When did the bubble burst?

[Polar Bear]

Shaxper,

A) MRP's response is textbook-perfect.

B) But surely it's not coincidence that this occurred when Denny O'Neil was editing the Batman books.

[verslibre]

Shut your dirty lying whore mouth.

LMAO. Still looking for a buyer for my NM copy of Starriors #1. I might even have two.

[Red Oak Kid]

I was not buying comics in the 80s and 90s so this thread is very informative to me. Thanks all. I did buy a one shot magazine in 2000 that I think was called 100 years of comics. One article asked current creators and fans if they thought comic books had a future and the majority said comic books as we know them would soon disappear from the market place. I'm kind of surprised that they are still around.

[FanboyStranger]

I was not buying comics in the 80s and 90s so this thread is very informative to me. Thanks all. I did buy a one shot magazine in 2000 that I think was called 100 years of comics. One article asked current creators and fans if they thought comic books had a future and the majority said comic books as we know them would soon disappear from the market place. I'm kind of surprised that they are still around.

People have been saying this since the beginning of comic books, though. The guys who came up in the '70s like Simonson, Chaykin, Kaluta, etc all figured they'd be the last generation to work in comics, and we've had three major new waves of creators since then.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

The Image/Valiant crossover series Deathmate is often cited as the tipping point. It was hugely hyped and heavily pre-ordered, but suffered delays, and by the time the last issue shipped, retailers found that the demand had evaporated and they were stuck with unsold copies.

I read that in a Comics Buyers Guide I have from 1993 , that some stores and dealers were pissed over it and it did impact things a lot. Also the removal of Jim Shooter likely sped up the decline of Valiant. Once they were bought by Acclaim in 1994...it seemed to signal an end to the speculator market as well.

There was a parallel and overlapping bubble in the trading card sector at the same time that hurt a lot of retailers as well.

Marvel bought into trading card companies like Skybox as well. Its what hurt them. Once the trading card market took a shot , it impacted them. I had read they paid a huge price for Skybox and sold it at such a loss its sad when they did reorganization bankruptcy.

[MRP]

I read that in a Comics Buyers Guide I have from 1993 , that some stores and dealers were pissed over it and it did impact things a lot. Also the removal of Jim Shooter likely sped up the decline of Valiant. Once they were bought by Acclaim in 1994...it seemed to signal an end to the speculator market as well.
Marvel bought into trading card companies like Skybox as well. Its what hurt them. Once the trading card market took a shot , it impacted them. I had read they paid a huge price for Skybox and sold it at such a loss its sad when they did reorganization bankruptcy.

And just to show that no one learns their lesson, it appears that Marvel is bringing back trading cards as an incentive (like variant covers) with their launch of Guardians of the Galaxy.

http://www.newsarama.com/php/multime....php?aid=48788

-M

[shaxper]

Shaxper,

A) MRP's response is textbook-perfect.

B) But surely it's not coincidence that this occurred when Denny O'Neil was editing the Batman books.

Boy, do you know how to get me going


So when did the non-direct market fizzle out for comics, and did this have an overall impact on sales?

[Jezebel Bond]

So when did the non-direct market fizzle out for comics, and did this have an overall impact on sales?

Newsstand editions are still alive and kicking although...this non-direct edition (see the barcode) is one of the more recent ones that has stirred up interest...$7.99 cover...$50 at MHC lol...

[randle-el]

Newsstand editions are still alive and kicking although...this non-direct edition (see the barcode) is one of the more recent ones that has stirred up interest...$7.99 cover...$50 at MHC lol...

It exists, I don't know that I'd say it's alive and kicking. The only places I see comics outside of comic shops are at bookstore chains like Barnes and Nobles. It's funny that they are called "newsstand" editions, because I haven't seen a comic sold at a newsstand, drug store, or supermarket in years.

[randle-el]

I read that in a Comics Buyers Guide I have from 1993 , that some stores and dealers were pissed over it and it did impact things a lot. Also the removal of Jim Shooter likely sped up the decline of Valiant. Once they were bought by Acclaim in 1994...it seemed to signal an end to the speculator market as well.



Marvel bought into trading card companies like Skybox as well. Its what hurt them. Once the trading card market took a shot , it impacted them. I had read they paid a huge price for Skybox and sold it at such a loss its sad when they did reorganization bankruptcy.

It's funny how the sports card market followed a parallel path to the comic book market. I remember back around the same time that companies were putting out foil and holographic variant covers and upstart indies like Image comics were putting out books with glossy paper and computer coloring, the sports card companies were producing premium holographic cards, foil embossed cards, etc. etc. It was also the time when gimmicky "error" cards were skyrocketing in value. Everyone thought they were going to get rich off their baseball card collections, and now those cards from 90's are worth nothing.

[Scott Harris]

The baseball card thing is actually one reason some of the folks on the CGC boards are worried this current variant bubble may be wavering - some card dealers are starting to jump back into comics, just as they did during the 90's boom and bust.

As for direct editions, until a couple months ago our local supermarket was still carrying Archie. And on occasion the gas station down on the corner had comics as recently as maybe 2 years ago, but I haven't really looked recently.

[zryson]

Newsstand editions are still around but I wouldnt say they are alive and well. More like sitting there on the racks hoping somebody will buy them. Its usually Batman and a couple of other titles at best.

[dupont2005]

It exists, I don't know that I'd say it's alive and kicking. The only places I see comics outside of comic shops are at bookstore chains like Barnes and Nobles. It's funny that they are called "newsstand" editions, because I haven't seen a comic sold at a newsstand, drug store, or supermarket in years.

I've never even seen a newsstand in real life

[zryson]

The ones that exist these days are kind of boring. But the older ones were pretty cool. Usually they had a smattering of papers, magazines and a couple of comics. Also other bits and pieces. Sometimes there would be spinner racks and you'd stand there flipping the thing around trying to figure out what to buy. Other times they had a pile of newspapers on the ground. Probably in the future everything will be digital and thousands of years from now people will go paper? What's paper?

[zryson]

I remember as a kid those spinner racks fascinated me. To me they were like a top and I'd want to spin them faster and faster and my Mom would be like no, dont do that.