(We originally posted this in 2020. You can read more of our original ideas in our archive.)
Problem: The manga industry in Japan is worth over $10 billion while the American comic book and graphic novel industry is only worth $1 billion. Part of this is driven by the fact that the distribution model of manga in Japan is much more developed that it is for US comics and graphic novels.
Solution: An online comic book platform that allows you to use an app to read comic books. Currently, I am getting a master’s in communication and was able to take a class titled “Comics as Communication and Transmedia” taught by Rob Salkowitz, Forbes’ contributor on everything comic books and hollywood. During his class and repeatedly in his writing, Rob has emphasized that,
Together, about 90% of comics and graphic novels in North America are sold through book stores or comic stores, with 9% going through digital services like Amazon’s Kindle or the Amazon-owned comiXology, and about 1% sold on newsstands or through Kickstarter.
In short, the vast majority of comic books are still purchased in person. Unfortunately, this isn’t the end of the bad news. The comic book market over time has essentially been flat and stagnant over the last 4 years.
However, what’s weird is that the appetite for comics and graphic novels (as demonstrated through superhero movies like Avengers or Black Panther) is not decreasing. According to Box Office Mojo, the top-grossing superhero movies are as follows (all domestic to the US):
Avengers: Endgame (2019): $861,072,074 ($2,797,800,564 globally)
The Avengers (2012): $694,877,913 ($1,518,812,988 globally)
Black Panther (2018): $689,374,471 ($1,346,913,161 globally)
The Dark Knight (2008): $673,410,063
Avengers: Infinity War (2018): $654,553,388 ($2,048,359,754 globally)
Spider-Man (2002): $638,344,041
Incredibles 2 (2018): $599,234,269 ($1,242,805,359 globally)
Batman (1989): $569,164,638
Spider-Man 2 (2004): $543,734,383
Superman (1978): $518,655,720
Obviously, Disney and AT&T aren’t losing sleep over the plateauing comic book market: the box office is booming.
More broadly, however, what this shows to me is that comics are not dead, they’re simply distributed poorly. When the superhero stories (those primarily discussed in comic books) are effectively distributed they are worth billions in the United States. I believe that a company that can efficiently distribute comics in a reliable platform can bring the US comic market to be just as large and profitable as the Japanese manga market (which even in 2019 grew at 16%). Perhaps mobile comics are one way to breath life into this dying and under-technologized industry!
Monetization: Selling comic books through the platform, or offering “add-on stories” to the superhero films that are already so popular.
Contributed by: Michael Bervell (Billion Dollar Startup Ideas)