The business of comic books is the topic of Vox Day's Darkstream tonight. (No embeds, alas.) It's not encouraging for DC or Marvel or anyone who wants to play in their sandbox.
He puts the blame on Diamond, the monopoly distributor, as the source of the woes afflicting retailers. Marvel and DC producing SJW trash only makes an existing problem worse, and the bad effects accelerate in development. Addressing the distribution issue is vital to having a comics business going forward, and that's what Vox Day is on about here. Worth the listen; he's actually tackling the problem as it is, has a solution, and is making it happen. This matters because DC and Marvel will use Diamond to shut out competition such as Jawbreakers, as all three of them need each other to keep their racket going.
The post-80s crash comic book store business model is on its way out, and breaking Diamond's monopoly on comics is vital to that model. Break the monopoly, break the model, and save the comic book scene for future generations to enjoy. You need to keep an eye on this, even if you're not wanting to work in comics, because something you do make get a comic adaptation (the usual stepping stone to a film or TV adaptation) and that means it's in your business interest as a writer to watch media where your work may well show up.
Bradford
ReplyDeleteAnd there'll be an incredible Renaissance.
One question how come the Justice dept never investigated Diamond for monopoly practices?
xavier
No one brought charges, and no other Federal agency has bothered to investigate Diamond. Comics, in terms of business, are small-time compared to what commonly gets Federal attention.
ReplyDeleteBradford
DeleteThanks. I Guess this non action will be changed to an action of some kind'
Ever since Waid interfered with Richard and Anarctica press, the Feds will take a very hard look at the comic book industry
xavier
Correct. Once the Feds begin the discovery process, you can expect things to escalate. What began as a FTC inquiry into a tortious interference will likely turn into an anti-trust inquiry.
Delete"Discovery." The word no defendant with a guilty conscience wants to hear.
Delete