Do You Think Today's Comic Based Movies Are Good For Us Collectors?

[protector2814]

I'm starting to think so. . .
Last weekend's Wash. Post ran a silly "marriage" article on a couple that married at our recent DC AwesomeCon w/ both bride & groom dressed as superheroes (Wonderwoman & Deadpool). Nowhere in the article did it say that the couple actually read comics, but it got me to thinking if so much of the modern population is savvy to comic book characters through film & if even a fraction of this new audience is turned on enough by the movies to start wanting to buy complete runs, or go back & find key issues, that's got to translate into a shot-in-the-arm to our hobby, a hobby that we've all discussed here was in decline. It seems that almost every adult I talk to has an opinion, passion, or strong like of a particular hero, heroine, or company nowadays. Am I wrong in thinking that this new audience has to be good for us long time collectors? More so than say 4 or 5 years back? I think we very well might be getting in to a "glory days" situation to sell off our books. I know "trades" are an option, but I'm starting to think/hope that these newbie's may want the real-deal, the actual comics. What do you all think?

[The Dark Knight]

Real Deal is way too expensive... I was reading comics even before all the super hero film craze but i still don't have any old key single issues, may be i get some someday like first appearance of Batgirl, Wolverine and giant size x-men 1 or something but that's it. No entire runs and no Detective Comics 27 or other single issues at the same price range cause it's crazy expensive.

I'm good with Omnibuses.

[Y3E]

I do think the movies help in bringing more attention to superheroes/heroines but I don't think it helps with the paper book sales. In this day and age of digital, people are using tablets and iPads to read books. In Canada, I doubt non collectors are willing to pay $5+ for a book, so I am sure people will find other ways to get the books.

[moon_knight1971]

I buy all my books from ebay since conventions have literally become a waste of time if you're going to actually buy books at a decent price. I see speculation is strong in the back issue market and with the variant covers for modern books.

[Peter-Vell]

To me personally it's aweful. I hate it.
The movies are starting to dictate comics more and more, and I resent it.

Suddenly Quicksilver isn't a mutant anymore. Eventhough he has been one for decades.

Nick Fury is now permanently Samuel L. Jackson.

Tony Stark is a jokester. He never was before.
Peter Quill/Starlord is a jokester. He used to be a very serious guy, actually.

Hawkeye is now wearing something that looks a lot like in the movies. I loved that corny old costume of his.

The Collector now also looks permanently like the movie-version.

The very fist version of Drax was dumb, it's true, but about a decade ago he had an "evolution", and he emerged physically weaker, but just as smart as anyone...But now, thanks to the movies, they are turning him dumb again.

There are much more changes, but I think you get the picture.
All these changes came, directly or indirectly, because of the movies.
And I truly hate it. It's one of two reasons that's making me want to quit comics altogether.
It's just that the very few good comics keep me interested, and the very faint (and naive) hope that things will go back to how it should be....

So, NO, I don't think the movies are good for us collectors. At least not this collector.

[wktf]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who dislikes movies' influence on comics, for which I normally get shot down whenever I mention and am accused of being an old dinosaur. Hell, I'd just be happy to get back Cap's original costume which went bye-bye right after AvX.

But, to Jerry's question, I don't know if new people are starting to buy comics and older collections due to the popularity of superhero movies.

[protector2814]

Yeah, I wasn't really talking influence over characters & storylines, which I too think blows, I was talking more $$$-value of our books & potential sales uptick.

[ftrez]

I don't believe that the success of comic book movies has moved the needle on comic book sales. Which is unfortunate.

I don't even want the movies to increase the value of my back issues. What I hope for is that the movies drive people to buy new comics. An increase in the value of our back issues that we sell off to the new-movie-fans is just another short-term speculator boom that hurts the industry in the long run.

The movie influenced changes to our favorite comics is Marvel's attempt to make sure that movie fans see something familiar when (really IF) they pick up the comics. And there's some merit to that IF movies were driving fans to comic shops in the first place.

The only way to save the industry is an influx of new readers. If you want to target movie fans, great. Personally, I think Marvel & DC should run comics ads during the pre-trailer period when I watch the same commercials and have to see Maria Menounos every 5 minutes. These ads can be a flashy comics-focused presentation that ends with the name and address of the 3 closest comic shops to that theater. Or maybe help comic shop owners connect with theater management to to give away comics that are stamped with the shop's info after each showing. Have a guy dressed as Spider-Man handing out comics to kids after the show. I don't know, anything to get kids into comics again.

[Y3E]

Comic books are too expensive to bring in new collectors. In Canada, for Marvel it is over $5 a book (I think $4 US). DC, sometimes cheaper. Independents more. I was looking at some of my older books, from the 80s and was actually a little surprised at how "dull" the colors looked and cheaper the paper felt but I think this is why we pay so much for the books now. But, it still did not take away from my enjoyment of the story. So given that, if it makes comic books cheaper and colors not as vibrant/vivid, I am all for going for cheaper paper.

[protector2814]

But don't you all think that there has to be a fraction of comic book movie fans who are so turned on by a hero they see on film, or that their kids see on film, that they'd want to own (touch & have) original comic books that said heroes came from? A fan so empowered & thrilled by what he/she saw in Wonderwoman, who now would like to own their own stack of ww comics? An Ant Man fan who'd now like some silver-age Ant Man books on their shelves, etc...? Have original comics so lost their status that none of the new, movie-fans even care?