No, There Won't Be a Resurgence of American Comic books- Median Age for a comic book reader is 50.

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[@GrantSchreiber-nz5tz]

As a comic book retailer, let me add that my store exists almost solely because of back issues and Magic the Gathering. It's gotten so bad, that I have stopped getting new comics for the most part, occasionally springing for something that might have a hook to grab attention. The last comic that did that was Eight Billion Genies. The back issue end is being badly hampered by speculators who drive up the prices of certain issues based upon rumors, TV shows and movies. Oddly enough, while a poorly reviewed TV show like She-Hulk will damage sales on She-Hulk back issues, a widely enjoyed movie or show does NOT increase sales. People don't read anymore. As such, I plan on closing when the lease runs out in June 2026 -- if I can hold on that long.

[@michaeldunn8972]

I'm 32 and no one my age or younger has ever touched a comic it's been anime and manga since I was 10.

[@AdrianFahrenheitTepes]

Honestly, I have collected Graphic Novels where the full story arc is in one paperback. But most of what I read now is written in printed written books. One of the biggest differences between Western Comics and Eastern manga is that Korean and Japanese writers generally hold on to the copyright until they die. It's not an exaggeration, meanwhile you just have a series of tenures of different writers for western comics.

[@dwood78part23]

I'm a late Gen-Xer who used to read comics as a kid of the 80s. Nowadays I'll read books & manga before I go near a comic book (but I do wish for your comics to do well). With the average comic reader now in their 50s, this is indeed a dying field. The young folks who would be saving this industry are reading manga instead. So until they somehow find a way to win back the younger readers over from manga, there will be no resurgence of American comics. If anything, it could be on it's way out.

[@JamesBrown-rd8og]

GOOD POINTS

[@longtsun8286]

Sad, but true.

[@cedarledgepublishing]

As someone in the 50's I can testify. Though I rarely read now due to the vile artwork now allowed to hit the stands.

[@megacide84]

I treat the comic book industry just like pro-wrestling. The business dealings, drama, and behind the scenes mayhem is far more interesting than the actual product itself.

[@torritaite2880]

The only way I could see a resurgence is if we had another Jim Shooter in comics. I'm 50 and the only comics I read now for thr most part is anything from Ghost Machine and any Energon Universe title (both from Image). I hardly if ever read Marvel and DC these days. Unless it's something worthy of my money.

[@SS4DEUCE]

How badly did Covid affect comic shops?

[@vernonhampton5863]

Blood Syndicate's original run was better than people remember. That short panel got you a like.

[@ShawnSJames]

Blood Syndicate original run was fire. The storytelling from Ivan Velez Jr. was rock solid. One of the best books of the Original Milestone line.

[@TrickQuarter]

Shawn, I would like to hear your perspective on why Manga is flourishing while American comic book industry is struggling. The same variables exist as in video games, internet, and streaming services.

[@ShawnSJames]

Coming this week!

[@Solider7]

The closes comic book store to me just announced it's closure next month. The comic industry really is done for, and it's all the industry's own fault.

[@namelesswhocares8648]

Not really, I blame the woke Mafia and their gay agenda They remind me of the X-Men villain Proteus Proteus/woke writers with agenda took over a host body ( DC, marvel, image, average independent company) corrupted it with their essence and are now looking for a new host to abuse ( video games , rpg etc)

[@jjm152]

I'm literally 49 1/2 right now. Comic books are fucking dead to me. I have kids but I won't introduce them to comics or take them to the comic shop because of their general low quality and overt political nonsense. No joke - We watch anime and read manga instead.

[@ShawnSJames]

That's the saddest part about things. There are next to no comics I would recommend for kids at the comic shop. The Content is just too weird and out there I wouldn't let a kid go near it. Manga and anime are way more family friendly.

[@benjaminkemer6428]

I could see a type of comic books or graphic novels making some kind of comeback. Marvel, for example, did Western and Horror Comics back in the 40s and 50s before their Superhero genre took off. I could see new genres or different IPs coming into the fold in the future, it’s a question of when that new kinds of comics take over.

[@rickylouis1453]

In my personal experience what makes manga more appealing is that the characters get new powers an example that almost every Millennial knows is Dragon Ball Z even though I never read part 2 of the Dragon Ball Manga everybody knows the Super Saiyan that was the second Arc of part two of Dragon Ball then in the third Arc they have the Super Saiyan 2 which is slightly different than in the final Arc they have Super Saiyan 3 which only Goku and goten's could do they also had a story in the fourth Arc where they join together into one people from two people that's just an example along with even the modern Dragon Ball super being better individually than Spider-Man but in the vast majority of manga usually the character is themselves unlike for example Spider-Man where Peter Parker has been Spider-Man since 1965 I do notice time and comic books is different compared to manga as I said the way Dragon Ball ended it was 10 years after the final fourth Arc in manga time is different similar one piece the second part of one piece is 4 years after the first I think one reason it is more popular than American Comics is because they use psychology

[@waynereid3433]

I’m 53 and just got back into comics, started when I was around 13,stopped when I hit around 17yrs old.

[@1983jcheat]

That makes sense. I'm 41 and don't read comics anymore. 😂😂😂

[@longtsun8286]

Well said.

[@netpasya]

The main reasons Comic Books will be dead soon is: Times have changed. 1. In the past, we read comics because that was one of the few ways parents encouraged their kids to read. 2. In the past, that was one of the few ways, kids entertained themselves. Now kids have tons of ways to past time. 3. Piracy was almost non-existent.

[@AdrianFahrenheitTepes]

We also had the library, with Trade Paperbacks where I would see if I was interested in buying a graphic novel to own it. Which is what I did for Batman Hush, Long Halloween, All-Star Superman, Green Lantern, or JSA

[@jaredgardner5968]

Fat chance of that happening in the foreseeable future since the damage has already been done when writers like Joe Quesada, Mark Waid, Tom King, and Mark Millar started retconning original stories, reissuing original comics, ruining the source material, bringing back characters from the dead, and insulting and alienating their own audience.

[@rickylouis1453]

Towards the end of this point Shawn is correct if they were to do with the video games what they do with the comics it would be better because it is true I played both Marvel Spider-Man for the PS4 I just finished Marvel Spider-Man 2 for the PS5 and it was way better than even Dragon Ball Z Kakarot because Dragon Ball Z Kakarot is literally the same exact story it's the four arcs and some download content the download content basically is like a video game version of the movie I know the Bardock and alternative timeline DLCs are basically video game versions of the movie if American Comics were like those then they might stand a chance against Japanese comics even though there's original games that are just as good or equal to games like Spider-Man such as Final Fantasy Devil May Cry Etc

[@longtsun8286]

The American comic book industry may have a resurgence in the future; Microsoft managed to revive the American video game console industry, with the Xbox. But as demonstrated in that example, it will likely take YEARS, if not DECADES, for the necessary conditions to make such a resurgence POSSIBLE, to arrive; time enough for a new generation to be born and raised, one that has NEVER read any "current year" American comic books, and thus, UTTERLY IGNORANT of why these books have a bad reputation. Marvel and DC Comics' bad policies destroyed their own IPs' value, and their stock values as a direct consequence. They refused to give comic book writers and artists a fair share of the profits, discouraging these writers and artists from creating new IPs. They foolishly allowed what writers and artists were still willing to work for the "peanuts" they offered, to push political agendas that insulted and alienated EVERYONE who didn't share these agendas, while these writers and artists shut themselves in an echo chamber and FALSELY CLAIMED long-time comic book fans were the "loud minority"- a textbook example of projection- instead of the "silent majority" these fans were. The "silent majority" stopped reading American comic books in favor of manga and manhwa (Korean comics) YEARS ago. The "modern audience" Marvel and DC Comics chased after- those who support the political agendas the companies' writers and artists push- is TOO SMALL to replace not only the long-time fans the companies foolishly allowed their writers and artists to insult and alienate, but these fans' CHILDREN, who could've become fans in turn and continued supported the companies' IP. Marvel and DC Comics are reaping what they and their employees sowed. This should be a warning to any company.

[@rickylouis1453]

That is true I can name manga such as Fist of the North Star you Hakusho Naruto the original Dragon Ball Etc even after they ended the authors still make money for most likely the rest of their lives unlike American comics where they companies keep the profits according to my knowledge manga is like a publisher and writer relationship

[@rickylouis1453]

There was also the comic named America Chavez which in my opinion was literally a political advertisement one of the issues did feature Hitler I do recall in one piece the author had to stop drawing the swastika because people were mad about it this was in the unedited version of the manga I know also in yuyu hakusho it a character had the swastika in his forehead also in Naruto a character also had a swastika in their forehead these were in the manga versions only but they were in the unedited versions also there was a manga based on Hitler's autobiography from his point of view

[@longtsun8286]

@@rickylouis1453 The swastika is an ANCIENT symbol the Nazis stole for their own use. It was and is still being used as a protective symbol in China and Japan- associated with BUDDHISM- for MILLENNIA. Native Americans also used it for MILLENNIA, until World War II.

[@rickylouis1453]

@longtsun8286 I know that's true I also know the right arms salute was either from Greece or Rome but most people don't know I do also know that this was from Hinduism and Buddhism but most people especially in America don't read. Also along with the word Aryan according to my research that term was first used for people in India. That also wasn't an original term

[@aliensyndrome4280]

Video games have been on decline since PS3/360 era. PS2,GameCube, Dreamcast,XBOX was the last great era in video games

[@jedirun]

just like physical media is all going digital as well, Sony and Microsoft's next console will probably be all digital

[@dexterdexting3736]

Gaming consoles are essentially computers now. I would love for Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo to make a dedicated gaming OS that I can install onto a computer, instead of making me pay close to $1000 on one console.

[@aliensyndrome4280]

Average viewers age of pro wrestling is around 50 years old. That industry appears to be dying

[@ShawnSJames]

Kids still watch WWE.

[@aliensyndrome4280]

@ShawnSJames i just Google search on age of pro wrestling fans.

[@rickylouis1453]

I stopped watching WWE because the stories started to become crap I remember my favorite wrestler was Dwayne Johnson along with Steve Austin and the DX wrestling team I've seen that Dwayne Johnson has came back every once in awhile they'll have Undertaker but it doesn't appeal to me anymore because the stories now are crap maybe because of PC culture and a lot of those wrestlers have grown out of it Imo I also do recall reading a manga named Fisher the north star and the online scandalated version they had a character that looked exactly like Hulk Hogan saying the n word and then years later he actually did say it.

[@aliensyndrome4280]

baseball too is on the decline

[@devonwilliams136]

So Shawn what books did you use that helps you write better stories?

[@ShawnSJames]

I read Syd Field's Screenplay Robert McKee's Story and Jim Shooter's blog

[@devonwilliams136]

@ShawnSJames Thanx

[@artmin100]

So are you planning to not publishing comics only novels, and look at working with a pc gaming studio?

[@bobfg3130]

Comic books could be sold in other stores. You need new characters and new stories. Captain America is an 80 year old character. Spider-man is a 60 year old character. You're starting to see a pattern.

[@michaeldunn8972]

Western comics are basically made for 1945 - 1980 you can't make new comics cuz the medium and art style is dated. Very easy to make new manga.

[@TJ347]

Respectfully, your conclusion is incorrect. The fact that manga sells so well clearly indicates that the customers ARE indeed there, but the product they want with respect to American comics is not. Comic book stores are not coming back, but if the product returns to its foundations, the American comic book industry can survive. Whether this will happen is another question.

[@ShawnSJames]

The Manga customer and the Comic book customer are two different people from two different generations. Comics are a Boomer/GenX Eary Millenial medium while Manga is a Millenial/GenZ/Gen Alpha product. The manga audience has a median age of 10-12 The comic book audience has a media age of 50. Been to comic cons like New York Comic Con and manga shows Anime NYC and the Black Comic Book Festival at the Schomburg in Harlem and it's two different audiences. One is growing with young customers families and children, the other is frequented by a small group of old folks and has one foot in a grave and the other on a banana peel lined with lube. The American Comic book industry is DEAD. GONE. OVER. The product can't return to its foundations because Corporate doesn't CARE about comic books anymore. The books are just a way for Disney and Warner Brothers to keep their trademarks active so they can continue to mine the properties for movies, TV and Merchandising. Comic editorial is a group of incompetents they find off Tumblr who have no understanding of the source material and the lore. Most of the people who work at Marvel & DC are paid low wages and are just there to go through the motions. Nah, Comics are DONE. It's just time to accept it and move on.