I mostly agree with Alex. We already have comic books that are half-filled with advertisements, so even if the comics are free, they will still be getting money from every issue. They would probably be getting more money from advertisements, since the comics would be picked up by many more people.

The problem with this, is comic book stores. Every single one of them would go out of business. I really don't want this to happen. I love my comic book shop.

Personally, I think comics should be free online. I download comics every week. I get to read a lot of things I would never buy this way, but I still go to the comic book shop every wednesday and pick up the books I really like. Also, due to the comic books that I illegally download on the internet, I am now paying for comics that I read and liked: The Sword, 100 Bullets, Captain America. These are things that I would not have picked up, if I had not previously read illegally on the internet.

So, I don't think free comic books would work, but I think that Marvel should back off of these people who are scanning their books and distributing them on the net.

Also, I think all three of those books you reviewed look pretty horrible.

First Pete LePage is number one !!!!!!!!!!! and he A+++++.
For the men of the Stack hot too cool and back to hot.

I think free online sample would be a good idea to bring in new readers, but I don't think the monthly comics should go away. I enjoy going to the store every week and getting cliff hangers, if things were all in trade I feel like the medium itself would completly change. On the other hand, I think a price reduction of comics would be a good idea. I find myself usually spending between $30-$45 a week and that adds up very quickly. I think people are aware of that and stay away for the sake of not spending money.

Hey guys, lovin the three times a week thing. On your debate i think theres a place for a free pamphlet. But not to replace comics but as a place to advertise.

For example you get a free comic with like a couple of pages from 5 or 6 titles as a teaser, kinda like a free 2000ad. If they start leavin these in librarys, coffeee shops and for free online maybe more people would go into comic shops to buy the comics.

I'm more of a trade buyer but thats more to do with not having enough money to go to Edinburgh and buy comics every month, when i can just go to Amazon and order them online.

N what was up with Alex's voice, you sounded like something from Aquaman. Oh n i prefer the speed round cause i get to hear about more comics.

Keep on rockin guys

guys great show i like the discussion at the end. I think pete has a point not only would it not work but it already seems like it takes forever to get the next issue of what you are reading and if they do the trade thing then it would take even longer so no im not up for that.
Great show guys love the three times a week and maybe you guys can do both the speed round and a panel discussion just throwing it out there if you dont like it you can throw it right back hahaha

First off, love the three shows a week, and I think you should mix up speed rounds and panels.
As for today's panel, I think free comics would probably mark the end of the comic shop. I don't really like trades because if you don't like a series after two issues, you can drop it.
I think one way to go could be, have a few more advertisements in the monthly books and sell them like a dollar each. Then have lots of bonus material in the trades to make them more worth buying.
Thanks guys
ps More Pete!!

Free comics would definitely be the end of the comic book shop, and I am not for that at all.

However, I think that releasing comic books on the internet for free would be good. People would still want to buy the real books, but could try out more things that they might end up liking and paying for later. I download comics illegally all the time, but I still go to the comic book shop every wednesday and pick up the ones I love. Illegal comics has introduced me to several series that I would have never picked up otherwise, but now buy every month: The Sword, Captain America, 100 Bullets. All good stuff.

Great show guys, 3 times a week is fantastic. I loved the panel discussion at the end, though I also enjoy the speed round quite a bit too. Maybe we could alternate, speed round sometimes, panels others?
As far as what Alex was saying about making comics free, I really don't agree. Sales are definitely down for the floppies but until they become so abysmal that publishers are actually losing tons of money to print them then I think they should continue. Trades are wonderful and I enjoy them alot, but some books are just too good to wait for collections of. The other thing to consider is that the market for trades and floppies is different. I read a kyle baker interview on newsarama a while back where he basically said that the crowd buying comics at barnes and noble isnt the same as the crowd going into comic shops every week, and i think its true. The book store crowd has a tendency to veer towards the more experimental indie stuff and manga, how well would mainstream comics fare?
I do think it's time for the comics industry to rethink distribution. How about making ordering individual comics online easier? Or a model where a user pays a monthly subscription fee and then can read the titles he/she's interested online while making individual purchases as well? Of course trades should continue

So Super Duper looks so offensive....I thought we talk about why making superhero's homosexual's was not suppose to be a gimmick or to make fun of it. The other comics look good, the art is amazing on Warlash....But never again go to Super Duper, so offensive.

I do believe trades should be hyped more then the comics. Cause what TPB's or Hardcovers do is to hype a really good storyline and it's all in one book. The whole Brubaker Captain America will be AMAZING once it's all collected in one to three books. But I do (shockingly) agree with Pete; free comics make little to no sense. If comic were free, then the writers and artists get no money off of their work.

What I think they should lower the prices to a dollar. Think about it, if comics were a dollar; people could get more to buy then if they buy comics that are 2.99 or even higher! The internet is the future, I do love Marvel's new online comic format. But I think for now we should still promote actual paper and try and promote comics more.

Hell why cant they promote comics more? Marvel and DC are big companies, cant they make commericals or ads for their comics? How many more people could they get if DC advertised Countdown or Sinestro Corps on myspace or facebook? They should focus more on marketing on the internet, cause that is a good mine.

Hi There TheNextChampion,
As creator of So Super Duper I am surprised you find it offensive. Being a gay man myself the book, if you read it, is just a fun, goofy look at superheroes, mixed with a little action and little emotional depth!

The main character Psyche is based on me, in that I was a closeted gay man until the age of 26, despite the fact that my gayness was obvious to all those around me. So please take a closer look and see that it is fun, cute and whimsical. It's really just my life as a comic book superhero. :)

It has also been praised at www.prismcomics.org, which supports gay and lesbian comics.

Thanks for your comment and for opening up a dialogue! I hope you take the time to check out the book for youself!
All my best!
Brian Andersen

good show, nice to hear about some different stuff too
also, it would be cool if you guys take turns at reviewing one of your favorite comics/trades. one per episode maybe, because many people buy trades and it's hard to find the real good ones if you don't really know what's out there. I'm sure you three have a very different taste when it comes to your favorites so it could be good!
cheers

to add to the conversation
I agree with justin that reading comics on a screen is not a fun experience. I much rather have a book in my hands than even a e-reader. The feel of paper is something unreplaceable, that's also why i belive the print industry will never dissappear
cheers

MORE PETE!

Hey guys, great show, loving three episodes a week. I do not enjoy trades as much as individual comics. If I loved a series so much that I wanted to read it over and over then I may buy a hardback/trade later on to abuse but I still like having the individual issues. However...I think that if the comics were to be increased in page numbers, but all of the increases being advertisers then the money generated from that might pay the writers, artists, ect and then the trades could make surplus funds for the companies. Sort of like having a 'free' (ok there is money expenses purchasing cable, but...) show on TV and then the fans going out to buy DVD box sets so that they can watch them as many times as they want. The adverts between acts pay for the networks to keep making shows and it could be similar with a larger comic. I know that this analysis is a bit of a stretch but I though that it may balance out your points of view.

Keep the speed round, it lets me know if I should pick up something or not. 3 times a week rocks! And remember to cover the next Powers

An okay show, but I didnt really like how you presented these totally unkown randowm publisher books. Just showing us the cover while you talk about it just doesnt give us enough visual information about what is basically a visual medium, and when you do show scans they are so fast, and so zoomed in that again you cant get any feel for the book. Maybe there needs to be a forum addendum to every episode showing actual preview pages.
As for the trap door idea, no. What you really need is an automatic gagging lever so that whichever of the three of you is trying to make an insightful point can shut the other two idiots up for 10 seconds.
As for free online comics, I dont think they need to go that far. Simply lowering the price to reflect publication without the physical production costs of paper, printing, binding, shipping, and all those other costs would make online profitable for everyone. Then just sell TPBs via the existing bookstores (not comic shops).
Certainly the distributors and comic book stores would object, which is the only reason why its not being done now. But I think once this begins happening comic sales will expand considerably, and actually reach new age groups.

i hate the idea of only having promotional comics that will tease for the trade. i love monthly books. i love going to the comic shop and comic home with a fat stack of comics and reading them for the rest of the day. i like trades for going back to pick something up i might've missed but i don't like buying new books that are being published monthly in book form. it's an interesting idea but i would miss my monthlies way too much. i agree with you pete!

the show is awesome guys. keep up the 3 times a week. i would also love to see longer shows. i think longer discussions on each book would be a lot more interesting.

great episode guys!
i dont know any of these books but who cares!! its always fun to hear you argue

i agree with alex!
more free comics... people are getting them for free online anyhow.
i stopped buying comics after the first year of the image craze (glossy nonsense)
i really got to hate it!
... eventually got a bit nostalgic with the x-men, spidy films and stuff...
so i got some classic reprints of kirby/ditko stuff, and soon started looking at stuff online... i admit it!!
... this was around 2001, and nowadays .... I BUY MORE COMICS THAN EVER BEFORE!!!!!!!!!!!
I DRAW COMICS, I TALK COMICS, LIVE AND BREATHE COMICS, AND SPEND WELL OVER $150 A MONTH ON BOOK STORES! (and i DO read them ALL)
i dont think this would have happen with out the free access and immense exposure i got through online piracy
strange but true... free stuff gets you hooked ... even more if the stuff is actually good.

love the format!
love seeing you guys 3 times a week!
been a supporter since episode 3 or so... the one with stan lee talking F4 cameo...
AWESOME!!

viva the comic podcasts!!

Both sides are valid, BUT I don't agree with Alex's arguement. I don't think price is the reason for low sales these days. It's consumer interest. I don't think you can equate music sales with comics. The two media are vastly different.

Like Pete, I love my monthlies and typically only get trades when there are really good extras or I didn't get the monthlies.

As you guys should know, some comic companies DO use the paper monthlies as marketing tools, Free Comic Book Day, occasionally, someone puts out the 99 cent issue, etc., BUT, that is obviously not the solution to getting higher sales. I also don't think that webcomics are the sole way of the future either.

I think if paper monthlies go away, so will the comic book industry. And that's a dire thought.

Love 3 shows a week.
How bout 2 speed rounds and 1 panel a week.
Also, one of my favorite parts of this show is you guys ragging on each other and taking random tangents. But in the panel discussion I found it got more in the way of you guys actually being able to discuss something I was interested in hearing you guys say more about.
Plus, you guys should probably kick Pete off the show.

I agree with Alex and I also think music should be free. I bought individual comics 15 years ago. After a long gap of not buying anything, now I only buy trades and normally only when I can get them used and hopefully for a good deal.
I have a problem with paying $3 or $4 for something I can read in 15 minutes. I even have a problem with paying $20 or more for a trade I can read in part of a day. I can't imagine how much money all three of you pay for comics each week.
Also, I have don't like reading a sliver of a story and having to wait a month or whatever it takes for the next issue. I would rather wait until I can just read the whole arc.
I really like your show. I like speed rounds and the panel both. I actually wouldn't mind if the episodes were longer. I basically use the show as a way to help figure out what new stuff will make good trades and I think all three of you are entertaining. Thanks.

Great question Alex and one that's very hard to answer. I for one have never purchased a TPB which I already have in individual issues but that could be because I had already paid for the issues. I'm no totally sure what I would do if the individual issues were free. I do like the idea of electronic comic purchasing systems a' la iTunes for comics though. Think about how great it would be to purchase comics for around 10 cents each because there are no printing costs. And think of how many more titles you would be willing to try because, hey, it's only 10 cents. And think of how many more independent comics would start up because it's easier to convince a big company to host your comic on its server than it is to convince them to publish and ship it to all the comic book shops it needs to go to. It's an exciting possibility in that sense but also very un-romantic. After all, I love going to my comic book shop every Wednesday.

As for suggestions, please stop reviewing the same titles over and over again. We get it, Buffy is good, Blue Beetle is good, JSA is good, etc.
The discussions are always fun but also feel cut short often. Maybe dedicate more of the show to the single question posed? And let Pete finish his damn thoughts sometimes!

Bomb, if cost was stopping people from buying comics and music, I think it would be hard to explain the popularity and cost of video games and systems. Again, it comes down to preference and interest.

How you can possibly compare music (a sound) to comics (a visual art) is incomprehensible. Paper actually gives a look & feel to comics that cannot be replicated on a computer.

I also can't recall all 99 cent comics cracking the top 10 all the time, as A. we all know those lists are not actual sales, right? They are merely projections. And you seem to be only concentrating on Marvel and DC while there are a host of small presses out there without many resources. The comics world is bigger than you think.

And let's face it, I'd say music is more global than comics right now. Therefore, many people from many countries are trying to get music from all over. Webmusic only survives b/c you can pick an choose individual songs, you don't have to buy the whole thing. You couldn't just pick one page from a comic. I can listen to music on something the size of my thumb, comics, I'd hate to try and read one on one of those small screens that everyone is pushing as innovative.

While I think the use of comics online and in paper format is a smart idea, going with just one media is suicide and does not mean automatic sales, contrary to the failed music industry business model.

Yay on 3 shows a week.
I think you are crazy Alex. :) If they actually gave away the monthly comics (albeit electronically) then where is the incentive to buy a trade of the same material? I dunno, it just doesn't seem right to me. I actually agree with Pete.
On the other hand, things change and it may just be a matter of time before the medium evolves into something not recogniizable to what we call a "comic book" today.

PS: What is with the "pamphlet" term that was used several times? I have to say I think that is a bit disrespectful sounding to the amount of work that goes into comics these days to compare them to something handed to you on the street by some religious person trying to "spread the word" and all that.

I think now is not the time for comics to change, but I think that day is fast approaching. If you combine a society going "Green" and technology it is only a matter of time till (to coin a phrase) IPaper is invented. Whether it is fully holograph sheet or a piece of material that displays digital ink. That is the day that comics along with all written material are going to have to rethink how they release their product.

Lovin' the thrice-weekly format, guys! I think comics should never be free, because there actually ARE a whole lot of people who will simply get the issues to read them and not collect them. In the long run, I think this will hurt the industry, because these people who are only after reading the stories ONCE will never even think about picking up trades.

Alex, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever hear. There would not be enough comics to supply the readers because people are greedy. It would cost more to produce the pamphlets than they would make back in trades. Second, why would people buy trades if they are already getting the story for free in pamphlet form??
The best thing to do would be to lower the cost of comics. 2 dollars a pamphlet would put more purchasing power in the readers hand..When I have to buy books that are 3.99 or even 4.99 (which happens weekly) it takes away from me buying other books.

the real problem with making comics free is that it would drop the bottom out of the TPB market as well -- do you really think that if comics were free anyone would buy the TPB? right now the reason i don't buy the pamphlets is that they are per page more expensive than the TPB and annoyingly short...

but you make them FREE and i will put up with that and never bother to buy a TPB.

bad idea.

Great show guys. 3 a week is perfect. Either Speed Round with a quick "yes" or "no" from the other guys would be good, kinda like what Pete already does with his nodding, which allows the different tastes of the different guys shine onto the different books.The panel discussion is also good, with either some more thaught put into it before hand, or more time allocated to it, because this one didnt even beging to stratch the surface.

Free Comics! as a fan, YES! with the understanding of what it would do to the industry, HELL NO!.
The closest comparison to this concept would be television shows on DVD. We watch network TV series for free (with ample advertisements which would have to increase tremendously in the monthlies for this to even be considered) and the market for TV DVD's is a profitable market. HOWEVER, we don't (generally speaking) keep the tv shows when they are originally aired. SO to have a top quality product for ever we need to purchase the DVD. With free comics, we get to keep the original product without costing a cent. If the whole run of a story is released in monthlies for free I would not then go out and purchase a trade, when it is something that I already have and which I recieved for free.
The reason the trade market is as big as it is is that the story is available in one big hit. However I am sure if people became fans of a particular title in trade, they would catch on pretty quick that if they are prepared to read it one chapter at a time, they would go and get it for free instead.
Advertising material, sure. Once a trade is released following the mothlies, make available the first issue for free at the places where the trade is sold. Increase spontaneous buys.
Or make the mothlies available online (which is not irritating to read once you get used to it. Its the new age guys, get used to it!), but with a specific reader program which will only allow you to read the download for a 48 hour period.

blah blah blah, ive ranted enough.

you guys are right, the solution may not be as simple as just making them "free"...
there could be some sort of registry or, low yearly subscription per title, publisher or company...
you may subscribe to the batman titles, get them all digitally (detective, robin, cat woman, gotham knights or whatever), and then be able to collect all or some of them in TPBs once the runs are over, for a reduced price (members exclusive or something) with dvd-like extras and what not

i don't know... but all these approaches have to take place with in reason...
the idea of having songs be $0.99 on itunes instead of $1.00 or more proves the point; you dont want to go over a certain margin to maintain the impression of an unappreciable investment on behalf of the client... ... it 'aint free but "almost"

marvel's yearly digital subscription is probably too high to make it attractive to the massive audience that itunes has.

could digital subscription comics be sold on itunes? or amazon.com?

can i subscribe to vertigo, for example?
get all their titles digitally for a low yearly rate and eventually have access to purchase the ones i liked on TPBs after the run is over or, after 6 months or even less ...
probably a lot more TPBs of Y the last man, fables, scalped, loveless and DMZ would see print but the excess sales of some could pay for the losses of others... (is that a bit to "reddish"? big earners make up for low earners? ... i don't know)

the example is not that wild, it could be similar to the big monthly, or weekly, manga books they sell in japan, were you get a huge compilation of short samples from larger story-lines that you can access in full collections later on, or you can just follow the argument on the compilation itself every week...
this seems to have proven to work there quite well... it may be a bit late to introduce "phonebook weeklies" in the west but, translating the concept to online and, the ever growing, portable media could be appropriate...

i dont know if any of these are IT but something needs a re-thinking, thats for sure

Thanks for checking out the first issue of Bloods Own. I am glad you enjoyed it and am looking forward to sending you the next issue. I definitely appreciate the criticism, especially since that is the only I will ever get better as a writer.

To echo what has been said before, it's great to see three shows a week, and I hope that can continue for the long haul.

Regarding the panel discussion: I buy a good mix of both trades and single issues. I think that if comics ever become free it will only be done online only due to cost. I personally cannot stand reading comics on my computer screen. I'm nostalgic in that I love getting home from the LCS each week, rummaging through the goods, and kicking back on my couch, in my office, or backyard reading a good yarn. I am open to both sides of the argument, but as someone who has dropped a lot of time, effort and money into making and printing a comic book I may also be a little biased!

Anyway, great show and I loved the panel discussion, it's nice to see that you each have a differing point of view. It is also a good break from the speed round, and I would like to see you contiue with the formula used this week.

Thanks for checking out the first issue of Bloods Own. I am glad you enjoyed it and am looking forward to sending you the next issue. I definitely appreciate the criticism, especially since that is the only I will ever get better as a writer.

To echo what has been said before, it's great to see three shows a week, and I hope that can continue for the long haul.

Regarding the panel discussion: I buy a good mix of both trades and single issues. I think that if comics ever become free it will only be done online only due to cost. I personally cannot stand reading comics on my computer screen. I'm nostalgic in that I love getting home from the LCS each week, rummaging through the goods, and kicking back on my couch, in my office, or backyard reading a good yarn. I am open to both sides of the argument, but as someone who has dropped a lot of time, effort and money into making and printing a comic book I may also be a little biased!

Anyway, great show and I loved the panel discussion, it's nice to see that you each have a differing point of view. It is also a good break from the speed round, and I would like to see you contiue with the formula used this week.

Keep the 3 a week podcast going!!! I agree the third show could have some different segments. The panel discussion is an interesting choice but i would prefer that you guys handled it with a bit more serious tone. I don't mind you playing around but if you want us to take what you are saying seriously and respond, then it behooves you to elevate the discourse.

I have given much thought to the "how will comics survive?" problem for the past few years. Any change in format is going to scare away your long-time supporters who are keeping the business as barely afloat as it is. Most successful comic book stores also hedge their bets with trading cards, gaming systems, action figures and other sources of income. I don't know of any store that exists only to sell comics unless it is the only comic shop in a vast geographical area.
The floppies have to keep going to keep readers like Pete (and a lot of the respondents above) from being alienated by a hobby they have devoted so much time and money to. The only way to grow the audience is digitally, via the internet and other means. I think the idea of a cheap, itunes-like model for cyber comics is fine. There is an aging segment (me included) of comics readers who prefer the portability of floppies or trades BUT, as an industry, comics are going to have to deal with the generation behind us old farts who are used to reading on the internet all day and using portable electronic readers or iphones with readable screens. These advances make comics just as easily storable, readable and portable as a digital medium (actually more easily storable, truth be told). With high quality printers getting cheaper and cheaper, buying digitally and still having a hard copy is not impossible. I would even be interested in a "print on demand" model wherein interested parties had to subscribe and there would be no overprinting at all to keep costs down. Of course, this gets into the whole Diamond strangle-hold and how we can fix the process of ordering comics.
I imagine that, if the medium will be thriving in 30 years, it will have to be digitally based moreso than even the trade vs. floppy debate takes into account. When we GenXers fade out, the companies that only honored our increasingly outdated tastes are going to be in big trouble.

I only buy trades, I gave up on single issues years ago. and if it wasn't for trades I wouldn't be buying comics at all. I can't be bothered bagging and boarding and the long boxes, meh. I want something to put on my bookshelf that I can easily read again. I still have a pull list at my local comic store, the only difference is it's for trades. According to the owner this is becoming more the norm for his customers. The 'floppies' could disappear tomorrow as far as I'm concerned. I would rather see companies putting their dollars into collecting more of their back catalog. I spend a $200 on trades a month and I am sure I am not alone.

three shows a week good, kicking pete out bad, using comic sans a shooting offence under any circumstances.

comics on the web work best if they are designed for the web - scott mcloud has some good examples of how to make it work on his site, for instance. scanning regular comics to view in pdf form is just rubbish - scrolling up and down and left to right with the mouse is never fun.

i think comics are doing so badly because everyone who isnt buying or reading them regulalrly thinks that comics are all about superheroes, and that they are aimed at children.

I suggest a year long moratorium on super heroes, super powers and crimefighting, and a concerted push to cover a wider range of subjects.

its surely manga's wider frame of reference that is pushing it to the top of the beststellers lists, rather than its characters having big eyes or the books being read backwards.

First off, let me just say another great show. Really digging the three times a week thing AND the indie focus/panel episode.

IMO, free online comics is a short-term solution. As others have pointed out, where is the incentive to buy the trade if everything is available free? There is also the issue of reading online. I'm old-school in that I think some things aren't meant to be viewed online. I feel like there is something about being able to hold onto a book - be it novel or comic - that adds to the experience. You pick it up, you flip the pages...I really feel there is an intangible quality to that adds to the way we view things.

I personally think that some of the things making it tough for comics right now are the fact that distribution is no longer as widespread as it once was AND the fact that it seems like most of today's comics are being written almost exclusively for a more adult audience. Heck, we don't even have as many good Saturday morning cartoon tie-ins these days!

Whew! Sorry about the long post! But I really feel that when it comes to visual and literary art, online doesn't deliver the same experience.

I love the speed rounds! Lets see more indie/low profile comics reviewed then.

Why not do two times a week speed road, and then on fridays do a panel discussion? I think that makes great sense

Just to say that some comic companies have started to sell their comics online and in stores. 2000ad for example(the starting comic for Alan moore, Gart Ennis, Grant Morrison, Alan Grant, Steve Dillon, and most british artists and writers) has recently started to sell the issues not only instore but online in an itunes format.

For example you can pay to download either a single issue or subscribe to download for a month or a year. Its a weekly anthology comic with Judge Dredd, Rogue trooper, Stontinum Dog, and many others.

So some companies are starting to embrace the digital medium, hope they all join in. Oh n if you wanna find out more its www.2000adonline.com, with the downloads available through www.clickwheel.net. I found out about this through Judge Dredd the Megazine so it's all above board=)

I love trades. I always read through individual issues too quickly, so now I just wait for the trades. I don't go to the book store though. My local comic book shop does just fine stocking the trades.

Hey Stack Guys!!
I watch you guys all the time and I like the 3 times a week thing!
Anyway, to comment on the "Should comics be free" topic, the problem seems to me to be a marketing one. It's true that comics are not as popular today as they were a decade ago, even with all the recent comic book movies that wee made

I don't know why it has taken me so long to do this. I've been a fan of you guys for a while now and I guess I just felt compelled to throw in my two cents about the whole "should comics be free?" thing.
Simply put, I'm against it!
1.) Reading comics (not advertisers) online sucks cause you have to be at your computer to do that, obviously. You can't take your computer with you on the train or in the toilet.
2.) Why buy trades if you can get comics for free? Half the reason to buy trades is because there cheaper.
3.) No offense, but I get really sick of you Yankees talking about comic prices. In Australia, we pay a least six dollars for a single comic. And I'm sure it's worst in other part of the world.

Anyway, awesome show guys. I vote for more Pete. Pull the lever on Justin and Alex and replace them with a couple of Pete clones.

i think one show a week should be dc, one marvel and then one for the indy comics

I think the main problem is that people DON'T actually read comics at all! I think people oversees that the 90's boom was supported by th fact that there were shows like X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman and Spawn, that were written not exactly as cannon but very based in cannon, and comics were very availabe, and I am talking about me, growing up in Mexico City, could buy any X-Men title in any dinner with a magazine rack, unlike nowadays that you need ultimates and what not just for the movies to make sense because decisions are taken by execs and let's face it, you never should leave this type of things to people that aren't in the medium, like the X-Men movies, at best, to me, are an insult and it's like Kev Smith says, it's just about Brian's big gay-director ego trip. And companies don't get their comics sold because, movies TV shows could share the names with comics, but they are nothing alike nowadays, wich I think is a good thing Marvel Studios is finally doing some things independently, about damn time. And well some franchises are picking up like Batman, Sin City and everything Snyder does, and that is because they are translating a good story remaning true to it, not like most franchises that have a name, and then pretencious studios and directors do whatever the hell they want with the characters.
And I think, Alex, that comparing the music bussiness to the comic book business is like comparing burgets with cars, it is just not applyable because of the following:
Record deals are WAY different than comic book deals with artists. And big companies are just branches of even bigger enterprises, so it's unlikely a shortage in the funds.
Unlike comics, music artists rely, and lately even more than the CD's, in live gigs, merchandise, in big profile artists TV spots and spectacular announcements, publicity stunts, magazine features and that is not couting that music has created 2 big publicity, self-sustaining mediums like most radio and MTV, VH1 and such, add to that 99% of performing arts require music, and there are also ringtones and such.
Also, comics not being a perfomance art, it is difficult to make a living by teaching the craft or selling the standard supplies for people that make this art as a hobbie (which I bet it is significantly less than people that practice other art forms as a hobbie).
Free comics and buying trades, i just don't know how it works and how is it that if you give me for free comics, people would buy the trade, why? and how would you distribute them? Plus a big chunk of the comics moneycomes from advertisemnet in single issues, paperbacks and hardcovers don't have any.
Bookstore money, of course is good, but I think trades and hards are still sold more at local comic shops.
The problems to attack, in my point of view as music producer, is, first, availability, because it is insane to put out a flick or whatever where everyone can see, and the comics are still secluded to comic shops where your average blockbuster moviegoer has never set foot on. Also there is the fact that internationally the comic biz isn't moving at all for exceptions like Mexico City, I know a number of fans from Europe and some other countries interested in direct sales that can't actually get heir comics and have to special order and what not and rely on year long trades that, they lose interest and resort to scans. The subscription system should be improved like hell and companies should invest a little in the local stores and have this system figured out.
Fans should help too I think and companies should incentive street teams and fanfics and if one really good comes, even publish it, this will keep the fans active and interested in being part of something. Promotion should be, if possible, trying to reach outside the business, there is no real advantage on giving me a Secret Invasion poster at a local shop or having it only there when i already know what is coming, that type of advertisement should be focused outside.
Truth to be told, it is a complex and very specific medium, and with people no reading in general it's difficult, the immediate course of action is keeping reading them, writing them and buying them, spreading the word and keeping our fingers crossed, because i think publishers aren't doing as much as they could.