I noticed a disturbing statistic last week, in 2000 there were 10k comic shops in the U.S. and today that number is down to just 2k. So that begs the question, with mail-order and digital comics becoming the norm, will comic shops soon be something you only see on reruns of "The Big Bang Theory?

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Obviously, the answer is yes.

There is nothing new about this trend. Judged by income generated (and not artistic merit -- though this point may be debatable), comics have been a dying medium for a decade+. Comics publishers MUST find a new audience and a new distribution model, even if that means alienating those of us who have been buying for 30+ years.

Even in 2000, it was exceedingly rare to have a comics shop survive on comics sales alone. These days, I know of exactly one store in the state of Georgia that has comics as a primary revenue stream: the rest I am aware of have all transitioned their business model to thrive on gaming primarily CCGs. (Speaking of The Year 2000, Pokemon, it seems, is back, big time.)

One day, comics will be digital. I'll make that transition when I have to, but I'm not excited about it.

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Digital means no paper. No paper, no collectors. No collectors, no conventions...
I'm not sure where that leads, I can't see collectors trading bits of digital data. Merchandising already exists as evidenced by the Superman (tm) Underoos I'm wearing, so I don't know where that leaves the traditional fan (out in the cold, in their Underoos I suspect).

On a side note, I remember the first "comic convention" I went to, back in the early 70's. It was a free monthly event at a local hotel, for a few hours on Sunday, in a rented meeting room. About 10 "dealers" set up tables and sold or traded books from their personal collections (I could have bought a NM Fantastic Four #1 for around $20), attendance was usually less than a few dozen, but everyone seemed happy just to get together and talk about something they loved. Glory days

The San Diego ComiCon can never top that experience for me.

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I was speaking to a long-time collector (active in the market since the early 60s) yesterday, and he's as convinced as I am that floppies will soon be archaic. However, he firmly believes that collecting and conventions will last for years to come. He thinks the health of the community is strong, and that traders and fans will meet to trade and sell their old issues for decades to come.

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Yeah, I doubt collecting will ever die, just become even more esoteric. Big conventions will become even more of an exercise in merchandising. The more that digital comics become the norm, the more I expect my old paper comics will increase in value. Who knows, maybe one day my grandchildren will be able to buy a mansion and a yacht with my Booster Gold #1.

I know I sound pessimistic about all of this but I'm really not, there are upsides. The Internet has made access to all forms of media (not just porn) easily available to a larger population, giving them greater choice. More competition always makes a product better, and that might be the thing that ultimately saves comic books from the lingering death they seem to be experiencing.

Remember, I've seen 3 comic book formats, newsstands, specialty shops, and now digital. Each change brought more competition, specialty shops opened the market to independent publishers and the big guys had to improve their books to stay competitive. Digital comics open the market to anyone with a computer, who knows what kind of improvements that will bring to the comic book form. Just because I still want a cheap comic book that I can pick up at the supermarket for my grandkids, doesn't mean that I don't appreciate the improvement to the books that I buy for myself.

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I just saw AVENGERS, and what struck me most (other than the movie, which I really enjoyed) was the number of children in attendance who were were wearing Avengers shirts, or Captain America shields, or Hulk hands.... Paper super hero comic books may be dying, but the love of the genre is definitely being passed to the next generation. It made me optimistic.

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I feel sorry for the rest of the summer movies that are going to be compared to Avengers. Waddaya mean children? My Hulk hands kept me warm in that chilly theater. Hulk smash puny god

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