Comics don’t have a ‘diversity’ problem, they have a marketing problem

Okay, comic books DO have a diversity problem, but that”s a completely different article. And at least that”s a problem they”re working on. The marketing problem? Not so much.

In a recent article on Pop Culture Uncovered, Adam Frey posited that the lack of diverse comic books was the fault of the reader. After all, there were 38 titles out of the Top 200 comics last month that starred protagonists that aren”t straight white males. It”s just none of them are selling well*.

*The numbers from the article do not include digital sales, which are notoriously hard to nail down.

In the video above, I break down why that argument doesn”t hold water. Basically, you can't keep marketing to entrenched comic book fans and expect your fan base to grow. You have to go where the market is, and the market is at Big Box Stores™. Comic book companies have to outgrow the direct market (comic book shops) and get back to their roots. Spinner racks full of dog-eared copies manhandled by children. 

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