Disney comics in the USA

Wilmer Rivers rivers at seismo.CSS.GOV
Tue Apr 26 04:41:13 CEST 1994


Don Rosa writes:
> I might swear off American cons like in Oakland, however. It's
> VERY insulting, both for me and for the Ducks, when I am virtually
> ignored by all the attendees since the teaching of all the modern
> "collectors" magazines and attitudes is that they should SHUN these
> characters.

I agree that collectors and speculators are the bane of American comic
book fandom.  As I have mentioned in previous postings, most of the
comics stores around here carry NO Disney comics at all.  I therefore
spend almost all of my comics-purchasing dollars in the one that does
carry them, to make sure that they stay in business!  When I was in
that store to buy LO$ # 1, along with some other Gladstone and some
non-Disney comics, a woman came in bringing her son, who appeared to
be about 10 years old.  He went through the racks of Marvels and Images,
picking the titles on his list, and handed them to his mother.  She
looked behind her and saw the 2 small racks of "kids' comics" (Glad-
stones, Harveys, and Archies).  She then turned to the cashier, pointed 
to LOS # 1 (which obviously had obviously no significance to her), and 
asked, "These aren't like regular comics, are they?  I mean, people
don't collect them and they won't ever be worth anything, will they?" 
The clerk mumbled something about "Well, some people buy them [after 
all, he had just seen ME pick up several!], but they don't have much 
collectable value.." and then the mother gave the clerk her kid's 
superhero titles, paid for them, and left.  I really wanted to shout 
at her, "Won't be worth anything?  How much is a great story ever 
worth?", but I refrained from saying anything, since it was obvious
that she wouldn't have had a clue about what I meant.  The idea that
you might buy a comic book just to read the story and enjoy the art
was completely alien to her, and I assume that it was likewise alien
to her son, who must have picked his list of titles based on price
speculation published in the fan-boy press.  If customers continue to
make their purchasing decision based on "collectability", how much
longer will it be before this store joins all the others in this area
in using that rack space for "hot" titles rather than for Gladstones?
And, when this kid eventually sees that his comics AREN'T escalating
in price as he had supposed, how much longer will he continue to buy
any comics at all?  And what will happen to the stores then?  Unless
kids start buying comics simply because they want to read them, with no
regard to "investing", then soon enough there will be no comics industry
left in the USA at all, I fear...

Wilmer Rivers



More information about the DCML mailing list