He cites statistics showing that young women are the fastestgrowing segment of the comics audience, talks to image comics president eric stephenson and. I overheard some guys who defined the rabid collector saying how it used to be just guys getting together and selling comics and that the fourth reich has taken over. Why 2016 is the year we need to stop pretending women aren. All comic book publishers, collectors, readers, and creators are welcome. America comic book at a store in new york march 7, 2007.
The academy of comic book fans and collectors acbfc was the first official organization of comic book enthusiasts and historians. Comic book collectors are often lifelong enthusiasts of the comic book stories, and they usually focus on particular heroes and attempt to assemble the entire run of a title. Gail simone poses with fans at the shanghai comic con. They found that the vast majority, 80%, go to more than one event per year, and about 20% go to more than five per year. It will feature a wide variety of vendors, artists, authors, comic book creators, crafters, games, and that is just the beginning. The history of american comics began in the 19th century in mass print media, in the era of yellow journalism, where newspaper comics served as a boon to mass readership. With san diego comiccon kicking off this week, were returning to see how things stand. A great book to have as a reference if youre a fan or just interested in graphics or comic books in general.
Jul 27, 2014 peoria the peoria comic book convention obviously doesnt have the grandeur that rodney stockham is accustomed to when he attends the big ones in chicago and pittsburgh, but its a useful. America subverts and conquers the united states sparked such a. Comic book publishers struggle to attract new generation of. The first issue of a longrunning comic book series is.
Jun 26, 2016 comic con lets fans unleash their inner nerds. Yesterday was dc comics stats, and tomorrow will be indiesmall press comics. The prestigious award goes to those retailers who have done an outstanding job of supporting the comics medium, both in the. Coates, a longtime comic fan, wrote an 11issue run of black panther. Marvel also has an incessant obsession about tying each of those comics together through events and crossovers, the intent, of. Eventbrite did a survey of people who had attended a fan convention or bought tickets for one in the past two years. I thought i was the average comic enthusiast but apparently im wrong since i got in. Of the users who listed their gender 1,209,800, approximately 75 percent identified as male and 25 percent identified as female. The walking dead is finally tackling morality like its. A comic book convention or comic con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Viewership of marvel superhero movies by age group in the. The real reasons for marvel comics woes the atlantic. What she is seeing is a young marketbut only in certain sectors. People arent just comic book fans, they are superfans of multiple things, she said.
Customers with a college degree make up 57% of the book buying market and spend twice as much as other customers, with those holding a graduate. Oct 31, 2014 a brief history of racial and gender diversity in comic book movies on the left, conceptart released by marvel entertainment for its upcoming black panther film. About comiccon international comiccon international. Just as americans used comic book heroes to grapple with the international conflict of the cold war, other superheroes emerged to address the battles happening simultaneously within the borders of the united states. The modern age of comic books is a period in the history of american superhero comic books. Fanboys and true believers studies in popular culture. The vast majority of comic fans i know are in their 20s and 30s. While the covers seemed to be celebratingand profiting froman art form created largely by black americans, theres a significant lack of black creators working its ongoing comic book titles. Cgc census the cgc census is a detailed report of the comics, magazines and lobby cards graded by cgc, listing the total number of cgccertified examples in each grade for every issue. Meet other local comic book fans and talk about all your favorite comic book characters, super heroes, etc. Comic books are still made by men, for men and about men.
Comic book conventions convention scene where fans. To figure out how many of these hallowed halls exist in each of our top 50 big cities, i turned to yelp. Comic book fans united huntington station, ny meetup. Surprising new data shows comic readers are leaving. An american comic book is a thin periodical originating in the united states, on average 32. Peoria comiccon smaller than most, but at four times a year. Since last year, spanish speakers have shrank as part of the population.
Active during the 1960s, the acbfc was established by jerry bails, the father of comics fandom. Brett schenker did some fancy facebook fooling and compiled a few statistics about the people who selfidentify as comic book readers. Top 100 comics blogs and websites for comic fans in 2020. Jul 19, 2017 in july of 2014, i looked at the facebook demographics of marvel. Jason david frank shares power rangers and wolverine cosplay. By vaneta rogers, newsarama contributor august 11, 2016 06. For weekly nerd gatherings, nothing beats your local comic book shop, where new books arrive every wednesday. The total population looked at was 1,215,960 selfidentifying comic book fans. Its unknown exactly why there was such a jump though dc also saw a massive jump over the year.
Fanboys and true believers studies in popular culture pustz, matthew j. The look inside option at the top of the page gives a good idea of the book s contents. Jul 21, 2014 the female thor and the female comic book reader. Why 2016 is the year we need to stop pretending women arent geeks. Comic con international is the home of the will eisner comic industry awards, the comic book equivalent of the oscars. Every summer since 1970, fans gather in the sunny city to experience. The unstoppable rise of female comic readers books. Last year dropped 7 million, but we have an impressive rebound of 22 million individuals. The independent publishers the fortunes of larger comics companies never seem to fluctuate very much. This friday, well also look at dc comics, indie comic fans, and the comic. Diamond comic distributors, the largest comic book. Jun 02, 2017 percentage of total comic book sales for marvel comics 39. The data reveals that 46 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 years old said that they were fans of comics books, compared to 15 percent of those aged 65 or above.
Over the years, comic book stores from across the united states and around the globeincluding australia, canada, holland, israel, and spainhave won the. Superhero movie statistics infographics inspiration. Academy of comicbook fans and collectors wikipedia. Halifax, nova scotia, canada about blog women in comics statistics. In july of 2014, i looked at the facebook demographics of marvel. Hunger games fans map out the united states into districts. Nov 16, 2014 later in the panel, christine bohle, senior category marketing manager for eventbrite, pointed to this and noted that many conventions are adding new components in an effort to bring more people in. Marvel and dc have regularly traded places at the top of the various charts since dc rebooted but neither has ever really taken a commanding lead. Superhero movies seem to dominate the box offices of theaters lately. In june of 20, i looked at the facebook demographics of marvel.
Vikings to end with season 6, spinoff series in the works. A brief history of racial and gender diversity in comic book. Alamy and in the demographic report presented on 1 september, for the first time the gender split was in. Comics readers almost 45% women now and how publishers stack up the beat. San diego comic con international is a nonprofit multigenre entertainment and comic book convention held annually in san diego, california, united states. The black panther character, which debuted in 1966, was the first mainstream black comic book superhero. Share of adults who are fans of comic books in the united states as of. At san diego comiccon, diversity in content and consumers is key.
Its the kind of book you can get lost in for an hour or so, especially if you have read or viewed some of the major stories or film plots. May 01, 2015 comic book publishers struggle to attract new generation of readers the comic book industry is facing challenges to create characters that are diverse enough to appeal to a younger demographic. Jul 18, 20 today is the beginning of the fourday comic book and pop culture convention universally known as san diego comic con sdcc. Whether you are a marvel or dc fan, get involved with your thoughts and comments about all things comic books past and present. However, with the advent of the multiverse, via events such as crisis on infinite earths and flashpoint, understanding the history of dc comics and its characters has never been more confounding and that has allowed for some outlandish fan theories to take root. The graph shows the share of adults who are fans of comic books in the united states as of april 2019. If a collector only bought action comics, they would only get twentyfive percent of the story. Superhero popularity in past and present america the. Comic book publishers struggle to attract new generation. Fans of comic books the world over unite come here to share your love of comics. Power rangers icon jason david frank recently took to. May 24, 2017 the real reasons for marvel comics woes.
Commonly, comic conventions are multiday events hosted at convention centers, hotels, or college campuses. Yesterday was dc comics stats, and tomorrow will be indiesmall press comics for those that dont know, this data is mined from facebooks demographic data using terms that correspond to likes, groups, etc. As it turns out, portland has the most comic book shops based on population. Jul 08, 2015 in july of 2014, i looked at the facebook demographics of marvel. This superhero infographic provides some statistics on those superhero, comic. Is the average age of comic book readers increasing. The comics industry has one of the most loyal fan demographics, and printing another deadpool variant for the sake of selling it feels like theyre taking advantage of that loyalty. He cites statistics showing that young women are the fastestgrowing segment of the comics audience, talks to image comics president eric stephenson and a woman who works in a comic shop, and mentions.
We are a group of people that love to read comic books graphic novels and want to get together to discuss them with fellow fans. Comic book publishers struggle to attract new generation of readers the comic book industry is facing challenges to create characters that are diverse enough to appeal to a younger demographic. While stiefvater happily explained the intricacies of one comic book from the other. First, lets examine the present state of the industry, particularly among the big 3 players. D i would say is the stereotypical age, but that hasnt been true in quite some time, id say. Comics almost half the attendees at this years comic con international in san diego were women, writes yael kohen in an article about the growing importance of women to the comics industry. Comic book fans united is exactly what the name implies. With san diego comic con kicking off this week, were returning to see how things stand.
Sep 29, 2019 for decades, fans have gotten pretty creative with their love for the power rangers, and it looks like an awesome new cosplay is no exception. Im trying to settle an argument between me and a friend who says that the amount of. Mar, 2016 still, with a pinch of toad, a wing of bat, and some legitimate research into the trends and data, lets see if we cant project a few scenarios about the future of the comic industry. Marvel comicbook series features a muslim teenager as the title character. In a september breakdown, i looked at just female comic book characters and who were fans of them. The current state of the comic book industry first, lets examine the present state of the industry, particularly among the big 3 players. They then put the same fish back together in a way that did not please many fans. Every summer a new hero or a reboot of a superhero takes the headlines and moviegoers come in droves to see their comic book hero on the big screen. The comics industry should be focused on writing good stories, and this. Conventions are trying to cater to these multiple interests. Jan 04, 2019 vikings has been big in the geek space over the years, with a strong presence at comic con every year, appearances by adam the edge copeland, and a tiein comic book. Japanese manga is usually serialized in anthology magazines before being collected into book format.
Oct, 2014 comic books are still made by men, for men and about men. So many alternate realities, universes, and dimensions have been created to explain new characters, new stories, and act as a playground for new ideas that even the most devout of comic book fans are confounded at the very notion of the multiverse. When dc comics did the reboot for the new 52, they basically gutted the dcu like a fish. The eisner awards, named after famous comics creator, will eisner the spirit, contract with god, who is regarded as the father of the modern graphic novel, started at comic con in 1987. Probably the most fascinating research done recently on comics demographics is by comics blogger brett. Percentage of total comic book sales for marvel comics 39. By convention, manga magazines are divided into roughly a dozen official publishing categories, mostly based on the age and gender of the intended audience. The name, as given on its website, is comic con international. Comic con international also runs the will eisner spirit of comics retailer awards, an annual event featured at the san diego convention that allows fans to nominate their favorite comic book stores from around the world. The washington state summer con will deliver the best that the pacific northwest offers and caters to fans of all genres, ages, and demographics. But it still risks boring viewers to death or falling for the same old traps it has in the past. Jun 30, 2017 while 1990s blockbusters like jurassic park, titanic, and braveheart were standalone epics based on books or historical events, todays highestgrossing films are primarily superhero movies, based on a combination of factors such as escapism, cuttingedge special effects, and an older, wealthier population of comicbook fans. But what alonso and marvel is seeing shouldnt be a shock at all when it comes to women and what interests them. In the united states, around 54 percent of adults aged 18 to 34 have seen one or more of the films from marvels the avengers series.
Convention scene is the webs leading source for comic book conventions, comic book creator store signings, and much more. Its time to get real about racial diversity in comics wired. About what percent of people mostly americans do you. At the new york comic con insider sessions powered by icv2, kristen mclean of npd bookscan broke out some demographic data, based on a 72,000person book buying consumer panel, about who is buying graphic novels, what they are buying, and where they are buying them. United states about blog study group comic books provides amazing webcomics by one of the greatest groups of online talent assembled. In the 20th century, comics became an autonomous art medium and an integral part of american culture. Marketing to your audience every year hundreds of thousands of comic book fans come out in droves to attend comic con. The future of the comic book industry nerds on earth. About what percent of people mostly americans do you think read comics. A man holds copies of the captain america comic book at a store in new york march 7, 2007.
Fans are coming up with their own hilarious quarantine tv shows tv shows nicole drum 21 minutes ago wwe deemed an essential business by florida state officials. The walking dead is finally tackling morality like its smarter than a comic book. The data reveals that 46 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 years. The female thor and the female comicbook reader the atlantic. This has led to several reboots and relaunches from both publishers. The largest demographics for book buyers are as follows. Jul 28, 2017 at san diego comiccon, diversity in content and consumers is key pws san diego comiccon panel explored changes sweeping comics retailing. Almost everyone at this convention has heard of warner bros, but that doesnt stop them from utilizing the opportunity to create more brand awareness and maintain their wellknown brand identity. Us total the above amount, but in the united states % is that of the ustotal.
445 676 518 105 440 1144 924 530 628 559 423 830 1286 499 167 354 1058 615 954 479 1493 511 416 1216 698 70 28 393 1488 133 172 1368 356