I've put this off for too long

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The problem is you need a plan for how to fix shit.

Whilst Marvel and DC DID fuck up the Market, the markets are also dependant on them. Whats the plan to fix them? Where do comics plan to go?

The Brick shops days are numbered unless something radical changes in public perception.
One thing I heard was lowering prices, making comics more a fun grab than a dedicated purchase. Maybe focus on efficient artwork. Less pizzaz but not ugly.

Maybe change the paper used?

Only things missing are events, crossovers, and hamfisted political commentary. Cheesecake is also mostly gone. Only mainstream books that have it are Harley Quinn titles and an odd title where Latino artist manages to sneak something tame in.

Unfortunately it looks like video is gone for good.
It also managed to piss multiple crowds for many different reasons. In addition to angry capefags you also had SJWs angry about the rape jokes.

Lowering prices would definitely help a lot. You usually have to pay at least $3.00 for about 20 minutes of entertainment when getting a comic book. Comics have to compete with films, tv, books, videogames, and internet - all of which provide more value per dollar.

Outside of the U.S., long running weekly and monthly series are usually black and white on a cheap paper. Color and high quality paper are generally reserved for alums that come out once a year or so, collections, and special editions. It keeps prices down, people are more likely to buy it on a whim, and TPBs offer more than lack of advertisements. Problem is that in the U.S. even most indies are terrified of going black and white

It should have been done long time ago. Glossy paper that's commonly in use today is absolutely horrid, and I would choose books printed on toilet paper instead if given an option. Cops and forensics should use that glossy abomination to collect fingerprints.

Back in the day, my old comic shop started carrying manga, and that did pretty well for them. No idea if sales kept up since then.

The standard Marvel/DC format is a terrible value proposition, and more people are willing to buy volumes for a reasonable price, so price could be an issue.

And as this guy says, they need their "Harry Potter." This is something that Japan does better, as they have both have weekly magazines like Shonen Jump that can afford to have a few experimental series, and a thriving doujin scene where popular indie artists can build their reputation and make it big. And shit like OPM where a people recognize that a webcomic is good and it gets picked up by a big label.

Writing this out makes me think the following: comic shops need to build their own indie scene and find local aspiring artists and work out a deal that's profitable for both of them. Maybe start selling smut as well. Give people a dedicated section of the store for truly independent works, let the artist front the publishing cost (maybe work with some company to get them a printing discount), and give them a cut of the profits. Supplement with content from webcomic creators (I know they're 99% shit, but so are cape comics.) Also local shops will likely still have to shut down in favor of chains like B&N or Animate in order to cut down on costs from unsold stock, since if you live in bumfuck nowhere as a corner shop, an unsold comic is a loss. If you're B&N, you can just bring it to another store where it actually sold. Add to that some good weekly zines, and you have components for a successful industry.

While paper seems like a good option, the cost difference is negligible compared to glossy.

A short while ago, Didio made the monumental declaration that the upcoming Dark Matter titles will ship with only ONE cover and hold the line at $2.99. That's a huge step forward for a mainstream publisher and shocking coming Didio.

As much as I hate to say it, DC is taking some steps to fix the nadir we're in, but it'll be for naught if Marvel doesn't follow suit and scale back their output.

I think this text box sums that up pretty well, especially since we have threads pop up doing exactly that.

Also thinking about it the Way Manga is written feels…better for its market at least. Like each new story chunk, you get feels more complete, denser. Even with Garbage like naruto.

I realized this when I purchased the First Dungeon Meshi collection released in the USA for my younger sister. All these chapters that felt so dense and good as standalone's, when collected together I realized how much value they had. It feels much more satisfying to purchase a booklet than it does a collection of comics unless its a self-contained story or massive like that Gotham Collection.
I'm not sure what will be required to make a thriving comics market in the USA. Also, I'm concerned with Piracy. As much as it's lampooned, a small vulnerable industry would be most vulnerable to this stuff.

When the Big two fall, promotion for anything indie will be incredibly difficult to find. Like I enjoyed the Chew Comics and Purchased them whole, but I would have never known it existed if I had never seen them in a comic shop thats 90% DC and marvel.

I would love a return to newsprint or whatever the old comic book paper was. I hate the glossy stuff – it reflects light, picks up fingerprints, and drives the cost up. I could get used to black & white art as standard. I certainly don't need computer effects like blurring and such. And I'd love it if the regular comics release was larger, rather than something I can read in ten minutes.

I thought the comic was funny.

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This was amusing, but most of the "parody" was just way too blunt for my taste.
and the ending/Media Interest Meter are the only things that actually got a chuckle out of me. I have a hard time blaming Powell for that, though, by virtue of what he was parodying. Generally, the best parodies are created by people who genuinely like the thing that they're poking fun at; it gives the parody a tone of fun and enthusiasm. But no one in their right mind likes cape comics in the state they've been in for the last couple decades. There's nothing there to really love, and as a consequence parodies like this one just feel dour and embittered. I think that feeling is what the current state of capes ought to inspire, but it just doesn't work well for a parody.

The problem is that if you made a genuine parody of modern capes, nobody would realize it's a farce.

The "Harry Potter" of comics will never come from the Direct Market though. It's way too over saturated for any quality book to succeed on it's own. I've seen good books die an early death because the mainstream publishers needed their five Batman books or their seven Spider-man titles.

Gwenpool will be one of them.

Saving from the porn spam

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The problem with an independent publisher is that distribution (at least physical) for comics is handled almost exclusively by Diamondback in the American market, so that would restrict their entry into said market.

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