Folks, I was happy to be asked to participate in a new article from SKTCHD that had retailers tackling the above prompt.
David Harper keeps a tight eye on big topics in the industry, and the current new reader boom in comic shops has people asking some questions. So naturally, Harper posed them to a bunch of folks like myself to bring some answers into focus.
From the article:
It’s helped that DC has seemingly studied what else has worked in the direct market of late — namely, manga — and incorporated those learnings into the comics themselves. Retailer Brandon Schatz of Edmonton, Alberta’s Variant Edition Graphic Novels and Comics said that’s clear based on the publisher’s approach with the Absolute line, as it nicely blends manga and western energies into something new. It’s a snug fit for the market of today for that reason.
“A lot of this is ‘right time, right place,’” Schatz said. “The rest is producing good books.”
Many other folks had many other great insights, and you can read the whole thing here:
David Harper
A note: SKTCHD is a subscription based site, so the bulk of this article is behind a paywall. I still highly suggest that folks who are interested in my writing here take a look at subscribing to David's work, because it is top notch.
I'm not going to steal any of David's thunder with the article he put together, but I do like to provide a little extra detail on things I contribute to in other venues. With that in mind, here's a little extra from what I sent his way that didn't make the article:
The Absolute titles were developed with the western audience that grew up on manga in mind. Make no mistake, this is the gateway that was identified and exploited at the right time, which is key. You can have memories of the DC Minx line, which was terribly named, and ill timed that could have hit the YA and mange market in a bigger way if it landed in the right spot. Or some of Marvel's Tsunami line back in the day, if that had been timed right and maintained an actual focus.
A lot of this is "right time, right place", and the rest is producing good books that seem to be pulled from creative vision first, and editorial edict second. In fact, I would say that DC's efforts at their larger "All In Saga" storytelling are the weaker parts of the line, because that is far and away from what people are looking for in storytelling right now. Folks want concise stories with solid storytelling and art design.
The comic book industry is littered with lines and projects that had the right ideas at the wrong times, and what is happening right now is a bit of that "luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" magic. Smart people making great books, with great marketing at the right time.
Some of that magic is also going to determine if Marvel's big Midnight launch is going to take root... but I'll have more on that coming next week when The Indirect Market shifts into full gear.
Talk with you soon.
-B.
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