Okay, maybe the headline was a little too dramatic, maybe. But it did get you attention. One of my (many) mantras is to support indie and any publisher, not just the hot titles or creators. The reason is that it helps build and grow the comics industry in the long run.
That is one reason why I try to cover something on Archie every Monday. And, granted, sometimes it is challenging, because Archie doesn’t put out as many titles as they once did. And, I get that many fans have a preconceived notion of what an Archie Comic is all about.
I often will take several columns and turn them into a podcast. I have done a lot of Archie shows like that. And, I imagine not a lot of people skip those shows. Truthfully, I don’t (and, yeah, yeah, I know I should) pay much attention to what shows are more “popular”.
Yes, like other shows, I should pay more attention to those numbers and gear more of those shows toward growing the podcast. Yes, I want the podcast to continue to grow, but I usually hope the guests I bring on will organically help the show grow.
Now, Duck Comics is quite possibly a more niche market than Archie Comics. Last year, I found it equally interesting and amusing how many duck comics were being put out. I did some columns and made a duck comic podcast. For no other reason than to give fans something else to think about, adding to their regular reads.
Back to Archie Comics. We all know that Archie has outsourced their comic arm to Oni, with comics coming later this year. But Archie could never put out another comic or trade and would probably do just fine through merchandising and licensing.
Here is where it gets a little worrisome. What if DC or Marvel stopped putting out comics? After all, when Jenette Kahn became DC’s Publisher in 1976, the company was deep in what fans now call the “DC Implosion.” Sales were so weak that Warner executives were considering shutting down publishing entirely and just licensing out Superman, Batman, and the rest. Kahn pushed back, arguing the characters would lose their cultural weight if they weren’t appearing in new stories.
I don’t need to pull a lot to back up the fact that Marvel has been having problems in recent years with many comics not lasting a year and initiatives being canceled before they are even given a fair chance. Last week, Marvel Comics sort of had a reckoning with the layoffs over there.
Naturally, no matter how I feel, I don’t want anyone to lose their job. But what if that was only the first wave of layoffs? And, again, like Archie Disney could shut down the whole publishing arm or outsource more (THAT outsourcing is a column all by itself!)—and before, perfectly fine.
Not so much for fans or comic shops. If Disney DID stop putting out monthly comics and factoring in other issues (again, that is a column all by itself!)… well, we might not see comic shops in X amount of years.
Now don’t me wrong! I am not a Chicken Little kind of fan. I have been a fan for many, many years. And in the past, I often wondered during key moments whether the industry would survive. I have always been surprised by the resilience of the industry. But, I don’t know… things feel a little different this time. I keep checking on those canaries in the coal mine…
Less doom and gloom and back to Archie! You can find Archie all over the place, but the best place to start is the Archie website. They always have deals and new merchandise there. Again, as I often say, when was the last time you read an Archie Comic? Considering the industry, there’s no better time than now.
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