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Just got back from walking my dog out, and as per usual, it's when I do a lot of my thinking.
My thoughts tonight?
How we have massively shifted superheroes from being predominantly all-ages, even with comics.
My thoughts tonight?
How we have massively shifted superheroes from being predominantly all-ages, even with comics.
I think the biggest mistakes made were in making the entry barrier into superhero comics tough for kids, starting with...
1. Shifting nearly exclusively and solely to the direct market.
1. Shifting nearly exclusively and solely to the direct market.
Comics used to be widely distributed on newsstands and grocery stores, places where at any given time, new readers, kids in particular, could easily access them.
The shift to the direct market - that is, comic book specialty retail stores - meant they began selling comics where kids didn't generally go, so they had to shift to the demographic that were; teens and adults.
2. Bleeding the tones of seminal works meant to be written with mature thems like Watchmen and the Dark Knight Returns into the main publishing line of comic books.
Learning the wrong lessons from the above works, the powers that be decided that comics and the stories in their main publishing like could and should be darker and grittier until slowly, they eventually became full blown dark and gritty.
Like Identity Crisis.
Like the Black Adam mini-series.
Like Countdown To Final Crisis.
Even 52 has its moments.
What this meant is that the stories told about superheroes that were originally created for kids were no longer being aimed at them in general.
Like the Black Adam mini-series.
Like Countdown To Final Crisis.
Even 52 has its moments.
What this meant is that the stories told about superheroes that were originally created for kids were no longer being aimed at them in general.
And when they did make comics for kids, they were created as kids-only comics (as opposed to all-ages) published as alternate imprints or in comics not part of the main publishing line.
Like Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!
Or Batman: Gotham Adventures.
Like Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!
Or Batman: Gotham Adventures.
They were intended for a minimal and alternate market of readers.
And sometimes they dumbed it down, which turned off the older audience, and then they didn't buy them.
And sometimes they dumbed it down, which turned off the older audience, and then they didn't buy them.
So when they didn't sell great numbers, they could say, "See? We tried, but comics for kids don't sell!" and then call it a day and return to making comics for their adult demographic.
No, comics for all-ages sell, but you're not selling them where kids would buy them nor are you making them for adults to enjoy as well.
What this did was turn superhero comics into a niche market in what is essentially a closed distribution and retailership, bought largely by a small, but aging consumer base.
Any closed niche market, particularly one for adults, will by itself be a natural entry barrier to kids.
Any closed niche market, particularly one for adults, will by itself be a natural entry barrier to kids.
3. Getting away from single-issue self-contained stories.
One of the biggest obstacle for new readers is where to begin. It's a daunting task.
Once upon a time, a reader could see a comic of, say Superman #359, and just jump right in.
One of the biggest obstacle for new readers is where to begin. It's a daunting task.
Once upon a time, a reader could see a comic of, say Superman #359, and just jump right in.
That was because they could get a full experience in a single issue, and there was a time that the publishing philosophy of every comic was that it was someone's first comic of the character, so they kept the reading experience new reader-friendly.
That approach also made it easy for long time fans to tell new readers to just pick anything they like or to start virtually anywhere. New readers would generally learn all of the basics that they needed to know of any given character in that issue.
There was no need for consulting the lengthy history of a character before diving in. One just simply needed to dive in and no more than that was required.
Nowadays, what with stories written for the trade, writers write their stories for the long-time fan that's well-versed in the characters' history, canon, and lore that they forget that new readers will be lost.
This is not a good place for new readers, particularly kids to get started in reading superhero comics. This by itself creates yet another entry barrier for getting kids into comics.
