Problems With the Comic Book Industry

The comic industry has SO MANY PROBLEMS! Here's how to fix them.

Special thanks to our Patrons for helping make this possible!
Tyler Kowalchuk, Leonardo, Taylor Adams, Bonnie Davies, Ashley Donson, David Flores, Yosh Flores, S.J.R., Dylan Blass-Svedvik, Timothy, David Adler, Colton Gebben, Sondre Hille-Krumsvik, Senita Mahoney, Jason Morlock, Zach Perkins, Andrew Shaffer, Vydal

Tags: #Marvel #Comics #ComicBooks

[returnedtomonkey]

Long story short... Reading comic books is no longer treated as a casual activity and more like compulsive collecting obsession.

[kaiwilliams]

The relaunches need to stop. Pick up Spider-Man volume 1 you say? Which one of the twenty should a prospective fan choose. Like Drake said advertise jumping on points of new creative teams and storylines. Batman can have two books batman and detective comics. Make the distinction between series 100% clear. Let Batman be superhero action while detective focuses on the crime and detective aspect. Let amazing Spider-Man be the main Spider-Man book while spectacular tells stories featuring spidey and more side characters and team ups.

[christianzuniga]

This video definitely needs more attention.

[FoxyGrandpa]

This is why I like those Scooby-Doo, Where are you? comics. They have no continuity. I can just pick one up and read it.

[Amelia_PC]

Thank god for Image Comics, Dark Horse, and every indie company that makes more than "superstuff".

[davescomics]

The first problem has been distribution. When comics disappeared from the newsstand whole genres vanished. Young women were lost as sales moved to specialist comic shops. Only manga and series like Saga has bought them back to the market.

[Zeta-Mon]

Tbh i hate my local comic book shop, I just picked the new issues of spiderman and i got looks from the owner. He gave me the look of he didn't want me there or one of disgust

[George-ofhq]

I actually agree that YouTubers help a lot with promoting the industry because thanks to you, and some other youtbers, I was able to immerse myself in the comic book world and yes, thanks to you I'm reading the masterpiece that is Invincible and some other series that I wouldn't have touched before if it wasn't because of you

[Zoopadoopa]

Manga: Full story single player games.


Comics: Multiplayer games with forced DLC

[zvonimirtomac]

I hope DC and Marvel make their comic advertising better. Comics also need some lovin' and I would hate see them die out.

[samuraivader]

Also there is an issue where comic store owners order comic people “should” be reading instead of people actually want.

Edit: Also they question(judge) your choices in comics

[TevyaSmolka]

Also not to mention the digital market is taking over the comic book industry but i personally blame diamond because they have a major monopoly over the comic book Industry which is really messed up in my opinion

[Justlookin]

I always hated it when stories spanned multiple books not because of cost but because of the wild variation in art style. Not as much of a problem these days but anything from the 80's and 90's, wow. The difference between Spectacular and Amazing Spider-Man was night and day.

[FireMadeFleshII]

Definitely being able to purchase comics somewhere other than a comic shop is an issue. In the 90's, of course like every other pre-teen at the time, shows like X-MenTAS, BatmanTAS, & SpidermanTAS were my gateway into the comic world. I made my first comic purchase at a Wal-Mart. I don't even think they carry comics anymore, but that was definitely one way I started reading.

[AionShanks]

Before watching the video my biggest problems are mainly with dc/marvel comics not really comics in general :
1) Eternal # 1s
2) Reboots Galore
3) Random writers drafted in series they did not create
4) Need of "events"
5) Series from the 40s and 60s are still running today, of course without their original writers and are now literally official fan-fiction.
6) Refusal to make anything that is not based on an older character.
7) Reading 10 series to understand 1.

[jriibzmodus]

Someone tweet this to Marvel and DC. We need to keep the industry alive, I love it so much and I too want a new era

[mikeg]

Your right Drake. Comic ads should be more open. In Japan, a manga release is an event.

[renmakesthings]

Can I just say as someone who hates reading comics online and prefers buying them in paper the thing that made it the hardest for me to get into comics was the sexism of my local shops. I would walk in and the guys (and even some girls) would act super condescending and call me “baby” and “sweetie” something I am often quick to correct by sharing my name. They also always ask me if I’m shopping for my boyfriend or try to direct me to more feminine story’s or story’s that feature a female lead. When I tried to buy the Booster Gold series that you often gush about they told me where I could find the Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy series instead and didn’t believe me when I genuinely asked where I could find Booster Gold or any related comics. It’s frustrating and it’s made me try online shopping which frankly isn’t as fun as meeting with other people who adore comics as much as I do.

[davonstark]

I agree with everything that you said in the video, I've tried to get my friends (who enjoy the movies) into comics and I always hear the same thing: "I don't know where to start". If comic books wish to succeed as much as they could, they need to be accessible to new readers. That also means not rebooting/reshuffling your universe every couple of years. Not making three different stories with the same character. And not reconning every decision that a writer makes. I truly love comics but if this industry is to survive it needs to change and adapt in order to grow.

(Signed a guy who just likes comic books).

[thundaphoenix]

To any of those wanting to start comics, I HIGHLY recommend getting tradebacks if you feel like you have to by physicals. It makes stories much more clear and straight to the point. Personally, I recommend only getting single issues if you are collecting. So, if you think the cover looks nice, it's a variant you want OR if you DESIRE to read the story long before a tradeback is even out. I collect the variants and nice covers, but have recently been buying Shazam singles because I love Shazam and want to read it now. Aside from that, I read all mine in trades. It keeps your collection neater when they're easier to sort out.