Comic book fans demographics in market

Comic books are still made by men, for men and about men. Why 2016 is the year we need to stop pretending women arent. This was a survey of consumers who specifically purchased dc comicsthe new 52 comic books, either in print or digital format. 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. The black panther character, which debuted in 1966, was the first mainstream black comic book superhero. Comic book sales are soaring as the demographics of the average comic book fan broaden. What fans want at fandom conventions and comic cons. With san diego comiccon kicking off this week, were returning to see how things stand. This year we touched base with four comic book stores that rely on the direct market for at least 20%60% of their stock.

Port washington, ny, october 6, 2017 according to npd bookscan data from global information provider the npd group, the comics and graphic novels category in the u. Western union did just that when it teamed with marvel custom solutions on a digital and print comic book starring bigname marvel characters, written and drawn by bigtime marvel talent, and distributed to the target audience at bigtime comic book shows, social media and all the channels where marvel fans enjoy their favorite stories. 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 to likes, groups, etc. A brief history of racial and gender diversity in comic book movies on the left, conceptart released by marvel entertainment for its upcoming black panther film. A brief history of racial and gender diversity in comic. Brett schenker did some fancy facebook fooling and compiled a few statistics about the people who selfidentify as comic book readers. In january, the population we looked at was just shy of 2 million individuals, but through expansion of terms used as well as how facebook returns the data in late 20. May 24, 2017 the real reasons for marvel comics woes. Comic fans are the biggest buyers at 48% always, but even videogame fans always or usually.

The graph shows the share of adults who are fans of comic books in the united. Feb 06, 2015 dc comics to start making comic books for todays world. Once i became an adult and realized i could buy comics weekly, i started visiting my local comic book shop regularly. Since 2007, attendee numbers have fluctuated in the region of 500,000 for fuyukomi and 560,000 for natsucomi. Since it is capable of reaching more people it can bring in more profit. The concept of the direct market was created in the 1970s by phil seuling. Alamy and in the demographic report presented on 1 september, for the first time the gender split was in favour of women. But revenue data reveals that the preference for many fans is still print. It currently consists of diamond comic distributors, which has monopolized such distribution having exclusive deals with major comic book publishers, and the majority of comics specialty stores, as well as other retailers of. Gail simone poses with fans at the shanghai comic con. While comic shops tend to focus on longtime fans often older.

He cites statistics showing that young women are the fastestgrowing segment of the comics audience, talks to image comics president eric stephenson and a woman who works in a comic shop, and mentions. For those of you who have attended san diego comic con, new york comic con, or even your local comic con, it would be hard to imagine what the actual first comic con was like. Majorities of alternativesmall press, comic book and gaming fans never buy these items at conventions or shows. Comic books buck trend as print and digital sales flourish.

If you go to conventions and comic book stores, more and more female readers are emerging. Find industry analysis, statistics, trends, data and forecasts on comic book publishing in the us from ibisworld. New eventbrite survey reveals convention demographics. In fact, nearly 70% of surveyed fans named shopping as their top motivation for attending, and that priority was shared across genres, genders and fan demographics. S ive been looking and seem to only find market statistics for the united states. The overall target audience is anyond who watches pg movies, from age 6 to 96. Enter we are comics, a blog thats encouraging comic fans of all walks of life to tell their personal stories under the empowering banner i am comics. The following categories are rare in english translation. He cites statistics showing that young women are the fastestgrowing segment of the comics audience, talks to image comics president eric stephenson and. To say the comic book industry has a slight gender skew is like saying superman is kind of strong.

This month, 1,194 new comic books and 391 new graphic novels and. Specialty stores became places where comic book fans could meet and convene and the stores themselves werent bogged down by the comics code. Aug, 2019 san diego comic con has become a pilgrimage for geeks around the world. Comic book collecting is a hobby that treats comic books and related items as collectibles or artwork to be sought after and preserved. 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. Icv2 has reported from the new york comic con insider sessions it sponsored at the. Earth 2 in sherman oaks, calif forbidden planet in new york city. The average age of our customers is usually 2030, said bret parks, owner of ssalefish comics in winstonsalem, north carolina. But still the statistics make for interesting reading, and even at almost 43%, the modern comic. Market share of the comic industry in spain in 2018, by comic publisher. The people that are into comic books are diehard fans, and they are willing to spend a substantial amount of their discretionary income on these purchases. Aug 14, 20 comicbook conventions around the world consistently draw crowds of 30,000 to 150,000.

Surprising new data shows comic readers are leaving. Comic book publishing in the us industry data, trends. Catering to each audience, this report offers publishers and retailers in depth. Sep 18, 2015 gail simone poses with fans at the shanghai comic con. At san diego comiccon, diversity in content and consumers is key. My 2012 book comic con and the business of pop culture mcgrawhill looks at trends in entertainment, media, marketing and technology through the lens of the worlds wildest fan event, san. Exhausting a few lists online of every female comic book character, i found. Jun 02, 2017 percentage of total comic book sales for marvel comics 39.

Commonly, comic conventions are multiday events hosted at convention centers, hotels, or college campuses. People with very big bank accounts are showing up in costumes, zurzolo said nowadays its cool to. D i would say is the stereotypical age, but that hasnt been true in quite some time, id say. At the new york comic con insider sessions powered by icv2, kristen. 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. There are 42m likes for the terms, with men accounting for 23m 54. Comic book publishingyes, just the business of selling printed comicsis a billiondollar industry.

Schenker explained that in march 2017, the number of comic fans on facebook in america were 31 million and 283. In july of 2014, i looked at the facebook demographics of marvel. Yonkoma 4panel strips note silver and golden manga for older readers hobby manga, such as golf manga, pachinko manga, fishing manga, etc. One of the issues is just how many moving parts there are in the comics market. At the new york comic con insider sessions powered by icv2, kristen mclean of npd bookscan broke out some demographic data, based on a 72,000person book buying consumer panel, about who is buying graphic novels, what they are buying, and where they are buying them. The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for american comic books. 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. Last year dropped 7 million, but we have an impressive rebound of.

One of the major causes of the comic book crash in the 1990s was the establishment and rise of the direct market. Comic book stores, unlike most retailers, have the ability to operate with a great deal of economic staying power. Gone were the days when comic book lovers seem to be exclusively made up of comic geeks who have unquestionable passion in collecting merchandise. Young kids love superheroes and older viewers grew up with these characters. All the information you need on comics, movies, tv, toys, comic cons and fan culture. Yesterday was dc comics stats, and tomorrow will be indiesmall press comics. You will find the right people for your book, learn to see things from their.

The business of black comic books black enterprise. Comic book and graphic novel market 20102011 looks to make breaking into the market for comics and graphic novels far easier, while bringing indepth, exclusive analysis for those already experiencing what the industry has to offer. Male fans still tend to dominate categories like comic collecting, videogaming and hobby gaming board games and roleplaying games, whereas media, fantasyscifi. Almost everyone at this convention has heard of warner bros, but that doesnt stop them from utilizing the opportunity to create more brand awareness and maintain their wellknown brand identity. Comics almost half the attendees at this years comic con international in san diego were women, writes yael kohen in an article about the growing importance of women to the comics industry. What she is seeing is a young marketbut only in certain sectors. Dc comics to start making comic books for todays world. The same goes for female comic book fans or gamers, who encounter a. Sam gaitan, an organizer and the cartoonist, said, i was a fan first. Share of comic books readers in norway daily 20082018. Nov 16, 2014 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. By far the most popular purchase at conventions across just about every demographic cut is prints and original art. However somewhere after the first avengers film came out, i did. With san diego comic con kicking off this week, were returning to see how things stand.

American comics were dominated by superhero comic book periodicals for decades. The weakening canadian dollar got me to thinking about the effect it is having, if any, on the back issue comic book market. Super fans who attend at least three fandom events per year spend even. A man holds copies of the captain america comic book at a store in new york march 7, 2007. A ya comic title can entice teenagers and also adults. Comiket is the largest fan convention in the world, growing from fewer than 10,000 attendees in 1982 to over half a million by 2004. Ok so ive noticed that most of the popular writers,artist and personalities connected to the comics are mostly 40 years or older and most of the celeb fans are also in the 3040 years old range.

Why 2016 is the year we need to stop pretending women aren. Catering to each audience, this report offers publishers and retailers indepth. Though its unlikely comic books will replace blue chip stocks such as apple or goldman sachs as investments, dealers say the market for comic books can create solid returns as long as the. The comic industrys struggle for gender diversity will.

The comics can then focus on darker subject matter that wouldnt be appropriate for a younger demographic. What age group of viewers is the target audience for the. Comic book and graphic novel market 20102011 looks to make breaking into the market for comics and graphic novels far easier, while bringing in depth, exclusive analysis for those already experiencing what the industry has to offer. We contacted six retail comic book stores that rely on the direct market for at least 20% of their stock. A comic book convention or comic con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other.

Men are still the majority, but women are gaining ground, whether they are buying monthly comics at the comic shop, graphic novels in bookstores the one area where they dominate, digital comics on their tablets or special editions at comics conventions. The book itself launched with only a few announcements on comics fan. Dont you feel like your book could be a massive hit, if only the right people knew about it. Comic books have become a huge part of todays popular culture, and it is certainly refreshing to know that you can casually enjoy them in digital form. Sales are up in all forms of comics including monthtomonth titles and graphic novels. Percentage of total comic book sales for marvel comics 39.

Shounen, shoujo, josei and seinen are also used to. Since the 1970s, these comics have been sold almost exclusively via the direct market. Global market statistics does anyone know of any sites that track comic book and manga sales outside of the u. Marketing to your audience every year hundreds of thousands of comic book fans come out in droves to attend comic con. The graph shows the share of adults who are fans of comic books in the united states as of april 2019, sorted by gender. No other fan subgroup breaks 20% on saying these are mustbuy items. Comments about diversity in superhero comics made last week by a marvel. No comic series, creators or characters are used to figure this out. The unstoppable rise of female comic readers books. If there were only some way of finding your target audience, youd be able to reach out and get your novel into their hands or ereaders this post will lay out a method on how to identify a target audience. How to identify a target audience for your book in 3 steps. However, in comic book stores, that rises to 72% male, and an older audience. Comics retailers hope to rebound in 2018 publishers weekly.

Get up to speed on any industry with comprehensive intelligence that is easy to read. What she is seeing is a young market but only in certain sectors. However, for most comics, a ya target really is the perfect range. Fans of comic books the world over unite come here to share your love of comics. For people wanting to get into comics it is expensive and you are not going to see little kids getting into it because of the price point. As reported earlier today, people who like comics on facebook has reached a recordsetting 32 million. Known for its focus on all things comics, the huge convention took over southern california earlier this summer, and. Is the average age of comic book readers increasing. Graphic novels and tpbshcs are an expanding market, and in the uk at least women make up more than 60% of the book shop market. They are starved for content and looking for content they can relate to. The comic book community is actually incredible diverse. Coates, a longtime comic fan, wrote an 11issue run of black panther. Comic books are like oil in that they are traded in u.

Sep 15, 2015 my 2012 book comiccon and the business of pop culture mcgrawhill looks at trends in entertainment, media, marketing and technology through the lens of the worlds wildest fan event, san. Feb 10, 2015 the demographics of prospective comics creators seem to have also shifted in recent years. John jackson miller is an author of books and comic books, and he. The direct market, as it came to be known, allowed comic book publishers.

While we dont have any market research, the eyes dont lie. Nov 14, 2015 that dynamic was evident recently at the austin convention center in texas, where fans, buyers and sellers assembled for the annual wizard world austin comic convention. Oct 20, 2017 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. Comics is a market in transition publishers weekly.

In 2012, she was featured on national geographics comic store heroes, a documentary on the lives of comic book fans and the following year she was one of many batman fans profiled in the. Because of the extremely high volume of attendance at comiket, mobile phone companies set up temporary antennas, while the tokyo metro makes special. Dec 22, 2015 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, and has grown to almost 500 members. Graphic novels are sold in the direct market and also to trade book.

The data reveals that 43 percent of men said that they were fans of comics. Jul 08, 2015 in july of 2014, i looked at the facebook demographics of marvel. The sweatpants paradigm in the world of geekdom ryan carroll. 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.