Are comic books really at risk?

February 20, 2009

Here's an odd but interesting scrap of info picked up by RadarOnline: The growing popularity of e-books could mean the demise of the comic book.

Or at least that's what DC Comics executive John Cunningham is reported to have told a panel in New York. "If 10% of the readers migrate to an e-device, that is gonna throw off the economics for 60% of the [comic] books that are published in this country," according to Cunningham.

The RadarOnline piece also quotes Advertising Age, which suggests that although the sales of graphic novels are currently growing, they are expected to decline as more readers turn to online content using their iPhones and Kindles.

Comic books publishers like Marvel and DC Comics will remain "merchandising powerhouses," predicts RadarOnline, but they'll no longer be printing and delivering comics.