The economics of the modern American comic book market

Since the 1930s, comic books in America have risen to be an important component in the market of entertainment goods and services. This paper presents a holistic economic analysis of the modern American comic book industry in recent years, from the creation of the artwork, to its distribution system and, ultimately, the sale to the consumer. Using distributor data from 2005 to 2017, our analysis shows that while the industry has seen its share of booms-and-busts, the profitability of licensing, advertising, growing market concentration, and a steady readership has caused the industry to consistently grow, albeit at a slow pace, since its decline in the 1990s. Further, it is discovered that publisher "special events" and the recent rise in comic book-based films has had little to no effect on comic book sales within the American market.