Short Stack (Jan. 30th, 2023)
Just a pile of digital flapjacks for you to consume. There are no themes, only vibes.
ONE | This week’s instalment of Tom Brevoort’s Man with a Hat Substack features a reply, of sorts, to recent content from Brian Hibbs. Encouraged by a commenter, Brevoort spoke a bit about the current economics of single issues, and it is some good stuff:
…I agree in general that the periodical business is a tough business to be in at the moment, there’s no getting around that. What folks fail to take into account, though, is that the periodical model is still necessary in order to cover the cost of the material in question. Put simply, while not every Marvel title is profitable to the degree that we need it to be in order to cover our operating costs—the “margin”—there really isn’t a Marvel comic that loses money once you factor in collected editions. That’s because the revenue generated for the collection doesn’t need to cover the cost of the material being printed—it only needs to accommodate the agreed-upon incentive payments due to the creators. And with that, the number of titles that we publish is predicated on the number we need to remain operational. So I get what Hibbs is saying, it’s always been rough to be a front lines Retailer like he is. By that same token, I find that if you ask ten different retailers for their opinions concerning variants, you’ll get ten very different and very subjective ideas, based on what works for that particular Retailer in their particular area with their particular clientele (and what they themselves prefer as an individual.) Our team talks with these guys on a regular basis, and we do our level best to take all of that feedback on board and to behave responsibly, so that everyone in the chain of production can survive and thrive, and the marketplace can remain healthy. We certainly foul up from time to time, but that’s what our focus is on. So while it’s easy to think that the market would be better if there were fewer titles, the fact of the matter is that the market would be non-existent if that came to pass—companies couldn’t cover their overhead, and shops couldn’t generate enough income to cover their operating costs.
There’s a lot that I want to pull out from this quote, but suffice to say, that will happen another day. Tom’s not wrong about anything he is saying, but I believe there isn’t one true way to run a business and succeed. The above is what works for him and Marvel, and his longevity at the company would suggest he would know better than almost anyone else what that company needs. The question eventually becomes, what happens when Marvel’s needs as a company no longer line up with what it takes for comic shops to remain profitable? And what are the after effects of such a reality?
Yeah, there will definitely be more discussion of that here soon. In the meantime, read the rest of his post, because it is filled with all kinds of other interesting tidbits.
TWO | I caught up on the Jason Aaron penned series Once Upon a Time at the End of the World, and I positively adore it. It’s a post apocalyptic fairy tale, cutting the horrors of a fallen world with a sweetness that grounds the work. This past week’s third issue is where the work definitely came together for me, with the premise set, and the conflict underway. It told me exactly who I’ll be selling this book to going forward, both in single issues, and in collected edition.
Reading this issue had my brain echoing back to Aaron’s interview with David Harper on Off Panel back in December. Aaron talked about the book’s structure, and how the whole thing used to be different projects. One was this sweet story about young adults, and another was a far-flung future thing. He then spoke about how life ended up providing a bit of focus for these projects, pushing them together. The pandemic shifted his life circumstances, and he ended up getting divorced from his then partner - and Once Upon a Time at the End of the World became a story of two people, in three different eras of their lives, growing together and apart as time moves along.
It has tied in with thoughts that I’ve after hearing someone describing life it a partner as choosing to love many different people over a long period of time. Both of you, constantly growing, and becoming someone new - and if you’re lucky, the people you become still love each other. I truly can’t wait to see that play out in the pages of this comic - one that is infused with Aaron’s gift for portraying the fantastic, mixed with his ability to make those events dig deep into your heart.
Comics, folks. There’s nothing better.
THREE | Heidi MacDonald has a good round-up of the industry’s thoughts on the ComiXology cuts, and what’s to come next. I remember the various bits of hand-wringing by retailers that came with every phase of their evolution. Starting as a pullbox solution for stores, the company started to get into digital comics, and evolved into the industry’s standard for that medium. Then, it sold to Amazon, and things kept devolving from there, despite many people’s best efforts. From the sound of things, as of October, anything remotely resembling the ComiXology of old will be well and truly gone. I don’t think it means great things for the industry, but we are where we are.
FOUR | This month has been something else. Our year to year is up well over 30% with a few speculator whales pulling back their purchasing a significant amount. That means something, right? I keep hearing doom and gloom from a lot of folks, but to be in this position, at the start of the year, and to continue the momentum of December is one hell of a thing.
I’m not going to lie: I’m a little tired. I write these articles, I do the store stuff, I do school talks, and I’m the business chair of our business district. There’s a lot going on, and I don’t see any of that slowing down as we’ve been offered a few very interesting opportunities for later in the year. Seeing this growth in a time of chaos is keeping me going and in great spirits. I’m excited for life. I’m excited for this medium. Despite all the doom and gloom, there is so much good here, and I’d like to think Variant Edition is living proof that you can make this work, even in these times.
Here’s to the future.
Talk with you soon,
-B