Over the weekend Cosmic Book News wrote a piece about Disney shutting down the comic book side of Marvel. They mention that sales are low for Marvel and other publishers and cite a piece from Bleeding Cool (who appeared to believe something similar) to back up their theory. They also stated that the Marvel panel at SXSW is to help bolster interest in the comic books that inspire film and television. This idea was quickly put down by none other than Joe Quesada himself. He responded to the Bleeding Cool piece on twitter:
Must be a slow news day. Ladies and gents I give you the dumbest comics conspiracy of the week. https://t.co/ZGpx4EuWKK
Sometimes a panel is just a panel.
— JoeQuesada (@JoeQuesada) March 2, 2019
Of course there were plenty of other news sites that wrote pieces on both the Bleeding Cool and Cosmic Book News articles.
It’s not unheard of, nor wrong, for writers to discuss opinions and theories in their pieces. However, there are lines that can be crossed and no one likes click-bait style headlines, but not every internet news controversy is the fault of writers. Sometimes people share stories and give opinions on them from looking at the headline only. If that happens enough, a story can become viral for a reason or opinion not even discussed in the piece.
As for the sales slump in the world of comic book publishing, it’s real. There could be many reasons for this: lack of interest in printed stories thanks to the proliferation of comic book movies and shows, digital comics being more popular, piracy, and a general shift in pop culture. I have a pull folder at a comic shop where I used to live and I love the feel and experience of holding a printed book and turning the pages. I also have quite a few trade paperbacks on digital, but I am only one person.
In order to survive through time, a business must be flexible and be willing to change. Comic book publishers are not exempt from this rule. Shifting to a digital heavy approach and shrinking operations may be the only way to survive. This would hurt the local comic book shops of course, but if Marvel and DC want to continue…
What do you think of the controversial articles? What do you think about the problems in the comic book market? Let us know in the comments below!
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SOURCES: Bleeding Cool, Cosmic Book News, Joe Quesada (via twitter)
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