Too Many Boxes

The problem with collecting comics for 30 years is that you end up with a lot of comics. I’m not complaining, I understand I’m very fortunate to own so many comics. As I get older, comics become increasingly more expensive and I often think about the funds I could have spent on perhaps producing my own comics instead of buying other people’s.

In any case, lots of comics I do have. I keep them stored in the attic of my home in boxes. Lots and lots of boxes. Usually I have a fair idea of where to go if I need a particular story or book. Spider-Man boxes? I know where they are. Batman? No problem? Superman? Well he’s in the drawers over there, etc. The hardest part though is boxes that contain lots of different things.

I have many, many ‘indie boxes’ that contain books from each publisher that basically isn’t a longer run like Invincible or Walking Dead or whatever (they naturally have their own boxes). It means if I want to read a specific thing or try to find a book it can make things…tricky. This week saw the return of Chip Zdarsky and Kris Anka’s Blacksand fantasy universe for the first time since 2019 where they did an excellent two parter in the same universe called ‘The White Trees’. I picked up this two part mini back in the day, greatly enjoyed it and put it in a box. Due to them finally doing another mini (The Whisper Queen) I thought, ‘oh hey I’ll read the last mini, that’ll be fun’.

Now the question was…which box. By good fortune it was the first one I checked, there it was at the very bottom beneath the two part Island Of Doctor Moreau adaption from IDW, Ted Adams and Gabriel Roriguez which you I’m sure forgot existed.

So that was easier than expected which is always appreciated. It does make my system of having various books in various boxes rather…faulty. What’s the point of this apart from me just saying I have way too many comics (which again, very fortunate) and a bad organization system outside of certain characters/groups of books? I’m not sure, its been a week and I needed something to talk about so here we are.

If you have a better way for me to do things, please feel free to suggest. I miss my comic shelves where I could see everythings spine…those were the days. Then I decided to have children.

In fairness, I made the right call in exchange for a little inconvenience now and then. Also a lot of anxiety when I think about all the boxes I’ll have to get down from the attic if we ever move…

More soon 

Kickstarter

I had a poor experience on Kickstarter recently. It’s sadly nothing uncommon or unusual because when it comes to the funding platform, you take a risk. You are giving someone money upfront to bring a project to fruition in exchange for a reward. Sometimes its as simple as a copy of the thing you’re helping create but you can spend more money to get more things (which now that I think about it, is how commerce works…).

There are more stories of people being swindled on Kickstarter than I care to think about. There are also stories where people do their best, thinking the money they raised is enough and it isn’t. inspired by my recent negative experience, I thought I’d go back and look over my history with Kickstarter, both the good and bad. I’ve been using the website for 12 years so we’ve got a lot to cover.

I will not be covering unsuccessful or cancelled campaigns because…what’s the point? I also won’t cover anything related to the comic creator that I did Crime and Crowns with that stole 6 grand of my money. Partly because I don’t want to give them any undue press and because honestly, I should have known better. In my defence, I backed these campaigns before they stole my money but you know, need to get work on that time machine to tell myself not to do the thing.

Anyway, apart from that we’re not leaving anything out. Let’s get going.

 Leaving Megalopolis

The campaign that brought me to Kickstarter by the Legendary creative team of Gail Simone and Jim Calafiore. They were doing a creator owned OGn about a superhero city where the zombie plague hits. Basically a better version of Marvel Zombies. It was a great read and for my first Kickstarter experience, it went perfectly.

The book eventually got reprinted through Darkhorse along with a sequel. I keep meaning to track down the sequel but its been 12 years so I’m sure I’ll get right on that…

Various GrayHaven

Oh boy.

So I backed the various campaign’s of this small press company I was heavily involved with. I gave them a LOT of money and waved my rewards. I felt I was investing in myself because they were publishing my work and I was involved in editorial.

Sadly, there are multiple times that the successful campaigns had more and more stories of people not get rewards. The company was ran by a snake oil salesman who apparently promised his kids some of the raised Kickstarter money in the later campaigns.

Remember that time machine? Need it for this one too.

Beyond Beauty

An OGN where the gender roles of Beauty and The Beast are flipped. I’ve seen similar concepts in recent years so this seemed ahead of its time. The art was stunning but sadly the writer did a runner. The artist was very apologetic and gave everyone a PDF of the book since it was finished but never printed. I can’t remember if the artist got paid or not but I hope they did. I’m not sure what they’re up to these days but they were very curtious and apolagetic so I appreciate that.

The writer can suck a lemon.

Metaphase

A brilliant ogn about a kid superhero with down syndrome. This was written by Chip Reece, an insanely talented writer who like myself had the misfortune of getting in with a company that went comicsgate hard and fast.

I’m not sure if he was ever able to reprint this somewhere else but I hope so, it was an excellent and important story. Artist for this book, Kelly Williams is doing a bunch of work for small press and is insanely talented so I’m glad he’s doing so well.

Molly Danger

Long delayed personal project from writer/artist Jamal Igle. After waiting several years for it to be produced, I asked for a refund which I received. I credit Igle to be able to own this and give people their money back when asked.

He’s of course working hard on various projects and I hope that Molly Danger will see publication some day.

Various Alterna

The aforementioned comic company myself and Chip did work for that went hardcore comicsgate. They seemed to be going places then well…you know. They always delivered on their rewards to their credit.

Chief O’Brien at work

Brilliant ogn collecting the misadventures of Starfleets transporter chief from a parody webcomic. Brilliant little production and hilarious. One of my fave all time Kickstarters I’ve backed.

A Tale Of Shadows

I got the books, remember nothing about them. I don’t think I was overly impressed. That’s another risk when it comes to Kickstarter, sometimes you back something that’s not going to be good.

I’m not sure if I have these or I sold it.

Black

A breakout hit for Black Mask studios. Not something I enjoyed personally but I know it got a lot of praise. They delivered them and all the rewards promptly and professionally. Pretty sure I sold this.

Paradox Girl

A brilliant story about a woman who has time travel abilities. Some of the issues were really inventive and the main character had an awesome New 52 Harley Quinn vibe.

I’d highly recommend tracking down the collection Image put out a few years ago. Its a shame that it doesn’t seem the artist has done much but the artist has been working on various books over the last few years. Another favourite of mine.

Alter-Life

I think I got this? I think it was okay? There was a hardcover a few years ago. I again don’t even remember if I still have this. I would wager I got this and I thought it was okay and immediately deleted it from my brain.

Turncoat

This was a very good little superhero themed murder mystery. The creative team did an Image series a few years ago but not much since. I wasn’t a big fan of the publisher but I’d say this one is worth tracking down. It’s likely available at cons.

Under The Hood

A coffee table book by Sean Murphy with a narrative starring him and Scott Snyder. I actually think this is excellent and an inventive way to do a book like this. I features some fun cameo’s from other creators. I’m sure Murphy is still selling this by the truckload at cons. I always thought he was a very good writer as well an excellent artist.

He’s busy with the White Knight universe from DC comics/Black Label this weather.

Crossing

Oh boy.

So this is the book that inspired this little article/ This is a comic about a guy who accidentally kills a girl and she haunts him. It caught my eye cause the girl looks similar (but legally distinct) to Death from the Endless.

Its a good series that I was enjoying and I got issues 1-4. I missed the campaign for issue 5 but backed issue 6 and spent the money to get issue 5.

I get no book. I message the creator and nada. I message the creator on main on Twitter to let them know ‘Hey, I didn’t get my book and you ignored me’.

They said I didn’t message them and they don’t use Twitter. I showed them a screenshot of me messaging them. They block me.

So I guess I’m not getting the rest of this book. Seems like the creator doesn’t care about delivering product after all so…yeah.

Thanks for the article idea though.

Theatrics

Got it grand, it wasn’t very good. Think I sold it.

My success ratio isn’t great on this now that I look back on all these…

Movie Buff

For a while, my wife and I were really into games. This was a fun little movie based thing. Loved the presentation of this as a little popcorn box. One of my rare non comic Kickstarters.

Transdimenional

Comic from a local Northern Irish creator. Not very good. I sold it. Gave him an honest review and he didn’t like it, never spoke to me again.

Some people want to get better, some people will never get better because they don’t want to listen.

Transience

An anthology from another Northern Irish creator. It was delivered promptly and just fine quality wise+. I was trying to support fellow local talent.

Murder Most Mundane

Did I get this? I think I did but I honestly have no memory of it. Either I never got it or I got it and didn’t think much of it.

Scurry

A brilliant pair of beautiful OGN’s that is very reminiscent of The Secret Of N.I.M.H. Image released these to the direct market a few years ago and they’re a must have.

I need to track down the third and final HC.

Beasts Of The Black Hand

An ogn from Ron Marz. I never got my copy but credit where its due, I ran into him at a Con and said to him and he gave me a copy, no questions asked.

Shame I didn’t really dig and yup you guessed it, I sold it.

Tales Of Fractured Worlds

Another OGN from the same creator of Transience. Got it fine, wasn’t as good as the previous one and I think I donated it after not being able to sell it.

Man this is getting depressing, why did I do this?

Various Jimmy Palmiotti and friends work

Yay! Save me Jimmy Palmiotti! I think Jimmy is one of the smartest and most talented folks in comics. He’s also one of the most overlooked. He’s taken a lot of projects to Kickstarter over the years, often with very talented people that have amazing production and fantastic communication.

Have I liked all of them? No but I’ve liked most of them. They’re always some of the best campaigns out there and usually worth a look. I wish it didn’t cost as much to ship to the UK otherwise I’d support more from Jimmy’s company PaperFilms.

Jim Cornette’s Real Pro Wrestling Stories

Excellent graphic novel with some iconic stories from wrestling history. Went as smooth as silk. It hit the direct market from IDW and is well worth tracking down for wrestling and even non-wrestling fans.

Croak

Campaign was great, didn’t care for the book sadly.

Metro

See above

Tinseltown

Great story about a murder mystery in the golden age of Hollywood. It came from a company that went comicsgate sadly so not sure if the creator went that way too. I hope not as this was good and the campaign was well run. There wa sa sequel mini but because of the CG link of the publisher, I didn’t back it.

Strange Tails

Very fun one shot by a writer who has hit it big doing work at Marvel and a Spawn book recently. One of the stories in here includes one of the funniest scene’s I’ve ever read in comic.

Pity the writer isn’t a very nice person but what do you do?

Frenemies: The Lost Planet

If I got this, I remember nothing about it and have no idea if I kept it.

Actors

Weird one shot that’s more an art project than a comic with an actual narrative. The creator is well thought of online but it was too weird for me personally. Campaign went like clockwork.

The Game 1

Got this because Jenn St. Onge was doing a variant and I’m a big fan. I had to chase it down and eventually got it. It was just okay but the cover by St, Onge was nice. Not sure if the series ever finished.

Trigger Mortis

Excellent widescreen OGN with zombies in the old west. A lot of fun and really well run.Hey that rhymes!

Being Ginger/Being A Cosplayer

Brilliant collections of little comic strip style tales about the titular subjects. The creator I’m a big fan of and is highly underrated. They’re working on a third book now and I can’t wait. Very well priced with some great rewards.

Ned: Lord Of The Pit

Great and fun black comedy OGN by the artist of Leaving Metropolis. Came with a bunch of great extra’s and when I spoke to the creator at NYCC they were very grateful. There’s a sequel coming that I missed but I think you can still get it on IndieGoGo so I’ll have to look into that.

Coronary

Another greatly run campaign that produced a book that I didn’t much care for and sold on. Ah well.

Death & Comics: Reincarnation

See above.

Norm Konyu projects

A brilliant and unique creator, Konyu has run four Kickstarters, I missed one of them but the other three were won excellently and produced brilliant work. I’d put Norm’s work alongside some of the best people working in comics today. The first two ogn’s Konyu did have been released through Titan and you should go buy them NOW.

Cosmic Detective

Another brilliant OGN produced by 3 of the best creators in comics and run to the quality you’d expect. I was very pleased to get the super duper edition exclusive to the Kickstarter. The book was rerleased through Image and is a must read.

The Management Programme

Great one shot with unique art and an unsettling tone. I backed a tier which got my name in the book and I forgot and got freaked out when the book knew my name.

I need help.

Madi

A brilliant OGN from director Doug Jones and many of the best comic creators ever. This is a massive book with an ambitious story that is on full display with the super massive edition I got. There were some delays but it was well worth the wait. Not sure how readily available it is but its worth tracking down.

Tales From The Quarentine

Oh boy.

This is probably the most infamous comic on Kickstarter. So much potential for a good cause that has been followed by broken timelines, sketchy and infrequent updates and quite possibly a huge case of leading people on.

Google it and you’ll see many articles from people like myself who didn’t get their rewards. Their are also many very amusing Twitter accounts that seem determined to either get the person who organized it to either pony up the rewards, refund the money or admit what they did.

I think my kids will likely be telling their grandkids about the misbegotten anthology before we actually see any of these three outcomes sadly.

No Going Back

Never received. Now I’m sad again.

Elsa Cherretier artbook

Brilliantly run where I got both of Cherretier’s art books. Run like clockwork with lots of great extras.

The Deadliest Bouquet

Basically Practical Magic without the magic. Not for me. Did I mention the writer was very rude to me? They were. Wanting to sell this asap.

Bunhouse

Backed to help a friend of a friend for no reward. No idea how its gone,

Fog line

A Kickstarter by a great friend of mine. I backed the digital only and it was very good!

And We Love You

Brilliant and unique one shot by the super talented Fell Hound. This is Part of Fell’s Commander Rao series which got some of it published by Scout. Another one well worth checking out and a wonderfully run campaign.

Heirs Of Isildur

Well run campaign from Insymmetry Creations. The book wasn’t for me but it was part of a larger story that I hadn’t been keeping track of so that’s more down to me.

Alter Ego

Much delayed and one I\d thought wasn’t happening but updates owning the delay are happening. I hope this one comes to light, I’m a big fan of the artist.

Dime-Store Detective

Went for a digital reward. It wasn’t for me. It was a well run campaign.

Giant Days

Wrote about this in depth in my Giant Days specific blog a while back. I nearly cried when I got the books. I’d love to support the BOOM Kickstarters more but the postage is pricey and I only have so many Kidney’s.

Room Service

A film/comic that is nearing completion. Some huge names involved here and I can’t wait.

Misfitz Clubhouse

Another one from InSymmetry. Really fun all ages one shot about some kids imaginative misadventures.

Agency Case Files

Brilliant collection of a wonderful Blade Runneresque world created by writer/artist Colin Craker. Again, not sure how readily available they are but they’re great reads and the art is brilliant. Very well run and Colin is super talented and nice.

One True Love

I think this is delayed but this is by another close friend of mine who is keeping us updated. Looking forward to it.

Catskin and the Rose.

An ogn that is currently cooking with some wonderful art. Can’t wait!

A Thing Called Truth

Continuation of an awesome sounding series from Image. Updates are plentiful and I can’t wait!

Good Omens

Comic adaption of the brilliant novel by one of the best artists ever. There’s been some personal health stuff and the updates have kept us well informed. All 100% understandable. Another I am very excited for.

There’s three others that are very early on so I won’t cover those but looking forward to them all, including one that hasn’t finished yet!

Mostly, I’ve gotten the things I’ve paid for and even when I haven’t enjoyed the product I’m glad I took a chance. A lot of these books I wouldn’t be able to read without this platform and I’m glad it exists as another option for creators to get their work out there.

Hope this was an interesting, maybe next week I’ll talk about my own Kickstarter and what a balls up that was.

More soon.

Giant Days

There’s only one issue to go.

There’s only one issue to go and I’m holding back the tears.

I can’t remember when I first saw the image of the pale girl with black hair in the red hoody sitting down looking at her phone. I definitely saw the cover for Giant Days 1 and the first trade before I read it. I didn’t know what a Giant Days was then. I think I first became aware of it when it won a bunch of Eisner’s one year and I looked it up and saw that it looked like a lot of fun.

I got the first ‘Not On The Test’ edition and adored it. I quickly read and equally adored Volumes Two and Three. Then I waited and waited and waited…

There was going to be no more Not On The Test Editions according to writer of the series John Allison. No more. I was sad but just thought ‘I’ll just get the trades and have my collection mismatch and BE SAD FOREVER’.

Then in 2022, they announced a Kickstarter to bring Giant Days to libraries and a benefit included THE REST OF THE NOT ON THE TEST EDITIONS. I was so excited and barely able to form words that I called my best friend (the biggest Giant Days fan I know) to let them know and then called my wife.

I CALLED MY WIFE CAUSE I WAS THAT EXCITED I WAS GOiNG TO GET TO READ GIANT DAYS THE WAY I WANTED. it was also a LOT of money cause pesky shipping costs and my wife agreed to go half with me for Christmas (or my birthday).

There’s been some controversy over the Not On The Test editions not being exactly the same as the previous ones. I’ve received a LOT of e-mails from Boom to say they will replace these with other hardcover editions the Kickstarter funded and are available at all good comic shops/websites for free.

When I got my editions, I was over the moon. I felt like crying them because I HAD IT ALL. I also thought the editions were very nice and I e-mailed BOOM and said ‘I AM HAPPY, PLEASE send me no library editions! I man if you want to send me this, this and this for free go ahead….’ I didn’t get a reply back and they still WANT TO GIVE ME THE EDITIONS I DON’T WANT. PLEASE DON’T SEND ME DUPLICATES OF COMICS I HAVE BOOM, I WILL DIE.

Anyway, I had them, I could hold them and treasure them. I then faced a new problem.

Once I read them it was over. My time with this comic and these characters would be done. I didn’t want it to end and I WORRIED how it would end. Would this delightful comic starring these amazing characters end on a sour note? I dreaded to find out but I also couldn’t wait to discover what fate would befall Daisy Wooten, Susan Ptolemy and Esther DeGroot along with their amazing supporting characters.

I just put the hardcovers in my omnibus pile because I was going to read this thing (from rereading Vol. 3 on) all at once and that meant I WOULD get to it but it would take LONGER! Aha, checkmate me!

Now I’m onto the final hardcover and there is one issue left.

For those of you that don’t know, Giant Days is a slice of life comedy centred arounf three young woman and their circles as they go through univeristy. It’s written by John Allison with art initially by Lissa Treiman and then for the majority by Max Sarin with some friends popping in here and there for fill ins and specials. The series began being written and drawn by Allison and has become one of the most acclaimed and successful books in BOOM’s considerable library. It is has awards and praise up the wazoo and it is a must read for everyone, whether you like comics about it or not.

I can’t say anything new about the series that’s not already been said. It’s just a wonderful series that has me laughing multiple times at nearly every page. I adore these characters and damn it as a would be writer with barely a shell of a career with a thimble of talent I would have loved to write something just like this.

One issue left. I’m jealous that there are those out there that have around 60 (with specials and such). I know I can go back and revisit this series anytime I want (and I will) but…I won’t forget the special time that I read this series for the first time.

There’s magic in the pages of Giant Days and I think its something I’ll be hard pressed to find something like this again.

For those of you that went on this journey too, you know what I’m talking about. For those that haven’t and might be curious. Get ready for Sheffield with some of the best times you’ll ever have.

More soon.

So…I Did A Thing

So I wrote a comic script, my first full script since at least November 2022 when I ‘quit’ on my comics writing journey. In some ways it doesn’t mean I\m back because like I said in my year end reviews, I am playing it super safe for my own self.

I’m writing more for myself because I got an idea that wouldn’t leave me alone. I plan on now looking over scripts from Living With Death mini 1 and 2 before touching up the one I just wrote (first issue of mini 3). What’s going to be different this time? On a large scale, probably nothing. On a more personal scale, I’m changing a lot.No daily word count target.

No obsessing over every little panel or line of dialogueNo image references which take a surprising amount of time because lord knows when/if an artist will see itHaving funIt WAS fun. Mostly I was just writing for me because I realized that I can still write without the hopes or burden of feeling its not worth it if I can’t make it ‘real’. It felt freeing in a lot of ways and I can edit/take a breather for a month, two months, six months or a year before writing issue two. In truth, the liberty that knowing that I have no path to making a comic currently just removes a lot of responsibility from me and the deep urge of ‘MUST DO MOARRRRR’ not being there is remarkably freeing.When no one is interested in your writing, you have no one to answer to and that as I get older is a very cool thing. Would I leap at the chance to do more? Of course I would but that would never happen. I’m not going to be on anyone’s radar because currently there is no path available to the most key part of making comics.

Art.

I will never, ever, ever, EVER pay an artist for a comic again. Basically I can’t afford it so if I can’t afford it, I just don’t seek them out. I’m not going to bother someone with backend or KS or whatever. I’ve done that, time after time after time and its never worked. I’m so glad and respectful for those out there that can do it and are doing it but for me? Unless I win the lottery (which I don’t play) or manage that bank robbery (still need two more in my Matchett’s 11), I just can’t afford it.That leads to another type of freedom because dealing with an artist is STRESSFUL. I hope I can pick up the odd anthology gig which includes payment for creative teams and I can pick up work with artists that way. I believe artists should be paid for their time and work but I’ve just lost too much with minimal success (and investment beyond ‘here’s the work, now gimme the money) to keep throwing good money after bad.

A comic script without an artist is useless. So I’ll write scripts that are useless. No longer cause I have to but because I want to on MY schedule, on MY terms. Was the script any good? It was okay. I enjoyed it though and good lord did I miss my characters. Maybe I can have fun with a few other things I can bring out of mothballs. At worst, I’ll have fun and be in the same place I am now.At best, who knows? Life is funny like that.

More soon.

Sales Woes

Full March 2024 Marvel Comics solicitations: New series and new Ultimate X-Men – AIPT https://aiptcomics.com/2023/12/21/full-march-2024-marvel-comics-solicitations.

Avengers Inc is a superhero comic from the biggest comic publisher in the world with a crime noir twist starring The Wasp and a version of Vision. It’s written by a writer who in today’s industry is considered a’big name’, managed to deliver one of Marvel’s most recent critical and commercial successes in Immortal Hulk anf has the Avenger’s slapped on the book even if that’s arguably not the most accurate. So why doesn’t it sell?

In fact outside of new issue 1’s, events and Amazing Spider-Man not much does sell well for Marvel. Recently on Rabbitt Stew I joked that Marvel doesn’t publish ongoings anymore, just mini series or maxi series of varying length and each year that joke of mine becomes more of a reality. Renumbering and relaunching has become a staple of the company as a way to gain new interest in their books. Bringing back original numbering when it suits them to boost sales only to go in on yet another relaunch and back to the magical number 1 becomes more frequent. I’ve also joked that Marvel is starting to have a phobia of big numbers (apparently its called arithmophobia, the more you know). They say its to make things more straight forward for newer readers and big numbering is intimidating or confusing for new readers.

Now I’m picking on Marvel a lot but things aren’t exactly perfect at their main competition, DC Comics or Detective Comics Comics to its friends. It has a 1000 juggernaut in terms of sales in Batman. There is a lot of Batman related stuff at DC, like A LOT. It’s clear why cause it sells cause there’s a big gap in the sales market in terms of Batman and….everything else where DC is concerned. That being said, they are trying more things than Marvel, some successful and some not and have had a flood of talent come over from their competition to great benefit to them. Former Captain Marvel and Black Widow scribe Kelly Thompson has relaunched Birds Of Prey to great success for example. That does have Batman characters Harley Quinn and Cassandra Cane Batgirl which are close enough links to Batman to help but still, its a win.

I think actually DC has done a lot of hard work in the last few years to repair a lot of the damage that they’ve done in terms of shooting themselves in the foot sales wise. Its not perfect but they’re trying and I think the flood of talent from Marvel is evidence of that. So how did we get here? Why can a title that has a key franchise name on it by one of the best writers in the industry.

Well I think its a couple are different reasons. Now if you’re reading this, you’ve likely seen a video about a local retailer blame the death of comics on modern creators. This video has gained a lot of traction, especially on a group of fans that believe scewwy things like women or queer people are to blame but I believe that is utter tripe. As a good friend of mine once pointed out, web comics and graphic novels outside of the direct market are on fire. So much so that DC and Marvel have dipped their toes into both markets to try to get a slice of the pie. The audience is definitely there so why are they not there monthly for some of the biggest and most iconic characters ever created?

Well I don’t think the issue is that complex, I think its down to three things, one more than the others.

1) Gatekeeping: I know lots of lovely people in comics. A lot of people and creators are welcoming, informative and are passionate about sharing their hobby. There are also those that aren’t. People who make feel people unwelcome in what they perceive to be ‘their’ space. Nobody wants their first experience trying comics and picking up a book and feeling judged or being remarked on. People who are diverse in their race or gender or sexuality are especially going to be made to feel unwelcome by the likes of the retailer in the video I referenced before. No one wants that, no one should experience that. I’m the most standard stock cis white straight man and I’ve been made to feel unwelcome in a comic store. I was told ‘I don’t think you’re a big enough fan’ by a comic shop in the city of my country. This makes people upset and turns them off even trying comics. I’m so appreciative of the social circle I have and the multiple comic stores I’ve been to that have been fantastic, welcoming and fun to talk to. It’s just sometimes intimidating the possibility of not being treated nicely is all it takes for people not to check out the world of comics.

2) Confusion: For the past 25 years or so, DC and Marvel have become obsessed with making things easier but in my opinion, have only made things harder. Relaunches, especially at Marvel have become so frequent that its difficult for someone new to start. The reason for the companies to relaunch is that they think readers will feel like picking up an issue with a single digit number is less intimidating than one with a triple digit one. A lot of longtime fans I know started reading comics with a triple digit number, I did and I’m still here. I think the constant relaunches have been counterintuitive for two reasons.

i) Say you want to start reading Amazing Spider-Man. You think ‘I’ll start at number 1’ but then find there are SIX different Amazing Spider-Man issue 1’s. That’s enough issues for a Spider-Man villain team! In terms of collections, there are multiple versions from multiple era’s with ‘1’ on them in terms of Amazing Spider-Man never mind all the other Spidey books and the problem is for every hero who has had multiple title relaunches. The idea of having a new 1 for readers are fine but if you have multiple 1’s then what’s the point?

ii) Same creative teams and creative directions with new launches. Imagine you’re new to comics and you’re reading a book and that book stops to do a relaunch for one reason or another. Most people who don’t keep track of comic news or who might not be informed ‘Oh well that’s done then’ and that’s that. They don’t know the story continues with a new 1 either next month or later. This is the very thing that killed the momentum of Spider-Gwen which I spoke about here before previously. Also, created new 1’s for the sake of it with the same creatives and story means that if you DO manage to get someone new, they’ll just be confused. A great all time run in the modern era is Mark Waid’s Daredevil which had two number 1 issues. Not really much changed between issue 36 of the first batch and issue 1 of the next. A lot of the existing story carried on so if someone is pulled in by the new 1 in this case, they’re not actually reading part 1 of a story but actually part 37. It just makes things overly complicated.

We live in an era of information where if people want to pick up issue 1, 17, 68, 196. 20 billion and 1 or whatever, they can go and read up and figure it out. There’s plenty of collections available for people to catch up on or stuff online they can read to fill themselves in. I started reading comics full time in the middle of Ben Reilly’s era as Spider-Man. I didn’t have collections or the internet to help me figure out what the hell was going on and I’M STILL HERE because I FIGURED IT OUT. It’s not so hard but the companies seem to make it even more complicated by thinking they’re making it simple.

One last point I’ll make on this is Spawn had a sales renaissance with issue 300 and sales on Walking Dead only get better as it carried on. Neither relaunched ever, although the former does have a lot of spin offs but that’s neither here nor there.

3) Cost: The final and most important key thing I think effecting comics is the price. Comics are expensive, like REALLY expensive. The standard price for comics now is $3.99 (before tax) in America. A lot of books are $4.99 or even $5.99 at the bigger companies, especially when it comes to bigger titles that sell regardless or number 1’s or event books or whatnot.

I will admit some books that are $4.99 like Batman offer a little extra for the extra money but the majority of books are $3.99 for 20 pages of entertainment. Some people read at different speeds but I would say 5 minutes to read a standard length comic is probably average, even bordering on generous. In terms of the amount you get out of comics (not counting rereading, etc) its probably the worst price to entertainment radio in media.

For the price of just over 3 comics (15 mins) you can go see a film (90 mins-240 mins depending) in the cinema or buy a novel (6-9 hours depending on length and reading speed) or subscribe to one streaming service for a month (??????? hours). For some people, comics are too expensive to invest in versus other things they can entertain themselves with. This is also keeping in mind that you even have disposable income and don’t need every cent you earn on pesky things like somewhere to live or something to eat.

Basic survival is more expensive than ever and things like comics that are very, very expensive given the value you get out of them will be one of the first things to go. I love comics and I wish I could support all the ones I want to but I can’t financially so I get a LOT in collections. It just works out cheaper and they’re easier to store.

I want to support the creators involved and I get that cost of living is going up for them too so the books are more expensive. I’m not sure on the economics of an individual comic or how much each creator gets paid and I know that will have a LOT to do with it but still, it doesn’t help the price on the day when its sitting on the shelf.

A comic or a loaf of bread sounds like a silly choice but it could be a decision a parent has made somewhere on behalf of a kid who REALLY loves Spider-Man or Batman or Ms. Marvel or Batgirl or My Little Pony or whatever. When you’re faced with that kind or choice, there really is none at all.

I’m a big fan of the cheap reprint comics like Marvel’s True Believers line or DC’s ‘After Watchmen’ or Image’s ‘Image Firsts’. This let’s people try something cheap to see if they like it and maybe then they come back for more. I was very appreciative of Image firsts for letting me try Alex + Ada for £1 which I loved so much I bought the hardcover on the same day. I remember also Image allowed reader’s to read a bunch of issue 1’s free on their website at the start of the pandemic which led to more than a few purchases on my part also.

There’s no easy answer here. Creators need to live and art needs supported but this is another reason why the webcomic business is killing it. Creators can earn a ridiculously healthy living on Webtoon or something similar doing their own work with their own level of control and never have to worry about any of the issues raised in this article.

There is no boogeyman, there is no mean ‘woke’ (whatever that means), there is no conspiracy. Comics are suffering because of a mixture of the above points and likely more than us readers will ever know.

Change is happening but it’s slow and it will lead to the death of a lot of aspects of comics but i will survive. If the cancellation of Avenger’s Inc after only 5 doesn’t get the companies attention then they might just be left as defenceless the dinosaurs as a new more accessible, friendly and cheaper asteroid shaped way of comics approaches ever closer.

More soon.