Economic Idiots!

I generally tend to take most things from Newsarama or CBR with a grain of salt. I know that this is not the place to go for hard-hitting comics reporting. No, you go to Newsarama for the same reason you read Wizard magazine: PR puff pieces masquerading as news.

Most of the time I let it go. After all, I know it's all PR so what else do you expect? But, every once in a while, they put up something that just defies explanation.

This article, The Economics of Publishing, is such a thing.

In this article, 6 publishers talk about how the RECESSION will affect their companies. (I put RECESSION in big letters in case anyone is still denying that we're in one.) First off, Marvel and DC aren't part of the round table discussion. Second, only two are publishers with any sort of lasting power (Dark Horse and TokyoPop) but at least I recognize Top Cow and BOOM! whereas I've never heard of the other two.

Anyway, this brain trust goes on to say that, basically, everything is just hunky-dory with them. Couldn't be better. The roads are just PAVED with gold. I'm being sarcastic, of course, but this is the kind of spin action I usually only see connected with presidential elections. The point being that they don't think that the RECESSION (oh dear, he said that word again!) will affect their sales. One publisher even recalls the halcyon days of his own youth when he gladly foregoed eating in order to buy his favorite comic.

Lemme spell it out to you, sunshine, your comics aren't worth skipping food for! Sure, back in the 70's I used to hold off on that bottle of pop to buy the newest Neal Adams BATMAN comic. But those were helluva great comics and, here's the thing they all seem to forget, they only cost a freakin' quarter!!!!

It's a lot different when the comic cost $3 bucks! Unfortunately, that $3 comic doesn't even pay for a gallon of gas anymore. So acting like "of course, people will sacrifice to read our comics" is just plain dumb. If people are going to sacrifice for comics, it's not likely to be comics from this bunch. Maybe TokyoPop and DH but I can't see someone going without food for the latest issue of CTHULHU TALES or whatever the hell it is that Top Cow publishes. No, for most comic readers, the sacrifices will be made to buy more Marvel and DC comics. A fact that should put these publishers into a cold flop sweat. Not here though. "Life is beautiful all the time and I'll be happy to see those nice young men in the white coats..."

But I should know better. This is Newsarama after all and hardly anything that shows up on Newsarama can be considered to be NEWS.