Forum - View topicNEWS: Direct Market Losing Manga Sales Share
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Isaaru
 Posts: 375 Location: the oppressed colonies in outer space |
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I dont think so. Most of the comic stores I went to in California went out of business during the last five years. The few that remain have fewer comics on the shelves every year. The ones that remain in business rely on merchandise tie ins like toys and card games. Ask anyone who attended the San Diego Comic Con since the crappy late 1990's, and they wil tell you the comic book presense is shrinking (companies have smaller display area while movie companies, and merchandising tie ins have taken over). How is the industry growing or staying afloat? Through bookstores? Through merchandise tie ins? If it is, its not through the direct market at these comic stores...is it? Any helpful links? |
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Erufu
 Posts: 191 |
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Really? I find that totally opposite. Not to sound full of myself, but I do consider myself quite pretty, and whenever I step foot into the closest thing we have to a comic book store (called Specialties that deals in some comics but mainly card and board games), I get extremely weird looks from the clerks; looks that come across as "how dare she invade our space", vs the goth wannabes I know to frequent these places. This is why I don't go into this place. Number 1, I'm seen as an outsider that can't possibly like any anime, and number 2, they always try to direct me to the Hello Kitty stuff and seem to only be eager to sell me a doll (not that there's anything wrong with Hello Kitty, but I would like help with other stuff, too). Plus, this is also the store that plays host to an anime night where all they watch is hentai. And this is why I do not frequent this quasi-comic book store. Now, if I could find a comic book store that sells manga and anime gear and I'm not seen as the black plague, I would love to go there. But, until the, I will stick with book stores. Also, when it comes to price, the Specialties store hikes everything up, while there is a local chain here called Hastings that usually takes up to $1 off the marked price. Now, I noticed on the latest XXXholic that they didn't do that, so I'm not sure if they are not going to do that anymore to mangas, but I usually can get it cheaper there. I believe I have seen a show on TV recently about the American comic book industry. Although you are seeing a shrinkage in specialty shops, this is done almost on purpose. The comics industry realized that they could no longer make money off of selling to specialty shops where they get only a few select customers. I believe they are targetting grocery stores and stores like Wal Mart (what ever category that store falls into these days) as to broaden their consumer market. you are also seeing more comics directed to younger females. I believe I saw it on this show on the History Channel, http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=43751 which is Comic Book Super Heroes Unmasked. |
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Cloe
Moderator
 Posts: 2728 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
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Can you really guarantee that? Or are you just making a huge generalization? All of a sudden I feel very fortunate to live in Minneapolis. Hearing all these people declare what hostile places comic stores are is beginning to make me believe that maybe this is the last place in the states where I can walk into any number of my favorite comic stores, chat it up with a gregarious store owner (none of whom ever seemed put off by the fact that I am a woman) about American comics and manga, and feel completely at ease. |
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Glory Questor
 Posts: 456 |
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Me too. 
Actually, our local comics store made it into recent local news in our little town, which is good news because it's a nice environment to browse comics and games, or order anime & manga. It's become a very popular place with people all around the town, even some from big cities with other stores. I'm usually ordering all my anime and manga through the store because the closest Best Buy and Circuit City is a little more than an hour away, and I don't mind supporting great local businesses like this one.
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littlegreenwolf
 Posts: 4796 Location: Seattle, WA |
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LGW's reason for staying away from comic stores:
When I was 13, a new comic store opened up in my small little town, so I went to it. I happily discovered the Sailor Moon manga in it, and a couple regular comics, and soon after I become a regular at the store. Then the 40 year old guy at the register starts hitting on me, and asked me what college I go to. It freaked me out. I am now forever scarred in my poor little comic book loving mind. I'll say yeah, comic book stores usually aren't the best enviroment for girls, specially young ones in early teens. We do not need freaky old guys hitting on us as we try to discover comics. |
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Cowpunk
Posts: 168 Location: Oakland - near the Newtype Lab |
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There are comic book stores and there are comic book stores. Like any small specialized business the quality ranges from excellent to atrocious. My grip about the regular book stores is they rarely have a good stock of older volumes. If I want to get the latest from a series they will have it but if I want to start picking up a series that has been coming out for some time I have to go to a comic shop or speciality shop for Japanese materials like Kinokuniya.
My grip with some comic shops is with the ones who only stock US comics. Those seem to be a dying breed and stores like Comic Relief in Berkeley with a large selection of titles from around the world have a steady flow of customers. |
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Ryuko
 Posts: 104 |
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Amen to that, sister. I was just going to walk in here and chat up the Source. I love that place. They care about their people, and even if not everyone there knows a whole lot about manga or webcomics or whatnot, they're willing to humor you. There are good comic shops and there are bad comic shops. I'm thinking of specific ones right now. Even in chains, there are some comic shops that are better than others. Whether one chooses to buy comics in one or the other is a matter of personal choice. I usually buy my American comics in comic shops, and my manga in bookstores, but since the bookstores I frequent don't always have the best selection, I end up buying my more weird titles in comic shops. It's a shame that there aren't more stores like The Source. |
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