Problems With the Comic Book Industry

[@returnedtomonkey8886]

Long story short... Reading comic books is no longer treated as a casual activity and more like compulsive collecting obsession.

[@abloshow91]

Since the 90s

[@tonynasaofficial]

Cutie

[@gonkdroidincarnate4237]

true...

[@Hatemx1]

Well that's cuz..it is...

[@JunkyardKid]

It doesn’t help that the average monthly issue has become increasingly expensive compared to a couple of decades ago.

[@kaiwilliams141]

The relaunches need to stop. Pick up Spider-Man volume 1 you say? Which one of the twenty should a prospective fan choose. Like Drake said advertise jumping on points of new creative teams and storylines. Batman can have two books batman and detective comics. Make the distinction between series 100% clear. Let Batman be superhero action while detective focuses on the crime and detective aspect. Let amazing Spider-Man be the main Spider-Man book while spectacular tells stories featuring spidey and more side characters and team ups.

[@gazaalley3862]

i woud love that

[@kaiwilliams141]

southstaronline Not all relaunches are bad but there are so many volumes of Spiderman and avengers relaunches that they can be confusing about which volume 1 to start with.

[@kaiwilliams141]

southstaronline comics are such a unique medium that situations that work for one fan (venom relaunch for you) may not work for another (Amazing Spider-Man relaunch(es)).

[@themadtitan7603]

Brilliant

[@BeastMaster-gc5zg]

Also current Spiderman is a millionaire which is so stupid

[@christianzuniga288]

This video definitely needs more attention.

[@ComicDrake]

If you think so then feel free to share it with your friends and online communities! KZbin doesn't do the best job of recommending content from smaller creators like me so word of mouth from you guys is invaluable.

[@RLucas3000]

@@ComicDrake Have you ever done a segment on the Avengers Defenders War? I had just started comics as a kid, and I loved it! But in many ways, it was the beginning of some of the problems with the comic industry. Still in my top 2 Avengers writers though!

[@Zoopadoopa23]

Manga: Full story single player games. Comics: Multiplayer games with forced DLC

[@samuelkibunda6960]

OmG you are a genius

[@Zoopadoopa23]

@Blue Dude yo

[@AlbinoAxolotl1993]

Then what would a full story single-player game with a massive multiplayer base be?

[@Zoopadoopa23]

@@AlbinoAxolotl1993 fan fiction! 😂

[@benwhelband7220]

No

[@George-of1hq]

I actually agree that KZbinrs help a lot with promoting the industry because thanks to you, and some other youtbers, I was able to immerse myself in the comic book world and yes, thanks to you I'm reading the masterpiece that is Invincible and some other series that I wouldn't have touched before if it wasn't because of you

[@daltonwilliams1723]

Yep. I wouldn't be reading comics now if Linkara hadn't given me so much insight and back story to pick up Geoff John's green lantern books

[@Amelia_PC]

Thank god for Image Comics, Dark Horse, and every indie company that makes more than "superstuff".

[@terrancehall9762]

and boom as well

[@crusher5599]

Same with top cow

[@Amelia_PC]

@@crusher5599 Oh yeah! Top Cow. I like them too.

[@Amelia_PC]

@@terrancehall9762 Yup. Boom! They're very good (despite their low page rate paid to the artists - it's something between $50 to $80. Yikes). Their comics are cool.

[@moritakaishida7963]

Definitely

[@davescomics4824]

The first problem has been distribution. When comics disappeared from the newsstand whole genres vanished. Young women were lost as sales moved to specialist comic shops. Only manga and series like Saga has bought them back to the market.

[@FoxyGrandpa7]

This is why I like those Scooby-Doo, Where are you? comics. They have no continuity. I can just pick one up and read it.

[@incog0956]

That's hpw I treat story arks. I just randomly pick up a story of a character I already know and just read that. Then I go onto a different story

[@bashsibda6289]

The Meme Guy Continuity is over rated. We just want a great story.

[@Cre8Lounge]

But it's the same formula

[@Zeta-Mon]

Tbh i hate my local comic book shop, I just picked the new issues of spiderman and i got looks from the owner. He gave me the look of he didn't want me there or one of disgust

[@ComicDrake]

If he didn't want to sell it, he shouldn't stock it. Sounds like that business is doomed to fail because that is NOT how you get repeat customers.

[@mickeyg7219]

Considering that comics are overpriced, the store owner should know better that customers want to make sure the book is good before they spend money on it.

[@oldmanhogan2668]

Well say something to him

[@connorbrown2746]

what a dick. he got your money, what does he care?

[@ianbyrne465]

Tell him to go fuck himself, then find a new shop

[@samuraivader3814]

Also there is an issue where comic store owners order comic people “should” be reading instead of people actually want. Edit: Also they question(judge) your choices in comics

[@snekkans]

I've never had that problem, though I'm lucky enough that my local comic shop is incredibly accepting. The owner genuinely wants more people to read comics, and his staff are all friendly and helpful without ever coming off as if they think you're reading the wrong thing. The way they see it, reading something is better than not reading anything. I know there's a lot of really crap stores in the world, just in my town there's 2 awful stores that only stay in business since they're across the street from the local colleges. I'm just thankful that the shop I frequent is run by fantastic people.

[@mickeyg7219]

If publishers and distributors didn't make their comics overpriced, people will make decision to buy more quickly.

[@hankrearden20]

@@mickeyg7219 Blame Image Comics for that. When the DC and Marvel artists jumped ship and started Image, they pulled out all the stops with quality and charged 2 to 3 dollars an issue. And people, just on name recognition alone, paid. Guess what happened next?

[@jamesgraham246]

This is way manga are better comic

[@NeutralGuyDoubleZero]

Consequence of most comics not being in general stores and being effectively banned to seperate collector comic stores, pushing it all to a more niche system and causing snotty stuck up obssessed pricks to be in control. Not always of course but a real problem. Comic book guy from simpsons is a parody but he was still based off a real guy let's remember

[@TevyaSmolka]

Also not to mention the digital market is taking over the comic book industry but i personally blame diamond because they have a major monopoly over the comic book Industry which is really messed up in my opinion

[@MastermindAXL]

Tevya Smolka Quoted. Diamond has a monopoly and comic shops are profiting from that monopoly, and then get mad at publishers for not catering to them. It's not surprising that DC and Marvel want to cut out the middleman nowadays.

[@TevyaSmolka]

yeah that's true and personally i prefer physical copies

[@allenglass3461]

Digital isn't taking over. Most comic collectors I have spoken with still want physical books. But DC and Marvel are actively pushing out older collectors and antagonizing anyone who critiques their books.

[@TevyaSmolka]

yeah that's also true

[@pulsarstargrave256]

@Allen Glass\Indeed, I'm older and I've heard you're not actually "buying" digital comics as you would iTunes or MP3s but you're actually RENTING them! Is this still the case?

[@zvonimirtomac7896]

I hope DC and Marvel make their comic advertising better. Comics also need some lovin' and I would hate see them die out.

[@ollytherev2957]

Zvonimir Tomac agreed

[@Hadihadi-wr8mt]

Zvonimir Tomac they never make good adv probably because comic publisher never think reader seriously. Its hard to me to describe (and probably wrong) but its like, They thinking like drug dealer : they (customer) need us (comic publisher), so even without adv or low price on digital they will always come, we have the goods, consumer cant live without us

[@calebelectric]

Agreed

[@grimmjowwsbane775]

Comics won’t completely die out. It’s so deeply ingrained in the popculture membrane that you’d be quite hard pressed to see them die. It’s just in a tight spot. It’s like saying Manga are going to die. They’ll take a hit in sales and popularity, but they’ll never die.

[@MrSafior]

Marvel markettig care only for the MCU. The day one of the MCU really bomb, they will be so screwd.

[@Justlookin48]

I always hated it when stories spanned multiple books not because of cost but because of the wild variation in art style. Not as much of a problem these days but anything from the 80's and 90's, wow. The difference between Spectacular and Amazing Spider-Man was night and day.

[@NeutralGuyDoubleZero]

Inconsistent writers and artists are still major issues. Wolverine went through a change where he became more feral and deranged looking after his adamantium was removed, until a random fill in artist drew him looking normal and it just went away. An entire character plot/arc quietly forgotten about because nobody checked what the artist was doing or how it connected to the story.

[@FireMadeFleshII]

Definitely being able to purchase comics somewhere other than a comic shop is an issue. In the 90's, of course like every other pre-teen at the time, shows like X-MenTAS, BatmanTAS, & SpidermanTAS were my gateway into the comic world. I made my first comic purchase at a Wal-Mart. I don't even think they carry comics anymore, but that was definitely one way I started reading.

[@AionShanks]

Before watching the video my biggest problems are mainly with dc/marvel comics not really comics in general : 1) Eternal # 1s 2) Reboots Galore 3) Random writers drafted in series they did not create 4) Need of "events" 5) Series from the 40s and 60s are still running today, of course without their original writers and are now literally official fan-fiction. 6) Refusal to make anything that is not based on an older character. 7) Reading 10 series to understand 1.

[@gloriousporpoise9731]

I have a problem with #5 with that you're saying that stuff should have ended after the original writers left

[@AionShanks]

well think of it like this. In the 60s they were making brand new series every month, compare that to today where marvel/dc literally have 0 new series out. Everything is fan-fiction of those series from the 60s. Don't you see a problem with that?

[@samuraivader3814]

Number 5

[@snekkans]

Ok, firstly comparing the Silver Age (60s) to the modern comics industry is incredibly unfair. The Silver Age was a really bad time, since the Comics Code was still quite fresh and the industry was in an evolutionary period while it tested the waters with how much it could/couldn't do in stories with the new restrictions. The reason that there was a constant stream of new series popping up was because publishers were just throwing whatever they could at the wall and hoping it would stick so they wouldn't go out of business. Secondly Marvel and DC do put out new series, what they don't do is put out a lot of new characters. Also series last longer now, hence why we have less of them. Look at something like Ms. Marvel, which is a book centered on a very new character while also being one of the most entertaining comics on the market right now. Thirdly, explain how exactly it's fanfiction? It's not like a novel or a creator-owned comic where a story ends and then you're done. Superhero comics from the big 2 specifically are more like long running television series, with ongoing story arcs handled by different creative teams. It's been this way since the industry was in it's infancy. For example, Jerry Siegel stopped writing Superman in 1943. It's unfair to invalidate the stories written by other writers, considering that a lot of the best and most well-known stories featuring these characters were written well after the original creators stopped writing them.

[@AionShanks]

everything you said is literally a marvel/dc thing and not a comics thing in general, in most comic books there is a beginning middle and end with the story done by the same author throughout, so marvel/dc is the exception to this not the rule. No new ideas today? What about the top 10 japanese comics being literally more diverse than anything marvel/dc put out in the last 2 decades, One Piece (Pirates on adventures) Attack on Titan(post apocalyptic story of people surviving from man-eating titans Kingdom( Warring States period of ancient China) My Hero Academia(Superheroes learning to be superheroes) Tokyo Ghoul:re(Ghouls and shit) Haikyu!!(volleyball ) The Seven Deadly Sins( A spin on the medieval age with demons angel giants and fairies fighting) One-Punch Man(superhero parody) Food Wars: Shokugeki no Sōma(series about food) Magi(arabian magicians loosely based on some old books ) If you were to check the US top 10 you would see 8-9 superhero comics and maybe the walking dead somewhere in there. Isn't that sad? That the 1 series that actually allows someone to read the series from # 1 to # 180+ and beyond is the only one of its kind in the top 10? Marvel and dc bend backwards to be "diverse" when it only makes them seem pathetic and reaching.

[@lightningwolf2010]

Great video Comic Drake!!! This needs a part 2 because there are many problems the comic industry faces and I would LOVE to see this video expanded upon.

[@thundaphoenix]

To any of those wanting to start comics, I HIGHLY recommend getting tradebacks if you feel like you have to by physicals. It makes stories much more clear and straight to the point. Personally, I recommend only getting single issues if you are collecting. So, if you think the cover looks nice, it's a variant you want OR if you DESIRE to read the story long before a tradeback is even out. I collect the variants and nice covers, but have recently been buying Shazam singles because I love Shazam and want to read it now. Aside from that, I read all mine in trades. It keeps your collection neater when they're easier to sort out.

[@jriibzmodus4792]

Someone tweet this to Marvel and DC. We need to keep the industry alive, I love it so much and I too want a new era

[@mikeg6520]

Your right Drake. Comic ads should be more open. In Japan, a manga release is an event.

[@mickeyg7219]

There's a catch here: big publishers nowadays make money off movies and other investments so they don't have the incentive to expand their marketing campaign for comics, and small publishers doesn't have all that much financial resources to do so.

[@IkeOkerekeNews]

Right-Wing Youth No they don't.

[@A11sopp]

Eh, not really. Manga normally gets released via weekly/monthly anthology books over there so the new stuff normally get advertising via being on the cover of the book they're in more than anything else.

[@jeirigi5694]

@@A11sopp Well, start publishing comic anthologies.

[@johnmcswag5980]

No not really. Its mostly on the back of magazines which is why most manga tend to die and fade into obscurity before it even gets it start.

[@renmakesthings8106]

Can I just say as someone who hates reading comics online and prefers buying them in paper the thing that made it the hardest for me to get into comics was the sexism of my local shops. I would walk in and the guys (and even some girls) would act super condescending and call me “baby” and “sweetie” something I am often quick to correct by sharing my name. They also always ask me if I’m shopping for my boyfriend or try to direct me to more feminine story’s or story’s that feature a female lead. When I tried to buy the Booster Gold series that you often gush about they told me where I could find the Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy series instead and didn’t believe me when I genuinely asked where I could find Booster Gold or any related comics. It’s frustrating and it’s made me try online shopping which frankly isn’t as fun as meeting with other people who adore comics as much as I do.

[@hidof9598]

Now that is trash behavior I hope you get some relief from it

[@pradipsinhrana7319]

Providing the Golden and Silver age comics for free is a pretty brilliant idea

[@davonstark3603]

I agree with everything that you said in the video, I've tried to get my friends (who enjoy the movies) into comics and I always hear the same thing: "I don't know where to start". If comic books wish to succeed as much as they could, they need to be accessible to new readers. That also means not rebooting/reshuffling your universe every couple of years. Not making three different stories with the same character. And not reconning every decision that a writer makes. I truly love comics but if this industry is to survive it needs to change and adapt in order to grow. (Signed a guy who just likes comic books).

[@Relek448]

Then we need to wipe the slate clean, reset to zero and put ensure that events like character deaths are permanent. Tell the stories in a straightforward and simple form. Remove concepts that are bound to fuck with continuity like time travel and we'll be closer to having comics being new reader friendly.

[@sm2747-j3k]

It makes no sense that they don't market any of their books in the most popular medium of our era. If people knew how good the art was and what comics are, they might be willing to give them a chance. No one knows about Free Comic Book day except us friggin nerds. The last time I went, there was a limit on three books, which I was in no way bummed about. That's one of my favorite days of the year. AS a whole, the industry is just crap about getting people into their stuff. I love superheros, but they're the tip of the iceberg. My favorite things are realistic graphic novels like Harvey Pekar's work and the cerebral surreal stuff like Grant Morrison writes. The library is probably doing more for keeping comicbooks and graphic novels alive than the industry does. My local library has a kick-ass section that prominently displays books. I've read Y: the last man in its entirety by checking out books. It actually got me back into them after taking a break for several years.

[@jeirigi5694]

@@Relek448 Ensure that marvel and dc go bankrupt, so that superhero comics end.

[@jeirigi5694]

@@sm2747-j3k They do know about comics, but they prefer manga. Comics have a disgusting and over-exploiting industry of the same characters.

[@BostonMBrand]

​@@Relek448 Although it's not comics, I hope the MCU takes this approach. I know that they have resurrected minor characters to flesh them out more, but I think that works the majority of the time because sometimes these characters just have unfinished business. Besides that and What If cameos, I hope they keep most completed story arcs closed. For example, I love the MCU versions of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, but out of respect for the characters and the actors, I hope they don't bring them back as normal comics would.

[@TheCreepypro]

nice to see a fan who cares talk about the problems and how to fix them also always nice to know about another Bubble Gum Crisis fan

[@videogamesworld01]

unfortunatelly they are not gonna do anything to fix their problems marvel doesn't care anymore because they have movies and left their comics to die(allthough their star wars comics are surprisingly good wich is ironic because star wars movies have been meh to bad while marvel movie are ok to good) and dc is trying atleast but that's only because their movies aren't as succesfull

[@sgtwolf7391]

TheCreepypro Bubble gum crisis? It sounds like the headline for a news article.

[@KamenRider1]

@@sgtwolf7391 It's by Kenichi Sonoda. He also did (my) favourite Manga/Animé, Gunsmith Cats.

[@xanderm6090]

Your opinion on this very controversial subject is very mature compared to most i have dealt with in which they feel that seeing a problem means you are not a fan and that you should live in denial of a subject's faults. This kind of thinking is very stubborn and doesn't lead to any problems being handled when enough people shout in the air that they are okay with the problems. However i like that you address they are issues and they need to be handled. Every single one. Fact is that comics are like what would happen if books never went digital now.

[@PeachyBeins]

Xander M Unfortunately geek culter has gotten extremely reactionary. And form of valid/nuanced criticism is seen as hate and wanting to destroy it. Ppl attach the geek lable to themselves so much it's basically their main personality. Being a geek is all they see themselves as. So an "attack" on geeky things is an attack on them, and then they bigoted slurs and harrasment begins.

[@xanderm6090]

The comic fandom needs to accept that change in the industry isn't an attack on them, and that constructive criticism and change is a good thing. We need it if we are to get better. Nothing in our world has stayed the same. Many forms of entertainment as well changing. If the film industry or the TV industry worked the same as this. We would still be putting in our VHS's to watch anything. Still having to go to small shops like Blockbuster to get movies. It is sad really that the biggest threat to the change of comics is the misguided nature of the fans currently.

[@JordanWheeler1999]

Xander M, I totally agree to you, I'm a huge geek with comics (mostly marvel) hellboy is a great way to start off with if you don't want to read marvel and dc comics. I love any kind of comics that will interest me, to read. Comicbook fans shouldn't Harash each other like butch of savages wild apes. The marvel vs dc debate has been going around ever since comics first started to been made. I wish these insults, hatred will finally end someday if not someone has to stand up to stop this madness.

[@bmwjourdandunngoddess6024]

@@PeachyBeins Yes for the bigoted slurs. I have seen so much, that I didn’t recently starting looking at anything considered nerdy until last week!

[@ItsTripleAGaming]

I was actually binging some older Comic Drake videos because you're one of my favorite creators on this platform when I got the notification for this :) keep up the great work Drake

[@liamkhan4010]

This is the reason I love The Walking Dead comics, because all I have to do is read one issue a month and not worry about five other comics series I need to read.

[@jlroxas]

Anime and Manga are just everywhere. Follow the example.

[@InanisNihil]

anima and manga dont recycle the same ass heros/villains in more and more versions... its why there is literalll 1000's different characters... manga > comics comics lost me at more then 1 version.. 🤣 imagine if gta 6 came out and it was literally gta 5 story butt different telling of the story... the gta 7 came out.. and it was gta 6 butt different story version which still makes it really gta 5 recycled again.. repeat... thats comics. xb dont get me started on godzilla.. and by the love of god.. why did they have to put kong in the monster verse.. now he is recycled too .. people are simpltons.. i feel its a lack of creativity... the disability to create something new.. so people just take their own head canons of old heros and recycle them... this is completely unappealing to me personally.. its why i got with manga and anime... even anime .. the same genras and cliches.. even fan service least the characters are noticeable different lol

[@starrix4712]

Comics are stupid because they’ll write in something as silly as a guy wanking off = power to destroy 10 universes or something cringe

[@RavenBeastBoy]

@@InanisNihil However manga is full of mediocrity.

[@tonynasaofficial]

@@InanisNihil yeah but your wrong about gta because rockstar has the HD and 3d universe and like marvel the universe is the same and it expands and that's whats so cool about the gta games like how In San andreas we got to see ken and kent paul from vice city and claude and catalina from gta 3 that's the 3D universe, and on the HD universe which is basically pretty new only has gta 4 and 5 to build up on in gta 5 we see packie the lost the gangs radio hosts etc... Btw I personally love both but some people just love what they grew up with!

[@InanisNihil]

@@RavenBeastBoy and comics arent..? imagine... both are full of trash.. both are full of average and both are full of great things... though correct me if im wrong... theres far more manga then comics.. so that naturally would imply theres more trash manga.. butt there also more average mangas as well as great mangas.. am i wrong.. also i should make it clear.. im really only talking bout comics and manga when animated... so show wise... i dont care to read.. and in this case comics suck ass.. its a drop in the bucket compared to anime.. and its really the same dang heros...recycled.. i could watch one anime today and never get back to it in years .. theres always tons of new shit coming out.. from trash to average to great... and personally average is GOOD.. since when is "moderate" bad.. normal is normal.. thats the usually.. fking retarded.. that be like getting up set if a girl though of u as normal like its a bad thing.. 😂 if its bad... i dont watch it.. if its medicore/NOMRAL/AVERAGE i watch it cause its still enjoyable.. if its great well i might watch it more then once.. ur comment on mediorce is stupid and point less.. whats the purpose..? are u saying u only watch "masterpieces" lmao if thats the case.. u might as well take shit and talk to it... cause if so id have as much interest in ur opinions as ur shit does..

[@johnsmith-tf8xb]

I started invincible after you gushed about it. I'm very thankful I did as it's a pretty good series. So far it's the only comic I've ever had interest in because I, too, felt I needed to read decades worth of material to get into new issues. Another issue is the constant start of new story lines and continuities. I follow the story of one character I like only for a new story to take place with different events and sometimes different personalities. With a manga character I can see their growth from start to finish. With a comic book hero you can have wildly different takes by different authors.

[@iliveinsideyourhouse1367]

Invincible is the best comic book of all time

[@Bobohhjjgyfyh]

Holy words! It’s astounding that after release of Harry Potter movies (or any other book adaptations) the book sale rocket up. With comic books, despite the property being now mainstream and loved worldwide, the sales remain at the steady low. And that has almost nothing to do with “diversity”, or even product quality. It’s never about what you sell, it’s always about how you sell it.

[@pedrobelle5623]

When the New 52 started back in 2011, I was excited and decided to read Green Lantern from issue 1. But I was tricked into thinking it was a complete reboot when I read the first pages and discovered it was a sequel to another Green Lantern saga that was released before Flashpoint, so it wasn't a complete reboot at all!

[@kevintyson1947]

Same here buddy. Green Lantern and Batman were the only comics to continue story lines from pre-flashpoint and I really wanted to start reading both with a clean slate and lo and behold, I found out that I basically had to read all of geof john's green lantern starting with rebirth before really understanding new 52 GL

[@pedrobelle5623]

Kevin Tyson I had to read both Grant Morrison's run of Batman and Geoff Johns's run of Green Lantern just to read The New 52. By the time I finished, DC Rebirth started

[@kevintyson1947]

I feel your pain. I haven't even started reading DC Rebirth yet cuz I'm still reading new 52 stories. I just finished Forever Evil but gotta shitload more cuz I wanna finished GL, The red lanterns, Flash, Wonderwoman, Batman, Nightwing, JL, and Justice League Dark. Thats another thing about comics, Its hard keeping up with your favorite characters. Not enough time and damn sure not enough money

[@pedrobelle5623]

Kevin Tyson I am reading some of the DC Rebirth comics. But there are a lot I gotta keep up. Batman, Action Comics, Green Lantern, Nightwing and Superman. Takes time and money, last monday, I spent over 30 bucks just to keep up on the series i like

[@pedrobelle5623]

And that's just DC, imagine Marvel! I barely started reading Secret Wars!

[@granthale8193]

Hey Drake, just dropped by to say that I really love the direction that your content is going. It's nice to have the introductory lore videos and random factoids that you do but it's also really cool to hear someone who's read a lot of comic books give their opinion on various stories and the industry in general.

[@aydandraws9444]

If the comic shop was closer I would have started buying comics sooner. The movies do attract people to the comics but they are like "I wanna read the comics but I don't know where to start." Which is pretty much me

[@porassrivastava8242]

For example: make the online edition of Batman year one free. Person reads it loves it, and then buys more Batman comics.

[@leoramiro7864]

and they actually did that, its free on amazon prime and i think its pretty great

[@chess359]

The big problem with comics now is the price tag. $3.99 is ridiculous for a 5 minute read. I have collected comics for over 20 years and I am at the point where I seriously question my sanity to pay these prices. Alterna charges $1.50 a book and I buy their whole line because it is affordable. DC was doing a great job until the Flashpoint story line. They went off the rails with the New 52 and are trying to get back to pre-flashpoint ever since. However, the fans, including me, were so disgusted by what they did that like a scorned lover, I can never go back. Disney, I mean Marvel, destroyed their universe with replacing iconic characters with teenagers and that was that. I agree independents are where it is at now. The biggest elephant in the room is apathy. I tried giving away comics to kids to read and they don't want them. They moved on to other things. It is like trying to give away VHS tapes. I believe if comic prices dropped to $1.00 a book the industry can save itself. At these $3.99 and up prices, the future looks bleak.

[@a.dennis4835]

I've seen some comics asking for $4.99 for a single issue.

[@AnnaElyy]

I believe their advertising and marketing is a giant issue, just as you mentioned. It’s ridiculous that platforms where the fans already exist like twitter and Instagram.. isn’t utilized more. The actual writers/artists do a better job at advertising their product more than their own company does and that’s not ok. I just found your page today and am intrigued. I run AnnaReadsComics on Instagram and am excited to share your page to my followers. Thanks so much man.

[@ckg95ty]

These are the exact reasons I quit reading comics! I really couldn't keep up with everything, especially not financially

[@Replica_Rabbit]

The KZbinrs promoting would help a lot, I see Viz Media doing that with the Manga community. Viz also release free chapters of Dragon Ball Super, My Hero Academia (spin-off) and Boruto (three of the big boys). It feels DC and Marvel is stuck in their old ways and don't want to change sometime.

[@waynecannon4232]

You make some really good points. I feel the same way. The industry is so inaccessible and frustrating. I'm a huge fan of the medium, but they make it hard on us. Also, I love your carnival huckster ad voice. Great video man.

[@porassrivastava8242]

I have literally loved every issue recommended online to me. That is a well done advertising.

[@AndorRobotnik]

They also should market the stories by name. Like Injustice was accesible because it was simply Injustice not "Justice League Number 42069"

[@mattwo7]

4:50 Well that was true of Archie Comics in general. They were basically in a vast minority of publishers who did this. In fact IIRC, they were the only ones. I've seen plenty of issues of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Archie and the Archie spinoffs like Betty and Veronica on grocery store checkout lanes.

[@rneumeye]

Your video is basically the manifestation of where I am RIGHT NOW. 😅 I am researching comic series, thru KZbinrs like you to figure out how, when, where to dive in. Thanks for the video. 🙂

[@KUROSHURA]

I miss seeing comic books at the local 7-11, and Gas Station with heir own separate rack. I miss seeing them at Grocery Stores in the magazine section with their own little shelf. That was my childhood fetish back then. I’d go to a quickie mart and go straight to the comics section.

[@el864]

For me, I’ve read a couple of the newer marvel comics, such as The Young Avengers: Children’s Crusade and the Loki Agent Of Asgard. Both of which were primarily for the queer representation (something I didn’t expect from comics), and I got collected editions of both which I loved. I’d love for more of these sort of things - partly because these were relatively new groups and characters (or at least new versions of them in Loki’s case) and the collections had bits of exposition in it which I really appreciated. And these made me want to buy more comics of both these characters and others to know more about these interesting characters and story lines. To be honest, I was really devastated by the Marvel cancelled the continuation of the Loki agent of Asgard arc, again an example of Marvel throwing stuff at the wall, and focusing on the numbers rather than the potential of this really interesting, gender fluid and morally grey Loki (Not to mention how much I love Verity, although she no one talks about her any more, despite how well her truth-telling worked as a foil for Loki.)

[@OZerador]

Here in Brazil, comics tend to be sold at newstands.

[@Blaiyan]

WoW. I love that this video hit everything right on the head. My local shop closed a decade or so ago and the stores that sold them stopped or were replaced by new stores. I also could not follow the storyline with comics. Not just finding the comics but the idiocy of spreading throughout various titles. For example the death of superman. Without the anthologies i would've never been able to get the whole story. It's ridiculous. Manga is definitely easier to follow and purchase along with more content.

[@Masterlordrx]

I feel like we also have to give independent creators a chance as well. Yes there are some bad among the good. But like I said there is some good.

[@katieir42]

YES! Please do a video about Diamond! People need to know all the stupid stuff comic book shops have to deal with!

[@victoriaannrice4335]

I remember getting annoyed at the having to buy multiple titles to follow one story. My allowance would only take me so far when is was little. I ended up collecting and getting really involved Marvel's Excalibur. Crossovers happened less w/ the team being set over in Europe. (On that note a Captain Britain history video would be awesome! )

[@Aoiren]

Badass Doc's is getting some love, it's my go to comic shop. Also you bring up some good points.

[@ComicDrake]

It is also my local comic shop! Doc and Jolie are friends and fans of the channel as well. Hopefully I'll see you in there sometime. :)

[@adrianaadrian6759]

I tend to stay away from single issue because of the cost and the need to read multiple comics. So i usually read indie comics or i just wait for the trade to come out.

[@mikejeter5162]

Just found this channel...definitely subscribing and checking back in...very informative and well spoken. No drama, fighting, trolling etc. I appreciate this a lot thank you

[@Eudaimonia239]

the problem for me are: 1. comics should be available everywhere, convenient stores, drug stores, supermarkets, evrywhere like back in the days when they sold millions. diamond also has to go. 2. easier starting points for new readers. you dont necessarily need to erase continuity, what most newbies dont get is that anything you get into after a couple of issues you are going to be lost. you need just to simplify the effects of continuity in stories so that new readers can follow without previous knowledge. 3. No more reboots just continue on 4. many people say that deaths dont matter but that isnt my issue, deaths in comics will never matter because this characters MAKE MONEY. so what you do is remove them for a while and have someone replace them , make the death at least meaningful like barry Allen in crisis on infinite earths. you can kill a character for good if its a self contained elseworlds storie, like all star superman. 5. no more single issues, release the complete arc directly into trade paperback. 6. comics should be cheaper, nowadays with so much distractions many people will choose to pay netflix or go to the movies over reading comics, moreso with those prices. make them cheaper so that is worth it or increase the pages of each issue. 7. no more tie ins for events, release the event as a contained storie and the repercussions dont mention them that much unless you are planning to use it as story afterwards.

[@katherinecornett5073]

S2116518M1141scool I strongly disagree about making them cheaper there are so many people involved in the making of the books that you have to consider they have to be priced high enough to make sure the creators and retailers make !!some money. Also single issues are not the problem switching to trades only isn't needed just advetise better and be clear about starting points.

[@Eudaimonia239]

Ryan Cornett dude if you have a pull list of lets say 6 comics at 3.99 each you are already at 24 dollars for 10 mins of entertainment each(for only 20- 30 pages for each issue). thats hella expensive and I can imagine someone saying you know what it isnt worth it, Ill just read manga or go with some friends to watch netflix, buy video games or go to see a movie. I think the price for comics is ridiculous even seeing some as high as 5.99. less so with the current quality of some of the books nowadays. I understand making a comic is expensive but at the end of the day we are trying to invite more people in, so the needs of the consumers are as important as the creators if not more. There are ways to cut corners to make the comics cheaper while retaining industry quality. Sacrifices has to be made at the end.

[@katherinecornett5073]

S2116518M1141scool You realize that the people who make these books don’t make a lot already. Most of them don’t even get credit when their work is adapted to film. You can’t cut the price below three dollars. I understand that $5.99 is ridiculous. Personally I think a happy medium is $2.99(which DC has switched to for the most part) for a book and if it’s a premium format book maybe 4 at max. I can’t stress enough though that the problem isn’t mostly pricing, it’s mostly advertising. DC advertises their books on twitter and only Batman and their high profile books get advertised. That’s the issue people aren’t exposed to the fact these books are coming out. For instance some of my favorite books have been cancelled over the past two years because of the fact they are poorly advertised and sold poorly as a result.

[@Eudaimonia239]

Ryan Cornett I think well have to agree to disagree on that one, you can reduce the price if it means that more people will be able to afford more books on their pull list meaning more loyal readers. If comics cost 2.99- 1.99 , now I might get 2 or 3 more that I normally wouldnt buy because of budget. There are ways to do this in order to satisfy this demands, and the additional people buying your books will make up for the reduce in price. another option would be to increase the page count so that you get more bank for your buck keeping the current prices. There are many ways to do this just looking at how succesful the mangas are doing, which give you way more value(and quality)for your money atm than western comics(tbh if I didnt had nostalgic feelings for superheroes I would already stopped reading them, there are so many other options which are better, less convoluted and cheaper). of course this is something that will go hand in hand with making them more accessible which will mean more people will be buying comics.

[@katherinecornett5073]

S2116518M1141scool In order to lower he prices they need to know there would be a wider market first. The only way to make It work would be to focus on advertising first.

[@yaboiguts1887]

youtubers like you and comicsexplained got me into comics so I have to agree that you guys really are great advertisers

[@ComicDrake]

More exposure and/or payment would make my life a lot easier. ;P Honestly, if Marvel wanted me to make videos for them, I'd absolutely love to.

[@afonsolucas2219]

That's why I'm starting with Marvel in the 60s issues. Great way to read classic stories and get a notion of how everything started at the beggining.

[@MrSafior]

That should be the way to go.

[@bimomuzakki9379]

another problem is, these comics are so expensive in 3rd world country and not so accessible also. and it somehow become collector thing instead of comic for everyone. what manga industry do is the opposite, they make manga cheap, so students can buy it with their own money. using less paper quality, no color (except for special chapter and it's usually only 1-2 pages)

[@cherry414]

Exactly. We have no choice but to read pirated comics because it's barely accessible in my place and if it is available, it's usually expensive. Manga is more affordable.

[@relo999]

It's not even the third world. Here in europe I need to pay 5 to 7 euro for a single issue, full color and all. But that's what? 10 minutes of reading at best. Meanwhile a collected edition with less ads and better paper quality costs me around 20 to 25 euro, which are generally around 15 issues. Why would anyone buy the flagship comics format when the alternative premium options comic companies give people are a FAR better deal? And that's not getting at accessibility. I can buy most collected issues years after they've been published new, while I need to hunt on the second hand market for single issues already a month after they've been published. And if I want to buy a single issue I need to go to some specialty comic shop, while I can get collected edition anywhere online (though comics shops generally have them for a few euro cheaper). Meanwhile european comic bank on high quality art, premium feel and complex storytelling while most Manga banks on volume and price. The big issue US based comic have is that they bank on a format that worked only really in the US and only really 2 decades and longer ago.

[@Fringewonder]

As someone that dabbled in comic when I was younger and was heavily into manga's. Now I'm more into comics simply because I love the connected universe.

[@N_A578]

This is the first video of yours that I’ve watched and first and for most THANK YOU. It was very informative, I’m actually a new comic book reviewer myself and I found your video as I was doing background research for a similar video. I know you probably won’t see this because it’s a 3 year old video but thank you! I liked and subscribed and if you ever post an update I’d love to watch/ ask you some questions about anything that may have changed since this video was posted.

[@jeffgrant1973]

Please, please make that video about Diamond, their monopoly, their business practices, etc.

[@someonels3]

I would have never bought comics if KZbin didn’t help me catch up on all the stories

[@justas423]

I like how manga fixes the issue issue (see what I did there) by only having one number and there being a set order.

[@crosswolf_200]

Thank you for talking about the influence that Marvel Movies have on the source material. I'm not really a big fan of whenever a comic book is clearly just using ideas from the MCU; not that I have anything against the MCU, since I myself am a fan, but I simply prefer it whenever a comic book series uses its own ideas, since it shows that the source material still has some value.

[@flyingfist4203]

There needs to be a video on how to do tie-ins without scaring away comic readers (like I'd love to learn about good examples of tie-ins).

[@TonySamedi]

As a now sort of sadly ex-comic reader I'd say the big things preventing new fans are the price and general availability. I remember getting Marvel, DC and even Image comics when my family went grocery shopping or at gas stations and all, them not being available but in specialty shops keeps a lot of people out of it. As does the price, because, as a kid, it's pretty easy to convince your parents to pay $1-$1.50 per comic for you to have something you like. $4-5 per comic is a whole different issue, even as an adult. Also, if they want to stop bleeding fans, they need to stop chasing new fans in stories at the expense of old fans. The stuff with Star Lord is one example, and that may work okay for him, but the fact is Marvel for sure does this constantly, how are fans who are invested in a character supposed to keep enjoying that characters content if they know their ENTIRE PERSONALITY can be changed if there's a movie coming out? DC has a different problem, I'd say Dan Didio and Geoff Johns both really love DCs silver age, but don't care for the 80s/90s products. The problem is, that's what a lot of readers (myself included) got into. I grew up with Wally as Flash, Wally gets kicked out of being Flash and basically retconned out of existence for a while so they could bring Barry back...something absolutely no one but Dan Didio himself was asking for. I could get bringing back Hal because Hal had tons of fans who hated how he was written to introduce a new GL, but Barry was a character I never saw anyone requesting be brought back, he had the best sendoff in comics history. I'd honestly say sadly it feels like no one in the current business of running comics cares about where the majority of fans reading now actually care for. DC wants to bring back tons of stuff from before most modern fans read comics. Marvel wants to chase a new audience from movies who mostly aren't showing up. Fans who've been supporting the business for ages are just stuck hoping their favorite characters don't get screwed up by the above.

[@Lopoi]

Yeah, all comic books I bought is because some youtuber I watch recommended it or told the story and I wanted to see it fully.

[@oswaldosanchez8938]

I loved the passion you showed in this video... I always watch your content and I love it but this one really moved me inside. Great job Drake!!!!!

[@ChrisGerardson]

they need to distribute comics on convinience stores and make paperbackversions that would be cheaper and more attractive to new audiences

[@freshiemccoy8911]

this...is so validating i have been interested in comics for literally a decade+ since the first time i fell in love with an MCU character but i get so anxious about not being able to start at the beginning/just not knowing where to start

[@nopeblah9967]

recently I have actually seen TV ads for comics they were for an X-Men story.

[@subject8776]

I love these kind of videos from you. They are so original, well researched and seem and sound so educated. Keep it up!

[@tristen-w1p]

This is why DC comics are making comics available on their new DC streaming service

[@Anthem095]

I didn't even know about DC releasing anthologies at Walmart, so I'm going to have to check that out. Also, in the past year or so, I've come to rely on channels like yours to keep up with lore and plotlines, so I think it would really be in the comic industry's interest to get youtube channels involved.

[@HighLordoftheBathroom]

Well, aside from having to put your effort into reading 1000 comics to understand one, there is another problem: characters being put in random stories. I mean look af a character like Zatanna, writers will put her in a random story, without even caring for her character development whatsoever.

[@WastelandSeven]

There are a number of problems with western comics. You touched on some of them. Others are print quality being so high they can't keep the price down. The other two main ones are story portion and story quality. The size of what you're paying for is too small. Its not even a full chapter of a story. Its a page and a half of a chapter. The last issue is the writing. As you noted the writers are angling for a TV or movie deal and don't care that much about the comics art form. And their writing (and the resulting sales) shows it. Even with Marvel's artificially inflated sales numbers their per unit sales figures are in freefall. Especially since the beer virus and the resulting shutdowns.

[@brianfuller5868]

Good artists, actual good writers and competent editors would help out a great deal at Marvel. Marvel used to attract and hire the best and Marvel comics used to set a high standard. Read the Marvel comics and see what the standards are these days. Look at DC's Big Three- Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Tom King does Batman (badly), Bendis is doing something with Clark Kent- a job he got after struggling at Marvel. Read his Marvel books. Bendis can write but his recent work is very inconsisent. Wonder Woman is going to be done in November by another diversity hire who tanked at Marvel.

[@katherinecornett5073]

Brian Fuller gonna disagree G Willow Wilson created Kamala Khan one of the best new Marvel characters in years.

[@dr.manofculture1492]

Ryan Cornett she was a boring ass character, wtf are you talking about?

[@katherinecornett5073]

Phylosophar please tell me how she’s boring. Also have you even read a single of her books?

[@dr.manofculture1492]

I read them and they're like after school specials, for a matter of fact, my sister hates her.

[@katherinecornett5073]

Phylosophar The book isn’t adult because It doesn’t need to be it’s a book anyone can pick up. I’m sorry you didn’t like It but plenty of other people did.

[@austinhernandez2716]

I didn't even know that comic book stores still existed.

[@ArcanaStorm]

I’ve just been reading transformers comics because the marvel and dc ones look so intimidating.

[@jarodhuckabay5546]

What got me started reading comics was when Disney bought Star Wars and Marvel started writing the comics for Star Wars. This showed me how comics work and I was able to branch out. The 2015 Star Wars line got me into comics, but I am having a hard time staying in. There just been stories that are okay, it just feels forced that they drag it out as long as they can.

[@gonkdroidincarnate4237]

The poor Comics dont stand a chance against Manga

[@joemullarkey5719]

See? These are some of the reasons I only read Star Wars and Simpsons comics. The largest crossover between series that has happened goes like this: (one off, named after the arc)-(main Star Wars series)-(other Star Wars series)-(Main series)-(other series). It is nowhere near as complicated as the super hero books.

[@Zoopadoopa23]

outsider with comics: Here is like 10 different first issues!!! outsider in manga: Ah yes! here is chapter 1-500

[@jenilein113]

What you said about making some of the big books available digitally for free is a very good point. It's actually how I started reading comics. Sadly the comixology unlimited service isn't available outside the US and comic book stores don't exist anymore in my area either so I wanted to start reading but didn't know how. I actually started with some of the DC rebirth issues because they were for free with kindle unlimited and then I found some bigger collections for free as well and just started reading them. Now I bought a series of collections and I'm sharing them with my flatmate. But she was worried about understanding everything without context as well so that is also a problem the industry needs to address.

[@petelee2477]

I wish comic were more like mangas. Not because I'm a weabo(I'll admit I love their artsyle lot particularly how cute the females are drawn)but because it tells one coherent story that has a beginning a middle and AN END. No alternate universes,reboots, or crossovers(or is a very rare event if it does happen)

[@baldeagle5297]

The art style is what puts me off manga.

[@SC-vr6bq]

On the subject of bad comic book store experiences I had friend who was yelled at by the owner and kicked out because he "only looked and never purchased anything"

[@xavier8951]

Man, that sucks.

[@orochimarussidepiece6138]

Said invincible was his favorite comic book immediately became my favorite KZbinr

[@cynic2201]

I love how you stretched it to 10 mins exactly

[@Vonkunken]

I mostly just get collections and graphic novels, mostly of Vertigo at this point.

[@LoveAndSnapple]

6:08 That is the wonderful thing about manga. Even 50 years after its release if you want to go back and read something like Death Note you’ll probably have special anniversary covers but you can still read the same story, and any of its canon sequels and spinoffs, as if you had read it when it had originally released. Even better, just like with Sailor Moon, you would probably even get a better remastered version with updated graphics. You’d also have the same knowledge as someone who also read it when it originally released. So two people, generations apart, can enjoy a story that has remained the same for decades.

[@OlafLesniak]

Yes! Publishers need to embrace the community itself and not cater to the minority that only seeks to further their agenda instead of doing what's best for the industry. Other things: +Stop with new #1's +Stop with the painfully shoved political messages +Stop replacing characters +Better editorial who can tell writers no and tell them to progress the character instead of "bringing them back to their roots" +Change characters, but not by quickly changing their personas or status quos; I wanna see the characters evolve I have a blog, ComicBooger. I felt betrayed by Marvel & DC especially with what they're doing. I also have ideas as to how to change the industry in an awesome way. I am currently taking a break from modern Big Two comics (minus a limited few) and coming back to classics and indies.

[@Magmafrost13]

I do have a few good local comic shops, but none of them are accessible via public transport, and I dont drive. I used to live in a city that had a few comic book shops near major shopping malls, but back then I wasn't in to comics. Book stores never stock any of the comics I want, either (or anything else I want, for that matter. Australian book stores are garbage)

[@majortom331]

I really liked this video. Coming from a person that really started buying comics last year. (White Knight) I mostly bought via recommendations, from comic pop all the way to d and c(yeah, I know lol.) I'd like to my give my two cents on the certain things you covered, and some of my own gripes as well. 1.it seems like nowadays there isn't much editorial over site when it comes to the writing. (marvel mostly right now) characters just seem to act so OOC it gets annoying. It's like no one looks through a character's previous stories to see if it lines up with their behavior. For example, Gail Simone and her Domino series. She just writes her as a 25 yr old hipster from soho, and not like a badass assassin. Same goes for America Chavez. (Yeeesh, that was awful) Also who let Gabby Rivera write a comic ? You could tell she's never written one in her life. We shouldn't have Gabby Rivera types that can just walk right into marvel (or any company) without proving themselves with good stories. Cont.

[@majortom331]

2.The Price of comic. There needs to be a universal price drop for single issues. Imo the standard should be $2.00 USD max. The big 2 could easily switch to something like newsprint, cutting the cost. Like how alterna comics does it.

[@majortom331]

Lastly the over saturation of certain characters. (Harley and Deadpool) there are hundreds of underutilized characters besides them that are interesting.

[@miksobrado]

im so happy that they are sponsoring you. I mean dc made the deal with webtoon and i found out on reddit.

[@sebastianmaregatti]

I’m tiring of all the reboots marvel has had

[@BENY0HAMA]

They have never had a single reboot, ever. They've had relaunches, yes, but it's always the same continuity.

[@theepicwolfnetwork5220]

I wan a reboot, honestly. It’s getting very chaotic. Somewhat like what the 1610 turned into.

[@richborn6700]

Marvel Heroes Age! Marvel Now! All New Marvel Now! All New All Different Marvel Now! Marvel Back To Basics! All these sound so corporate and trite

[@judeconnor-macintyre9874]

@@theepicwolfnetwork5220 Do you really trust modern Marvel in making a Universe?

[@elPacoPuente]

Yes! Agreed!! I still don't understand why they keep doing things the same way, when they know it doesn't work!! In my case, I've always been a comics reader and I'm reading more comics now than ever before, but I also have pretty much stopped reading anything Marvel or DC. I still love the characters, but there are a lot of other comic series right now that are easier to follow, actually go somewhere and make me feel they respect me as a reader.

[@blackearl7891]

Comixology has been a blessing for my nube ass. Its cheap and I can read it on my phone. I can also rent out some popular comics which is great.

[@TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsDax]

In my opinion, the future of comics (as well as manga, fumetti, historietas - band dessinée already is this way) lies in bookshops and graphic novel formats. Comics aren't anymore popular entertainment. They shifted on complex readings for adult or, anyway, cultured people. They should be finally treated as literature. P.S.: That doesn't mean that superheroes should be grimmer/darker or more violent/sexualized because of adults. But this is another story.

[@Zoopadoopa23]

why do so many DC super hero guys look exactly the same? like I get that certain trash manga and anime have this problem, but the good stuff at least gives the dudes awesome unique deigns.

[@epicotakucherry5280]

The ridiculous lack of organization of streamlining for story reading (both in the "read-several-different-books-to-finish-ONE-storyline" the and "#1-does-not-mean-#1" thing) is one of the main issues I have when wanting to read Marvel/DC comic books. I'm the type of person who almost NEEDS to start at the beginning of a story, and then continue until it's done. But I can't do that if I can't find the actual start, and have to keep buying books I don't want to read storylines that aren't guaranteed to be completed anyway (another thing I noticed from comic KZbinrs -- by the way you guys talk about stories all the time, there seems to be no shortage of unfinished stories that were scrapped, redone and never finished, dropped, etc. due to writer/artist changes, reboots, movie launches, management decisions, etc., which drives me a little crazy at the thought of it). Then another thing is the price of it. Why can't comics be available for free online more often? Not every one of them has to be, maybe make a rule about it industry-wide: 5-10 years after the completion of its storyline (or when it was dropped or whatever), or 10 years after it was originally published it'll be available for free online. That way, more money can still be made on newer comics, and fans can still read the older ones without hassle. This would also make it easier to find REALLY old comics, like from the 60s or 80s if they wanted. Or less popular ones that stopped getting printed. Or if not for free, make those comics available for cheap via a subscription service that makes a certain number of books available monthly or weekly. Like maybe 6-8 books a month for $6, and for that time period, the books you choose will be available to be read as many times as you want and then unavailable when the month is over unless you buy the book individually (or is unlocked for good automatically). The next month, you pay again and more books will be unlocked. There are THOUSANDS of comic books out there. You're not exactly going to run out any time soon. And maybe there can be tiers of payment -- you don't read that often? Pay $4 for 1-3 books a month. Read a TON? Pay more for more books. Books like Civil War and Injustice and the Amalgam comics, which were special and big deals for one reason or another can cost a bit extra, too. Pay extra in the monthly fee or be forced to buy them individually. Come on, make a system. I did this literally from the top of my head. But seriously, making the older ones free shouldn't be that hard, right? The anime/manga industry can survive from releasing its manga online for free, with REGULAR updates (legit, many are updated WEEKLY. DELIBERATELY. FOR *FREE*!). Unlike anime, where while you *CAN* find it for free pretty easily (which I do), there still are great and cheap subscription services you can choose from to help ensure more money goes back to the creators and the streaming services for most of the anime you could think of watching (there is still more obscure shit you'd have to find elsewhere, not to mention some standalone movies). Manga, though, is pretty much free all the time. I never understood new fans in manga that felt they needed to BUY every single volume from bookstores in order to read them. That you can only read what you have in your hand. Nevermind the fact that bookstores only have a small fraction of the manga available online and you'd have to wait longer for volumes to release for ongoing series (assuming they'll be shipped to your country at all), but there is literally no reason do this *whatsoever*. Everything translators and scanlators (not exactly sure what they do, but they're needed, and you've heard of them if you've read any shoujo or anything less well-known) can get their hands on is free online. And it's not like the manga industry is suffering much at all. There are definitely serious problems in the industry (overworked mangaka, pressure from execs to keep going and be faster, especially with something like Shounen Jump), but as a whole, it's still making plenty of money and isn't losing steam. If manga can do this and still make bank, surely DC and Marvel can figure out something to make this easier for everyone involved and still make money.

[@abelchavez2463]

I tried getting into the New 52 by buying the first two volumes of Batman but then rebirth happened and it just feels pointless. I’d also like to read Spiderman but I don’t know where to start.

[@ComicDrake]

Boy, do I sure have a video for you. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z52afH-snd-aopI

[@daltonwilliams1723]

Honestly Batman rebirth is pretty easy read. It really has no huge continuity from the new 52 run. It does have a character that's from a super old story but you don't necessarily need to to know his back story to enjoy the book

[@LoveAndSnapple]

3:29 That’s really why comic book nerds appear to be obsessed, but not really. In order to know when things are coming out, which universe it belongs to, which arc it’s a part of, etc. You have to know release dates, be on top of these things, follow people on Twitter, convention hop, and stay superglue connected to your friends that share the same interest. You have to live in your local comic book store in order to stay connected to stories that don’t have a huge following or the artist refuses to get on social media. 😅