Fading Glory

Today I thought I'd harsh every one's mellow and add my two cents to the biggest problem affecting the comic book industry today. Namely, readership. Stroytellingwise this maybe a golden age for comics. But, according to sales this may be one of the lowest points in comics. From my own observations the main reason that comics seem unable to add new readers in any significant way are twofold. the first one is distribution because of how the direct market mainly sells comics only to comic book retails unless you know where a comic book shop is you really can't get into reading comics. Now this wouldn't be that big of a problem if there were comic book shops in most neighborhoods, however this is not the case. Personally, since Free Time Comics (in Westminster) closed down and the Mile High Comics(in Thornton) moved, it has been quite hard for me to get my weekly comic book fix and that's without adding in the money woes that have been effecting everything as of late. At school (as I know for my comic book knowledge)I have been asked on quite a few occasion from classmates who really dig the movies based on our four color heroes. These folks regularly say to my that they dig the movies but don't know where to go to find comic books. Of course, when they do I give them the locations of several good comic book shops,and as far as I can tell they rearly go, part of the reason I feel is how intimidating walking into a comic shop could be if you are not already into them.
Which brings us to the other problem of pulling in new readers. Which is mainly editorially mandated strangeness and stories based on dense continuity. Stories like; Civil War and Final Crisis. though stories like these sell big with regular readers they do nothing to bring in new readers. Herein lies the problem. How do you generate bigger sales without adding readers? The quick answer is what the big two have been doing, you play to the base. Of course, the problem with this is that this strategy only works as long as there is a base. Part of the problem is also the variation between the books and the movies. Not to say the comics and movies should have the same continuity but, I could see how it is hard to reconcile the two when someone whom wants to read Spider man comics because they really dig the movie and after finding a comic book shop they get a new issue of Amazing Spider-man and there is no MJ even worse is their expected reaction when they ask someone they know who is into comics why there's no MJ in the book and you a forced to tell them about Brand New Day and it's satanic divorce. I'm sure it hasn't helped when I've been asked about it that the first thing out of my mouth is... UGH! Just like in politics, if you want to be successful in entertainment. You can't simple play to the base. If for no other reason, a base that is not adding anybody new is that humans are mortal and as such if you never adding one new your movement or business will only decline.