Good Riddance 2017
So the dumpster fire of 2017 is over and it’s time to take stock of the 2017 in full. I’ve been talking about it in person for some time now, but 2017 was a terrible year for comic shops in general, and Mission: Comics in particular. Sales at Mission: Comics were down 17%, or around $72,000. That’s a BIG DEAL! And may very well determine the future of the store. I’ve heard of many shops that are already closing.
Seriously the bills can’t be paid in Facebook “Likes”, Instagram “Hearts” or “Great store!” compliments. I was hoping Holiday sales would be robust and buck the trend, but it was the worst Holiday sales in three years.
A lot of attention has been paid to Marvel’s failings this year, and their drop off has been the steepest. But really the sales drop has been felt across the board and being a heavy seller of Image Comics their drop off has hurt the most.
Broken down by departments, the decline has been in almost all categories except in enamel pins, which have grown tremendously! I want to thank particularly PSA Press for making such great locally flavored pins that we all love!
There have been some bright spots. Our top ten graphic novel sellers dollar-wise have been:
Saga Tp Vol 7
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Vol 1
Paper Girls Tp Vol 1
Paper Girls Tp Vol 2
Saga Tp Vol 1
Black Monday Murders Tp Vol 1
Incal Hc
Head Lopper Tp Vol 1
The Best We Could Do
Monstress Tp Vol 2
And by the number sold
Saga Tp Vol 7
Paper Girls Tp Vol 1
Saga Tp Vol 1
Paper Girls Tp Vol 2
Seven To Eternity Tp Vol 1
Monstress Tp Vol 1
Black Monday Murders Tp Vol 1
Saga Tp Vol 6
Paper Girls Tp Vol 3
Monstress Tp Vol 2
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters and The Best We Could Do were the clear breakout hits of 2017 and I highly recommend both books! And if Brian K. Vaughan wanted to write a few more series I certainly wouldn’t complain!
On the single issue side of the business, Saga continues to sell well. And Paper Girls isn’t that far behind. DC’s Dark Nights Metal has done well and
the Batman/Flash crossover The Button did very well. And the Doomsday Clock series seems to be gaining steam. Calexit #1 was a surprise hit. If only the subsequent issues had come out on time. Sadly enough Image Comics really had no new hits this year.
So after experiencing year-over-year growth for the store’s entire history why is this sales slump happening now?
I’ve got a few theories, but they’re just conjecture and my own personal read on people’s shopping habits. But I can tell you the sales slump started in October of 2016.
But rather then focus on the source of the problem or just asking people to “buy more comics”, I’d like to start thinking about solutions. From all the love and appreciation the store gets (which is very much appreciated and makes it worth it during these tough times!), my sense is that the community around Mission: Comics would like to see it continue.
I know I would!
January and February are some of the slowest months for retail sales. So I’m going to try resurrecting some of the social activities for the store and if that helps. Check out our events calendar at https://www.facebook.com/pg/MissionComics/events/
I still believe in the long-term prospects of the business, but I’m unsure of the next steps to bridge this downturn until things get back to normal. If you want to be involved in helping keep the store alive stay tuned!