European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 21, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Grown ups at the comic Book stand by Kurt Eichenwald new York times pid Eruan Gol married. Clark Kent alias Superman has become a Yuppie. And some caped marvels have aged developing launches and mid life crises. Such transformations might nol interest american children who Lor decades devoured most of the comic books for Sale. Bui they have attracted older readers to such numbers that Many publishers now say adults Are rapidly replacing children As their major source of Revenue ii we had to give up every customer below the age of 15, we would survive said buddy Saunders president of Lone Star comics a retail Chain in North Texas if we had  above the age of 17, we d be out of  in a business known for creative spirits More than for Market researchers few figures have been collected to demons tale the Agidig of the comic both audience. But everyone in the Industry from publishers to distributors to retailers agrees that the future of comic books lies in the adult Market. Already a Survey commissioned by the publisher of Marvel comics shows the average comic Book Reader is about 20 years old illustrating thai baby Boomers and those right behind them have entered the Markel in Large numbers. Moreover the Survey reports the average Reader spends Moro than $10 a week on comics an amount Many children could not afford. Indeed Many newly released comics Are being issued in Slick paperback and hard Back versions and sell for 2.50 up to $20 a copy even if most newly released comics Cost Only 75 cents to st.25. Typical of the adult aficionado is Jason a. Kinchan. A 26-year-old computer Engineer in Boston. I m somebody who collects comic books for fun he said of his collection of 3,000 comics. I lend to buy based on the characters that i like. A lot of other people follow writers and artists around to different comic  among the characters who Appeal most to such adult readers Are old favourites with new looks. For example one of the most popular comics in the last year has been the dark Knight which portrays the caped crusader Balman As he would appear in Middle age. The tour part series sold out within Days. As another example sales of Superman comics had been lagging for years As the plot became More Complex and even for a superhero lass believable. Do comics the publisher took Superman Oil the Newsstands reproducing him months later in a world where weapons fired at him could cause pain and not every problem could be solved the desire to reach an expanding audience also Good heavens explains Why there Are Many new kinds of comics in addition to the usual superhero stories. One comic is a study of aggression another makes fun of other comics and there Are even historical comics about the Vietnam War the life or Pope John Paul i and the holocaust. The fascination with comic books seems to be spreading to other segments of the entertainment Industry. While the television and movie industries have Long made millions of dollars irom shows based on comic Book characters such As Superman and Batman they Are now buying rights to produce films based on even relatively unknown comic Book characters. For example Oil Iclal from first comics inc. Say that Abc is negotiating with them Lor the television rights to one of their titles Jon Sable freelance the Story of a Soldier of Fortune. About 4,000 stores in the United slates Are dedicated principally to Selling comic books up irom fewer than 100 in the mid-1970s. Retail sales of comic books Are expected to reach $350 million this year up from less than 1200 million four years ago. And these figures do not include the used comic Market. Most adults who buy comics see them just As entertainment but Lor others they Are an investment prices often soar in months or even weeks with three year old comics like Albedo a science fiction adventure commanding As much As $500 a copy it is not surprising hat the jargon of the comic Book Trade has begun to sound like that of Wall Street. Buyers can be speculators or Long term  tips about the potential value of Yel unpublished issues can create a huge demand for a comic. Than there Are Market adjustments such As when the values of comics published in Black and White plunged. The Industry s Prosperity represents a dramatic turnaround from the 1970s, when sales of comic books faltered. Bui As it turned out a major reason for the Industry s problems was the Way comics were distributed and not a Lack of Appeal. For decades comic books had been treated As it they were magazines. Publishers sold them to Independent Magazine distributors which in turn sold them to Newsstands and grocery stores at so percent below the cover Price. Retailers and distributors could return any unsold comic books to the publisher. But because comic books lacked a stable readership publishers found that sales of a Given line could swing dramatically from week to week. With comics a relatively Small part of their business Independent distributors increasingly gave them Short shrill. Unable to count on delivery retailers also became increasingly disenchanted with comic books. Then came Phil seuling. A former new York schoolteacher and a comic Book fan with a better idea Lor Selling comics. In the 1970s he negotiated an agreement with retailers and publishers to become the first specially distributor of comic books. Under his arrangement retail stores got a 50 percent discount for the comic books they purchased on a no returnable basis and the stores were guaranteed delivery. In 1980 several entrepreneurs copied seuling s approach and the Competition among specially distributors to Supply comic Book shops intensified. This encouraged publishers to become More creative. Before the presses Start to Roll they know what their prof its will be said Maggie c. Thompson co editor of the comic buyers guide an Industry publication based in Lola wis. Once dominated by Marvel and do the Industry now has about a dozen major new publishers and Many smaller ones. But it he Industry is More stable now it is still a Tough business. The movement in and out of the Marks by speculators has made future demand difficult to gauge. And forecasting is hardly the Strong suit of Many of the relatively unsophisticated retailers who got into lha business because of their love of comics. Speculators each of whom often buy dozens or even hundreds of a new comic Issue have caused some disruptions in the Market severely affecting the business of the distributors and retailers. Not knowing which comics the speculators would snap up retailers bought everything offered by distributors for Many years then came teen age mutant ninja turtles. A Black and White comic. The turtles in 1934 became a huge Success even though Black and White comics have traditionally been poor Sellers. Speculators began demanding copies and the Price for the first Issue soared As High As $150, or 100 times its cover Price. Retailers thinking a fad in Black and White comics was beginning wanted their distributors to provide them with every one printed. But the fad collapsed last fall. Retailers found themselves drowning in stacks of unsold Black and White comics. It turned out hat the Success of teen Aga mutant ninja turtles Lay nol in the lad that the comic was in Black and while. Readers just liked the Story line Many retailers and Small publishers have since gone out of business leaving distributors stuck with unpaid Bills. Many in the Industry see this setback As Only temporary. The slump in the Industry is a natural maturation  said Milton Griepp president of capital City distribution in Madison wis. There s going to be a constant shakeout until things Are stable but there Are no signs that the growth rate is  Page 16 the stars and stripes wednesday october 21,1987