WHO READS COMICS?

Comic readers come from all backgrounds and walks of life, but that doesn’t mean that everyone is represented equally. Traditionally, there has been a tendency for comics to target a white cis gender male readership. However, according to Brandon Schatz from Variant Edition, some companies (particularly the smaller ones) are starting to diversify their protagonists to make comics more welcoming and inclusive. Today, considering the monstrous number of titles available, it is difficult to imagine that there wouldn’t be something for everyone.

Some potential readers may be discouraged by the stigma attached to comics, or maybe they have not yet discovered the right character or series to connect with. Although children have traditionally been cast as comic readers, Brandon Schatz suggests that today parents are more likely to purchase for their children, who read mainly graphic novel series.

Moreover, comics can be a expensive hobby. Although most single-issue comics are in the range of $3, a trade paperback volume or graphic novel averages between $12 and $20, which can certainly accumulate rapidly. Keeping up with a series introduces a cost factor, which might also determine who can purchase and read comics regularly.

When considering popularity, it is also important to note that what is popular in certain niche readerships and peer groups, like Manga (Japanese comics) or certain Indie comics for example, may not be popular across the entire comic reading community. Defining “popular” is far more complicated and ambiguous in these cases.

WHAT DO THEY READ?

From a small sample of Edmonton readers alone, I found that interests spanned across a surprising array of genres and titles; this included Superhero comics like The Amazing Spider-Man Manga like One Punch Man, creator-owned content like Lumber Janes, graphic novels such as Maus, comic strip book collections like Calvin & Hobbes and Garfield, and classic digests like Archie. The diversity in such a small group of people was astonishing, and I realized that a line might need to be drawn between what is considered popular in print as opposed to what is overwhelmingly popular in our media and entertainment culture--namely, superheroes.

ACCORDING TO THE READERS...

“My favorite superhero is spider-man so of course I read/collect that series, I’m mainly a Marvel guy I don’t really read anything else unless it’s a major crossover series like right now with “secret wars” in marvel. Crossover series are when pretty much every major character in marvel are involved in a certain event and the story will revolve around that. But other than that I actually read Japanese Manga more so than American Comics. I follow Manga series like One Piece, Naruto, Hajime no Ippo, One Punch Man, Berserk… the list can go on and on but those are my main favourites. As for specific writers I’m not that hardcore into other comics so the only writers I know are people that are involved in Spider-Man such as Brian Michael Bendis and Dan Slott.” –Derek

“Well I used to read everything, anything new that was on the shelf I would read. Personally more image/marvel… Personal favourite is “Amazing Spiderman” – just love the Character – growing up I just always related to Peter Parker – I’m sure a lot of nerdier people can get alongside that.” –Ben, U of A student and employee at Wizards Comics

“I read quite a wide variety of comics and graphic novels, though a lot of that has to do with my job as a comic shop owner. I like to stay current on the books coming out so that I can better recommend a wide variety of titles to a wide variety of people. That said, when I’m reading for my own personal entertainment, I find myself gravitating towards creator owned content (books like Lumberjanes or Stray Bullets), rather than comics produced by companies (like Batman orSpider-Man). I find that with creator owned comics, even if there isn’t an end point in mind, there’s more of a purpose, whereas corporately owned comics by default live in a perpetual state of being in “Act Two”. Most of the beginnings have long since happened, and the companies needs the character to perpetuate long into the future, so there are never any true endings.” –Brandon Schatz, comic shop owner

I was obsessed with Calvin and Hobbes as a kid. I received the complete set, special collector's edition for Christmas one year and have read through it about 4 times. I haven't read a ton of superhero comics, but I have read full books of Garfield, Pearls Before Swine, Zits, The Far Side, Get Fuzzy, and a lot of Foxtrot. When it comes to graphic novels, some of my favourites are Stitches, Maus 1 and 2, Persepolis 1 and 2, and American Born Chinese. –Anna (Via Facebook)

"I had a large amount of Betty and Veronica comics when I was younger and a few Archie comics that I would read all the time. Then I discovered superhero and started reading those. I don't read too often mainly because there's so many to pick from and I get overwhelmed. I've also read some Avengers novels (not graphic) I don't know if those count." –Alexis Zacharko (Via Facebook)

"My favourites were Marmaduke, Heathcliff, Family Circle, and Archie. I think I just dated myself. 😫 " –Corrie Rogoski (via Facebook)

WHY?

Why read comics? There is no concrete answer, as each individual has a slightly unique experience. Some possibilities I extrapolated from interviews include entertainment and parasocial bonding (or connecting with the characters or even the comic creator), escape and exploration, and collection for resale. A friend of mine mentioned some readers like to invest an interest in characters like Superman because heroes represent something to admire or strive towards. On the other hand, Ben from Wizards suggested that Spider-Man was a good character for nerds to connect with, so perhaps another reason people read comics is to read about someone they see themselves in and can perhaps learn from. From my own experience, I would also say artistic value is a valid reason to pick up some comics and graphic novels, as is visual literacy and engaging plot or thematic content.

Last Updated: Dec 22, 2016