Just realized most people at the convention don't actually read the comics

I was at Emerald City Comic Con last month and it hit me how many people just buy variant covers or follow movie news. They know the character names but can't tell you a single story arc from the last five years. It matters because it turns collecting into just buying stuff, not caring about the actual stories. How many books from your pull list did you actually read this month?

3 comments

3 Comments

rose_hart313mo ago

But it gets them in the door.

grant_perry14d ago

I flipped through a guy's bag at my LCS last month and he had five identical Batman #149 covers that weren't even the A cover they're the B cover with the plain white background. He couldn't name two Batman villains that aren't Joker or Bane. That's not "getting them in the door" that's just treating the door like a vending machine for cardboard rectangles. If the story doesn't hook them after they grab that variant, they're just gonna stand in the store holding a sealed bag and leave. It's like buying a concert ticket for the t-shirt booth and never hearing a single song.

tylerw923mo ago

I used to think it was fine if people just liked the merch. Then I saw a guy at my local shop buy three copies of the same Spawn #300 variant, all still sealed. He didn't know the current story at all. That made me realize the story is what makes the character worth following, not just the cover art. Now I make sure to read everything on my list, even if it's just a few books a week.