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DEATH OF THE COMIC BOOK (Comic Book Forums)

  • DEATH OF THE COMIC BOOK

Author Discussion
  • Posted: February 6, 2013 1:00:08 pm
  • i wasn't sure, i could be wrong i was thinking all the first big Marvel books introducing all the charters had .35 cents on the cover.
  • Posted: February 6, 2013 1:01:17 pm
  • They were .12 cents, not sure why I was thinking .35.
  • Posted: February 6, 2013 1:02:54 pm
  • echo said:
    They were .12 cents, not sure why I was thinking .35.


    Nope, they were 10 cents in the 50's. They didn't go to 12 cents until the 60's; then 15 cents in the late 60's. Very Happy
  • Posted: February 6, 2013 3:08:39 pm
  • Whole entertainment complex is going under. Government created mass media conglomerates don't work. Movies are on same course as comic books. Shrinking market share and increase in prices. Mass media system is fascist.

    Comic books are one of the freest parts of the system as there is no money in them and no one reads them. Thats why I like them so much.

    Last edited February 6, 2013 3:13:36 pm
  • Posted: February 6, 2013 6:07:43 pm
  • I guess as an OF, I was very fortunate. Most comics were only 10 cents and there was a small neighborhood store that sold older comics for a nickel. These were mostly unsold returns from a distributor. Some were 1/4 cover cut off but many were not. This is where I first found EC and other pre-code comics from the 50s. Sigh..
    The joy is in the journey, not just the destination.
  • Posted: February 6, 2013 6:24:16 pm
  • Spa-fon said:
    I guess as an OF, I was very fortunate. Most comics were only 10 cents and there was a small neighborhood store that sold older comics for a nickel. These were mostly unsold returns from a distributor. Some were 1/4 cover cut off but many were not. This is where I first found EC and other pre-code comics from the 50s. Sigh..



    When I started in the early 70's they were still a bargain compared to today. I was able to buy 10 brand new books weekly with my $2 allowance at the local 7-11 and they weren't even taxed back then. Those days are long gone. Sad
  • Posted: February 6, 2013 6:53:18 pm
  • Yep i remeber buying books for .10 and then .12 cents when I was a kid and being able to buy second hand books from .03 to .o7 cents, Unfortunaty my parents threw them all out or else I would be a very happy and wealthy man today,
  • Posted: February 6, 2013 9:04:38 pm
  • Another reason comics are struggling is that the big 2 Marvel and DC have become stagnant. Creators don't want to create the next Spider-Man or Superman only to have a corporation reap the benefits. If Marvel and DC die, so will the industry.
    "Disliking everything is not the same thing as having an opinion"

  • Posted: February 6, 2013 11:49:25 pm
  • That's why indie comics exist. Indie comics aren't as concerned with making wads of cash, because they don't have nearly as many people to pay. They can afford to be experimental, and can appeal to people who think that comics are only superheroes and only for kids.
    I don't really get the point about Archie comics eventually being the only comics around. I think that Archie is doing worse than it was a couple decades ago. Meanwhile, comics in general may be a little stagnant, but due to movies and other types of media are able to bring in new fans and readers.
  • Posted: February 7, 2013 6:25:50 am
  • over here on the other side of the pond comic books have never been majorly popular in supermarkets. (saying this they did sell marvel master pieces and they sold like hot cakes to start with) The majority of comics were sold in Newsagents largest of which is WH Smith's and now this is the only place other then a comic book shop that you can get regular issues.
    The thing with comic books in the UK is that it has declined massively since I started collecting them in the late 70's.
    The UK used to have a lot of its own comics back then The Eagle,Dandy,Beano many different war and sports comics and 2000AD most of the comics were printed on low quality news paper like recycled paper they only cost penny's to buy and the ones that didn't sell went back to the publisher to be pulped and then re-use the paper to make more of the comic further down the line. Even if you kept these comics the paper yellowed very quickly and then became very brittle but my parents were okay with buying them because they were very cheep for the time.
    throughout the 1980's marvel comics started to do there marvel UK line which re-printed many of the story's from the us comics starting out in black and white moving to all colour in the mid 1980's these comics also could stretch one US Marvel comic out over about 3 to 4 issues hence the fact that Marvel US transformers ran for 80 issues (admittedly it should have been a 4 part mini) and Marvel UK Transformers ran for 372 issues that is over 4 times as many issues which does not included the first 30 issues of the UK run which were included original work by UK artist and writers. At this time many newsagent who order the stock from WH Smith's used to carry many of the US Marvel and DC titles and these flew out at the time I had to get the news agent to save me my issue of Batman and Detective or i would never get a copy they were that popular over here.
    After the rise of these all colour comics printed on better quality paper many of the UK comics still printed on low grade paper started to die off as they could not compete with the marvel reprints and imported US Comics they lasted out in different formats and line ups till the mid 1990's The Eagle closed this then only left the 2000AD line and the beano and dandy. At this time they had to start to compete with magazines aimed at kids full of free novelty gifts many a spin off from kids TV programs. These magazines filled the stands and push the comic books that were still about to the back of the rack so no one could see them.
    This has gone on for many years now and most newsagents have stopped carrying comics altogether the only places you can get them are from LCS's or from some of the larger WH Smith's.
    Then at the end of last year The Dandy launched it's last printed issue because sales had drop to less then 7k an issue. This ended 80 years of history but the funny thing is this issue could have sold out 4 times over the demand was that high for it with issue selling on the bay for well over £50 which was 10 time the cover price.
    The only UK comics thats comics and not Magazines aimed at kids are the 2000AD line and the Beano.
    Where I live in the UK me and my little boy and 2 nephews are quite lucky to have two comic book stores in our city where we get most of our bat stuff but if they were not there then it would be hard to get stuff for them other then from the net.
31 posts • Page 1 of 4
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