SUPERHEROES SAVE MORE THAN DAMSELS. THEY SAVE THE ECONOMY.

What the f***?! That was the first thought that popped into my head after reading an article last week by Beth Fitzgerald, business writer for the Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s main newspaper. Ms. Fitzgerald’s article takes a look at the booming comic book industry and how the movies are not only helping box office numbers, but helping comic book sales as well. The article attempts to link recent profit increases in local comic book stores to the release of comic book movies in the theatres. The problem with this article, though, is that it credits the movies too much and the comics too little.

The reason why there has been a recent increase in comic book sales is not because the major two (Marvel and DC) have been releasing new movies this summer, but because they have launched some of the largest comic book story arcs in comic book history. There may be a small increase in foot traffic due to the movies, but according to Ms. Fitzgerald’s article, some comic book store owners are citing a 5-10% increase in sales, but only seeing maybe 10-15 new faces consistently. Now, just because they may not recognize new faces does not mean they aren’t there, but since most comic store owners are at their store during all hours of operation, it is hard to put someone new past them or their profits were pretty poor to begin with.

No. The reason for the increase in comic sales is not solely because of the movies, but largely because of the comics themselves. As someone who buys comics on a weekly basis, I purchase them according to what titles interest me and how they are written. If a title starts to lack quality, I will stop picking it up. Black Panther, Fantastic Four, Punisher, Flash, and Amazing Spider-Man are no longer part of my weekly routine because they lack the punch that initially drew me to their pages. Alternatively, the Final Crisis, Secret Invasion, and Batman R.I.P. story arcs have drawn me into other titles that I would not normally pick up. These new story arcs have stepped up my weekly comic total once again and I have reason to believe I am not alone. If you compare the timing of the beginning of these story arcs with when the comics’ sales spike began, then you would see they nearly coincide. Therefore, the recent spike in sales cannot be fully attributed to the movies, but attributed to what draws most of us to the comics in the first place: fantastic artwork and stellar writing.

I commend Ms. Fitzgerald for her attempt at trying to shed light on an interesting subject, but because of her lack of familiarity with it, she was reaching for straws and I call her out on it. Shenanigans! Shenanigans, I say! You can see her unfamiliarity with the subject when she relies on quotes from men like Steve Conte, the owner of Funnybooks in Lake Hiawatha, NJ. “Comics are doing well because they are awesome…” That was the best person you could find to get a quote from? Ms. Fitzgerald seems lost in her own article. She quotes the cheesy one-liners from The Incredible Hulk that gives it away as a comic book movie. It was billed as a comic book movie! No more explanation needed! Even if you have no clue what the Hulk is, if I tell you a movie is based on a comic book, then it is based on a comic book! There is no need to look any further into that statement! I would leave comic critiquing to us professionals. Pathetic! Shenanigans! What the f***?!

-Ray Carsillo