The NY Times business section has a deep dive on Bendis taking over Superman. To my memory, this is one of the biggest spotlights the paper has given to a single comics creator in a long time (usually they do trend pieces that spotlight several characters and the creators attached, instead of just a piece on what one particular writer or artist will do).
Here it is, under their intentionally provocative headline:
From that story, I also appreciated this quote and context from John Jackson Miller, who I appreciated for countering the all too common 'Comics are dying!' hyperbole that I think comes from those who focus too narrowly on the Diamond numbers only, and exclude not only the digital business that we don't get to peer into, as well as the fact that, when it comes to Marvel and DC, at least, the business is paper comic books is a small part of the larger business they are in:
But as John Jackson Miller, a comic book writer and former trade magazine editor who tracks industry circulation for comichron.com, points out, the death of the medium is a myth — for now. From 2011 to 2016, there was intense growth in sales across print and digital — largely because of individual comic books acting as a serial outlet for graphic novels. In 2016, sales in the industry hovered around $1.08 billion. And while numbers for last year are expected to show a decline in overall sales (most notably with Marvel), those numbers will still exceed $1 billion.
“Comics readers — the ones buying the monthly comics — are the focus group,” Mr. Miller said. “They are the ones with the early access fee to get into what’s going to be hot, what’s going to be in theaters, in video games, in Netflix shows.”
Comments
I had no clue Bendis was that sick, geez that is scary.
Here it is, under their intentionally provocative headline:
Can This Man Save Superman