Is there a younger generation collecting comics? 3 3

[Xenosmilus]

I used to collect comics "back in the day" which was the mid to late 80's in my case. I recently got back into it and it has been fun but I was curious if there is a new/ younger generation that are collecting? More importantly  is there enough younger collectors to keep the prices stable in the long run or will there be an eventual crash in the physical (i.e. non-digital) comic market? 

[Xenosmilus]

7 minutes ago, Xenosmilus said:

I used to collect comics "back in the day" which was the mid to late 80's in my case. I recently got back into it and it has been fun but I was curious if there is a new/ younger generation that are collecting? More importantly  is there enough younger collectors to keep the prices stable in the long run or will there be an eventual crash in the physical (i.e. non-digital) comic market? 

To be clear...I meant a market crash in like 20-30 years!

[ExNihilo]

At my LCS, I occasionally see a parent with their kid(s) in the store.  Mom or dad will tell the kid(s) that they can "buy one book" or "you have $6, you can this book for $5 or you can buy these 2 for $6, what do you want to do?"  The majority of the time it's adults buying books so I'm not sure what that says for the future.  It admittedly seems bleak.  I also see the estimated sales figures from comichron and I just see how vastly different the marketplace is when compared to the 90s when X-Men and X-Force were selling in the millions.

http://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2018/2018-10.html

That said, when I'm on reddit, it seems to me that TPB's are a very popular reading format (and I'm assuming redditors tend to be millennials or younger).  There's also an untold number of digital readers.  I guess what i'm saying is that print runs are down where I feel there is a balance between supply and demand so I don't foresee a crash in the physical market.  Comics are a medium where people will always want physical copies.  I think this is steeped in the fact that we see books like 'Tec #27 and Action Comics #1 and think "golly, those books are worth a lot."  And because of that, people will continue to falsely believe that a physical copy might hold value in 60 years time.  That all being said, I do think the variant market will reach a breaking point.  It's almost sickening to see so many publisher variants plus store exclusives.  When you have like 50-70 different covers for the same book being published by LCS's across the country, I think at some point it waters down the market for them.  Now, the hypocrite that I am, I partake and buy these variant covers.  But it's typically because the covers themselves do look nicer than the standard cover.  At this point though, i'm not buying variants as an investment.  I'm buying them for their artistic qualities.  Some variants though are catered for the possibility of "investing" simply because they're rare (1:250, 1:500, limited print runs, etc) and some collectors out there like going after those.

[Xenosmilus]

11 hours ago, ExNihilo said:

At my LCS, I occasionally see a parent with their kid(s) in the store.  Mom or dad will tell the kid(s) that they can "buy one book" or "you have $6, you can this book for $5 or you can buy these 2 for $6, what do you want to do?"  The majority of the time it's adults buying books so I'm not sure what that says for the future.  It admittedly seems bleak.  I also see the estimated sales figures from comichron and I just see how vastly different the marketplace is when compared to the 90s when X-Men and X-Force were selling in the millions.

http://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2018/2018-10.html

That said, when I'm on reddit, it seems to me that TPB's are a very popular reading format (and I'm assuming redditors tend to be millennials or younger).  There's also an untold number of digital readers.  I guess what i'm saying is that print runs are down where I feel there is a balance between supply and demand so I don't foresee a crash in the physical market.  Comics are a medium where people will always want physical copies.  I think this is steeped in the fact that we see books like 'Tec #27 and Action Comics #1 and think "golly, those books are worth a lot."  And because of that, people will continue to falsely believe that a physical copy might hold value in 60 years time.  That all being said, I do think the variant market will reach a breaking point.  It's almost sickening to see so many publisher variants plus store exclusives.  When you have like 50-70 different covers for the same book being published by LCS's across the country, I think at some point it waters down the market for them.  Now, the hypocrite that I am, I partake and buy these variant covers.  But it's typically because the covers themselves do look nicer than the standard cover.  At this point though, i'm not buying variants as an investment.  I'm buying them for their artistic qualities.  Some variants though are catered for the possibility of "investing" simply because they're rare (1:250, 1:500, limited print runs, etc) and some collectors out there like going after those.

Yeah I'm more curious of the number of collectors of print copies in the age range of 15-30.  If there are not too many in that age range I think the market will crash in the next 20-30 years....?

Edited November 17, 2018 by Xenosmilus

[Artboy99]

there are definitely younger buyers at the local comic shows I setup at as a vendor.

More girls buying than before as well.

Will the younger generation of buyers make the big dollar purchases? I think no but who knows?

[Xenosmilus]

29 minutes ago, Artboy99 said:

Will the younger generation of buyers make the big dollar purchases? I think no but who knows

That was my real question I think!

[Xenosmilus]

30 minutes ago, Artboy99 said:

Will the younger generation of buyers make the big dollar purchases? I think no but who knows

That was my real question I think!

[Artboy99]

2 minutes ago, Xenosmilus said:

That was my real question I think!

Yes it was.

The thing is: for the moment the younger generation have not entered into the phase of their lives when they have stable long term employment and more disposable income. Will they buy more valuable comics is a huge unknown. There is statistical data on the current millennial generation that is telling. Many of them don't own homes or vehicles nor do they want to. They don't like the idea of being tied to anything like a mortgage like their parents were. And lets face it the value of a property is for the most part much more expensive than say 20 years ago.

Will they spend their money on collectibles? Potentially especially if comics can be accepted as a form of investible asset.

[spracknetch23]

There seem to be plenty of 20-somethings on Instagram actively collecting. Even some teens. As far as expensive books, I don't see why these teens and 20-somethings won't end up pursuing the big fish as they age and gain greater income levels. However I don't know if it'll be enough to sustain the current growth in the market. 

[WolverineX]

as much as I hate to say it, I am going to say NO.  It's a dying medium

[Westy Steve]

I've been working on finding answers to this question for the longest time myself.  What I've concluded is to take a look at the rare U.S. coin market for an answer.   It's been on the uptick after a multi-year downturn, but what I want you to take away from this view of the U.S. coin market is how upside down their demographics are.  I used to literally marvel (pun not intended) at how I'd enter a coin show at the age of 50 years old  and still  be the youngest guy there by more than 15 years....and yet the market kept chugging along.  

Know why?  I do, and here's where you can find the answer.  Go over to the Golden Age subforum and ask those older guys how many will die with their collections.  The answer, whether they admit it or not, is "most of them".  When you're 70 or 80 years old, if you have money to spend, you use it to make yourself happy.  i personally believe as I get older I'm less likely to sell my good stuff because I find myself in a jam for money less and less often.  Many of  the older collectors on this board already have their house paid for, and their needs met, and the reality is that the thrill of the chase for the next rare book means more to them than selling it for plain old cash.  They have money.  But they need that early issue of Action.

So the market will chug along well past when most of the youngest of us are dying of old age.  I'm completely serious.  That's at least 30 years.  

All that being said, there's no written rule that you can't find ALSO something you like to collect that the kids today are into.  Most of us collect more than one thing.

Edited November 21, 2018 by Westy Steve

[zosocane]

It's all about how long the 'Movie Age' of comics will continue and the pipeline of future collectors that the Movie Age produces.  We are now 6 years deep into this Movie Age (I start by counting when Avengers I was released in 2012 -- the film that really caused comics to soar into mainstream popularity) and you have a wave of teenagers all over the country (and in many parts of the world) that recognize C characters like Black Widow and Hawkeye and D characters like Groot and Starlord more than their teenage counterparts of 30, 40 years ago (i.e., me when I was a teen).  These younger viewers, many of whom are now hitting their early 20s, are the ones posting up tons of YouTube comic book-related content such as movie trailer reaction videos or comic convention haul videos where they're buying what they can afford.  Eventually they will hit their 30s and start to hold real purchasing power.  If another 7 years goes by with films like 'Venom' raking in close to $900 million on a $100 million budget, yes, expect many more comic book films (and even more TV shows) to come out, producing from their pipeline another generation of hundreds of thousands of viewers being exposed to comic book culture.

Edited December 6, 2018 by zosocane

[Mercury Man]

I think the percentage has vastly decreased of younger new release collectors.    When I was a kid, mom could give me $2, and I would walk to 7/11 and I could buy 5 new titles off the rack, and still have money left for some 'jaw breakers'.  

Now you need $5 for just one title, and who let's their kids walk alone anywhere now a days. .  Plus kids would rather put their money toward video games anyway.  

[Erndog]

Define "younger"?

I'm 34 and have amassed almost all the big SA/BA Marvel/DC keys.  I plan to keep going.  I've got (hopefully) a LOT of runway ahead of me.  My friends are my age and in a similar boat with their collections.  I speak and meet a lot of collectors my age.  We plan to pass this along to our children.

My point is, there's still a lot of us "younger" generation that are buying large books.  We should have many years ahead of us.

If you're talking 6-16 year olds then clearly it is far to early to say, but like I mentioned, we 30 somethings prob plan to pass this hobby down with our children.

[WolverineX]

1 hour ago, Erndog said:

Define "younger"?

I'm 34 and have amassed almost all the big SA/BA Marvel/DC keys.  I plan to keep going.  I've got (hopefully) a LOT of runway ahead of me.  My friends are my age and in a similar boat with their collections.  I speak and meet a lot of collectors my age.  We plan to pass this along to our children.

My point is, there's still a lot of us "younger" generation that are buying large books.  We should have many years ahead of us.

If you're talking 6-16 year olds then clearly it is far to early to say, but like I mentioned, we 30 somethings prob plan to pass this hobby down with our children.

When I was a teen and even younger, I was collecting like crazy... like most of my friends.  I don't see that anymore...  My gut feeling is that the 30 yo's will be the last generation collecting.  The kids now have other electronic media competing for their attention.  Honestly,  looking back I doubt I would be collecting comics as a kid if stuff like ipads and fortnite existed.  Plus, kids are priced out... comics are way too expensive for them.  

[zosocane]

1 hour ago, Wolverinex said:

Plus, kids are priced out... comics are way too expensive for them.  

Yes, but ... my 13-year-old the other day was asking me about getting something (I can't remember precisely what) and I explained to him that it's a depreciating asset, that it will instantly be worth half what he (i.e., I) pays for it after he receives it and takes it home.  Then I contrasted it with some of my comic books that I purchased when I was 13, and I was able to explain easily what an appreciating asset is ... I had his complete attention.  I think in 20 years' time (when he's in his early 30s), keys and semi-keys will continue to command strong prices as two generations of movie viewers will be in their early 30s and early 40s in 20 years and they will remember the days of their youth as all those incredible super-hero movies from the 'Movie Age' ... but in 20 years time, non-keys/non-semis (i.e., 98% of comic books out there), there will be little market for those, unfortunately. 

Edited November 26, 2018 by zosocane

[zosocane]

3 hours ago, Erndog said:

If you're talking 6-16 year olds then clearly it is far to early to say, but like I mentioned, we 30 somethings prob plan to pass this hobby down with our children.

In your circle of friends, are you seeing guys/gals in their late 20s (when they are starting to develop some purchasing power) collecting comics or drawn into the hobby because of the movie boom?

[delekkerste]

On 11/16/2018 at 11:29 PM, Xenosmilus said:

I used to collect comics "back in the day" which was the mid to late 80's in my case. I recently got back into it and it has been fun but 1. I was curious if there is a new/ younger generation that are collecting? More importantly 2. is there enough younger collectors to keep the prices stable in the long run or 3. will there be an eventual crash in the physical (i.e. non-digital) comic market? 

1. Yes (but not enough)

2. No (not even close)

3. Yes (eventually)

[Erndog]

25 minutes ago, zosocane said:

In your circle of friends, are you seeing guys/gals in their late 20s (when they are starting to develop some purchasing power) collecting comics or drawn into the hobby because of the movie boom?

Tough to say.  I do know that many of us liked Super-Heroes and comic books early on, and that as we got older, started careers, etc that we went from "monthly" books to "Key issues."  Not entirely sure if the movies helped BUT I do know that they have definitely helped us look into some new titles/characters we otherwise would have never really cared or knew about.

So I guess movies have in fact helped us venture into diff titles but many of us were comic fans to begin with.

[Noble52]

4 hours ago, Erndog said:

Define "younger"?

I'm 34 and have amassed almost all the big SA/BA Marvel/DC keys.  I plan to keep going.  I've got (hopefully) a LOT of runway ahead of me.  My friends are my age and in a similar boat with their collections.  I speak and meet a lot of collectors my age.  We plan to pass this along to our children.

My point is, there's still a lot of us "younger" generation that are buying large books.  We should have many years ahead of us.

If you're talking 6-16 year olds then clearly it is far to early to say, but like I mentioned, we 30 somethings prob plan to pass this hobby down with our children.

I'm a few years older and just started working on a SA collection this past year (mostly ASM books). While most of my friends have moved on from collecting, I do agree that our generation (early millennial) will keep the hobby relevant for many more years.