Marvel Comics sees its future in the readers of “youth-driven” manga and OGNs according to its publisher

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Marvel is arguably the most popular brand in comic books around, but even they know they’re not the be-all and end-all in comics. At a recent closed-door industry event for retailers, Marvel Comics’ publisher and president Dan Buckley spoke frankly about the areas the company isn’t strong in, and how it – and comic book stores – should be looking beyond just its own superhero comics for the future of the industry, the medium, and their stores.

At the ComicsPRO Comic Industry Conference earlier this year, Buckley pointed to where most of comics’ new readers are: in the areas of manga, and original graphic novels (OGNs). While Marvel has experimented in both areas by partnering with expert publishers in those areas (such as Shogakukan-Shueisha/VIZ Media and Scholastic), the Marvel boss says comic book shops are missing out if they’re not looking at these areas – even outside Marvel’s projects.

“My optimism [for the comic industry] has been burnished by the recent explosion of sales in manga and original graphic novels for early, middle-grade, and young adult readers,” Buckley said. “Now, while these products are not predominantly supported in your shops, this is a booming new audience of young readers to graphic fiction.”

Buckley, like many retailers, became a comics fan in the ’80s when newsstands were the primary place for comics to be sold. While that avenue withered by the late ’80s, the newsstand era is something looked back wistfully by many fans of a certain age. While the era of comics on newsstands is gone due tremendous market forces on the newsstand side, Buckley says we’re in the middle of the next age like that where new readers are coming in by the millions.

“And like newsstands did for many of us, this youth-driven OGN and manga market is a training for new readers for us to acquire,” said Buckley.

Buckley says that comic store distributors such as Penguin Random House (which distributes Marvel’s comics), as well as other distributors, are open to working with comic shops to better target those readers – as is Marvel, and other publishers. As part of this renewed targeting of younger readers, this summer Marvel providing comic shops with discounted copies of the Marvel Comics inspired by the hit Disney cartoon Spidey and His Amazing Friends, which finished its third season with a fourth on its way.

“Your distributors and publishers are here to work with you to develop programs to bring these readers into your stores, or make it easier to give your best customer comic products that they can use to hook your daughters, sons, nieces, and nephews,” Buckley continued.

This comes as Buckley has called for a “reset” of the comic industry as we know it – from the publishers to the retailers – to prepare for the future, and is actively partnering with retailer organizations such as ComicsPRO as well