How popular is 2000ad?

[marko10174]

Absolutely fascinating replies thanks guys. Sometimes I prefer being in a cult fanbase following. Because when everyone suddenly starts jumping in the playground you start to feel resentful lol.

[IndigoPrime]

Although shipped of course doesn't mean sold. I suspect these days sales figures are a more accurate guide to the number of paying eyes checking out the Prog. (I suspect quite a few are just downloading dodgy PDFs.)

Also, something I didn't note earlier is that the viability of the Prog is a very different proposition today to decades ago. Once, if a publication didn't pull its weight in and of itself, it was canned. That's still actually the case most of the time today. But sometimes publications end up wrapped into all kinds of other enterprises, for better or worse. (In 2000 AD's case, it's for the better, obv.)

[Colin YNWA]

For me while I have no idea the thing I always look to is the fact that they (Rebellion) were scrappin' around for stuff to reprint before they went big with the 'Teasury of British Comics' buy. Surely they'd not do that if trades were struggling. Large quantities of new stuff also goes to trade pretty quickly too, so that must surely be shifting somewhere.

The zeigiest says to me that 2000ad has much greater public awareness than it has for a long time. I remember when ECBT 2000ad was the only boat to sail on. Now we have a glorious harbour full. Merchandise seems to be coming out more and more often in more and more forms. Social Media seems awash with stuff if your looking for it. So yeah its more visible than surely its ever been (even if sales are down cos they are for comics full stop).

Other measures, like the staff resource Rebellion throws at the 'brand' seem so much more these days, continued presence in mainstream shops, the fact The Meg (which you'd assume is selling less than 2000ad) is not just still viable but still using top draw talent, the number of books, films etc about our beautiful thing all suggest moneys to be had from somewhere.

I have no idea about any of that, but all that sort of evidence suggests whatever the sales of the actual comic its popular enough to not only sustain, but support a veritable cottage industry of other stuff.

Oh and the only measure I can be sure of is its my favourite piece of mass entertainment, in any medium - so ya know with me the answer is VERY!

[Frank]

Four years ago, Tharg told The Guardian his readership was around 15,000. Three years later, Tharg told this board that readership of all newsstand titles (including, presumably, 2000ad) had declined significantly in the previous three years.

As a percentage of population, 15,000 UK sales (in 2013) would have made The Galaxy's Greatest comic a top 20 US title.

Number 14, actually (in between Justice League and X-Men): http://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2013/2013-10.html

Using the same pathetically unscientific method of multiplying reported sales estimates by five (to account for the greater population of the US), applied sophistry tells us that even if Tharg has shed a quarter of the readership since 2013, his magnificent organ is still jammed tightly between the cheeks of Darth Maul and Bruce Wayne (number 18):

http://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2017/2017-06.html ^[1]


[1] ... and that five years after a financially unsuccessful cinema version of Dredd, a tie-in comic based on a supporting character still earned enough dollars to buy a used family saloon. It's all reprint, so that's pure profit, baby.

[Geoff]

I'm amazed that those little Commando comic books are still going!

I used to love them when I was a boy, would get them when going off on holiday to read on the train/plane or in a xmas stocking.

Surprised that kids would read them now, or maybe it's nostalgic old dudes like us that are buying them...

[Fungus]

Cults can be fun, but I'd definitely love the prog to start selling in more deserved quantities. Those Rebellion guys seem like safe hands, and genuine fans. Way the world's shaped now, that MC-1 telly show in a while might just be the point when that sales hike happens. You'd hope.

[IndigoPrime]

I agree, and I don't think the Rebellion lot – and notably the Kingsleys – always get their dues. I recall when the original sale of 2000 AD was announced, and people were pretty sceptical. What were these 'games guys' going to do to the beloved Prog? What if they just strip-mine it for gaming IP?

And then we gradually got to understand the level of fans they were, that 2000 AD would have been dead without them, that they had big plans. And when those plans didn't always go to plan (such as the DC deal), that just pushed them on to bigger and better things (ALL THE TRADES!) And then they decided someone needed to safeguard the history of British comics, and it may as well be them.

Naturally, there are commercial decisions underpinning a lot of this stuff, but I really can't think of anyone who'd be better suited to owning all this stuff now, and it would be lovely to see an uptick in sales for that alone.

[Michael Knight]

Indigo Prime im with you Rebellion dont get credit they deserve. Look at all the licensing deals recently and glorious collectables us 2000ad fans can acquire.
Dredd film, upcoming Dredd Tv show, Rogue trooper/Dredd video games, Graphic novels galore, and even Dredd/2000ad partworks etc. I have comic fan friends that were never really interested in anything 2000ad related that in the last few years are suddenly wanting to borrow Dredd/Slaine graphic novels of mine.
2000ad is going from strength to strength in terms of brand recognition and this can only be good in the social media age in my book.
Matt Smith and Michael Molcher and the other great folk working for Tharg all deserve applause.

[Richard]

I wasn't aware that Rebellion weren't getting the credit they deserve for what they've been doing. (Well except maybe on the Is it me or the prog? thread but that's an anomaly.) I thought we all thought they've been brilliant.

[Geoff]

2000ad is extremely lucky to have Rebellion as its owner and so by extension are we, its fans.

I get the impression that for them quality is more important than popularity.  Although of course they often go hand in hand...

2000ad will always be niche but I get the impression that the readership (whatever it is, is at least reasonably stable)

[The Adventurer]

I think they also understand that collected edition Graphic Novels are the bread and butter of comics now. And the easiest way to penetrate outside the borders of the UK. And a lot of people's complaints about the structure of strips in the Prog today stem from the contents being focused on becoming easily collected editions as its end goal.