10 Things Everyone Always Gets Wrong About Comic Books

10. That The Industry Is 'Dying'

Almost every single year, fans tend to prophesies the death of the comics industry. So the old argument goes, sales are declining every year and, sooner or later, Marvel and DC will just stop publishing books altogether. The actual reality, however, couldn't be further from these claims, with the industry arguably in one of its healthiest positions in years.

There are genuine issues, and it's doubtful that the industry will ever approach the numbers generated by the speculator boom of the nineties, but it's by no means apocalyptic. 2019 has already gotten off to a great start, and although the direct market is prone to the occasional stutter, sales in trade paperbacks and collections rose as much as 5% this February, a healthy increase on the same time last year, and with the increasing profile of the MCU, it's likely that more and more viewers will turn into readers as the years go on.

Again, there are genuine issues: the direct market is archaic, while local comic book shops are struggling as chain stores and the likes of Amazon move in; Marvel and DC have also struggled to promote their books effectively over the years, leaving it to creatives to pick up the slack when books can often live or die on just a couple of issues. There's also an issue with the overall affordability of comics themselves, with prices seemingly rising every year, and this all contributes to the sense that comics are fairly inaccessible.

Of course, there are also those who seem to claim that the industry is on its knees as a result of the big two's burgeoning commitment to diversify their stories, but that literally could not be any further from the truth. Comics are for everyone, and those who perpetuate that myth are incapable of understanding the value of representation, especially when it's proven that comic book readers span various genders, sexualities, races and ages.