By Rich Johnson
For generations, children were introduced to superheroes reading comic books. The classic “floppy” was sold at newsstands. That’s how I first learned these heroes. In fact, comics were the way my mother encouraged me to read.
My mother got divorced and as a single mother, she moved us with her mother’s grandmother. We didn’t have much money, but my mother gave me weekly allowances. I use my weekly cash to buy cartoons and candies.
There was a mom and pop grocery store across the street from the elementary school I attended. The store has a huge magazine rack, and the lower shelf stacked up comic books on the level of a child. The comics were 12 cents when I was growing up. Yes, I’m old. But that meant I could get nine comics for a dollar. 18 comics for $2. It was quite a transport!
I don’t remember exactly what my allowance is, but I remember walking out of the grocery store, which sometimes stacks of candy cartoons each week. Go home with Batman, Superman, Justice League, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lantern and Sergeant. Fury and his Howling Command, Archie, my greedy mitz. When I got home, I grabbed a bottle of pop (or soda as I’m calling it now) and rod pretzels, took my snacks and cartoons to the pouch, and ran away to the colorful pages. I bite the edge of the pretzel and pretend it was a sergeant. Fury cigars. It was heaven.
That world has been gone for a long time. Comics are no longer newsstands and cost over 12 cents. I wonder how kids are featured in superhero comics.
Over the years, comics have grown more and more. Superhero Comic Book Publishers, the rise of Direct Market, focused on publishing programs for adult audiences. Something like DC still publishes kids’ comics. It’s not so amazing.
However, over the past 20 years, children’s comics have exploded in the form of books by Trading Publishing. In 2005, Scholastic, a children’s publisher, launched Graphix, a trace of children’s graphic novels. They released their debut release Graphix Colored and Jeff Smith’s previous black and white comic bones. Five years later, they released Smile by Raina Telgemeier. Telgemeier has since sold millions of graphic novels around the world. Jeff Kinney (Wimpy Kid’s diary) and Dav Pilkey (the dog man) are also at the millions of copy sales club.
Other publishers such as First Second, PaperCutz, Harper Alley and Random House Graphics have also published graphic novels for children. These trade publishers now dominate the children’s comics market. Go to Google and type in “Comics for Kids” and you’ll see images of graphic novels aimed at kids, not just a bunch of flops. And definitely not a superhero comic.
Trust me, I’m happy to find the manga that kids want to read, but again, do you wonder where kids are discovering superheroes? Probably a movie or animation. DC has published Batman: The Adventures, based on a 1990s television show. These comics cost $3.99, and DC has released three collected edition trade paperbacks for $19.99 each. They are not shelved in the children’s graphic novel section like the Trading Publishing Company. They are in the adult graphic novel section.
Yes, I understand that there are many adults, including me who read Batman comics based on animated television shows. Originally, they were part of a line of children’s comics published by DC. Comic Line, Batman Adventure, Batman and Robin Adventure, Superman Adventure, Batman: Gotham Adventure, DC Universe Adventure, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans Go! and some cartoon network shows, including Power Puff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Samurai Jack, Scooby Doo, Looney Tunes, and more. All based on animated shows for kids. Again, adults also watch many of these shows, but they are targeting children.
In the growing book market, while working at DC, I wanted to publish these titles as digest-sized books for children. DC and Mad Magazine had a history of reducing comics and publishing them in book form. Since the 1950s, Mad has teamed up with Ballantine Books to release a pocket book of Mad Magazine content. Signet Publishers took over several releases. In the early 1970s, Warner’s book stepped up beyond 90 mud paperbacks and was published.
I also wanted to shrink like crazy again.
At the time there was a series of popular books called John Uncle’s Bathroom Reader. A big chunky book designed to help you fill in time while you’re in the bathroom. They printed the kind of stories you just found as you scroll on your phone. These books are 6 inches x 9 inches and are the perfect size while you’re in business. I thought Mud would make the perfect bathroom reader.
A few years ago, DC Comic released a crazy book. Under the imprint, we published quite a few crazy books, crazy 90s, Mud Gross books, crazy books about Mud TV, Mud, movies and more. The management and the mud editor loved the idea of reducing the book, and published their mud bathroom buddies. They were sold so well that they released three volumes in total. I then sold the reprint to Barnes and Noble Publishing, and they released a hardcover version of all three books combined for $9.99. They sold tens of thousands of this edition.
We also wanted to scale back the Big Book series, including Big Book of Urban Legends, Big Book of Criminal, and Big Book of Raid. Legendary DC editor Andy Helfer has created a large series of books, short works on rare topics printed in black and white. As I remember, some people were worried that the dialogue of the word balloon when it was reduced was too small, so the book never happened.
DC also has a history of publishing manga in small formats. In the 1960s and 1970s, DC licensed several black and white pocket books. In the 1960s, Signet published several Batman and Joker collections. The Paperback Library has published two pocket books in the Landmark Series by Neil Adams/Dennis O’Neill and Green Lantern/Green Arrow.
Why not try it out in the kids’ line with a miniature book and DC’s history succeeding in a smaller version of the comic? I first sold two titles in digest size to the Scholastic Book Fair, the Scooby-Doo Collection, and the Sergeant. Rock collection. I remember having to edit the Scooby Doo Book a bit. There was a line that Shaggy said. “Let’s split up like Roseanne’s pants.” Some of me thought the editing was ridiculous, but Roseanne ended years ago and the kids who bought this probably didn’t know who the comedian was. It was on a date with a book. The line that replaced it was “Let’s split it like a banana.” That worked.
Based on all this, I was constantly being asked by the librarian what we had for the kids, so I pitched to the power, a child’s digestive size book that collects comics from the children’s comic line. In January 2004, I published Batman Adventure: Shadows & Masks, a 112-page book. The 5-inch x 7.25-inch trim size is a cover price of $6.99. This has started a book line based on the children’s comics I mentioned earlier.
Sales were modest, but there were some hurdles that could have contributed to this. At the time, bookstores didn’t have a children’s graphic novel section. As a result, these books were shelved under middle school prose titles. Very often they sat next to intermediate novels about DC comic titles. The book was thin, so the spine was thin. These were commercialized spines and I got lost on the shelves.
We met with B&N Kids’ Book Buyer and Brian Monahan and his boss Jocelyn Moran, vice president for children about Digest Books. When she ran the book club, I knew Jocelyn from my time at Scholastic. When she ran the club, I was a sales representative for Scholastic. Jocelyn wanted to double the number of pages and charge a few more dollars for the book.
I was excited! I’ve put this back to DC, but its economics didn’t work for a variety of reasons. I had to tell B&N that I couldn’t respect their requests. This was an opportunity I missed. We continued on the line for a while, but in the end we had to finish it.
Now, 20 years later, DC is publishing a line of what is called the Compact Comics Edition. These are paperbacks with previously published titles in small trim sizes, 5.49 inches x 8.49. The quality of the paper is lower than the original collected editions of these titles, and to be honest, some books look a little darker. But they are easy to read and enjoyable. These are almost 400 pages and cover price is just $9.99! Batman: The long Halloween is 376 pages! Many of these titles have been published for decades and decades and have existed in multiple formats over the years. Hardcover edition, Trade Paperback, Deluxe Hardcover edition, Anniversary edition, Absolute edition, Paperback omnibus edition. DC had reclaimed money with these titles long ago.
I praise DC for this program. In fact, a standing ovation. Anyone who thinks about it should put on their backs, pay raises and paid leave. The fact that DC is affordable to win big titles and attract new readers is worthy of praise.
But why doesn’t the series have a child’s title? Because these books are still aimed at adults. Going to Amazon and Keys in Batman Adventures Book, the hardcover at the top of the list is the Batman Adventures omnibus, which retailed for $150. Children need a fairly large allowance for it. Also, the Classics Compendium – 25th anniversary edition of the Batman Beyond: Animated series costs $59.99. Plus, the Batman and Robin Adventures omnibus is $75.00.
So I have a request. Can I put some of my children’s books in DC Compact Comics Editions? I think retailers and libraries will jump on a big, thick Batman animation or Scooby-doo trade paperback that costs $9.99. Mass market accounts like Target and Walmart may bring them in. Can they take shots at Scholastic Book Club or Book Fair? I think so.
After all these years, why do I care? I still love superheroes. The days I spent on the porch made me a fan forever. The superhero comic was a childhood escape. They gave me hope and they gave me the idea that if you have that power, you should use it forever. Stan Lee said, “There’s a great deal of responsibility with great force.”
DC Comics lets kids read superhero comics. Maybe they’ve reached my age, still dreamed of reading them, going to films, accumulating collections of graphic novels, buying action figures, still dreaming of flying.
Rich Johnson works for Walden Book, Scholastic, DC Comics, Lion Forge and Diamond Book Distributor, and was a co-founder of Yenpress. He is currently the founder of publishing and media consulting firm Brick Road Media, LLC. He is an adjunct professor at both Drexel and Pace University, and is the author of four art books on Marvel comics in Space/Rezzoli, and has upcoming books in Inside Editions.
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