Although comic books were initially a medium geared towards young teens, the majority of modern day patrons are actually part of an older demographic. Thus while it may seem strange to see the male characters of the television comedy The Big Bang Theory make their weekly trip to the local comic book store, in actuality it is a ritual that is reenacted in cities across the nation by the real world Sheldon Coopers and Leonard Hofstadters of the country.
Comic books have likewise evolved from adolescent stories into mature narratives that are literary equals to the best novels. The superheroes of DC Comics and Marvel, for instance, can be considered contemporary myths in the same vein as those from Ancient Greece. Many graphic novels, meanwhile, have received critical acclaim in recent years, starting with the Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus by Art Spiegelman and continuing with Alan Moore’s The Watchman and Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman.
Just like with most entertainment mediums of the twenty-first century, however, sales have dropped in recent years. In his 2012 book Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture, business futurist Rob Salkowitz connects that decline to changes in the industry’s mode of distribution from decades earlier, and much of his analysis – both the positive and the negative – corresponds with the comic book culture depicted on The Big Bang Theory.
“Starting in the 1980s, most comic publishers discontinued newsstand sales, where unsold issues could be returned for a refund, in favor of a ‘direct market’ system that shipped comic books exclusively to specialized comic book stores on a nonreturnable basis,” Salkowitz writes. “But it turns out there is a problem with distributing your product exclusively through independently owned retail stores run by and for your products’ biggest fans. Despite the efforts of some active and visionary retailers, the odor of overgrown adolescent males hangs heavy over many comic book shops, creating a forbidding environment for women, kids, and casual fans who might have an interest in the material but don’t want to put up with the clannishness and know-it-all-ism of the old-school comic book culture.”
The comic book store that the main characters of The Big Bang Theory routinely visit is reminiscent of the type of environment that Rob Salkowitz refers to above. In the season two episode “The Hofstadter Isotope,” for instance, next-door-neighbor Penny decides to join Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter, Howard Wolowitz, and Raj Koothrappali in their weekly trip to the local establishment. Her initial reaction is that it’s “a cute little store,” but she quickly becomes nervous when the exclusively male clientele stop what they are doing and stare at her.
“Don’t worry,” Leonard reassures her. “They’re more scared of you than you are of them.”
When the store manager, Stuart, comes over to see if she needs any assistance, Penny tells Leonard afterwards that he seems like a nice guy. “You mean for someone who works in a comic book store?” Leonard asks. When she reluctantly agrees, Leonard explains that comic books do not automatically equate with “weird,” and that Stuart is an artist who attended the Rhode Island School of Design.
“What about that guy over there in the superhero T-shirt tucked into his sweatpants?” Penny then inquires. “Yeah, that’s Captain Sweatpants,” Leonard replies. “He doesn’t really help the point I’m trying to make.”
Earlier in the installment, Sheldon Cooper also “doesn’t help” when he exhibits the “know-it-all” attitude that Rob Salkowitz likewise considers detrimental to the industry. Instead of simply tagging along to the comic book store, Penny initially asks the gang if they could pick up “a few comics” for her nephew’s birthday.
“I think you mean comic books,” Sheldon immediately corrects. “Comics are feeble attempts at humor featuring talking babies and anthropomorphized pets found traditionally in the optimistically-named funny pages.”
Penny adds to Sheldon’s irritation when she again asks her original question but offers no suggestions as to what her nephew might enjoy. “Maybe at the same time we can pick out a new suit for him without knowing his size,” Sheldon sarcastically responds. “Or pick out his career for him without knowing his aptitude, or pick out a new breakfast cereal without knowing his fiber requirements or his feelings about little marshmallows.”
To end the conversation, Penny suggests Spider-Man, but Sheldon replies by asking, “Amazing Spider-Man? Ultimate Spider-Man? Spectacular Spider-Man? The Marvelous Adventures of Spider-Man? Spider-Man 2099?” The response is more than mere wisecrack, however, but an example of another hindrance that Rob Salkowitz believes must be overcome in order for the comic book industry to reach a more mass appeal.
“Even as the culture moved toward a broader acceptance of comics as art and literature, the ‘mainstream’ industry dug deeper into the genre of superheroes, telling longer and more convoluted stories that depended on readers knowing years or decades of the characters’ histories,” he writes in Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture. “Why? Because this was what the regular customers at the comics shops wanted to read, so it was what the retailers ordered – often to the exclusion of more adventurous independent titles that could appeal to a wider audience. Fans of the X-Men movies or the highly accessible X-Men: Evolution animated series who dared venture into a comic shop were faced with more than a dozen ongoing X-Men series and hundreds of graphic novels and collected editions. Most of them made the reasonable calculation that it was not worth the time or the money to join the boys’ club.”
Despite the negative attributes that surround the independent brick-and-mortar store that the gang on The Big Bang Theory visits every Wednesday, the fictitious Comic Center of Pasadena also organizes signing events with comic book legends like Stan Lee, hosts gaming tournaments for the Mystic Warlords of Ka’a, and even sponsors a costume contest as part of its annual New Year’s Eve party. This innovation thus makes the place symbiotic with the positive attributes that Rob Salkowitz believes is the future of such establishments as well.
“It’s clear that comics would benefit from a reinvention of the retail environment,” he states. “Stores are the social center of the hobby, and the best ones understand that they are not just selling comics – they are selling the experience of buying comics.”
Like most entertainment mediums in the twenty-first century, the comic book industry is at a crossroads as it struggles to shake off old stereotypes, appeal to a new generation of fans, expand its gender outreach, and integrate digital technology into its distribution system. While The Big Bang Theory does not necessarily incorporate all of those topics into its narratives, it still represents a fairly accurate reflection of comic book culture nonetheless.
And who knows – maybe there will even be a future episode in which next door neighbor Penny spends a Saturday night sitting on her couch alone, reading the latest installments of Ultimate Spider-Man, Spectacular Spider-Man, The Marvelous Adventures of Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099.
Anthony Letizia