the downfall of comic sales
Chuck Dixon, mostly known for writing many Batman books in the past 20 years, including 100+ Robin comics, has posted on his blog his thoughts on what caused the downfall of comic book sales in the 1960s: Fandom.
But the emphasis on superheroes, particularly in the light of the success of the Batman TV show in 1966, created something that had not previously existed to any large degree in comics before.
Fandom.
A fan base began to rise in support of superhero comics. They were passionate, dedicated and all-consumed. They ran off mimeographed fanzines which found a ready audience. Within years, off-set printed fanzines with color covers began to appear and form a kind of jungle telegraph for devotees. The Comics Buyers Guide came along not long after around which a network of fans and collectors coalesced.
But the emphasis on superheroes, particularly in the light of the success of the Batman TV show in 1966, created something that had not previously existed to any large degree in comics before.
Fandom.
A fan base began to rise in support of superhero comics. They were passionate, dedicated and all-consumed. They ran off mimeographed fanzines which found a ready audience. Within years, off-set printed fanzines with color covers began to appear and form a kind of jungle telegraph for devotees. The Comics Buyers Guide came along not long after around which a network of fans and collectors coalesced.