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Pictures of old Comic stands
Yoc:
You make some good points there DL.
And thanks for the fun SOTI link! :D
You might also add that not all distributors were equally good at their jobs. And I'm sure some places in the US must have gotten better service than others.
I hear Atlas/Marvel were common in one area, none in another. And Charlton would be everywhere in some... etc etc.
I've read several fun reminisces from collectors on the Timely-Atlas Yahoo group of having to bicycle around town hitting different stores trying to find certain titles. Or having to travel to a different state to find a certain publisher while visiting grandma.
I believe the poor profit margin on a 10cent comic was the biggest reason newstands didn't like comics. They made a lot more cash on magazines and pocket books than they ever did on a comic.
'Follow the money' will often show you the main reasons for business decisions of all eras.
-Yoc
Drusilla lives!:
--- Quote from: Yoc on July 18, 2010, 10:29:04 PM ---.. You might also add that not all distributors were equally good at their jobs. And I'm sure some places in the US must have gotten better service than others.
I hear Atlas/Marvel were common in one area, none in another. And Charlton would be everywhere in some... etc etc.
...
I believe the poor profit margin on a 10cent comic was the biggest reason newstands didn't like comics. They made a lot more cash on magazines and pocket books than they ever did on a comic.
'Follow the money' will often show you the main reasons for business decisions of all eras.
-Yoc
--- End quote ---
Yes, I agree. And your point on "following the money" supports my feeling that the news dealers didn't want to deal with comic books... especially in the big cities where distribution was probably good and they had 200+ comics to contend with.
This oddly enough reflects back on my own childhood experience of fearing being accused of loitering around to peek at the adult mags... every newsstand/candy store that I've ever went into back then wanted a quick sale... they didn't want people (and particularly children) standing around (obviously, to prevent theft and other mischief). They wanted you "in and out" as quickly as possible... and I doubt it was much different back in the 40s and 50s. I can't see how racks and racks of comics, and lots of kids asking "where is the latest issue of Tales From the Crypt... I don't see it out here" as formulating a particularly endearing association in their minds eye.
Perhaps that's one reason why dedicated comic shops (and the direct market) arose in the late 70s, early 80s. I know, at least by my own experience, that I was already going to a newly opened comic shop a few blocks from my home by 78... and I was glad to... by then the newsstands were flooded with adult mags (the situation much like that of pulps and comics repeating itself), many candy stores were closing up shop in NY due to economic reasons (and perhaps consolidation), and besides, the comic shop had back issues and everything else comic related. Although I should add that the selection of new comics (and back issues) was somewhat limited to Marvel. I guess now that I think about it, this was a reflection of the owners own personal preference, although at the time I never noticed, since I was mostly interested in Marvel and Marvel back issues anyway.
Geo (RIP):
I remember having to go to different places/stores to find a particular book more then once during the mid to late '50's and mid '60's. Sometimes not even finding it then, after doing that. And we are talking about any of the major players books at the time, (DC, Atlas, Timely, (now Marvel), Charlton books). You could find an issue you were looking for one month and then the next not at all. Distribution wasn't the best it seems, spotty at best, it seems during that time. At least it was that way in the area I was raised in.
Geo
JVJ (RIP):
The other thing you have to realize, guys, is that by 1955, a dime was worth about a nickel in 1935 money, so the profits from carrying comic books had effectively been halved (both at the distributor AND newsstand levels), while they continued to take up more and more space. Perhaps the post-code "implosion" is what saved comics after all. The distributors and newsstands certainly would have reacted poorly had they continued their unchecked expansion.
FWIW.
Peace, Jim (|:{>
Drusilla lives!:
Jim, you wouldn't know off-hand how many titles were being published at the height of the 1950-1955 (pre-implosion) period? I keep thinking it was around 200+ but I don't recall where I heard that... and in fact, I think it might be a rather conservative estimate... even when discounting titles that lasted only two or three issues.
Unfortunately it's almost useless trying to use the GCD for a quick search and compilation of such info, even with their recent improvements. :(
Again, from this photo...
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/7500/1948comicracklr8.jpg... it looks like at least 160 titles (but this was in 1948).
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