AV zombie

Chuck Rozanski is not very happy about this year’s comic mega-convention…

The balance of focus at the San Diego Comic-Con has shifted from comics to film; as a result,a great many of us who sell comics are feeling as though we are beggars in our own house. Simply put, I view this struggle for the heart of the convention as a last stand in the battle for the advocacy of reading.
Thirty-nine years ago, when the first San Diego Comic-Con was held, there were as many (or more) science fiction authors who attended as guests as comics creators. The convention was begun by people who were avid readers, for the specific purpose of encouraging others to read. Prose or comics didn’t matter, just as long as we encouraged others to read more. Since that very first convention, the San Diego Comic-Con gradually evolved into the best venue in America for introducing new comics and books to a rapidly growing audience of avid readers.
The periphery aspects of the convention have certainly changed markedly over the years, as the original nostalgic components of the convention (such as old radio shows and pulp magazines) have been gradually replaced by more contemporary manifestations of popular culture, such as DVDs, Action Figures, and comics statues.

At its core, however, the SDCC organizing committee never failed to remember to stay true to their core audience. Advocating reading, most particularly of comics and sequential art, has been the essence of San Diego’s mission statement since day one. That is precisely why comics legend, Will Eisner, allowed the comics industry excellence awards given out each year in San Diego to be named after him.
Beginning from the time when we first moved into the brand new San Diego convention center in the early 1990’s, with its requirements for far higher attendance than what we were drawing at the old downtown convention center, a devil’s pact was gradually forged between the convention organizing committee and Hollywood.

In exchange for being given the best positions in the exhibition hall of the new convention center, film companies and major toy companies began paying a greater and greater amount of the overall operating costs of the convention. Being placed in this secondary position was a bit galling for those of us who had supported the convention for decades, but being realists, we accepted the fact that the convention needed these deep-pocketed media and consumer goods companies to participate if we were going to be able to continue to grow.

In effect, we agreed to move to the back of the bus for the greater good of the convention. What has happened over the past couple of years, however, has shown how foolish we were to volunteer to step aside. What began as Hollywood participating in our convention has become a complete envelopment. Not only does Hollywood dominate the exhibit hall and the programming, but the entire mission of advocating reading has become lost.

The immense marketing dollars available from the film companies have completely seduced the convention committee. In effect, this is now the Sundance or Cannes of comics films, with the comics themselves (and those who sell them) appearing completely anachronistic. Everyone is delighted to grab their share of the pie when we identify which new comics projects actually resonate with readers, but no one ever gives comics retailers any credit for the hard work that we do. Were it not for our ability, week after week, to present hundreds of new issues to readers, there would not be a Hellboy or a TMNT to make millionaires of those who create films and toys.

To find those winners, however, those of us in the comics retailing community often times have to accept the losses that accrue from the hundreds, if not thousands, of unsold titles that do not succeed. Under the present non-returnable comics distribution system, we have to pay for all comics that we receive, regardless of whether we are able to sell them. That being the case, we are really the most vulnerable part of the entire comics marketing chain, generally earning the least, and struggling the most.

There are those among us, myself included, who have managed to find ways to succeed, but in general, most comics dealers barely get by. Even the least successful comics dealers still deserve our thanks and respect, however, as they are they ones who are taking the risks to build our combined futures. Giving them the bum’s rush out of the convention that they built is criminal.

Chuck Rozanski is the President of Mile High Comics, the best comic store on the internet. Visit him at www.milehighcomics.com