1. FMP Graphic Novel Secondary Research
Internet Research on statistics
Statistics and Trends for Print and Digital Comics, Graphic Novels, and Manga
From a Comic Book Resources.com Report:
The 2010 ICv2 White Paper was only shown in partial as, of course, the year hasn't ended, but Griepp found it worthwhile to present some trends divined from
his analysis of what had sold already this year as even without the typically eventful holiday sales information, he could gain " feel for the annual trends." This
held particularly true when comparing current comics sales to the back half of 2009.
Last year, print comics as a whole saw an estimated $680 million generated at retail (graphic novels accounting for about $370 million to comics periodicals $310
mil). So far in 2010, the graphic novel category has fallen down 20% while comics have ticked up 1% with Griepp noting that "graphic novels pulled the overall
market down." Even though comics were down 3% in 2009, meaning they're trending a bit up now, he called their performance "relatively flat."
The trends in the periodical market remained flat in dollars as 2010 got underway due to an increasing average cover price and "no real huge hits" in July and
August, which were particularly low months (falling down about 14%). "Overall in general, fans are paying more money for the same amount of content they were
a few years ago," he said as in the first two quarters of the year, the average cover price $3.51, compared to a $3.38 average in 2009.
Overall, [Milton] Griepp from ICv2 characterized the digital sales revolution as the fourth major change in comic sales since he began working in the business in
the 1970s after the rise of comic shops in the '80s wiping out newsstand, the speculator book and subsequent DM bubble burst and the recent growth of the
graphic novel in bookstores. "All of these have created new fans," he said. "And as we enter this phase of digital, we feel it represents an opportunity" unique from
other businesses which are mass mediums already. Comics works as a niche market, Griepp argued, but with digital distribution new fans may be built as people
who know the characters of comics have the actual medium made available for them.
Things have never been better for graphic novels. Unlike the computer and gardening categories that are caught in a tail-spin of decline, unit and dollar sales
of graphic novels are at their highest since the boom years of the 1990’s. More of them than ever before are being sold in bookstores, and readership is
growing both vertically (in absolute numbers) and horizontally (to new market segments).
According to ICv2—a “pop culture trend tracker” that compiles annual statistics for the comic book and graphic novel market—2006 was a “banner year”
that saw graphic novels outselling comic magazines for the second year in a row (sales of graphic novels exceeded those of comic magazines for the first time
in 2005). Total North American sales for graphic novels in 2006 was $330 million, a 12% increase over 2005 and about $20 million more than comic
magazines; the combined market total of $640 million was the highest its been in over ten years.
Milton Griepp, the ICv2 President, attributed the category’s revival to a number of factors, including the growth of manga, the increase in female readership,
movie and TV tie-ins, increased sales to libraries and schools, and general mainstream acceptance. The manga title Naruto, Vol. 9, sold 100,000 copies in
bookstores alone, more than any other graphic novel in 2006; among non-manga titles, V for Vendetta led the pack with 80,000 copies sold in bookstores
last year. Titles like X-Men: The Characters and Their Universe, and Lost Girls, which both carried a suggested retail price of $75, also enjoyed healthy sales in
bookstores. The success of the 9/11 Commission Report showed that even non-fiction can be sold in the graphic novel format.

2. According to a presentation by Griepp at the ICv2 Graphic Novel Conference (part of New York Comic-Con), dollar sales of graphic novels have
increased almost five-fold since 2001:
2001 = $75 million
2002 = $130 million
2003 = $195 million
2004 = $245 million
2005 = $295 million
2006 = $330 million
The breakdown by sales channel during those same years shows that dollar sales of graphic novels in bookstores has increased at more than
twice the rate as sales in comics shops: Year Comics Shops Bookstores
2001 $ 43 million $ 32 million
2002 $ 50 million $ 60 million
2003 $ 60 million $105 million
2004 $ 67 million $140 million
2005 $ 78 million $167 million
2006 $110 million $220 million
Manga is still the catalyst for growth in the graphic novels category, accounting for 43% of Diamond Comic Distributors’ new releases and 46% of
their 10,000-plus active backlist. Griepp thinks that Tokyo pop's expansion of their authentic manga line back in 2001, and the creation of original
material for girls, is what saved the category. He estimated total 2006 manga sales (including magazines) at $170-200 million. Also helping the
growth of manga in the U.S. is its growing appeal to juvenile readers, who play video games based on manga, and watch anime on the Cartoon
Network. The hot new growth category is something called yaoi, which in the U.S. takes the form of sexually explicit, gay-themed comics.
According to Simba Information’s Business of Consumer Book Publishing, the leading graphic novel publishers in 2006, accounting for the lion’s
share of revenues in the category, were the Del Rey imprint of Random House, DC Comics, Marvel Enterprises, and Dark Horse Comics.
According to Books In Print, 2,711 new graphic novels were published in the U.S. in 2006, a 16% increase over 2005. Since 2002, the number of
new graphic novels has more than doubled

3. Forum Polls on Graphic Novels
http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/graphic-novels
Have you ever created your own graphic
novel?
The fans pick: No
80% 20%
Favourite Graphic Novel of all time?
The fans pick: Watchmen
67% 11%
Print Graphic Novels 75% ¾ voters
Digital Graphic Novels 25% ¼ voters http://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=553219

4. Forum:
What Graphic Novels are you Reading at the Moment?
http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/35878-what-comic-books-graphic-novels-are-you-reading.html
I'm reading Ghost in the Shell, by Masamune Shirow, again, followed by his other works, Dominion,
and Black Magic.
I just read the third volume of collected comics of Joss Whedon's version of the Astonishing X-Men.
Just finished reading 'Bad Company - Goodbye Krool World' graphic novel by Peter Milligan, Brett
Ewins, Jim McCarthy and Steve Dillon - Remember reading this years ago.....well worth a look.
Re-reading Neil Gaiman/Yoshitaka Amano's The Dream Hunters. What can I say, it's one of my
favourites. About to read RG Veda, by CLAMP
Going through a Hellboy phase at the moment. Just finished Hellboy 'Conqueror Worm', now might
go on to the B.P.R.D. comics. Also reading a Hellboy Novel, 'The Bones of Giants'. Its actually really
good, a lot more engrossing then some of the comic stories.
Am working my way through Fables as well as Hellboy and Constantine. It's not so easy to get comic
books/graphic novels here, especially complete sets so I pick them up whenever I can.
I read 300 a couple weeks back. Good, though nothing amazing about it, I thought... Am now
working my way through Fables.

5. Graphic Novels Reluctance to Promote
http://www.cehs.ohio.edu/resources/documents/callahan.pdf
Reluctance and Concerns with Graphic Novels
Despite the rising popularity of graphic novels, and the numerous benefits and
strengths of the genre, there is still a great deal of reluctance among educators and others
to use and promote them. Two of the most common reasons for this reluctance are that
many perceive graphic novels as too violent and potentially dangerous to young readers,
and that graphic novels are not of any real substance as far as literature goes. Much of the
fear for immorality in graphic novels still stems from the 1950s backlash against comics.
Some people, when they hear the word ‘graphic,’ immediately think pornographic
material. While there are indeed sexually explicit graphic novels, they are no more
common than those of other texts (Rudiger & Schliesman, 2007). This perception is often
found when adults view Manga, as some of them are potentially offensive. It is important
to understand that the majority of Manga are not sexual or violent, and for the few that
are, Japanese writing may lean towards this trend due to the fact that the Japanese have a
tradition of having clear definitions between reality and fantasy in literature (Schodt,
1996). With other graphic novels that may contain adult content, just as with other books
and media, teachers should screen materials before allowing students to read them, and if
necessary, get parental permission before using adult-content material in the classroom
(Schwarz, 2002b). Librarians in particular are very careful to note that parents and other
adults have tried to censor graphic novels such as Sin City by Frank Miller and The
Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. Censorship of graphic novels deserves the same
attention and debate as with other texts, as many books found in a public library deal with
adult topics such as murder, violence, and sex (Gorman, 2002).