The storypaper returns! (or an updated penny dreadful)

[felneymike]

Nothing to do with the thread, but you've just given me inspiration for what to put on the front cover of my own comic when it eventually gets relaunched. Britannia fighting off giant clutching hands labelled "greedy retailers", "ignorant editors", "bad press" etc...

[dreamticket]

I think the format may well have been the right size and price if I could have got them in shops (cheap and handy for the back pocket on the bus). But unfortunately, the shops wouldn't even consider that format. I'm about to publish an essay about British comic shops and how they have multiple copies of Hawk & Dove/GI Joe they will never sell but completely sell out of Strip and never stock the Beano. I think they're making a big mistake. Anyway more on that to come.

It's just a thought, but have you tried approaching any continental European comic shops? Might also be an idea checking out the possibilities offered by some of the larger continental conventions -- there are always plenty of indie creators and smallpress represented at them.

[starscape]

Thanks. I have been doing this for a number of years now (the first Starscape, featuring reprints of the Leopard from Lime Street, came out in 2003). Although conferences can be exciting and fun on the odd occasion, you do eventual realise that 'breaking even' usually means paying for the table, not travel or accommodation. Only when I was selling US/UK comics, did I actually profit on the whole thing.

Not that I'm having a go at small press but, hopefully, I've moved on from that. With some of the previous work having sold into four figures, selling the odd 50 by mail order, then doubling that at festivals, but losing out via hotels, transport and table costs, is not something I'm interested in doing regularly. I've already written my thoughts on distribution. It depends what your comic is for.

In the case of the Storypaper, it was an attempt at mass-market appeal, rather than fanfiction, vanity press or trying out ideas. The choice is then between a few small press readers (where superheroes/sci-fi/fantasy isn't the main interest - for instance, how many people mourning the loss of storypapers or British comics on this forum actually buy any small press?*) or hundreds of thousands (yep, really) of web readers, plus collected print editions, it seems a fairly obvious choice.

It's a real shame but if shops, distributors and readers won't support British comics, there seems little chance of bringing them back. Unless anyone can think of any other reasonable strategy...?

Chris

*by the way, I know some of you do, and thanks for that, whether you're buying mine or not. The talent is there (my favourite? Grant Springford - see theabnormals.co.uk), the companies and readers are not.