THE COMIC BUST… COULD IT HAPPEN AGAIN???
Okay folks! It’s time for me to lay down my intellectual bait and see what my opinion catches in the open waters.
Yes it’s time for…
THE OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK!
This week?
10-7-13
Can the comic crash happen again?
I moved to Calvert County, Maryland in the early 90’s I grew up in a fairly urban, easy to access all the cultural items in life, area beforehand. So safe to say, Southern Maryland was a bit of a culture shock. One thing that saved my sanity moving there was the local comic book store: Closet of Comics. I was a kid and teen during what they call THE COMIC BOON. Historians differ on when it started. Some say it’s when McFarlane started on Spiderman in mid-88. Others will say that it’s when X-Men #1 came out in 91’. That is really an academic point that I leave to the scholars.
What is important for this conversation is that I saw the rise of many comic book stores. They were like Video game machines and arcades a decade earlier, in that they were everywhere. They were even in hick towns like Prince Frederick, Maryland and in nearby St. Mary’s, which in 1991 made Calvert look cosmopolitan in comparison.
This was also the era of the MEGASTAR ARTIST. Comic book pencilers ruled the landscape. Guys like Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, and Rob Liefeld were landing TV commercials, spots on talk shows, and eventually forming their own creator owned labels and would shake the 98% stranglehold market share, that DC and Marvel held over the industry. These artists were so face front, and media center in the comic book creator spotlight, that writers took massive backseats to them. I think I was at a point where I honestly thought that Fabian Nicieza and Dan Jurgens were writing about 80% of every Marvel and DC books being put out there. There were junctures where Marvel and DC gave these artists writing chores on some of their flagship titles. I think with the idea in mind that it would be a repeat of guys like Frank Miller, Walt Simonson, and John Byrne a decade earlier. Sad to say, that the results were “MIXED” at best. Another problem with some of these superstar artists were not in and of themselves. It was the fact that the big two and many of the top independent companies adopted their styles as a HOUSE style for finding new talent, which resulted in an artistic and creative stagnancy by 93-94.
On top of all that were the variants! Oh yes! THE VARIANTS! Polybags, holograms, and sparkly gimmick covers were abounding everywhere! 2nd, 3rd, and 11teenth reprints of comics that had no business going into that kind of run, were just being spread all over the market. Companies were printing single issues of comics IN THE MILLIONS! This was sparked by some “VISIONARY” in the Wall-Street Journal, stating that comics were like investing in gold (I’m paraphrasing, but you get my point). This caused several problems. One was that it brought a lot of non-fan speculators into the comic market. Either they tried to start stores of their own. Or they bought up multiple copies of comics to try and corner, what was becoming a very artificial market. Another problem was that of comics that were just being released were instantly skyrocketing in price. In the past comics matured in price over the course of years or even decades. But event driven storylines and constant #1 restarts and offshoots would result in books that were just released that month to hit three figures in a matter of weeks.
Eventually the bubble had to burst, which it did around 95’ or 96’ depending on who you ask. In 1992 there were about 8 or 9 comic book stores in the Southern Maryland area where I lived. By about 1998 there were maybe 1 or two. By 2000 I was going up to DC to get my comic book fix. Many of those superstar creators disappeared. Some went back to the big two, and still others survived but not in the same capacity they were at, at the industries’ boom height.
Many of the big name indie companies also folded at this time. Malibu was bought by Marvel. Valiant was snatched by Acclaim and eventually folded. Image went through several growing and shrinking pains. Liefeld left the fold, Jim Lee eventually took Wildstorm to DC, and several other creators of the imprint seemed to fall off the map.
This bust also allowed Diamond distributors to consolidate other distributors and form what many others consider a monopoly on all paper distribution of comics in North America. They were able to survive and prevail be it over a much smaller comic book industry, going back to its pre-boom figures, to where 50-100 thousand copies of a big two copy was considered average to good again.
The market eventually recovered. Blockbuster movies, a switch to a more writer oriented product, comic-cons becoming family mega events, merchandising booms and other factors eventually helped the industry not only find its footing, but expand in many ways that the make the first bubble look tame in comparison.
I say all this to ask a this question: CAN THE BUBBLE AND BUST HAPPEN AGAIN? I pose this question because, I tend to see certain hints that it could. For example I have seen the return of the dreaded VARIANT COVER! At first it was mainly a short print variant that Diamond or the big companies would offer a store for ordering a certain number of copies. Now DC has gone as far as putting out 52 variants of state flag JLA’s. The big two and the larger indies are all guilty of putting out a myriad of variants for their high profile books. Now while the companies are not selling in the millions like the 90’s bubble. These variants do at times cause an oversaturation and devaluing. But more important still, one is forced to ask: Do these gimmick and variants enhance a good product? Or are these simple marketing tools to snag shelf space from competitors and indies, quality be damned? Sound familiar?
Also, the mainstreaming of comics in the last decade or so, has brought in a lot of casual fans to the market and field. Now while this has resulted in massive mega comic shows, billion dollar comic adaptations, and even non comic source critical acclaim. There is also the shadow that casuals were a part of that bubble burst in the 90’s.
So could it happen again? I would like to think we as an industry learned our lesson. But here and there I do see evidence of otherwise. DC and Marvel having multiple reboots and #1’s of their flagship characters seems to be the norm now as it was in 1993. Characters like Batman, Spider-Man and The X-men still have multiple titles with varying degrees of quality, and a creative model that if one of something is good. 10 or 20 is even better, leading to an oversaturation of those characters and properties.
Markets of all kind go through periodic spasms of boom and bust. A down period in comics WILL HAPPEN. It’s not a question of if. The big question is that will it be a normal fluctuation. Or will it be because of lessons not learned from the events of 1995-96?
Only time and future retrospect will fill in the pieces on that jigsaw puzzle.
Until next time, I won’t be here!
Dan Nokes
Creative Director
21st Century Sandshark Studios
Yes it’s time for…
THE OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK!
This week?
10-7-13
Can the comic crash happen again?
I moved to Calvert County, Maryland in the early 90’s I grew up in a fairly urban, easy to access all the cultural items in life, area beforehand. So safe to say, Southern Maryland was a bit of a culture shock. One thing that saved my sanity moving there was the local comic book store: Closet of Comics. I was a kid and teen during what they call THE COMIC BOON. Historians differ on when it started. Some say it’s when McFarlane started on Spiderman in mid-88. Others will say that it’s when X-Men #1 came out in 91’. That is really an academic point that I leave to the scholars.
What is important for this conversation is that I saw the rise of many comic book stores. They were like Video game machines and arcades a decade earlier, in that they were everywhere. They were even in hick towns like Prince Frederick, Maryland and in nearby St. Mary’s, which in 1991 made Calvert look cosmopolitan in comparison.
This was also the era of the MEGASTAR ARTIST. Comic book pencilers ruled the landscape. Guys like Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, and Rob Liefeld were landing TV commercials, spots on talk shows, and eventually forming their own creator owned labels and would shake the 98% stranglehold market share, that DC and Marvel held over the industry. These artists were so face front, and media center in the comic book creator spotlight, that writers took massive backseats to them. I think I was at a point where I honestly thought that Fabian Nicieza and Dan Jurgens were writing about 80% of every Marvel and DC books being put out there. There were junctures where Marvel and DC gave these artists writing chores on some of their flagship titles. I think with the idea in mind that it would be a repeat of guys like Frank Miller, Walt Simonson, and John Byrne a decade earlier. Sad to say, that the results were “MIXED” at best. Another problem with some of these superstar artists were not in and of themselves. It was the fact that the big two and many of the top independent companies adopted their styles as a HOUSE style for finding new talent, which resulted in an artistic and creative stagnancy by 93-94.
On top of all that were the variants! Oh yes! THE VARIANTS! Polybags, holograms, and sparkly gimmick covers were abounding everywhere! 2nd, 3rd, and 11teenth reprints of comics that had no business going into that kind of run, were just being spread all over the market. Companies were printing single issues of comics IN THE MILLIONS! This was sparked by some “VISIONARY” in the Wall-Street Journal, stating that comics were like investing in gold (I’m paraphrasing, but you get my point). This caused several problems. One was that it brought a lot of non-fan speculators into the comic market. Either they tried to start stores of their own. Or they bought up multiple copies of comics to try and corner, what was becoming a very artificial market. Another problem was that of comics that were just being released were instantly skyrocketing in price. In the past comics matured in price over the course of years or even decades. But event driven storylines and constant #1 restarts and offshoots would result in books that were just released that month to hit three figures in a matter of weeks.
Eventually the bubble had to burst, which it did around 95’ or 96’ depending on who you ask. In 1992 there were about 8 or 9 comic book stores in the Southern Maryland area where I lived. By about 1998 there were maybe 1 or two. By 2000 I was going up to DC to get my comic book fix. Many of those superstar creators disappeared. Some went back to the big two, and still others survived but not in the same capacity they were at, at the industries’ boom height.
Many of the big name indie companies also folded at this time. Malibu was bought by Marvel. Valiant was snatched by Acclaim and eventually folded. Image went through several growing and shrinking pains. Liefeld left the fold, Jim Lee eventually took Wildstorm to DC, and several other creators of the imprint seemed to fall off the map.
This bust also allowed Diamond distributors to consolidate other distributors and form what many others consider a monopoly on all paper distribution of comics in North America. They were able to survive and prevail be it over a much smaller comic book industry, going back to its pre-boom figures, to where 50-100 thousand copies of a big two copy was considered average to good again.
The market eventually recovered. Blockbuster movies, a switch to a more writer oriented product, comic-cons becoming family mega events, merchandising booms and other factors eventually helped the industry not only find its footing, but expand in many ways that the make the first bubble look tame in comparison.
I say all this to ask a this question: CAN THE BUBBLE AND BUST HAPPEN AGAIN? I pose this question because, I tend to see certain hints that it could. For example I have seen the return of the dreaded VARIANT COVER! At first it was mainly a short print variant that Diamond or the big companies would offer a store for ordering a certain number of copies. Now DC has gone as far as putting out 52 variants of state flag JLA’s. The big two and the larger indies are all guilty of putting out a myriad of variants for their high profile books. Now while the companies are not selling in the millions like the 90’s bubble. These variants do at times cause an oversaturation and devaluing. But more important still, one is forced to ask: Do these gimmick and variants enhance a good product? Or are these simple marketing tools to snag shelf space from competitors and indies, quality be damned? Sound familiar?
Also, the mainstreaming of comics in the last decade or so, has brought in a lot of casual fans to the market and field. Now while this has resulted in massive mega comic shows, billion dollar comic adaptations, and even non comic source critical acclaim. There is also the shadow that casuals were a part of that bubble burst in the 90’s.
So could it happen again? I would like to think we as an industry learned our lesson. But here and there I do see evidence of otherwise. DC and Marvel having multiple reboots and #1’s of their flagship characters seems to be the norm now as it was in 1993. Characters like Batman, Spider-Man and The X-men still have multiple titles with varying degrees of quality, and a creative model that if one of something is good. 10 or 20 is even better, leading to an oversaturation of those characters and properties.
Markets of all kind go through periodic spasms of boom and bust. A down period in comics WILL HAPPEN. It’s not a question of if. The big question is that will it be a normal fluctuation. Or will it be because of lessons not learned from the events of 1995-96?
Only time and future retrospect will fill in the pieces on that jigsaw puzzle.
Until next time, I won’t be here!
Dan Nokes
Creative Director
21st Century Sandshark Studios