25 March 2006
Dangerous curves

Despite the loftier ambitions (and, in one or two rare cases, achievements) of the more “serious” titles, comics only rarely concern themselves with politics and, even less frequently, with economics. Whatever else they may be, the majority of readers still want their comics to function as escapist entertainment … on one level, at least.

Bear with me. You probably learned how to draw a supply and demand curve at school (Economics-101). You may even remember it. But let’s face it, unless the story also features a hero in a sprayed-on costume beating seven shades out of an armour-plated villain, you don’t want that stuff in your comics, right? Right.

So what’s all this about?

One plus one equals one

Well, we might not want economics in our comics but we should be interested in what it’s doing to our comics. Remember that supply and demand curve? Good - I’ll come back to it later.

First, though, a quick re-cap on the status quo – Comics-101, if you will. The comics market is, essentially, a duopoly. DC, Marvel and their various imprints control a huge market share. Even allowing for the larger independents like Image, there simply is no competition to speak of. The two companies make a show of rivalry but, let’s be honest, it’s difficult to distinguish one from the other. Even their supposedly exclusive characters now appear regularly in each other’s titles.

Now, unless I’m much mistaken, at this stage you’re probably expecting this to become yet another rant against the majors, right? Relax. I just want to establish an economic fact. There is no competition. In spite of the fact that competition is generally regarded as such a good thing that many countries (including the US and the UK) even regulate to ensure their markets are open to it, as far as comics are concerned, there isn’t any. So why not?

Do not pass go, do not collect …

More Economics-101: remember “barriers to entry”? Those factors that prevent new-comers from competing in a market against the established players? They’re the problem. The DC/Marvel duopoly has existed for as long as it has because it’s just too damn difficult for a new entrant to compete. If they want to make a living from comics, new artists and new writers are pretty much obliged to work for the majors. To go independent means crossing two huge barriers – printing costs and the means of distribution.

For an independent comic publisher, printing costs can be a significant and high risk investment. To be cost effective, it’s probably necessary to pay for a print-run of maybe 1,000 copies of each title. Add to this the fact that – unless the comic is then both picked up and promoted by Diamond – the comic is unlikely even to make it as far as the shelves.

So, with such effective barriers keeping potential new entrants out of the market, are things ever going to change?

Tangled web

Well, if they are, there can't be much doubt that the web is a huge catalyst for that change. Over the last 5 – 10 years, online comics have been springing up all over the web. And the exciting thing about webcomics (in economic terms) is that, theoretically at least, they by-pass both barriers. Although they can be, they don’t actually need to be printed in order to reach their readers. As soon as a page is completed, it can be scanned and posted onto a web site where it’s instantly available to millions. How’s that for distribution? Not surprisingly, independent creators have been quick to embrace this phenomenon and many, many thousands of comics are now available on the web.

But before you break open the champagne, remember that Economics-101 supply and demand curve? It’s pretty inverted just now. The ease of posting comics has boosted supply but where is the demand? Why aren’t readers embracing this new technology as enthusiastically as the creators? Many creators point to the traffic passing through their site as evidence of popularity but the number of webcomics actually running at a profit (or even generating any revenues at all) is minimal. So, why aren’t readers deserting the printed page and spending their hard-earned dollars on web-site content?

Raising the standard

One reason often given for the lack of migration is that webcomics are catering for a different readership. Another is that the print comics have long-since locked in their traditional audience. Whatever the reason, the fact is that the audience which is being won over isn't paying. And one of the reasons for that, I believe, is value for money.

Readers know that they can buy a magazine from their local store each month and, for around USD2, they’ll get approximately 30 pages of professionally drawn, competently written pages in full-colour. In general, and I know there are exceptions (Broken Voice Comics being a prime example, of course!), online comics tend to fall short in at least one of these areas. 30 pages a month? A tall order for someone with a day-job. Competently written? How many comics are written by the artists themselves under the mistaken impression that writing is easy? Professionally drawn? How many are drawn by the writers themselves simply because they can’t find a decent artist willing to share the risk on the project?

And that’s before you take into account the physical drawbacks. Not only is a PC screen the wrong shape for many comics but, for comics that consist of more than a series of single-page gags, many readers still have a clear preference for a comic printed on paper. In fact, many of the more successful online titles have already started migrating to print. For the time being at least, that’s still where the real (i.e. paying) demand is.

It’s a tough nut to crack but, if webcomics are going to attract paying customers and change the shape of that demand curve (see, I said we’d return to it!), they need to raise their standards to a level at least as high as those of the majors. And then they have to offer more. Remember your Economics-101? Well, even after 5 - 10 years, webcomics are still the new entrants. If they want to take market share from the established market leaders they have to offer the same product for a lower price or more product for the same price.

Sites for sore eyes

But can it be done? Well, there are a number of models out there, all trying to prove it can but the financial successes are rare and, at present, the answer is still very much in the balance. Most sites can be categorised as single-title, umbrella or studio sites.

Sites offering a single title are seldom able to sell the comic in its online form, at least not in sufficient numbers for it to provide the creators with a level of income that would allow them to give up their day jobs. Even assuming the product quality is sufficiently high, they offer little over and above the titles available from the local store and (for those in a standard comic format) nothing to compensate for the perceived drawbacks of having to scroll up and down as they're read. Realistically, these sites usually serve as a showcase for their creators’ talents and, possibly, a teaser for a subsequent print run.

Umbrella sites (for example, Komikwerks and the slew of innovative vehicles from Joey Manley) tackle the question of more bangs for the reader’s buck by carrying a wide range of titles each produced by a different team of creators. However such diversity can be a two-edged sword. It’s all very well offering 50 different titles but it’s hardly an advantage if only a few of those are of a style or genre that interests the reader. Themed sites (e.g. Graphic Smash) address the genre issue but the sheer number of different creators can still mean that many titles fall far short of the professional standards a paying reader has a right to expect. And the problem with promoting quantity over quality is that even the better titles can be tainted by association.

Finally, there are the studio sites (like Proletariat Comics, for example). These sites offer fewer titles than an umbrella site (typically around half a dozen) but have a distinct advantage in that all the titles are produced by a relatively small team of writers and artists. Quality and subject matter can therefore be subjected to a far tighter degree of editorial control and the team is able to stay much closer to the type of additional content the readers expect.

Paper chase

So, what am I saying? Is the studio site the model to break the majors’ duopoly and bring some real (i.e. paying) competition to the market? Well, possibly. Since these sites offer a range of content while at the same time being able to exercise a level of quality control equal to that of the better single-title sites, they would appear to be well-positioned to do so.

The one remaining question, however, is whether readers will ever rid themselves of the need to feel paper between their fingers before they are prepared to part with their hard-earned cash. Only you can answer that one but – while you’re considering it – think about clicking that voluntary donation PayPal button next time you see a webcomic you like. You'll be changing the shape of that demand curve and your economics teacher would be so proud of you!

[The substance of this article first appeared in a slightly different form at Comic Avalanche on 26 January 2005 and is reproduced by kind permission of Mr Avalanche. The views and opinions expressed in this column are entirely those of the author. If you wish to agree or disagree with any of the views expressed in this column, please leave your comments in the Forum].