Episode 87.1 - A Roundtable Discussion on Getting and Keeping Comics Readers

The Two Guys are back with another roundtable discussion, this one with John Mayo of The Comic Book Page podcast. For this special episode, the topic concerns readership: the various strategies publishers use to get and retain comics readers. Andy, Derek, and John speculate on the kind of marketing maneuvers that that seem to work, which ones are reader-friendly, which strategies undermine or at least don’t bode well for the industry, and which are just downright annoying.  The guys discuss everything from $1 first issues, variant covers, series renumbering, switching creative teams, crossover events, free digital issues, over-hyping storylines, and high-end special collectors’ editions. They even bring up the recent acquisition of ComiXology by Amazon.com and how changes to digital retailing might help, or perhaps even hinder, sales. All in all it’s an engaging conversation, running over an hour and forty-five minutes. Unlike many contemporary comics, you certainly get your money’s worth in this special episode of The Comics Alternative. Just the thing to start off your summer!