Emil J. Novak of Queen City Bookstore in Buffalo, New York read our recent article on the May sales estimates (see "Comic Sales Crash in May") and would like to share his thoughts on what he thinks may have contributed to such poor results:

It's all about Marvel, and DC to a lesser extent, and the $3.99 cover prices and the dreaded $29.99 hardcover books.

We retailers all know that it's Marvel's plan to keep ALL of our cash flow tied up with rather useless $3.99 filler books.  This way we can't help grow the comics business because we're trapped with constant crossovers and books about Marvel "pets" and "apes."  Notice that the fringe titles are $3.99 and most "core" titles are $2.99.  There's a trend if one just opens their eyes.

I can hardly sell a $29.99 HC from Marvel or DC, so consumers must wait until a soft cover is released.

Until the greedy practices come to a halt or slow down, we are all cruising the Titanic and we know were that goes!

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.