Comments on: Why Archie won’t marry Veronica (and how that is bad for the industry)

By: AT_korvus

AT_korvus — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:34:51 +0000

@Tushar: Thanks man You can read the next in the series here:

http://strat.in/2009/06/how-mbas-killed-superman-and-fundaes-behind-modern-retail/

I’d recommend it to get some basic understanding of how a distribution network in a modern retail system works. Also, I’m coming out with a couple of articles about why movies based on comic books are generally trash pretty soon, do read that

By: Tushar Bohra

Tushar Bohra — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:53:49 +0000

Hi abhiram,,

read this article only today. But i guess, better late than never. Well written, well-paced article. I liked it very much and will definitely keep following ur articles in future.

By: How MBAs killed Superman (and fundaes behind Modern Retail) « Strat . In

How MBAs killed Superman (and fundaes behind Modern Retail) « Strat . In — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:30:38 +0000

[...] have been getting away with it for so long. Much of my rant has been covered in my previous article here, but I would still urge you to take a look at it, just to refresh your memory, it will come in [...]

By: AT_korvus

AT_korvus — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:36:30 +0000

@Shubham: I didn’t get you when you said impact of movies on comics. Did you mean what kind of impact does the movie industry have on the comic industry vis a vis the limited disposable income of the consumer?

Also, by different comic books merging, do you mean different characters appearing together in the same comics, or different comic book firms like DC and Marvel merging together?
If its the former, then characters regularly make appearances in each other’s books. In fact, one of the biggest problem with Marvel right now is that Wolverine appears in every single book in one form of the other.
If its the latter, then comic book firms regularly get absorbed by bigger firms. In fact, many members of DC’s current JSA (Justice society of America) lineup earlier belonged to Charlton comics, which was later absorbed by DC.

And Collectors are always welcome in any community. The problem comes with speculators, who hoard comics and screw up the entire system, as described in the article.

By: Shubham

Shubham — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 15:26:53 +0000

Really nice summary & analysis of the happenings in the comic book industry. You can also explore the impact of movies on comics. One question, y don’t diff comic books merge?
P.S. I wonder whether presence of soft copies make collectors better or worse

By: abhiram

abhiram — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 09:02:26 +0000

@Nattu: glad to hear that. I’d suggest that you start with The man who laughs, Transmetropolitan, and then move on to the works of Alan Moore etc.

@Vampire: Yup, I was thinking of including that example into my article, then decided against it. However, the Holmes thing was not a proper stunt, as Doyle was bored of writing Holmes and genuinely wanted to kill him off. Another funny example is Agatha Christie, who didn’t want to face the same problem as Doyle, and so had it arranged that the last Hercule Poirot story would be published after her death

By: sushant dhar

sushant dhar — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 18:47:42 +0000

dude…..this was just brilliant – very deep insight into the comic book industry
of course. As a comic book aficionado myself (propelled by your own efforts )i understood most of what you wanted to convey
i cite another example: taken not from comic books though. It concerns the death of sherlock holmes (the final problem)…..popular demand brought him back and subsequent sales (return of sherlock holmes) were higher than before. Sometimes these “stunts” actually help reinvigorate the brand.

By: natrajan

natrajan — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:55:44 +0000

Brilliant article. I’m a comic illiterate and now i’m going to start reading a few.

By: AT_korvus

AT_korvus — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:55:02 +0000

Actually, the entire American comic industry has lost tremendous ground to the Japanese Manga industry (might cover that in another post), and for pretty much the same reason that the American auto makers lost out to the Japanese. However, Archie comics routinely outsells most DC and Marvel titles, and hasn’t been affected by the Manga influx that much.

And as re: Betty being more well read, Veronica is a genius at economics, and has out scored even Dilton at times, which is no mean feat and is in fact, more independent and head-strong than Betty

By: Chandrima

Chandrima — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:32:36 +0000

I disagree with Veronica being closer to the “new age woman” bit
The characters of Betty and Veronica are such that both combine certain aspects of the Grand stereotype that is the “New Age woman”. Betty Cooper with her apron and cookies is also the more academically brilliant one as well as better-read, while Veronica is the more outgoing one who isn’t afraid to speak her mind, though at the end of the day she is the spoilt brat afterall.
Archie comics has been steadily losing ground to manga and a plethora of others. No wonder the knee jerk publicity gimmick