35 years ago, a blizzard nearly ended DC Comics

SolitaireRose

The story is here.

The article talks about the quality of the comics not being up to par, but 1976 - 1979 was a VERY dark times for comics. Marvel was losing millions of dollars annually, DC was selling behind Marvel, Atlas had opened up, stole away talent and then died quickly, Gold Key collapsed, Harvey went from being a huge seller to nearly non-existent...

But the blizzard made it so bad that comics didn't even get to the shelves, and the companies couldn't eat that many returns. In many ways, it was worse than the distributor collapses of the 50's and if not for the fledgling comic shops, the industry might have completely went away.

Weird that the storm was 35 years ago this week.

RickM

The DC explosion of 57 new titles in a four-year span -- I wonder what kind of data, if any, Kahn and her team used to project the profitability of this expansion. Maybe in those days you could sell a strategy on sheer enthusiasm, given the spotty data and the inefficiencies in the entire publishing and distribution systems. I can think of only one memorable title from that era: Mike Grell's Warlord. There may have been some good stuff in genres I wasn't reading like horror or fantasy, but for the most part, it was lame stories with bad art packaged in oddball titles. Marvel was also stretching itself thin, and launching a lot of comics that never made it past a year or two, but at least Marvel had a creative roster that could get some decent work out of the Buscemas, Starlin, Cockrum, Perez, Buckler, Byrne, Pollard, Kane, Colan, Russell and some others I'm forgetting. DC had Aparo, Dillin, Grell, Swan, Kubert and who else?

Comics are an odd business.

luckymustard

Wasn't Star Wars one of the things that kept Marvel going? (See other thread) Just too weird of a coincidence.

phansford

First - a couple of corrections. The Blizzard was 1978 (36 years ago) and it began on Thursday, January 26..

Mmmm… I think this is a bit of an exaggeration. I was a junior in high school during the Blizzard of '78. I remember it pretty well. I think school was cancelled for 4 days. It only delayed shipping (all things…. not just comics) by a few days. We were out and about within two days once the roads got cleared - albeit using the neighbor's Jeep. Sure…. things got delayed, but its a huge exaggeration to say that DC comics nearly ended due to the storm. Back then, spinner racks were filled on Tuesdays and Thursdays. (Remember, the storm was on a Thursday) The same local distributor that handled magazines handled comics. I don't remember this being a real issue and by the following week, comics were in the racks and at the "specialty shops." None of us missed any issues due to comics being delayed a few days. Things were pretty much up and running by the following Tuesday.

As a point of reference…. I grew up in a small town about 20 miles north of Dayton, Ohio. I remember waking up to go to school….. and my Dad was still home. He worked at a slaughter house and he was usually out the door by 5:30…. if not earlier. So I knew something was up when he was home. We had no power and Dad was listening to a little AM radio. You couldn't see more than a few feet when you looked out the window. Snow was drifted up against the doors to the house. Later the first day, once the major winds had passed, I pushed my way out the back door where the drift was only a couple of feet. I shoveled our front door clear and visited with our neighbors.

Interestingly enough, I came across a couple newspapers my parents saved about the Blizzard of '78. (I am unfortunately having to clear out my parent's house as my Mom has moved to an assisted living facility). I'll have to read them before I donate them to the local history library.

CaptShazam

phansford said:

First - a couple of corrections. The Blizzard was 1978 (36 years ago) and it began on Thursday, January 26..

As a point of reference…. I grew up in a small town about 20 miles north of Dayton, Ohio. .

What town was it? I grew up in Springfield. Of course, i was a little under 2 months old during the blizzard of 78. I have seen pictures of my dad shoveling a mountain of snow.

luckymustard

In January of '78 I was 18 months old and in Cincinnati.

Greg

I was five when the blizzard happened. We lived in a mobile home court and our trailer was at the bottom of a small hill. The snow drifted up over the back end. I bugged my parents so bad to let me go outside and as my punishment, they let me.

I jumped out the back door and and found myself stuck shoulders deep in the drift. My feet weren't touching the ground and I couldn't get out. That's when my dad broke out the camera.

RickM

As an 8th grade comic addict in 1978, I clearly remember the blizzard but I also don't remember much problem keeping my runs of mainstream superhero titles intact. It could be the case that I had to wait two extra weeks for an issue of The Avengers, or maybe I missed some issues completely, but that was the nature of collecting in the days before comic shops. I don't remember months of empty spinner racks or anything like that.

Overall, I think DC was struggling in the 70s, and Marvel was also having a tough time. Distribution was but one of many problems for the comic producers. It was a rough period of declining sales and creative stagnation, and the direct market hadn't yet hit its stride.

phansford

CaptShazam said:

What town was it? I grew up in Springfield. Of course, i was a little under 2 months old during the blizzard of 78. I have seen pictures of my dad shoveling a mountain of snow.

I'm from Troy. My wife is from Springfield.

Krescan

It was the prophetic telling of what was to come.

My 36th birthday is in a couple weeks :O)