Dc is home to the worlds greatest super heroes, including superman, batman, wonder woman, green lantern, the flash, aquaman and more. Percentage of total comic book sales for marvel comics 39. Brett schenker did some fancy facebook fooling and compiled a few statistics about the people who selfidentify as comic book readers. Majorities of alternativesmall press, comic book and gaming fans never buy these items at conventions or shows. The history of the mainstream comics industry is treated like the barely beating heart of a dying god. Steven universe creator caught in the crossfire over alleged fanartist suicide attempt the simple fact is that people like things. Comic book publishingyes, just the business of selling printed comicsis a billiondollar industry. Gail simone poses with fans at the shanghai comiccon.
Although the book was clearly a passion project for the two white creators, writer mark waid and cowriterartist j. The series was written by ron marz and peter david, with art by dan jurgens and claudio castellini the special crossover series pitted marvel comics superheroes against their dc counterparts in battle. Analyzing the gender representation of 34,476 comic book characters. Once i became an adult and realized i could buy comics weekly, i started visiting my local comic book shop regularly. Marvel or dc, comiccon now offers a window into the steady transformation of the north american comics industry and its fans. A brief history of racial and gender diversity in comic. Why 2016 is the year we need to stop pretending women aren. In the past month, marvel studios and dc entertainment have delivered christmas early to comic book fans by announcing 19 new superhero films for release between 2016 and 2020. The direct market, as it came to be known, allowed comic book publishers to send their products to retailers who marketed directly and, usually, only to comic book consumers. This is a page for you the dc comic fans, we post about upcoming movies, tv shows and all things surrounding the dc universe.
Marvel and dc have managed to remain the two biggest players in comic books since the 1940s. Up now is dc entertainment this statistic breakdown, weve looked at terms like dc comics and vertigo comics, but not specific comic series or. The real reasons for marvel comics woes the atlantic. Another incredibly fascinating aspect of this data is the way marvel and dc break off into gender demographics. The vast majority of comic fans i know are in their 20s and 30s. 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. Any comic book or superhero fan knows there are two major universes. A man holds copies of the captain america comic book at a store in new york march 7, 2007. Comic book publishers struggle to attract new generation. The comic industrys struggle for gender diversity will. In november 2014, tim hanley, a comic book historian and writer who keeps tabs on the gender breakdown of publishers on his blog straitened circumstances, reported that. Dc comics is one of the largest and oldest american comic book companies.
Thats up from less than 5% when they started the app, and its a number that steinberger says is changing rapidly. The survey also found that of the readers who were reading their first comic digitally, many went on to buy comics in print. At the same time, events that are focused on very narrow interests are also growing because people still want to have those kind of unique things, she said. Three years later, dc comics revealed a notsosurprising, to her fans. No other fan subgroup breaks 20% on saying these are mustbuy items. The majority of its publications take place within the fictional dc universe and feature numerous culturally iconic heroic characters, most notably batman. When will the perception of women in comics catch up to. Liking things in turn takes up a lot of mental energy.
The launch of dc comicsthe new 52 galvanized the traditional fan base for superhero comic books. With san diego comiccon about to begin were looking at the demographic data for various publishers and comics. At san diego comiccon, diversity in content and consumers. With san diego comiccon kicking off this week, were returning to see how things stand. As an independent comic writer, i wont cry as covid19. The business of black comic books black enterprise.
At san diego comiccon, diversity in content and consumers is key. People arent just comic book fans, they are superfans of multiple things, she said. What she is seeing is a young marketbut only in certain sectors. Comic book shops in the united states had been closing left and right even without the pandemic. New eventbrite survey reveals convention demographics. Its time to get real about racial diversity in comics wired. Marvels universe is home to ironman, thor, hulk and the rest of the avengers. Alamy and in the demographic report presented on 1 september, for the first time the gender split was in. Conventions are, in their own way, a different type of retail space, and at another icv2 panel, titled the con explosion and moderated by comic editor and commentator heidi macdonald, several convention insiders presented more statistics about the comics audience, this time looking at the fans who go to conventions.
Comic book sales are soaring as the demographics of the average comic book fan broaden. D i would say is the stereotypical age, but that hasnt been true in quite some time, id say. Jones, the book struck a sour note for some critics and readers. Is the marvel fan base the worst in comics or in anime. Theres been a great deal of debate about the comic industrys handling of diversity in its comics and characters, and a new study indicates how important that issue is to readers. Sam gaitan, an organizer and the cartoonist, said, i was a fan first. Weve already posted facebooks general stats, and tomorrow will be marvel, followed by indie comics, and the industry as a whole. Anyone that has studied statistics knows that the results can be presented in a number of different ways to support or attack a preconceived idea or agenda. The valkyries, a collective of current female comic book store owners and employees started by comic writer kate leth, was founded in late 2012early 20.
Just have captain america say hail hydra, cut some joker scenes out of your movie or make a movie that critics hate and fans love, or. Comics capture digital readers and grab more print fans. Dc comics to start making comic books for todays world. Analyzing the gender representation of 34,476 comic book. Its more of a legend with a small amount of followers than a giant to be in awe of. Is the average age of comic book readers increasing. Miracle, for example, was a hugeselling title here. Fans of comic books the world over unite come here to share your love of comics. And as backwards justification we ascribe all sorts of. Sales are up in all forms of comics including monthtomonth titles and graphic novels.
Comics fans on facebook almost 45% women now and how publishers stack up torsten adair 120620 12. It is the publishing unit of dc entertainment, a subsidiary of warner bros. These differences between marvel and dc fans are super. Comic book franchise impact on the decision to see a superhero movie by age u. Comic books are still made by men, for men and about men. 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. Also, while the us demographic is currently 61% white, 18% latino, % black, 5% asian, the entire comics market is 69% white, 12% latino, 10% africanamerican and 8% asian and the comic shop. In the comic world, much of the attention has turned to the so called big 2 marvel and dc which produce the super hero characters people first think of when they think of comic books. Conventions are trying to cater to these multiple interests. In july of 2014, i looked at the facebook demographics of marvel. However, in comic book stores, that rises to 72% male, and an older audience.
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