In an age where the old "Baseball cards aren't for kids anymore!" headlines are more a rarity than de rigeur, it's important to remember that the industry we so love and hold warm to our bosom remains just as venal, short-sighted, given to gimmicks and out to make a quick cash grab as they were ten years ago. Why is this so you ask? Because it will pay off in spades. Despite all the great products and all of the blogsphere proselytizing, the vast hoi polloi will still be more interested in buying a sports card product because of its potential value as a collectible rather than for its inherently pleasurable collecting experience. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the most ordered product of the decade, Topps Triple Threads. We've come so far. (sic)
These aren't exactly my words. In fact they aren't my words at all. Instead they are taken from a post from one of the comic book industry's best resources, CBR, Comic Book Resources, as they recap the 30 Most Important Comics of the Decade. Yes, I did change a few words to make them applicable to our Hobby, but you get the point. regardless of what people collect, the passion, and differences abound. Here is the original text in it's context.
"30. Amazing Spider Man #583 by Zeb Wells, Todd Nauck and Frank D'Armata (Marvel) In an age where the old "Pow! Zap! Comics aren't for kids anymore!" headlines are more a rarity than de rigeur, it's important to remember that the industry we so love and hold warm to our bosom remains just as venal, short-sighted, given to gimmicks and out to make a quick cash grab as they were ten years ago. Why is this so you ask? Because it will pay off in spades. Despite all the great books and all of the street-corner proselytizing, the vast hoi polloi will still be more interested in buying a comic book because of its potential value as a collectible gee-gaw than an inherently pleasurable read. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the most ordered comic of the decade. We've come so far. — Chris Mautner"
1 comments:
I posted something on my blog after being inspired by this post. Essentially it boils down to what is perceived good for the moment. Greed and the Almighty Dollar will ultimately outweigh the collector's good intentions unfortunately everytime.
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