Is there a comic book market bubble? The comic book market has grown considerably in the last few years, and there is typically a burst when markets or types of products grow too fast. Should we be concerned?
The crowds at C2E2 would be much smaller after a comic book market decline. Let’s make sure that does not ever happen.
Traditional Market Bubble
Usually when we talk about a market bubble, we are talking about a market which has skyrocketed in recent years which is either new or saw unchecked exponential growth. The Beenie Baby market bubbled and burst because people simply realized the babies were not holding their value and were not a viable short-term or long-term investment. The sports card market bubble burst when production was much greater than demand and interested waned.
There Have Been Bursts in the Past
I will be the first to agree that a comic book market bubble is not impossible. We have seen near collapses of the entire industry a few times in the past when the bubbles burst. Overproduction, an unconditional push towards collectability, and drops in the importance of quality in exchange for quantity have all plagued the comic book market in the past. The problem was that these issues had gone unchecked and drove the market down.
Unchecked Changes are Now Impossible
There is a huge difference between today’s comic book market, and the comic book markets of the past. The Internet is something which can save the comic book market from a bubble burst. Sure, there were comic book industry magazines and fanzines in the past – but they could not compete with the speed or distribution of the Internet. In the old days of magazines and fanzines, a writer could write an article about an issue with the comic book industry – but it might takes months before it saw print, Even after it saw print, it might only be read by a few hundred people.
Today, a comic book market commentary can be out for the masses within minutes. Social media can be used to make the topic go viral and get thousands of fans riled up. Gone are the days when comic book shop talk is the fastest and most effective way to pass information about what is going on. Today, those discussions have gone online in article comment sections and forums.
Empowerment of Comic Book Store Owners, Fans, and Collectors
Comic book store owners, fans, and collectors have more of a voice today than they did even five or ten years ago. Store owners realize they can speak up, as do fans and collectors. This empowerment bore this site in particular. We have stated in the past that WonderWorldComics.com is a megaphone for your voice in the comic book industry because it is read by many movers and shakers in the industry and helps in a small way to keep the market in check.
Market Share Mentality
One other aspect which helps to keep comic book market in check is the continuing push in business to be so concerned about market share. While this was always a concern in business, the concern has grown more in the last few decades, and in the last ten years especially. The focus on driving market share forces publishing companies to take risks, but not to flood the market in any way. In a way, the market checks itself.
No Comic Book Market Bubble, But…
Since the days in which the publishers could work unchecked are over. Even though we might not have a comic book market bubble burst, we could easily have a decline. In fact, that decline could be pretty steep. Certain market issues such as the lack of communication from some companies, the push towards digital, the apparent dissing of collectors (which digital comics are since you can’t collect and sell them), the illegal downloading of comics, and other issues mentioned on this site could cause the market to decline. The items just mentioned in this paragraph are areas which this site has hounded on and we are still waiting for the comic book publishers to realize could hamper the market.
Moving Forward
We have to stay diligent. I love the comic book market and want to see it continue on for generations. The only way to ensure that is to make sure that every aspect of the market is checked by someone. We need to self-regulate it to make sure there is not a comic book market bubble burst ever. We all have to stay strong and remember that we have as much power as, if not more power than, the publishers.
