Hey folks! This is my occasional reminder that I’d love to hear about topics you think might be helpful or interesting for me to cover. Let me hear them!
At this point in time, do you think the majority of the single issue customer base mainly identify as collectors first or as readers first? I’m curious about this since the variant covers seem to be a big driver of single issue sales, especially considering how many are being produced these days.
This is something that I've been thinking about A LOT lately. I'll give a short answer here, before the longer answer in the next couple of weeks: I think most single issue customers would consider themselves readers, but are, in fact, collectors first and foremost.
How hard is it to sell a comic with new creators? I just picked up White Savoir issues 1-3 because one of the writers (Scott Burman) offered up a digital copy of #1 from another Substack (think it was Bendis). Since it was free I gave it a shot and thoroughly enjoyed it. If it wasn’t for the free copy I never would have picked it up
You're touching on a lot of interesting ideas here - including the part where FREE (or at least cheap) and digital is an activation point.
Selling a comic with new creators is incredibly tough, especially when retailers are looking for sure bets. Definitely a great topic to dig quite deep into. Thank you for the question.
Since you touched on graphic design this week, I’m curious what effect (if any) you feel cover design plays in the success of a book. I find DC’s current aesthetic to be just gorgeous, with a strong design system, fantastic typography & logo design, with an overall professional, elevated feel, whereas modern Marvel design looks awkward and disjointed with mediocre typography and slapdash hierarchy. Does any of this matter to readers who aren’t graphic design snobs like me? 😉
At this point in time, do you think the majority of the single issue customer base mainly identify as collectors first or as readers first? I’m curious about this since the variant covers seem to be a big driver of single issue sales, especially considering how many are being produced these days.
Nice topic! Personally as a single issue person I’m a reader first but I do buy variant covers when I like the art.
This is something that I've been thinking about A LOT lately. I'll give a short answer here, before the longer answer in the next couple of weeks: I think most single issue customers would consider themselves readers, but are, in fact, collectors first and foremost.
How hard is it to sell a comic with new creators? I just picked up White Savoir issues 1-3 because one of the writers (Scott Burman) offered up a digital copy of #1 from another Substack (think it was Bendis). Since it was free I gave it a shot and thoroughly enjoyed it. If it wasn’t for the free copy I never would have picked it up
You're touching on a lot of interesting ideas here - including the part where FREE (or at least cheap) and digital is an activation point.
Selling a comic with new creators is incredibly tough, especially when retailers are looking for sure bets. Definitely a great topic to dig quite deep into. Thank you for the question.
Since you touched on graphic design this week, I’m curious what effect (if any) you feel cover design plays in the success of a book. I find DC’s current aesthetic to be just gorgeous, with a strong design system, fantastic typography & logo design, with an overall professional, elevated feel, whereas modern Marvel design looks awkward and disjointed with mediocre typography and slapdash hierarchy. Does any of this matter to readers who aren’t graphic design snobs like me? 😉
Ooooooohhh, this is gonna make a great post to wrap up the week. Thanks for this.
Are the long run comics done? Gi joe, etc where we get to issue 200. Or another example bendis run on new avengers that lasted years.
Tyson! Thank you for the question. The short answer is "yes" - and the long answer is gonna be a post. Thanks again!