From: owner-comix-biz-digest@lists.xmission.com (comix-biz-digest) To: comix-biz-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: comix-biz-digest V2 #52 Reply-To: comix-biz-digest Sender: owner-comix-biz-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-comix-biz-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk X-No-Archive: yes comix-biz-digest Wednesday, June 2 1999 Volume 02 : Number 052 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 2 Jun 1999 16:00:07 EDT From: HeIIblazer@aol.com Subject: (cbiz) Why kids don't read comics anymore? From all the things I've heard, kids just aren't buying comic books anymore. I think there are several reasons behind this. Adults may not think much of droppin 2 or 3 bucks on a comic book. Adults pay crazy prices for older back issues sometimes as well. When you're 8 years old though 2 bucks is something you have to save for months for. Comics are expensive. Granted they're expensive to make too these days. It's not really anything we change, but it's a fact we have to face that kids can't pay alot for comics. Another reason would probably be, if a kid can save his money up to buy let's say in example, X-Men every month, what's that kid going to do when something like Fatal Attractions comes along and now it's a six part story in six different double sized titles with hologram covers that cost 3 to 5 bucks a book? Suddenly a kid that wants to enjoy one issue of X-Men for 2 bucks is paying up to 30 bucks if he wants the whole story in all six books. That is totally out of price range for an 8 year old. Another example is DC's current Batman storyline, No Man's Land. I love this story myself. One of the best ever, but an 8 year old kid who wanted 12 issues (one year's worth) of Batman is now going to have to buy Batman, Detective, Shadow of the Bat, Azrael, and any crossover books. This could be as much as 72 books. That's 6 times the amount of books the kid wanted but because the stories go from one book to another he or she has to buy them all. In the 70's and earlier comics never crossed over and in the 50's, 60's and early 70's is when they had their greatest following, especially with kids. The industry has changed since then, and I don't think it's for the better. If you're not going to change things to make books appeal to kids, then make them appeal to adults. Marvel doesn't even have a mature readers line, and in the past when they've had one, they don't put Marvel on it, they call it Epic and I think they had some other sub companies as well without the Marvel logo. They say their books are for all ages, but what kid can afford them or keep up with all the crossovers. # Need help using (or leaving) this mailing list? # Send the command "info comix-biz" to majordomo@lists.xmission.com. # To post, email comix-biz@lists.xmission.com; replies go to original sender. ------------------------------ End of comix-biz-digest V2 #52 ******************************