yes that's what happens when adults start buying media meant for children to consume: they start pricing things accordingly to the grown idiots who will pay premium prices for cartoon drawings
The comic book industry is on life support. As someone who collected comics for 20 years from the 90s to the 2000s here are my reason why the comic book industry is in the gutter and why I quit reading 1. Comic book collecting got expensive! It started for me at $1.25/book and $1.95/glossy book to $2.99-$4.99/book. 2. Creative teams leaving books without completing them. Examples Supreme Power, Red Star, Battlechasers, Astonishing Spider-Man. 3. Rockstar artists who made a name for themselves in the 90s and 2000s no longer doing interiors and only doing variant covers. Remember when Jim Lee came back to do 12 issues of Batman in Hush and how well that storyline sold! 4. Marvel/DC on their continuous chase of new readers while having no problems sacrificing their existing readers. The constant relaunching of title to No.1. DC rebooting their entire universe every time they screw themselves into a corner. 5. Crossovers across all company titles trying to milk readers into buying every side book remotely related to the main story so that the reader gets a complete story. 6. Identity politics and virtue signaling. This is the biggest, because it draws in artist and writers who are hired based on many things except the one thing that matters - TALENT!!! I've seen so many bad books that either came out or were going to come out from these people who never would've been hired in the 90s and 2000s. Books like I'm not Starfire, or the extremely badly drawn Carol Danvers Captain Marvel. Turning established straight characters gay/bi like Iceman, Robin, or Alan Scott (OG Green Lantern) is very upsetting to longtime fans that are being alienated because many of today's writers and artists can't get their political agendas pushed without taking an established character and turning them into something different. If anything, why don't writers create new characters or explore other characters that ALREADY part of the LGBT community. Characters like Wiccan and Hulkling, Northstar, Rainmaker, or Apollo and Midnighter. The comic book industry has been taken over by people pushing extreme left politics, and as someone who's never voted for a Republican, it's pretty obvious where the direction of many characters are going even though it makes absolutely no sense. And the numbers don't lie. If you check the sales numbers of books from the 90s and 2000s, many books easily break 100k+ copies sold. Today, a book is lucky to sell 20-30k copies. And don't blame it on the internet. If there's a great book out there that's written and drawn very well, I don't want to buy it. I NEED to buy it! Stories like, Green Lantern and Flash Rebirth, Sinestro Wars, Blackest Night, Civil War, Secret Invasion, Siege, Gen13 (J Scott Campbell books), Witchblade, X-Men (Jim Lee, Joe Mad, Andy Kubert), X-Men: Messiah, X23 miniseries, Amazing Spider-Man (Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen, Mark Bagley), or Legion Lost. There are soooo few books today that are not tarnished by identity politics and virtue signaling, but are sooooo amazing because they do something 99.9% of books today do not do, TELL A GREAT STORY AND HAVE SOME DECENT TO GREAT ARTWORK TO GO WITH IT. The only examples I can think of lately is the Last Ronin miniseries featuring the last story of the original TMNT, and Marvels: Epilogue by Alex Ross. Until the comic book industry goes back to focusing on great stories, with great artwork, and no political agenda or virtue signaling there won't be any new comics people will collect and there won't be any new comic book readers to take the place of those that have either aged out or gave up all together because they're publishers have been taken over by a certain mob. And if I say it, they will scream and shout but say nothing to the conversation and facts of the comic book industry in decline.
That’s the big problem with artists once they make it big. They quit drawing or just do variant covers and conventions. Jim Lee and Todd McFarlane keep themselves busy running businesses. But others these days just do variant covers. Yes it’s nice to look at, but does nothing for the interior book and story.
gee why'd it get so expensive? it's almost like it reflects the demographics: adults with money! that's the joke: comic books are for kids, so it's almost like if adults weren't engaging in such a child-like hobby, it would have kept the prices down. but apparently...comic books aren't for kids anymore...they're for grown adult collectors lol.
I'm shocked this news piece doesn't get to the root cause of the dwindling comics industry. It's the editorial direction the most of the companies have taken. Fortunately there are those in the comment section here who understand that.
It’s a double whammy, beyond the bad writing consumers are tapped out of money. Restaurants and small businesses are starting to close all over. The cheap money punch bowl is empty now.
Its cause editors are not interested in great stories and are just giving us cheap blan stories that dont pan out not backed by chronological events. Thats why everyone is back from the dead and repaets of old stories. Meanwhile little old me cant seem to find an outlet even when its free
There's fun stuff but people only check marvel and dc to hate read 😂 like the star wars is dead channels. Gonna enjoy the upcoming deadpool role playing comic though I'll avoid the movie (multiverse overuse let alone they'll throw in as much gay stuff as possible like the hello wade hello lesbians in deadpool 2 or that messy cream). But yeah big box retailers and Kindle destroyed them. Enjoyed this year: snoopy's beagle scout tales, fairest of all (queen from snow white in green scale), Tiana and the magic of Harlem, spy vs spy omnibus, and several nintendo mangas that went on sale like animal crossing, splatoon or zelda twilight princess. I do feel the question omnibus was better than the upcoming amalgam stuff for marvel/dc as it's a bunch of overpriced number 1's with batman. At least finish dark claw, with people selling the stuff for cheaper than the $150. At least I saw a digital sale for batman the world and not be subjected to the one dimensional harley quinn, or the tedious spiderman/xmen reads. Hopefully caped crusaders show will be cool like batman audio adventures (which also had a comic) and be better than that tedious suicide squad isekai lol which Amanda Waller dance went popular. No idea why they talk DEI yet make her thin most of the time.
So you’re telling me that Al Ewings immortal hulk wasn’t a masterpiece of superhero fiction? Man stop lying dawg you probably couldn’t even name a modern title. There are way too many writers and artists out there for people like you to generalize just because you don’t actually read anything
Lol $8 comics are normal too. The trade paperbacks and digital sales as well as faster price drops from GI Joe undermine that bs from marvel and dc. Comixology unlimited stays at $6/year with an annual free month trial. It's unreal to stay the same price like Arizona iced tea or Costco hot dogs 😂
@@LanceMartin-gn3fiif that was the case, comics should have already been done. It hit a huge resurgence in 2021. Now it’s going back to normal 2019 levels, like everything else is trying to do.
Mile High Comics will forever and always hold a special place in my heart. Its the first comic book shop I discovered as a kid in the early 80's. I was absolutely transfixed at the idea that there was a whole entire store dedicated just for comics and sci-fi.
The weekly visit to the comic store used to be a highlight of my week, I'd buy what looked good and treat myself somewhere to dinner while i read them. But too many gimmicks and the price drove me away, another relic of a bygone era like going to the video store.
Acourse it's going to go under. No one can afford 4 thousand dollar Comics that are collectables. This isn't about selling comics. This is about scavengers upselling products going under.
It's because they are basing sales from the COVID pandemic. Also Mile High Comics is the wrong person to ask. He intentionally marks stuff high so he doesn't have to sell them. The shop is more like a museum than a shop but that's fine too.
you know whats wrong with the comic industry, The protagonist was fighting X villain when I was a kid, and still fighting the same X villain in my mid 40s now. Hell they were fighting the same villain before I was born.
I live in Hawaii and growing up I could not afford comic books at cover price and my father would get angry whenever I tried to buy them. I just got back into the hobby of collecting and reading comics towards the end of 2022. I am subscribed to Marvel Unlimited so I do read digital comics but it's annoying because if there is an obscure comic run that was published by Marvel it is not available to read digitally so I still have to buy the physical copies if I really want to read it. I've been digging in the $1 bins and buying up any key/minor key issues I am able to find. I don't think comic book stores make much money from me since most of my buys are from the $1 bins but I am really surprised at what they throw in there. I was able to find some really good stuff in there just for a $1. Also I have ordered stuff online from Miles High Comics when they have a sale of back issues. I was able to complete an entire Secret Wars run for around $20 with his discount.
Sweet brah. Here in cali many shops closed and the few left have very few dollar comics. Look for a great comic called Sleepwalker. His issues are fun and you'll smile inside
The comics market killed itself with a lot of wrong moves. First, new comics are $5+ for something you can read in 5-10 minutes because they have thinned out the content so drastically over the years. It takes longer to read a complete single issue story from 1980 than it does to read a 2024 comic. Alternatively you can buy a manga for $10 that has 8-9x the page count (though in black and white). The price point on comics is not an entry point for new readers. Second, the first is compounded by stretched out stories, crossovers, events, etc. And when that's multiplied by $5+, it adds up fast. Third, to save the specialty shops (who still rely on non-comics sales to stay afloat), they started manufacturing scarcity, especially with variant covers. Combined with declining sales demand anyway, the number of copies of any comic are more limited than say 30 years ago. All this did was gatekeep people on a budget who got tired of missing out on the cover they wanted. And it goes a step further than that. They could reprint endlessly in-demand comics. They don't, because they want resellers to mark the books up to $30, 40, 100+ a month after release. Which makes no sense, because the publishers aren't making a dime off resale mark ups. If they do reprint something, they be sure to mark it "2nd print" to keep prices elevated of 1st prints. Comics are determined to be high-end collectable market rather than, you know, reading material. Fourth, the solution to all this nonsense is digital comics. I sold my collection of 21,000 comics and went digital, because I got tired of the nonsense. I got tired of having 99/100 issues and not being able to finish a series at a reasonable price. New Mutants 98 is of course a great example with an outrageous price tag despite being one of the most overprinted comics of the 90s speculative boom that caused the whole industry to crash. Fifth, Mile High is so full of itself saying they care about bringing joy to new audiences. No one can afford their prices except the elite. Your average 12 year old isn't seeing a Marvel movie and then running to Mile High for back issues. And finally, they don't want new readers but they don't want old readers either, so I'm not sure their market anymore. On one hand, beyond price, the content of comics have become so focused on graphic violence and political agendas that it's inappropriate for the youth audience, and that's where most comic fans start. Then once you're hooked, you're hooked for the long haul. The "new comics reader" isn't someone who is starting out with them at 35 or 50. And comics is so determined to be a leftwing propaganda factory that it certainly doesn't want the over 40 crowd who isn't begging for their beloved characters they read for the last 30 years to suddenly be a diversity icon overnight. I just read the 10s of thousands of comics from 1970-2011 (pre-reboots) and it's going to take me decades to get through that all plus manga. The saddest part of comics is that the 80s really had it going on. You had such outstanding comics in the 80/90s. This is the period after all of Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, Sandman, Swamp Thing, X-Men, Titans, Outsiders, John Byrne's Superman, Peter David's Hulk, Grant Morrison's Animal Man and Doom Patrol (if you're into that), etc. etc. etc. Comics came so far from the 60s. And then something went wrong. And today we're still celebrating comics from that period as the all-time greats. Yet, no one at DC/Marvel seems to realize that.
Marvel and DC are putting out terrible books now. Video games are more important to people. And when I see four and five year old kids staring at their own phones and tablets their parents have bought them, a comic book can't compete.
The overall writing quality between the big two (Marvel & DC) has gone down. The stories aren't that good and they're trying to compensate with the sale of "rare" variant covers. Sales will go back if they can stick to stories that aren't riddled with politics.
Most nerds don't buy comics for the writing (there's literature for that). They buy for the pictures, and especially the soft porn. So MUCH of that still around, despite all this whining about wokeness.
@@TT-fq7pl You mean to tell me that collectors with anywhere between $5K - $30K in books who've been collecting for decades were into for softcore porn? Comic conventions, fan expos, etc. Collectors are into books for the lore and good writing. Nobody wants to hear a bunch of garbage from progressive blue hairs. If "nerds" want to look at lewd pictures they can find that in other books (there's porn for that).
@@MrRawnch Hair dye really upsets you that much, eh? This coming from a guy whose username is Rawnch? Well, Raunchy, the writing in comic books is for adolescents and arrested adolescents. If you want good writing, there's more intellectually stimulating material found in books without pictures. Sure, some grown ups collect comics for the pop culture fix and the nostalgia buzz, but it's been a medium for giggling oglers for decades. Ever see what they've done to Scooby Doo and the gang? Oh yeah, that's not for sad and immature adults. And the extremely violent Joker apparently has a psychotic girlfriend. Whee. I'd say the anti-progressive nerd-boys have lots to get excited about.
Wow 😮 Mile High Comics is legendary! I remember seeing their ads in the comics that I read as a kid back in the 90s! Crazy to see the owner adding perspective in this video as an adult.
@@TheBigExclusive i've been reading modern comics but have also picked up some omnibi of the x-men started from 1963 and my goal is to eventually read up to modern times with those comics
Yeh I used to collect a lot but I don’t collect cause the price adds up comes out too expensive. Also back in the days there weren’t no exclusives in comic books cause all it is for the owners of comic book shops to make money and down the road when time passes by there worth nothing. So I really buy key books sometimes and 80s or 90s key books. Also now a days it’s all about money not about reading it just looking front cover and say wow I’m buying that and guess what it’s an exclusive worth nothing when times passes by. Well that’s my opinion each his own!
I know one thing hurting sales is when Comic books suddenly go woke and aren't concerned with telling good stories or faithful representation of characters all for the sake of sending a message.
I only enjoy 1980’s & ‘90’s comics and I didn’t even grow up with them, although I grew up in the ‘80’s. The storytelling & writing is the kind I really get into, so much unexpected outcomes and original ideas and plots Unlike the vast average today from the sample I’ve seen since the last 20 years
The intended audience went from kids, to the adults that 90’s kids have turned into and their adult money/tech desires. It’s all poster paper, multiverses and high tech colors now. Instead of keeping it for an audience made up of broke kids. Who can afford to do that nowadays though lol. Times change.
Comics are okay but truthfully I just couldn't get into them Buying several comics only to not be into half or most of them left a bad taste in my mouth The prices are killer..
This years show isn't going to be that exciting. Unless you want to see the dry cleaner's son's good friends sister's friend who was associated with marvel comics back in the 70's who's going to be a guest speaker. Representing the dry cleaner unions lack of strength in this decade. But it's getting stronger 💪💩
i only read x-men. i stopped reading last year. the relaunch in 2019 started off with a bang, but the climax for each storyline was terribly disappointing. the disappointment was so bad that i'm pretty certain i'll never read another x-men comic ever again. still, i'm looking forward to seeing the x-men in the MCU, and this year's animated series _(x-men '97)_ was lit af, so i'm excited for its second season.
A large problem is so many comics aren't made for fans or people interested in comics but people that will never pick them up in a vain attempt to be accepted by the old guard of the old America of pre1990's.
Chuck's statements make no sense considering the disrespectful behavior of their Help Desk is at a level of 'entitled' cruelty, it is not worth the grueling traffic to be treated like garbage at most shops in general, besides the high prices at Mile High Comics... All In A Dream is notorious for poor service, while Info Cafe on Broadway needs to crowdfund their service is soo bad.
@@michaelsharkey4255 The traffic alone is not worth getting to that place... Vision Comics & Oddities is the best choice if you want something real... His place is like a tourist destination now so he will get traffic in and they will put up w/their awful help desk lol... Im soo glad Im out of Colorado, no for me...
Yeah, sales are probably down since the publishers wanted to alienate their true customers by pandering to a small audience that doesn’t even buy their product. Good riddance to woke comics.
yes of course they are 1 graded comics should have value no matter wh9o grades comics amazing spidwrman 300 value 600. by cgc its worth slightly less with other compnaies grsde same book give it same grade that has alot to do with it think new comic fans want be confused by that crap put trading in case held by magnet thats worth 200.0 then put same card worht 200. in differnt case by differnt company who make case that dam card is still worth 200.00 regardless what case you put it in, 2 to many varaint covers for one book 3 people mostly buy books for first appearnces and deaths are meaniingkess in comics 4 comics are expensive so is everything else gaas, food, clothes people blame covid and inflation for it 5 dint give excuse about story with comics all comics are all same past to present good vs bad bad want rule world/univese good stops them
It’s the same as anything else. Comics went woke and now they are going broke. Nobody wants to read about their favorite characters turning gay every month
@@AlverantOld issues are the only way to go. New era WOKE crap has driven TRUE fans away, period. Any fool that says "comics were always woke" has no clue. The current definition of woke mainly includes being divisive and shallow. It means pushing shallow traits and warped ideology first and foremost. It means mongering and pandering. EVERYTHING OLD SCHOOL MARVEL WAS NOT.
Not sure what history you are referring to. I have been an avid comics reader for forty yrs. Never read anything like what is being put on the shelves today.
Comic books fluctuate on popularity basis to fans and collectors. Comic movies popularize the trend timely but it’s wiser to shop for older books or markdowns if one thinks the book will appreciate in value. The costs of artists and materials plus transport fees have calculated to the influx of current book prices.
Real reason why comic book sales are down. Because of "woke writers and editors." I'm almost done reading the X-men Vol. 1 Omnibus, and boy howdy.... you compare to the writings of Stan Lee to current writers? Yeah, I'd vote for Stan Lee.
Those Stan Lee X-Men books were terrible though. Then Werner Roth basically got the book killed until the 70s with his basic art. The Roy Thomas/Neal Adams issues were the only bright spot for 60s X-Men.
The comics went woke and the dealers are going broke. No body wants these stupid stories anymore. All the good writing is dead 💀 and the art is going to get killed by AI.🤖
I love the people saying they got woke then reference Stan Lee who honestly made the "wokeness" more obvious thanks to his tendency to overwrite. Then you find out those people's favorite runs were from the "bad writing but look at the boobs" work of the 90s. I would know. I was one of those people until I did some self reflection during 2020.
“Self reflection during 2020” How did it feel supporting the lockdowns on social gatherings and, bafflingly, the George Floyd mass protests at the same exact time? Was it disorienting? Did the cognitive dissonance break your mind?
A. Those are worth 50-60 bucks a piece and the price could easily go up after the movie, which isn't bad considering it sold for $3 B. Don't buy comics if your goal is just to resell them because it sounds like you don't understand the market. Spawn #1 isn't the best example of a super valuable comic as they're easily obtainable.
@@nuancedgamer3609 He needs to hope the movie is good too. Haven't seen any high selling She-Hulk books from #1 in 1980 to the Omnis and Trades of today since the massacre of a show. Even her Funko Pops are less than $5 right now.
