Graham Nolan, a long-time artist on Batman, the creator of Bane, and the Publisher of Compass Comics, shared his ideas on how to fix the destroyed comic book industry.
Giant-Size Two-Fisted Manly Tales (2022), Compass Comics
The poor state of the comic book industry was recently highlighted by comic shop owner Glenn O’Leary who went viral earlier this month.
O’Leary stated, “Most of these new writers don’t have the love of comics that these older writers had. And all they care about is, ‘How can I put myself into the book?’ No, we don’t what you would do if you were Iron Man. We don’t care who you are. You’re writing Tony Stark. You’re not writing yourself in a book. If that’s the case write your own comic with you in it and no one will read it because nobody cares.”
30 year comic shop owner.@BleedingFool @Marvel @DCOfficial @JimLee @Todd_McFarlane @CBCebulski @chrisbraly @CriticalBlast pic.twitter.com/7ySjFEYGp9
— Ty (@DefNotTy) December 3, 2023
Nolan noted O’Leary’s comments before he offered his solutions to fixing the industry describing O’Leary as “a brave retailer who called out the industry” and that he’s “absolutely correct.”
Nolan added, “He can’t sell the crap that the companies are churning out. If they were selling, he’d be happy and the companies wouldn’t be lowering rates, laying off staff (and getting kicked out of their office space.)”
From there, Nolan made it clear that problems facing the comic book industry are “complex and varied.” He also made it clear, “There is no single answer to turning things around.”
The Chenoo (2020), Compass Comics
Before offering his suggestions, Nolan pointed out that the two biggest problems facing Marvel Comics and DC are product quality/content and attracting talent.
In order to solve the product quality and content issue, Nolan observed it begins with editorial, “You would think this would start with creatives, but in point of fact it starts with editorial. Both companies need editors that understand storytelling, the language of comics (very important!), and how the business is run.”
“If their AGENDA is not sell as many comic books as possible, FIRE THEM!”, Nolan advised. “This is not social engineering. This is a business!”
Nolan continued, “Okay, now we have good editors in place. What’s next? You have to give them the tools. Start with… AUTONOMY! Nothing crushes creativity like ‘design by committee’.”
“These new editors need the ability to navigate the properties in their stable in the direction they deem necessary and to hire the talent they think will best achieve that goal,” he shared. “Cut out the layers of bureaucracy and interference by executives that THINK they are creative yet only ruin good stories and implement mediocre ideas. Hire the right people and GET OUT OF THE WAY. Let creators CREATE!”
The Ghosts of Matecumbe Key (2024), Compass Comics
As for attracting talent, Nolan said, “And speaking of creators, there is no incentive for great creators to work for Marvel and DC. They have lowered rates and they own everything you create for them. If they want to attract good writers and artists, willing to share their best ideas, they need to pay them well and give them a piece of the ownership pie. It’s not rocket science, guys.”
“Product quality, top talent and the readership base go hand in hand. Lets stop serving shit sandwiches to your loyal readers and telling them what a great restaurant it came from,” Nolan declared. “Start producing exciting stories filled with imagination action, and above all else…PASSION, to resonate with the readers, build excitement and bring in new customers to the party.”
FIXING COMIC BOOKS
There are a lot of opinions out there about the current state of our beloved comic book business and the reality is…it ain’t good. The ghosts of Charlton Comics are laughing at current sales numbers. Numbers that the redheaded stepchild of comics would have…
— Graham Nolan 🇺🇸 (@gnolan12) December 13, 2023
In a follow-up post, Nolan addressed two other problems facing the industry: distribution of product and a shrinking reader base. He observes that “these two problems are interwined.”
Nevertheless, he begins with distribution of product, “What I hear a lot from people is ‘if we could only get back into 7-Elevens and newsstands.’ First a little background information. There are a few reasons comics left the newsstands but the biggest was price point. The distributors weren’t making enough profit on a 50¢ comic book when they could sell a $3 copy of Cosmopolitan.”
He continued, “Also, the products were sold on a returnable basis. Comics that weren’t sold, had their covers torn off and were returned. If a book didn’t connect with the readers, the publisher was on the hook.”
“Phil Sueling saw this and realized there was a huge COLLECTOR market out there and this gave rise to the direct-sales market. This double-edged sword approach saved comics in the short run but it stagnated reader/customer growth because there were now fewer places to DISCOVER comics. Now you had to know about them to seek them out. There is something magical about about discovering comics organically on your own,” Nolan added.
Giant-Size Two-Fisted Manly Tales (2022), Compass Comics
Moving on to the shrinking reader base, Nolan stated, “It is IMPERATIVE we grow this hobby. The current reader base is now 25-60 (and shrinking). We need to bring kids and teens into the mix and that means product made for them and easy access to the product. Not every town has a comic book store. There are some AMAZING comic book shops out there but let’s face it, some stores look like a hybrid flea-market/[adult movie] shop. Not very inviting to the average person or a mom wanting to get something for their kid.”
Nolan then offers his solution, “Lets get product to where kids hang out. We can get back into the periodical market by packaging 3 or 4 issues together, magazine size with a comparable price to the current slick magazines. These stories are already paid for so your overhead cost is low.”
Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 (1993), DC
He continued, “Get these same evergreen stories into coffee shops, 7-11’s, movie theaters, big box stores and start seeding your future readers. Get them hooked so they will seek out new stuff and become the next generation of fans. The newstands sales won’t compete with the LCS’s because these sales focus on the new/average reader while the comic shops focus on the collector and NEW content.”
Nolan concluded by asserting, “Every journey begins with a single step. Marvel and DC need to start taking steps to rededicate themselves as COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS and not just corporate IP farms.”
FIXING COMIC BOOKS: PART 2
Yesterday I spoke about two of the biggest problems with the current comic book business. PRODUCT QUALITY/CONTENT and ATTRACTING TALENT.
Lets now tackle some other important issues that need to be addressed and offer solutions if this business is to…— Graham Nolan 🇺🇸 (@gnolan12) December 13, 2023
What do you make of Graham Nolan’s solutions to save the decimated comic book industry?
