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“See my finger, see my thumb, see my genre, you better run!”
by beau Smith
Superhero Genre
BEAU FACT: The superhero genre has ruled our comic book world for decades. Sales-wise, it has been king sine the 1960s. It’ finally made it’s way to the film industry as well and will continue until there is a five year span of grapevine box office tankers.
Horror Genre
BEAU FACT: The horror genre has become the second most reputable source of genre sales. It was the controversy king in the 1950s with EC Comics, faltered a bit through the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, but since 2000 has made a strong comeback and unlike superhero comic books, it hasn’t been limited to just marvel and DC Comics.
Crime Genre
BEAU FACT: The crime genre seems to fall into third place within comic books. crime seems to find a better home within the non-Marvel and DC publishing houses. crime comics are also easier to become vital darlings within independent publishers and with the limited comic book online media. higher profile crime comics seem to come from former marvel and DC writers that find crime their chance to “make their own movie” within the printed pages of comics. You can usually sense what crime films and novels have influenced them when you read their crime comics.
Science Fiction Genre
BEAU FACT: The science fiction genre once held the same sales and popular platform as horror comics in the 1950s and 60s. A lot of this was due to the success of science-fiction films in the 1950s and early 60s. Pre-50s there was also a substantial sub-culture movement of sci-fi novels that influenced and inspired many now iconic writers. As the comic book market narrowed in the 1960s, sci-fi comics were also slimmed down in popularity and production. now days you can still find some good sci-fi as it comes in under the guise of horror.
Western Genre
BEAU FACT: The western genre, which once thrived in the 1940s and 50s when anything with cowboys were enormous hits in novels, films, TV, and comic books, took the biggest nose dive in popularity and sales. part of the quick spiral was due to the fact that most westerns of the past were based on a more wholesome story base. The 60s began to kick out the boy scout and embrace the more R-rated anti-hero. That didn’t seem to transfer too well in the field of comic books. now and then you’ll see a fine western pop up in comic books, but it’s rare. most of those are written off as old fashioned before given a chance or a read. A loss for both the readers and the publishers. I feel that unlike war comics, which is a constant reality and still happening, the western is America’s mythology based on history. The stories and character dramas in westerns have only been slightly tapped and have the most potential of all genres today. Cops are the modern day cowboys in fiction, but that doesn’t mean that the genre can’t be saddled up and come out of the sunset and into our reader’s minds once more.
War Genre
BEAU FACT: The war genre comics has managed to stay with us because there are always wars going on, big and small. The true power of war comics were stoked of course from world war II. Not since the Revolutionary war had there been such a fire in patriotism. That fueled war comics for a very long time. Yes, today we still have the occasional war comic book, more are based out of respect for WWII, but modern writers tend to put their own fictional spin on most war comics published. With a series of smaller, less mass backed wars since the Korean War, readers seem to want to escape the “ripped from today’s headlines” approach of modern war story comics. They prefer escapism.
Romance Genre
BEAU FACT: The romance genre, once popular with girls only, back in the 40s through 60s, has morphed in the passing of decades. The soap opera of romance has gradually, and with stealth, worked its way into all forms of comic books. marvel Comics really made this happen in the 1960s when it filled it’s superhero comics, such as incredible Spider-Man and The wonderful four with loads of drama, love triangles, and scorned love. Soon, almost all publishers caught on and injected romance and soap opera into their characters and stories in one form or another. Today with smaller independent publishers you’ll find stories of social outcasts rebuffed by cheerleaders and jocks in a coffee shop world of depression and sadness, where your horned rimmed glasses will find you true love and mutual respect for computer code. The nerd you were in high school got you beat up, the hipster you are now will get your laid and make you a social network mogul. romance is in the air and online. A fine example of how you can successfully mix two genres and come up with a winner that captures all genders is The walking Dead. Both the comic book and the TV show are a soap opera with zombies, guys and girls both love it and have something that appeals to them on all sorts of levels. Granted, it’s not for kids, but it never said it was.
Humor Genre
BEAU FACT: The humor genre has taken a very strange turn. once the base for young readers to springboard into older readers has almost disappeared. It’s murky water now. What a causal shopper may see and pick up for their young kid may end up being some twisted, semi-cartoon porn. even once “safe” superhero comics could be a minefield of cuss words, sex and brain eating violence you don’t really want your 6 year old reading or seeing. There IS a place for “funny books”. There is lots of money and future readers to be had with funny books. just as in the toy business, there will always be a market for Fisher-Price style toys for kids, the same could be said for comic books. little kids don’t have a bias towards entertainment yet. They want fun in bright colors and loud noises. They want something they can try and draw on paper or an iPad. It can be wholesome, something they can learn from and it can also be escapism where good clobbers bad. We as creators and publishers just need to produce it for them and find a way for them to see it.
I’ve got more beau Facts On Comics to share with you but we’ll have to save them for another time. Please ponder and comment on the ones I’ve listed today and we’ll talk among ourselves and comment on just how smart I really think I am.
After all, isn’t that the reason for this column? beau Fact: It is in MY world. let me rent you some space.
Your egomaniacal amigo,
Beau Smith
The flying Fist Ranch
www.flyingfistranch.com