Stephen Saffel, editor and publishing consultant, read the latest column by Steve Bennett (see “Confessions of a Comic Book Guy--There Are Worse Things To Believe In”) and offers his experience on the necessity of market research:

Since I work for a couple of very diverse publishers, it was with great interest that I read Steve Bennett's column concerning market research.  He really brought it together when he noted:

"...'Guessing' is cheap and has given us some wonderful failures in the past.   The only trouble is it doesn’t address what happens when you want to try something that has historically failed in the direct sales market, like comics for girls.  It seems to me if you were going to publish a comic book called Supergirl Adventures in the 8th Grade it would be worth your time to actually talk to some girls in the 8th grade."

This points out the magnitude of the changes in the comic book landscape over the years.  In working with Joe Simon on a number of projects, including the forthcoming Best of Simon and Kirby, I've heard a lot about the evolution of the industry.  Back in 1946-47, there was a glut of comic book titles, and many of them were tanking.  The publishers were panicking.

Joe and Jack were so convinced that there was a need for comics for girls that they entered into a partnership agreement with Prize Comics.  The night Joe's first son was born, he and Jack were on the way to the hospital to visit Harriet Simon, and they spotted a cluster of girls giggling around the comic book rack in a candy store.  The reason was Young Romance #1, the first romance comic book.  Jack is reported to have said, "That was how we knew we had a hit," and it was--a million seller.

The Simon and Kirby romance stories were as outrageous as they were brilliant (and successful).  Stories like "The Savage in Me," "Dance Hall Pick-Up," and "Too Sweet to be True" sold like hotcakes, and feature some of Joe and Jack's best work.

No demographic studies, just a couple of guys who were sure they saw a gap in the marketplace, and turned out the best stories around.  In doing so, they created a genre within the medium.  Of course, back then comics were available everywhere, so it was possible for those girls to actually find Young Romance.

If the industry is going to try something new, the publishers need to be smarter.  They need to figure out where the gaps are--something Joe knew instinctively, and they need to figure out how to get the material in the hands of the appropriate audiences.  Both things are absolutely possible.  The question is, will they be done?

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