State of the Union: A code for comics

Visiting New York around Christmastime came with ulterior motives. The Big Apple: where reality and dreams converge to produce the truly spectacular! The backdrop for many movies, the punching bag for many action scenes, where up until two weeks ago, you could see a grown man in spandex swinging around a Broadway theater...singing! Historically, US comics started here, until 2015, the two biggest publishers can be found here (DC is going west coast to join their Warner Bros backers...)... but, where are the comics? Sure, Toys R Us has  Lego Hulk and there are many comic book stores scattered around the city, bootleg superheroes can be found in Chinatown and Times Square... but this isn't getting the comic book into tourist hands.

Compare this to Sao Paulo, Brazil, 7th biggest metropolitan area in the world ( New York is at 4). There, newsstands- found on every block, in every mall, in all parts of town- they are all littered with comics! Translated comics, original comics, mangas,graphic novels, imports and art books, comics in English and Spanish to teach the languages, educational comics, activity books...these are street sized meccas promoting literacy and imagination at every corner. Sao Paulo alone has more than 14 comic publishers of various sizes, putting out new and previously released material.

There is a reason for this. Historically, the collected comic book started as promotional packages. They were then sold exclusively at newsstands, with the promise to the vendor that unsold comics can be returned. This is still where Brazil is...newsstands and distributors have a rotating shelf for comics. Most have a 1 month- 75 day lifespan and after that they are returned to the publisher who oftentimes fulfill mail orders.

Around the 70's, comic book stores sprouted up all over the US, promoting collections and increasing the value of back issues. This meant comics didn't need to be returned to the publisher quite so often and they didn't have to return their profits. Back issues were cherished and promoted. Collector editions, reprints and sets allow the reader to catch up on long histories. Collectible variant covers and pack ins added value and assured various copies of the same issue were bought by serious collectors. Comics fell from newsstands leading to this month when Marvel clarified that they will no longer be sending floppy single issues to Barnes and Noble-one of the last remaining American bookstore chains. Comics are digital or found in Comic Book Stores...

Photos taken by Ana Carolina Diederichsen, Sao Paulo, Brazil 

Back to Brazil: comic book stores are scarce but starting to gain speed. Bookstores, newsstands, grocery stores all have the newest adventures of favorite comic characters. Sebos- used book stores often have stacks of old comics, sometimes back issue bins- it is not uncommon to find a whole room dedicated to used comics sold at a discount. Comics are being sold online, plagued with high prices and high shipping cost- but available nonetheless.  Children's libraries have whole reading rooms, filled with back issues. Reading comics seems to be promoted and encouraged. Not surprising that FIQ-Festival Internacional de Quadrinhos(International Comic Festival held in Brazil) is the largest comic convention in the Americas.


As I search for a comic in New York's Port Authority- I yearn for comics to have this level of accessibility and acceptance. Digital is great but nothing beats a page turner.
Jeff**