Arizona's biggest comic store chain closes.

[Will Nolte]

Is this a sign that the print industry is dead thanks to digital or just the bad economy...or both?

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/08/arizonas-atomic-comics-chain-shuts-down/

 

[fracture2112]

Damn, that sucks. I always wanted to go there.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

A little bit from column-A, a little bit from column-B.

Although the comic industry has been in decline long before the greater actual print industry.

Comic shops have been closing in my area like crazy for the past decade. Now I have one of those alternative, hipster stores Newbury Comics which survives because only 5% of it is a comic store (and usually just mainstream Marvel and DC stuff) with the rest of the store selling college posters, shirts with *****y sayings, magazines, DVDs and music. Or I can drive 30 minutes to the nearest New England comics store. In any event, I rarely shop for comics these days because it's such a hassle. Just order TPBs online, so I'm probably part of the problem. This is nonetheless a sad story.

I think superheroes will endure the next generation, but I'm afraid it will be mostly within the realm of movies and online digital comics. I could see DC and Marvel going completely under within the next two decades or so if things don't turn around.

 

[amazingfantasy15]

Damn that sucks! I moved to Phoenix about 6 months ago and started getting my comics at one of their locations since it was right down the street. I checked out two other stores, but didn't like either of them. This might just be the thing that makes me stop buying comics all together. Seems like a perfect point since all I was really getting was DC and Ultimate stuff and both those lines are rebooting.

 

[tzarinna]

Wow, what a shame.

 

[8wid]

Well all of print is dying and will be gone by the end of the decade. This is just the beginning as comics go digital format.

 

[Figs]

The day print goes out is when I stop buying. I guess it's just the collector nerd in me, but I like actually having a hardbound copy of my novels in my room. Straining your eyes to read off one of those touch pad screens is bull ****.

 

[amazingfantasy15]

The day print goes out is when I stop buying. I guess it's just the collector nerd in me, but I like actually having a hardbound copy of my novels in my room. Straining your eyes to read off one of those touch pad screens is bull ****.

Yeah, there's now way I'm converting to digital. I just can't get behind it, it's just not the same.

 

[Figs]

Yeah, there's now way I'm converting to digital. I just can't get behind it, it's just not the same.

Glad I'm not the only one.

Although I recently stopped buying comics, I still buy novels and I won't be happy if print really does die out completely.

 

[Will Nolte]

Atomic isn't the only store to go under recently. I live up in Scottsdale, used to have a shop right across the street from me that lasted a couple years, Comic Zone. It was Scottsdale's ONLY comic shop, it didn't last either.

It sucks where the print industry is going. Look at the recent stuff with Borders. I am a professional Graphic Designer and I have worked for print shops. Lately I have found it hard to find work and have stopped buying the books all together cause I can't justify driving down to Tempe every week to go to my old shop, Ash Ave Comics, from my days at ASU.

@ JJJ's Ulcer, Atomic was like Newbury. They sold Tshirts, toys, posters, and more. They had a pretty good selection of hard to find alternate covers due to the high volume they ordered every week (it is easy to meet Diamond's minimums when you are ordering for 4 stores).

Another thing that is killing the industry: Diamond's monopoly. Store owners won't talk about it because of their fear of losing their ability to stock product, but really Diamond's monopoly needs to be broken up. It really amazes me that the Federal Gov't allows this to happen, it is clearly a violation of Federal Law.

 

[Teelie]

Well all of print is dying and will be gone by the end of the decade. This is just the beginning as comics go digital format.

That's a touch of hyperbole. Print won't die out. It will never die out. However it is in a decline and the extravaggences of older times are now coming back to bite many a retailer and publisher in the backside.

Comics will go on I'm sure even if in a digital format but it is a sad day to be sure. I used to collect comics and had a decent collection at one point but long story short is I lost it when I moved several years back. Still a bit bitter about that.

 

[Wolf Boy]

Comic book shops have always been a rare thing here [Australia]. We used to have one really big one called Phantom Zone which was cool, and a few other smaller ones back in the late 90's, but they've since closed and now we only have a couple in Sydney, King Comics being the main one. The rest are so small and usually smell of piss.

There is one REALLY cool one in Melbourne called MINATOR [sp?], only ever saw it once, but i loved it. Heaps of items.

 

[Raiden]

A little bit from column-A, a little bit from column-B.

Although the comic industry has been in decline long before the greater actual print industry.

Comic shops have been closing in my area like crazy for the past decade. Now I have one of those alternative, hipster stores Newbury Comics which survives because only 5% of it is a comic store (and usually just mainstream Marvel and DC stuff) with the rest of the store selling college posters, shirts with *****y sayings, magazines, DVDs and music. Or I can drive 30 minutes to the nearest New England comics store. In any event, I rarely shop for comics these days because it's such a hassle. Just order TPBs online, so I'm probably part of the problem. This is nonetheless a sad story.

I think superheroes will endure the next generation, but I'm afraid it will be mostly within the realm of movies and online digital comics. I could see DC and Marvel going completely under within the next two decades or so if things don't turn around.

I doubt Marvel and DC will ever go under, since they are both part of a huge media conglomerate now. I think both companies will probably focus their resources on other areas aside from printed comics for revenues in the near future, and Marvel in particular has really been pushing their digitial comics through apps and online. Superheroes can survive in mediums other than comics, but it is still sad to see the traditional printing form slowly going to the way of the dinosaurs.

 

[Wolf Boy]

With DC and Marvel establishing their own movie companies now, i'm sure their raking in more money than EVER with just films.

 

[Scourge2099]

I don't think my local comic shop is closing anytime soon. They make a lot selling Magic : The Gathering cards and they sell dvds and shirts now.

 

[Ponyboy]

Print won't die out. It will never die out.

I guess you've never seen "The Road."

 

[Teelie]

Actually I have. Doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly doubt the future is illiteracy and a lack of printed word.

 

[Ponyboy]

It's was a joke, hence the

I don't believe print will ever die either, but I do see sales of comics declining...

 

[SuperFerret]

A little bit from column-A, a little bit from column-B.

Although the comic industry has been in decline long before the greater actual print industry.

Comic shops have been closing in my area like crazy for the past decade. Now I have one of those alternative, hipster stores Newbury Comics which survives because only 5% of it is a comic store (and usually just mainstream Marvel and DC stuff) with the rest of the store selling college posters, shirts with *****y sayings, magazines, DVDs and music. Or I can drive 30 minutes to the nearest New England comics store. In any event, I rarely shop for comics these days because it's such a hassle. Just order TPBs online, so I'm probably part of the problem. This is nonetheless a sad story.

I think superheroes will endure the next generation, but I'm afraid it will be mostly within the realm of movies and online digital comics. I could see DC and Marvel going completely under within the next two decades or so if things don't turn around.

Irony in red.

I'm honestly more interested in the superhero mythos than I am in comics and general, so this doesn't bother me particularly.

Print dying, however, worries me, specifically when I have a hard time reading on a screen. (That said, I may be joining the enemy, as I'm looking into publishing my children's book as an e-book, though this is mostly due to convenience.)

 

[Will Nolte]

Comic book shops have always been a rare thing here [Australia]. We used to have one really big one called Phantom Zone which was cool, and a few other smaller ones back in the late 90's, but they've since closed and now we only have a couple in Sydney, King Comics being the main one. The rest are so small and usually smell of piss.

There is one REALLY cool one in Melbourne called MINATOR [sp?], only ever saw it once, but i loved it. Heaps of items.

I remember visiting Perth in Western Aus back in 2001-2002 when I went on my first Navy deployment...I wandered around and didn't know where I was. I was on some main street somewhere and I found a huge comic shop that was in the basement of some building. It was pretty cool, found some issues of New Warriors v1 I had been looking for that I couldn't find Stateside.

 

[Teelie]

It's was a joke, hence the

I don't believe print will ever die either, but I do see sales of comics declining...

Oddly, I don't see a wink in the previous post.

 

[tzarinna]

Oddly, I don't see a wink in the previous post.

Check the thread title in his post.

 

[Teelie]

Oh, totally missed it up there.

 

[zanos]

How on earth did someone make enough money selling comic books to have FOUR stores?! In any case, Mike Malve didn't lose his business due to comic book sales going down. I'd be shocked if his business didn't rely alot more heavily on toys than it did worthless comic books.

 

[Ponyboy]

Oh, totally missed it up there.

That's okay, apology accepted.