When you’re surrounded by so much noise and uncertainty, it’s nice to get confirmation that certain Laws of Nature still hold. Today, we’ll look at three recent examples that confirm success is (almost) guaranteed when you follow the Golden Rule of Success in Comics – Transformers, Thundercats, and Ultimate Spider-Man.
Read the rest of the newsletter: https://comicalopinions.substack.com/p/the-golden-rule-of-success-in-comics
What is the Golden Rule of Success in Comics?
Remove the “in Comics” part, and the Golden Rule we’re talking about is the same as the Golden Rule of Business. The rule applies to whatever product you’re trying to sell, whether it’s umbrellas, shoelaces, multi-million dollar mansions, or even comic books. Put simply the Golden Rule is this:
Give customers what they ALREADY want, where they ALREADY are, at a FAIR price.
The rule sounds simple enough because it is. Unfortunately, people and companies who struggle with sales violate all or part of this rule, which is why they struggle. If you break the rule down into its most fundamental components, you get three factors.
Factor 1
Give customers what they already want. Contrary to what any pundit or creator says, you can’t make a comic reader want something they don’t already want. You can’t make a comic character popular, you can’t make a story arc a hit, and you can’t entice someone into an LCS… UNLESS the reader already has a desire for that character, arc, or LCS.
If you want to sell a lot of comics, you have to make a comic that appeals to the widest swath of people. When it comes to maximizing sales, your personal story themes and character preferences are 100% irrelevant. Make what the readers will buy, not what you want them to buy. It’s a subtle difference that makes all the difference in the world.
Factor 2
Get the comic to customers where they ALREADY are. There’s an old but true sales & marketing axiom that states the best place to open a hamburger stand is next to a crowd of hungry people. Therefore, the best place to market and sell a comic is wherever readers who already want your comic hang out. The Hollywood fable of “Build it, and they will come” is just that, a fable. It’s make-believe that never works.
If the readers who already want your comic are on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/etc, start posting to all the right groups with all the right hashtags.
If readers who already want your comic hang out at ComicCons, load up a duffle bag or backpack and wander the convention halls with a sign that says, “Buy this comic because you already like ‘XYZ’.”
You go where they are and make your presence known loud and clear. Never wait for them to come to you.
Factor 3
Sell customers the comic they already want at a fair price. Don’t give it away, unless you’re confident enough that one issue will get them to come back for more. Don’t charge them a cover price that will fund the next three issues and a trip to the Bahamas.
The idea is to build a steady, growing readership. If you rely on whales (a few fans with deep pockets), you’re putting yourself in a risky position. Experiment with prices, zero in on a range that strikes a balance between value and affordability, and be unapologetic about asking for payment when you know the readers are getting a good deal.
The trick here is to always ensure you’re giving equal or better value for the cover price.
Three Recent Examples
You could see it coming from a mile away. Here are three recent examples that adhere to the rule with unsurprising success to show for it.
First, Dynamite Comics announced their first order volume for Thundercats #1 has exceeded 100,000 copies. For a mid-sized publisher like Dynamite, that’s an absolute win.
How did Dynamite reach such an impressive number? Dynamite acquired the license to a popular property (what readers ALREADY want), they pushed news about the forthcoming comic on every media channel they could, such as email, press releases, and social media (where they ALREADY are), and the first issue is priced in line with a typical comic on LCS shelves (at a FAIR price).
Admittedly, calling the state of modern comics pricing “fair” is debatable, so we’ll settle for consistency with the average.
Second, Image Comics has gained significant placement on the ICv2 monthly sales rankings and an increase in market share for Q3 of 2023. The rankings climb and the market share increase are due almost entirely to the acquisition and successful use of Hasbro licenses, which include Transformers and G.I. Joe.
Through Hasbros’s licensing, Image created kick ass Transformers comics (what readers ALREADY want), advertised the availability of those comics with Daniel Warren Johnson as the creative force behind the first arc on every marketing channel available (where they ALREADY are), and delivered a high-quality product at a competitive (read: FAIR) price.
Lastly, Marvel this week released their rebooted take on Spider-Man within the Ultimates Universe in Ultimate Spider-Man #1. Jonathan Hickman’s take on the character gives Peter Parker his powers at the not-so-tender age of 35 when he’s married to MJ and his two children.
As you can imagine, sales are through the roof. Why? Spider-Man fans have been clamoring for Peter and MJ to be reunited under the hand of a competent writer (what readers ALREADY want), Marvel has hyped the release of this issue with the promised reunion since the beginning of Q3 2023 in every email, press release, and social media channel (where they ALREADY are), and the oversized issue is consistent with the oversized page count (read: FAIR).
Whether or not Marvel can hold onto the fanbase remains to be seen (see my review of the issue by clicking on the link below), but no one can argue with the initial sales results.
Review of Ultimate Spider-Man #1: https://weirdsciencemarvelcomics.com/2024/01/10/ultimate-spider-man-1-review/
Selling Is Simple If You Obey The Golden Rule
Put another way, if you’re trying to gain interest and sales for your comic, but it’s not happening, check the Golden Rule.
Do you know the readers you’re trying to attract and what they ALREADY want? And does your comic satisfy that existing want?
Do you know where your ideal readers hang out, and are you marketing effectively in that space?
Does your comic deliver equal or better value for the price you’re charging?
Comic creators are creatively minded, but if you want to sell your comic to as many people as possible, you have to get scientifically focused on your sales and marketing efforts. Check your efforts against the Golden Rule, and you can’t go wrong.
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