that has developed over the past several decades is also tied to print's fortunes.
As with many books, magazines, and tabletop RPGs, I do see comic books eventually moving to digital formats, but I think they'll be slower than those other works. As the majority of comic fans age and aren't replaced by younger readers, it's possible the medium will fade with us.
We do need to attract younger readers, but that doesn't make these figures any less encouraging.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is that the digital boom appears to be directly *increasing* print sales, rather than the decrease one might expect.