The Comprehensive Study on the Collapse of the Western Comic Book Industry and the Rise of Manga

THE STATE OF THE COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY

• The comic book industry, particularly Western giants like Marvel and DC, has been facing significant struggles, which were exacerbated by the pandemic of $2020$.
• Even companies like Dark Horse Comics, while not as prominent as Marvel or DC, are among the top publishers in the West and are facing similar downturns.
• A significant trend is the decoupling of live-action success from comic book sales. Despite the massive popularity of superhero movies and television adaptations, comic book sales have not increased; instead, they have experienced a decline. Viewership of films does not automatically translate into the purchase of source material.
• Financial snapshots of top companies (revenue figures that may appear substantial but are considered underwhelming for the industry's scale):
  • Dark Horse Comics: $30 \text{ Million}$.
  • DC Comics: $300 \text{ Million}$.
  • Marvel Comics: over $500 \text{ Million}$.
  • Image Comics: Holds approximately $7.9\%$ of the market share, with an estimated revenue of $79 \text{ Million}$.
• For comparison with the broader publishing world, Penguin Random House is valued at $3 \text{ Billion}$ and Hachette Group at $2 \text{ Billion}$. Marvel Comics, despite its cultural omnipresence and ownership by Disney, has not reached the $1 \text{ Billion}$ sales milestone.

CAUSES OF THE INDUSTRY COLLAPSE

• Product Quality: A major factor in the sales drop, specifically within Marvel Comics, is the physical quality of the books. Issues included the use of cheap paper and ink that would rub off on readers' fingers, while still charging a retail price of $4 \text{ USD}$.
• The Retail Experience: Despite the accessibility of digital comics, $80\%$ of sales still occur in physical retail stores. Stan Lee famously compared comic books to breasts, stating, "Comic Books are like boobs. You love looking at them but you want to hold them." This highlights the tactile and experiential preference of collectors.
• Business Management Issues: Many comic book stores are opened by enthusiasts out of passion rather than business acumen. This lack of professional management often leads to debt and store closures, a common occurrence in the arts.
• Historical Precedent: Walt Disney faced similar challenges in his early career but eventually prioritized the business side of his art to ensure its survival.
• Diversification for Survival: Many comic book stores no longer survive on comics alone. They have had to pivot to selling toys and anime-related merchandise to remain financially viable.

THE IMPACT OF THE 2020 PANDEMIC

• The $2020$ pandemic significantly worsened the industry's existing decline.
• Author-Fan Disconnect: During this period, some political comic book artists exhibited hostility toward their audience, telling fans "don't buy my comics" or engaging in name-calling.
• Lockdowns and Foot Traffic: Non-essential businesses, such as comic book stores, were forced to close. This eliminated the foot traffic essential for the industry's $80\%$ retail-dependent sales model.
• Failure of Online Infrastructure: While stores were closed, the industry attempted to rely on online sales, which unfortunately account for less than $10\%$ of total comic book revenue, failing to offset the losses from physical retail.

IDEOLOGICAL PRESSURES AND MARKET DISPARITY

• Forced Inventory: Comic book store owners report being pressured to order titles focused on diversity or LGBTQ characters, even if there is no local demand for them. Failure to stock these items often results in insults or negative labeling of the store owner.
• Sales Performance: Despite the social pressure to stock them, many LGBTQ and feminist-oriented comics perform poorly. Some feminist titles fail to sell even $10,000$ copies.
• The Manga Alternative: When comic book stores face bankruptcy due to poor sales of mainstream Western titles, they often turn to selling manga and anime, which consistently outperform Western comics in the current market.

THE "MARY SUE" PROBLEM AND POLITICAL AGENDAS

• The Mary Sue Concept: The industry faces criticism regarding character writing, particularly with "Captain Marvel." Critics, including those like Max Landis (@Uptomyknees), have described the film adaptation as a "fan fic movie with a Mary Sue as the main character."
• Ideology vs. Entertainment: A core issue identified is the shift from satisfying readers to trying to "convince and convert" them to a specific political ideology. This is cited as a reason for the failure of the Disney Star Wars era.
• Brainwashing vs. Storytelling: Readers frequently check out of stories when they feel they are being brainwashed. While works like "V for Vendetta" contain political statements, they are viewed as a cohesive story rather than a propaganda tool or an agenda-driven conversion attempt.
• The Escape Factor: Primarily, comic book readers seek entertainment and an escape from the political tensions of North America and Western Europe rather than being told how to think.

MANGA AS THE DOMINANT ALTERNATIVE: THE DEMON SLAYER PHENOMENON

• International Success: "Demon Slayer" alone has sold $150 \text{ million}$ copies, whereas the entire American comic book industry combined has only sold approximately $15 \text{ million}$ units.
• Philosophy of Creation: Japanese manga artists attribute success to story quality and "fan service." This contrasts with the Western industry approach, where creators often blame and attack fans for declining sales.
• Growth of Demon Slayer Sales:
  • April $2019$ (Anime premiere): $3.5 \text{ million}$ copies.
  • October $2019$ (Vol. $17$): $12 \text{ million}$ copies.
  • December $2019$ (Vol. $18$): $25 \text{ million}$ copies.
  • February $2020$ (Vol. $19$): $40 \text{ million}$ copies.
  • May $2020$ (Vol. $20$): $60 \text{ million}$ copies.
  • July $2020$ (Vol. $21$): $80 \text{ million}$ copies.
  • October $2020$ (Vol. $22$): $100 \text{ million}$ copies.
  • December $2020$ (Vol. $23$): $120 \text{ million}$ copies.
• Market Anomalies: In the West, it is extremely rare for a comic to reach $1 \text{ million}$ sales. Even flagship titles like "Batman" rarely achieve this, making the numbers for manga like "Demon Slayer" an unprecedented anomaly in comparison.

COMPARATIVE SALES DATA (NOVEMBER 2019 - NOVEMBER 2020)

Top Western Comic Book Sales (Estimated Units):

1. Wolverine #1 (Marvel): $196,441$ units (Price: $7.99 \text{ USD}$).
2. Wonder Woman #750 (DC): $168,632$ units (Price: $9.99 \text{ USD}$).
3. Thor #1 (Marvel): $163,210$ units (Price: $4.99 \text{ USD}$).
4. Spider-Woman #1 (Marvel): $142,089$ units (Price: $4.99 \text{ USD}$).
5. Star Wars #1 (Marvel): $97,053$ units (Price: $4.99 \text{ USD}$).
6. X-Men #4 (Marvel): $93,342$ units (Price: $3.99 \text{ USD}$).
7. X-Men #6 (Marvel): $92,287$ units (Price: $3.99 \text{ USD}$).
8. Batman #91 (DC): $88,735$ units (Price: $3.99 \text{ USD}$).
9. Batman #90 (DC): $87,385$ units (Price: $3.99 \text{ USD}$).
10. Flash #750 (DC): $82,432$ units (Price: $7.99 \text{ USD}$).
11. X-Men #5 (Marvel): $82,364$ units (Price: $3.99 \text{ USD}$).
12. Batman #86 (DC): $80,053$ units (Price: $4.99 \text{ USD}$).
13. X-Men #7 (Marvel): $77,715$ units (Price: $4.99 \text{ USD}$).
14. Thor #2 (Marvel): $75,988$ units (Price: $3.99 \text{ USD}$).
15. X-Men #8 (Marvel): $75,080$ units (Price: $3.99 \text{ USD}$).

Top Manga Sales (Estimated Units):

1. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Koyoharu Gotouge): $82,345,447$.
2. Kingdom (Yasuhisa Hara): $8,251,058$.
3. ONE PIECE (Eiichiro Oda): $7,709,667$.
4. Haikyu!! (Haruichi Furudate): $7,212,099$.
5. Jujutsu Kaisen (Gege Akutami): $6,702,736$.