Now that the San Diego Comic-Con is history for 2010, it is time to look forward. Where will comics be in five or ten years?
Every once in a while, someone comes along and announces they are going to “save the comics industry.” They usually start up a company that does well for a while. But comics are an expensive proposition, and eventually even the wealthiest of investors cuts his or her losses, then disappears.
Also, occasionally the word is that comics are all going digital. One comic I can think of in particular is only available online. And some of the older comics have been available on PDF for a while now. Will we make our weekly trek to the local comics shop to pick up a disc of the comics we want on it? Or will we download them from an FTP site and save ourselves the trip?
Predicting the future is always a tricky thing. I’m always amazed at the project that appears “out of the blue,” taking people by surprise, and being a big hit. I always refer to the Harry Potter books as a good example. Since most of you know that story, I won’t repeat it again here. Let’s just say that J.K. Rowling went from abject poverty to being the richest woman in the U.K. And no one expected it.
