tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146215066182995239.post1052639500887980532..comments2024-03-27T22:25:44.006-05:00Comments on Ennyman's Territory: Five Minutes with Bluewater Illustrator Todd TennantEd Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12703797864648081829noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146215066182995239.post-29582329974576092482014-02-22T11:00:34.944-06:002014-02-22T11:00:34.944-06:00Three years later, I have to agree that comics are...Three years later, I have to agree that comics are still here. In fact, there are more titles (with low print runs) than ever, and more creators than ever---which creates a different problem. In the '70s there used to be 3 TV stations in the USA: NBC, CBS, & ABC - as well as ETV and one or two UHF stations. That was it. So having a hit series on one of the Big Three networks was a big deal---and often a cultural zeitgeist changer, at least temporarily. Now there are so many stations and so many shows vying for attention that many just fall through the cracks.<br /><br />Likewise with comics: now there are so many indy titles that fandom has been stretched to the limit: the core US comics audience of 250,000 people of the past 10 - 15 years is still there, but stretched out across all these titles and companies. The result: very, very few sell over 100,000 copies per month any more. Even the average DC title sells only 20,000 copies (and that's considered 'good' now - wow!). <br /><br />And many indy publishers like Oni Press offer creators only TEN DOLLARS per page, and these saps (new artists) are doing it! That only lowers the bar all around, getting a lot of work for nothing. That, and the low sales figures make it evident that most experienced artists will not be able to get the same page rates they did 20 years ago. Not even close. And that's sad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146215066182995239.post-6271485332110754522011-02-16T06:12:07.393-06:002011-02-16T06:12:07.393-06:00It's hard for me to say with certainty what to...It's hard for me to say with certainty what tomorrow will bring with regard to comics, but yes, the concerns about our national debt and the future place of U.S. in global economics is legitimate. For now, there are huge quantities of boats (millions), powersports toys, amusement parks (still full) and sports (quarter trillion dollar industry) all actively supported by Americans as pasttime interests. Lots of money floating around still so it seems comics are not on their deathbed for a while yet.Ed Newmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12703797864648081829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146215066182995239.post-44153036401153926862011-02-15T19:41:30.926-06:002011-02-15T19:41:30.926-06:00I love comics, but call me old fashioned. Kids to...I love comics, but call me old fashioned. Kids today don't think like we did. When comics went to direct sales and in specialty shops instead of newsstand distribution, twenty-five years worth of children went without comics at their fingertips. They grew up on video games instead, and don't appreciate the form. <br /><br />Publishing in general is in huge trouble, and the global economic downtown only makes things worse. That, and China and Japan own 44% of the U.S. national debt. Now that's scary. Big changes on the horizon for the red, white, and blue. We won't even be discussing comics at that point, with other, more immediate priorites---like survival---taking precedent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146215066182995239.post-76405615071848278502011-02-15T18:59:42.880-06:002011-02-15T18:59:42.880-06:00When I first saw the emergence of the Bluewater co...When I first saw the emergence of the Bluewater comics I was impressed. I hope, therefore, that you are wrong but I do understand the economics of the matter. <br /><br />On the flip side, many people thought television would elminate radio and at this point internet has not interfered with television to the degree predicted. The future remains unwrit...<br /><br />e.Ed Newmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12703797864648081829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146215066182995239.post-16220498187830869252011-02-15T15:39:31.130-06:002011-02-15T15:39:31.130-06:00Four years from now the U.S. comics industry will ...Four years from now the U.S. comics industry will be no more. Hardcopy publishing is dying a swift death even now. Digital will have wiped out the earning potential of the Big Two, and they (and others) won't be able to pay pro creators enough to live on with such a low price point digitally and with soaring office space---and staffing---costs in NYC.<br /><br />Comics simply cannot compete with movies; the new super-hero movies (along with 3-D animation) ARE the comic books of the 21st century. Comic panels on paper are simply too quaint and too limited for today's generation who want post-MTV rapidfire, in-yer-face editing and FX. The party's over. Comic books and strips belong in the antique realm of Big Little Books and Pulp Fiction---in the 20th century. R.I.P.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com