Comics industry ignoring young audiences

Newsarama has two posts up on how the comics industry is pretty much writing off younger audiences these days, with most new stuff produced for an adult crowd.

A while ago I was in a comic shop with my five year old and wanted to find him something to get him reading comics since I thought he’d like them. Looking at the racks, though, there wasn’t a single thing I felt comfortable picking out for him. While comics-licensed material is all over in stores like Target I wonder why Marvel or DC doesn’t create action figures in kid’s meals or something like that. It seems like a no-brainer as a way to appeal to a younger group of kids. Even if I want to buy a toy it’s hard to find something that’s just an action figure. Everything is a collector’s edition or something that’s meant to appeal to an older crowd that wants to put these things up on a wall and not actually play with them.

RIAA now just a schoolyard bully

It’s hard for me to discern what exactly the RIAA thinks it’s doing by threatening college students to pay some sort of vaguely defined “settlement” for downloaded music. They basically say pay up or we’ll tell your parents and sue your ass.

Then again they don’t think that the idea of “fair use” applies to their content, saying that allowing people to do with their music what they want – provided it doesn’t infringe upon business models – will encourage hacking.

National Guard not prepared to guard the nation

Shortages Threaten Guard’s Capability – washingtonpost.com

Why does the Bush Administration hate America that they leave it unable to defend itself? They like to say that we’re “fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here” but what if that happens? Apparently we’re screwed.

Advertising Funny Papers: 3/2/07

• Burrito Buzz—And So Few Ads – Chipotle does very little advertising but is still successful in the “casual dining” space.

• Jennifer Love Hewitt has her Hanes on again – Tom continues his obsession with Jennifer Love Hewitt and her underwear ads.
  

• Advertising: Away From Home, TV Ads Are Inescapable – You will not ignore our ads, darnit!

• NBC to Guarantee Audience Engagement for Its Programming – Uh-huh. Let me know how that works out for you.

• Advertising: Oscar Outclasses the Super Bowl – Were they actually better or are expectations just not quite so inflated that the spots can’t help but disappoint?

• Upfront Traders Wrestle With the Digital Dialogue – Welcome to the new media world, gentlemen.

Quick Takes: 3/2/07 – Special Media and Distribution Edition

I’d love to do more with these but just don’t have the time so here are a bunch of really good stories about how new media expectations are influencing – or at least should be influencing – the movie business.

• Why Hollywood has to become constant media: Steve Bryant lays out how media consumption has changed dramatically in the last 20 years and how Hollywood needs to be working with instead of against that. Specifically he talks about making product available to the consumer at a time of their, not the companies, choosing.

• Hollywood too often misses the moment: Speaking of Bryant, his full THR column also touches on this issue, using the example of how Borat won’t be getting more of our time because we’ve already had our fun with him. He gets feedback on this from Lost Remote and posts a follow-up on how much faster Hollywood needs to communicate to remain relevant.
  

• Academy Yanks Clips from YouTube … Apple Opens Door (A Crack) to Indies: Yeah, the Academy says that clips being on YouTube diminishes the Oscar brand and that’s why they wanted them pulled. Of course users being users that didn’t last long.

• Microsoft’s Appeal to Hollywood: The company has basically said that Hollywood can feel safe on their Soapbox video-sharing site because they won’t let those pesky kids control what goes on there.
  

• Download DVD specification gets approval: The ability to download movies to DVD will first be given only to professionals and not end users. Still, that could make a vast number of movies not currently out available as well as other content.
  

• Blockbuster In Advanced Talks To Acquire Movielink, Again: Movielink is a perpetual acquisition target but this could be the way Blockbuster buys its way into the downloading market. 

LOTD: 3/2/07

• Sony got its knickers in a twist when gaming site Kotaku broke news of some rumored upcoming PS3 features and black-balled the site from all upcoming press events and other contacts. Eventually, though, calmer heads prevailed and normal relations were restored. (CT)
• Those wacky bloggers say the darndest things. (CT)
• PRWeek has once again opened up the news portion of its website so you don’t need to have a subscription/login. Features and others still require that information but this is a good move by them. (CT)
• Media valuations are so out of touch with reality that it’s no wonder so many collapse or don’t turn out as well as the players involved in such transactions hoped for and predicted. (CT)
• That Kevin Dugan has some fun ragging on obnoxious email signatures. (Both of us)
• Google Ads on your Dada.net social networking profile, says Tobi Elkin. (TB)
• Media Bloggers Association prez Bob Cox has shut down the Olbermann Watch blog after the MSNBC commentator had his contract renewed on March 1, much to the dismay of the Olbermann Watch writers. (TB)