[TyjosAzari]

Well I've always wondered this.

What Really killed Comics back in the 90's?

I mean there were comic shops all over the place, then suddenly it all crashed and shops closed up resulting in a crap ton of comics on the market.

-Hell I just bought about 300 or so Comics on ebay for $60 total that were bought from a store that had closed down.

I mean back in those days you could find comics at your local grocery store, the new stand, now it's rather hard to find the regular places where you can get em unless you have a specialty shop around you.


Still was it overspeculation? That back in those days people grabbed up the #1 issues thinking they'd be worth untold hundreds in 10 or so years?

[rosales416]

hmm idk, i was never really in to comics but im guessing it could be the technology today i mean would you rather read comics or play modern warfare 2? i could be wrong but thats what im guessing

[Deathsynger]

Probably the same thing that is killing all the hings we loved back then video games.

[ReganOmics]

theres till a few good comic shops out there, if your in the LA area theres the famous Golden Apple, an House of secrets, which is a pretty sweet place.
But as you said when i was reading comics back in the 80-90s- you could get them anywhere. an they seemed to have value at least then. we always joked about the rare Valient comics that were worth like $200.oo for some variant. anyways i really dont know what killed teh industry, but like all things anything good always ends, its the bad things that seem to last forever.

[USAgent]

Market Speculation. :(
(though the Death of Superman becoming a media event rather than just a decent story probably brought too much attention to "collector's issues" and short term value)
... nah, just kidding... it was Liefield what killed the comic market (JK Rob, I love you man)

[Breakerfan]

I'm not 100% sure but I think it was overdoing the variants and such. People just got tired of it. The same thing happened to the baseball/sports card thing as well.

[Big IV]

Collectors killed comics.
They were a disposable literary form, that became rare and collectible. Therefore everyone had to have more. The publishers flooded the market with special limited super collectible editions. Collectors snatched them up expecting them to be Action Comics prices quickly. When they sold out they were reprinted (usually noted inside the comic but not readily on the cover). Again the market flooded.
Collectors were funding shops by buying everything 'collectible' in sight. Then the reality set in that after a decade most of the comics were worth less than cover price, sometimes far less. Collectors largely stopped and jumped to a new collecting fad.
Shop folded.
Sure, I agree technology and and alliteracy contributed. However, I firmly believe that comics choked to death in an acid free mylar bag forgotten in the dark.

Although I disagree that comics are dead.
True, stores are harder to find. True the publishers are playing somewhat safer. It is probably harder to get a comic published independently and succeed. However, the quality of comics that are being produced and finding their way onto the shelves are as good or better than anything produced in the last twenty years.

So perhaps comics are fine. Perhaps the strong survived. Perhaps only the industry and the trendy collectors were shoved into a long box to be forgotten.

[PitViper]

Well I dont think the industry got killed so to speak..I mean maybe there are less comic book shops now, but back when we were all reading how Superman got beaten to death and stuff..there was'nt the movies we have today. Before recent times Keaton's Batman was all the rage...now we have a comic book movie every other day, a video game and an action figure to go with it...regardless of how good or bad the film is.

I think its the same as music or magazines, its called the Internet.

When I was "growing up" a trip to the comic book shop or an independant record store was almost a personal experiance. Especially when I found "my niche". Right until I stopped buying comic books and music on a regular basis it was to the point where the owners of both stores would just put things aside for me.

That right there is out the friggin window, mom and pop places cant compete with franchises, the chains, the online stores...part of being a business owner is being personable.

I used to drive 35 min to go to my comic shop, just because he was a nice guy, knew what I liked and he was cool to talk to. I could get comics anywhere...I went to him for a reason.

Now kids are just born into the "add to cart" thing and its just the changes we're going through.

In the early 90's everything was a #1 or a #50..it was die cut and stupid kids thought they would retire on it. Hey whatever, it kept them comming back....

More kids nowadays hear Spider Man and think "Tobey Maguire"...not Stan Lee, comic book shops or waiting impatiently till next month.

Though I think Stan Lee said something that holds true..to me anyway, reading a comic online will never be the experiance it is holding it and being in your favorite chair..etc.

It is what it is, I just think the newer generation is missing out on a lot of personal things.

[Roshan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PitViper

Though I think Stan Lee said something that holds true..to me anyway, reading a comic online will never be the experiance it is holding it and being in your favorite chair..etc.

This is true, I would never pay to read a comic online. But I also recognize that the cost of producing a comic with limited production compared to what it was years past has made comic books too expensive for the casual reader. Over the last five years it has finally gotten cheaper for me to buy action figures compared to comics. I used to buy 40 titles a month. In July last year I decided to cut my titles down to 15, but I haven't been back to the comic shop since then. Just realized it's been that long as I typed this. The thought of getting all those back issues is making me feel like I might not go back to it.

[swafus]

1) market saturation 2) ebay