Coast-to-Coast Comicdom: Bubbles
Illustration by Chris Haley |
Editor's Note: Arlington-based comic book editor Jason Rodriguez is sending us his dispatches from a cross-country trip investigating the comics scene around the country. Read Part I and Part II.
History lesson: In the early 1990s a bunch of people said, “Wow! Amazing Fantasy #15 (first appearance of Spider-Man) originally sold for 12 cents. Forty years later, it’s worth $50,000. That’s one hell of an ROI!” (ROI = Return On Investment). I know, you’re thinking, “Comic nerds don’t say things like ROI,” and you’re right. The comic book speculator boom, the time when there were hundreds of crap books for every gem, was fueled by day traders, lotto buyers, and mid-level suits trying to build a fund for their kid’s college tuition or retirement property. The publishers were pushing a slate of first issues, chromium covers, and every other gimmick imaginable to trick the public into believing they could be buying the next Amazing Fantasy #15. A lot of the retailers pushed it, moving five copies of X-Force #1 to every man, woman, and child that came into the door, jacking the price up to $25 the week after it came out. It was a good time to be an industry guy, a bad time to be a fan. All this hysteria created a bubble and, once people realized their 25 copies of Bloodsport #1 are already worth less than the paper they were printed on, the bubble popped. Comic shops closed, creators were losing work, and the only thing left to show for it were billions of pages of cheesecake images showing people with really big guns fighting people with really big claws.
The boom and the bust. The Speculator Bubble. And I bring it up because, well, it came up a lot these past several days. A new bubble.
July 17
Memphis, TN
I started my day by visiting Graceland. Based on the green, shag carpeting on the walls and ceiling, I hypothesize that if Elvis was alive during the 1990s, he would have been caught up in the comic book speculator boom. He’d also have a ton of beanie babies and be a HUGE Survivor fan.
I met cartoonist Joel Priddy at his house. Joel’s Pulpatoon: Pilgrimage was the first book published by Richmond-based AdHouse Comics, one of my favorite comic publishers. Joel hasn’t really settled on what his next long-form comic should be. He partly feels like the one-upmanship that goes along with a local group of creators is something that could push him to complete his next project. We also talked in length about bubbles, particularly the one we may currently be in. It’s becoming impossible to ignore the increasing output of general fiction graphic novels against an apparent decreasing demand. We were both optimistic, but it certainly got me thinking about bubbles…
Comics & Collectibles in Memphis, Tenn. |
Met with Chris Haley and his writer-collaborator Kurt Franklin for some drinks and fried pickles. I love these guys. At this year’s MOCCA, they were giving away sketches of Freddie Mercury to everyone who purchased a copy of Let’s Be Friends Again. Lots of great talk on the collaborative process, representation, and trying to network one’s way up the publishing chain. We also talked about creators who rely too much on the web. We were wondering if they’re building a bubble by only interacting with fans that seek them out. Are they getting enough criticism to push them to the next step?
After drinks I went to Karaoke with Chris. I thought I was going to kick his ass, but my blues voice was off and his rock voice was sexy as all hell. I didn’t stand a chance. Suffice it to say, he burst my bubble.
July 18
Little Rock, Arkansas
Lunch with writer and good friend, Elton Pruitt. Elton’s had some work published in Negative Burn and he’s currently developing several smart pitches. He’s the only comic creator in Little Rock as far as I can tell. The only comic shop in Little Rock is so superhero-centric, it doesn’t even carry Elton’s work. All of his networking has to be done online and he collaborates with all of his artists via email or phone. Elton’s operating out of a bubble and it’s not even his fault.
 The manga section of Atomic Pop! in Norman, Okla. |
Norman, Oklahoma
I went to Atomic Pop! first and talked to comic writer and shop manager Rob Vollmer for close to two hours. Rob’s a smart guy and he laid out his buying, selling, and shelving philosophies. His shop has a huge manga (Japanese comics) selection. Manga sells incredibly well in the States, and they make up the bulk of bookstores’ graphic novel sales. We talked about that in length; usually comic shops ignore manga assuming they can’t compete with bookstores. Rob’s philosophy was that bookstores have no idea what they stock, and he can turn the kids onto new series. There’s been some talk recently about decreasing manga sales (Tokyo Pop’s cutting their output in half), but Rob was wondering why more people weren’t talking about declining sales in general fiction graphic novels. I’m wondering the same thing.
We talked a little about Planet Comics, the shop in Oklahoma City that was raided for selling adult comics to adults in the mid-1990s. I’m going to hold off on that for now. I’m meeting with one of the owners when I get back to Virginia and will be able to paint a better picture.
Dinner and drinks with Joey Beldin and Greg Holkan. Joey’s one of the Meathaus guys. Two close friends and fellow Meathaus creators, Farel Dalrymple and Steven Gilpen, used to live in Tulsa but they’ve recently moved. He misses the mini-scene they had.
Greg Holkan is a web comic guy. I’m going to combine this with…
July 19
Amarillo, TX
…Thomas Clemmons, since he’s also a web comic artist. There are people making some serious money with web comics. As a result, there’s a ton of comics out there to sift through. Corporations are getting involved, most notably DC’s Zuda Comics imprint. It’s tough to get a new web comic noticed. Thomas has been out of comics for years, but he’s thinking about getting back into it. Back in 2000, he started a pretty innovative flash-based web comic. It didn’t catch on and he gave it up. He’s thinking of getting involved again, especially with the increasing emphasis on literary comics and web comics. He has stories to tell. But can he get a break with the current flood of new content? Or will he just be adding to the bubble?
Santa Fe, NM
I arrive in Santa Fe and just had some downtime with some old comic friends from D.C., Bram and Monica Meehan. I’ll talk about the Santa Fe trip with the next article, however, since it spanned two days and this one’s already too long.
Some theories I’m working on: We may be in a bubble right now, but I’m thinking it’s just the end of the expansion phase.
Web comics need something equivalent to Publisher’s Weekly. A prestigious online journal that reviews the good stuff and recommends the great stuff.
Creators can’t rely solely on the web for networking, but with the rising cost of travel, it’s becoming difficult to make it to conventions.
My plan for some comprehensive article focusing on the American comics’ scene is turning into a friggin’ book.
Road Trip Tips: A 25-story cross and the Cadillac Ranch make the Texas panhandle worth driving through. There’s a statue of Popeye in Alma, Arkansas. Neutral Milk Hotel makes the Oklahoma panhandle seem less flat.
Energy level: I’m tired, I won’t lie.
- Jason Rodriguez