Killing Comics the Marvel and DC Way

Tim Marchman recently wrote a column for the Wall Street Journal essentially eviscerating Marvel and DC. The article was written under the guise of a review of Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics, a new book that profiles writers and artists in the industry throughout its history.

His main point of contention is that if a movie based on a comic book property can reap billions in revenue (The Avengers), then why doesn't the comic with the same name perform similarly? His argument is that the more popular comics today from publishers like Marvel and DC require a primer to get into. That the big publishers have abandoned mainstream audiences in lieu of cash.

And he's right. Sort of.

There are some taking offense to Marchman's comments, but that offense likely stems from misinterpreting them. He does lay into the state of the industry pretty harshly, essentially saying most mainstream audiences don't really care about series like Avengers vs. X-Men, despite the legacies of the two teams involved. He's also quick to blame industry stalwarts such as Brian Michael Bendis, Joe Quesada, Grant Morrison and Dan DiDio for the decline of the industry.

While it's nearly impossible to pinpoint exactly who's responsible for sales of even marquis comics being relatively low as a proportion of box office sales, Marchman does have a valid point. There are so many comics out there these days that it's intimidating for a new reader to walk into a store and pick up something new.

For instance, Scott Snyder is getting rave reviews on Batman with his "Night of the Owls" arc. It's a follow-up to Batman: Gate of Gotham and pits Batman against the Court of Owls in their attempt to takeover Gotham City. Sounds great right?

The problem is that to a casual reader, none of that makes any sense other than the words "Batman" and "Gotham City." Where's the Joker? Catwoman? Even Penguin or Two-Face? The story is phenomenal, but all the praise is coming from within the industry. Writers, artists and fans are lauding Snyder and Greg Capullo for their work, but outside of the industry no one really cares.

That's not to say every Batman story has to have one of those villains in it, but from a new reader perspective there's nothing comfortable for them to grab onto. That proves troublesome when trying to grab new readers. Maybe DC should just make a Batman series where he fights the same three villains the entire run. Sort of a "layman's" Batman if you will. I digress...

The only thing the mainstream media cares about when it comes to comics is the death of a character, a controversial wedding or revisiting iconic characters from the past.

Notice anything in common with all of those stories? They all feature flagship characters and teams from the Big Two publishers. None of the mainstream media outlets seem to care about the smaller titles. Marchman mentions Love and Rockets and Unlikely as also being featured in Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics, but neither of those have the same mass appeal as books focused on Spider-man or Superman.

What's to be done then? The biggest problem with comics is one of perception. There's still this notion of Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons, chained to his dungeon that is his comic book shop, refusing to take Amazing Fantasy #15 out of the bag for fear of the air oxidizing the pages. It's an image that is still a go-to gag, such as Steve Carell's character in the 40 Year Old Virgin.

The "ivory tower" comic shop owner scares people. Greatly. There's nothing less appealing then going into an unfamilar environment, searching for a book you've heard something good about and then being ridiculed for not knowing the intricate backstory between the characters that you would've picked up only through message boards and online forums. It's intimidating and it does nothing to welcome new readers.

Yes, there's tons of complexity in a lot of the stories, but that shouldn't be a deterrent to invite new readers. There's a fine line between crafting a story that pays respects to fans while--at the same time--remaining accessible to new readers. It shouldn't always be done either, as there are serial TV dramas that assume you've watched from the beginning and don't try to get you caught up to speed.

The main difference though is that usually with TV shows, you're not paying $2.99 for them (unless you go iTunes or calculate a cost per show through cable, Hulu Plus or Netflix). And they're less of an investment. Somehow it's easier to sit down and watch an hour long show (about 45 minutes without commercials) than it is to sit down and read a comic for ten minutes. Especially if you're not versed in how to read a comic.

The public thinks that you have to buy comics at a comic book store (mostly true) and that their only redeeming value is speculation worth, both of which are pretty far from the truth. There are more mainstream comics at stores like Barnes & Noble and digital is rapidly becoming a viable option for new readers. Comics have lost most of their speculative value as well, with the notion of buying a comic for $2.99 today and seeing its worth climb to $1,000 in twenty years is somewhat antiquated.

Content isn't the problem in comics...it's distribution. When one company (Diamond) has a strangehold on distribution, they control a large portion of the consumer channel. Local comic shops are subjugated to whatever prices and policies Diamond puts in place, leaving them little choice but to order whatever quantity is offered and deal with it. This leads to comic shops only opting for the "surefire" sellers, which are typically the Marvel and DC books that keep rehashing the same characters and storylines.

There are so many great comics out there that don't come from the Big Two that it's actually quite shameful that comics aren't doing any better. Sure, Robert Kirkman is killing it with The Walking Dead, but how many people knew of the property before the show? And how many have actually read the comic since the show? How many know it was actually based on a comic?

Comics in general need to do a better job getting the word out and it starts at the top. Marvel and DC need to take more risks, promoting edgier comics with more original material. Imagine if both publishers opened a creator owned arm, much like Image Comics. Such an idea would be a boon for comics in general, as more and more mainstream readers would learn there's more to comics than Batman and Superman.

Image is putting out some of the best stuff around right now, with Saga, America's Got Powers and Morning Glories, just to name a few. No one knows about those books though and, again, all the praise is coming from within the industry. These are books that deserve so much better than they're getting and it's on Marvel and DC to use their clout and get the attention.

There's the saying "a rising tide raises all boats" and it couldn't be truer than in the comic book industry. If Marvel and DC would parlay their film success into new comics and work on expanding readership, then other publishers would draw in new readers as well. Put Avengers vs. X-Men comics alongside The Avengers movie tie-in merchandise at Target. Get people hooked. Create new comics that move away from the cape and tights mantra and move toward other topics.

Comic book stores are communities that don't want to exclude, but there's an improper perception that they do (Comic Book Men did nothing to dispel this myth). Digital comics can make new books accessible to so many more new readers. And there are so many creators out their pouring the hearts and souls into new books that there's definitely not a dearth of content.

Comics are at an interesting place. They can continue with the status quo and see revenues drop like both the music and movie industries. Or Marvel and DC can dare to be different and challenge themselves, offering less than standard fare. The financial risk may be there, but the reward will be that much greater.

And if it doesn't work they can just go back and retcon it all anyway.