Thoughts on New York Comic Con 2017

Yeah, this blog is a week late. But I needed a minute to digest all the sights I saw at New York ComicCon last Thursday. And I saw a LOT at this year’s show. It was so much I had to keep from having sensory overload.

I had a GREAT time at New York Comic Con. I Saw Austin St. John of the Power Rangers, Wrestlers Ted Dibiase, and Ron Simmons, and a bunch of cool Goth stuff like a Tea & Absinthe booth and people selling Steampunk top hats, goggles and Corsets.

And I saw kids. Lots and lots of kids. Kids having a good time. Kids having FUN. The place was Jam packed. On a Thursday. The slowest day of a con. And it was Jam packed with CHILDREN.

Moreover I saw lots and lots of families. Families who were having a good time. Families who were sharing their childhood hobbies and their favorite characters with their kids. The whole Javits Center smelled like popcorn and smiles. However, in August the comic book industry reported the lowest sales in its history.

Clearly there’s a disconnect between the comic publishers and the audience they sell to. And from what I’ve seen for YEARS and many indie creators see at cons, the audience is there to revive the industry and get it out of the 25-year slump it’s currently in.

But most Comic publishers still have their heads up their collective rear ends.

Here’s my question to Dan Didio and Axel Alonso and all the publishers in the comic book industry: If there are so many families and children going to events like New York comicon and Spending billions of dollars watching superhero movies, WHY THE HECK AREN’T YOU PRODUCING CONTENT FOR THEM?

From what I saw at the New York Comic Con there’s a HUGE audience ready willing and able to buy comics out there. An entire new generation of potential fans waiting to get into Marvel and DC Comics and the indies. Money in the bank.

But no one will produce content for them.

WTF?

The big problem with the comic book industry is that they’re still stuck in the past. DC is stuck in a two going 3-year storyline to fix 11 years of problems Dan Didio Created. And Axel Alonso is trying to sell comics to SJWs who are too busy downloading free eBooks on Kindle and Smashwords.

Meanwhile the rest of us who love comics have been waiting patiently for content that’s appealing to families and children. Content that’s PG-13. Content that’s easy to access and fun to read.  Content that’s FUN.

It’s clear that the audience is there, but the content isn’t. And most publishers are so hellbent on publishing what they want they can’t see the audience waiting to spend money with them.

Clearly the audience is there for comic books. And most parents want the iconic versions of characters they remember to share with their kids. But most publishers want to ram their New N’ Improved versions down people’s throats even though no one recognizes them and most people reject them.

And that’s where the short circuit is between comic publishers and the audience.  Someone has to reconnect the audience to the product. But it ain’t gonna be Dan Dido or Axel Alonso. Events like Rebirth and Legacy aren’t going to bridge the gap between the next generation of readers and publishers because they feature more of the same dysfunctional storytelling readers are tired of.

Comic publishing is a business. A business that sells product by word-of mouth. It’s hard to get word of mouth going when people just can’t recognize the product. People want the heroes they grew up with Superman with Red Trunks, a Spider-Man who’s Peter Parker and parents and kids feel comfortable about reading.

From what I saw at Comic Con I know that there are millions of kids and adults on the sideline waiting to get into the hobby or get back into the hobby. And all they’re waiting for is someone to break out of the endless cycle of yearlong events, reboots and relaunches and just give readers great comics. The audience I saw at New York Comic Con showed me that money is waiting to be made selling comics and all the industry needs is one person to have the courage to go out and make it.