There are credible rumors that Disney no longer finds Marvel comics profitable, and that by 2030 they may stop publishing physical copies of comics and will make all new material digital instead.

Guess no one wants to comment on this, but I doubt it will be the end of Marvel comics altogether. Disney probably wants to sell off the publishing piece of it to a third party figuring to still make the films. If anyone will be interested, well it depends on what's in the deal.

Publishing the comics themselves may not be necessary as long as they retain the rights to the characters. They can just do original stories not based on any previous source material. The way Disney has been butchering up the latest instalments, the writing could hardly be worse.

Comics and graphic novels may not be profitable by the standards they want, but people still like them. It's the publishing costs and lack of advertisers that is causing print to disappear. Digital copies are not the answer as many people who read comics will not convert and just drop it. It's just the nature of the thing.

Will folks actually pay to read new comics digitally on their phones, with no physical comic book to hold ? I am not sure. I won't.

There are disputes on various forums as to whether younger fans still read comics. Many claim that they do. But when I go to the comic stores, I rarely see anyone in there under the age of 40, and if they are, they are going for the Pokemon cards, not the comics.

I have been talking with shop owners for years (I was one once a few decades ago) and the challenges they are facing with the fall of Diamond Comics, competition from digital and cost per issue has really put a strain on the comic book store. Most are making their profits by hyping up back issues on places like Whatsapp and other social media platforms. I pick up Amazing spider man (bi monthly) for my daughter and Batman and Detective (not Absolute Batman the current comic speculator dream book) and it is kinda hard for me to think that these 4 books cost me 20 dollars a month.

It sounds trite to say, but comic books are an art form. While I stopped buying them long ago myself, it doesn't mean that I can't appreciate a well-drawn story.

Can you get that digitally? No, it's not the same. Can a digital copy be a collectible? No, not to me, for the same reason why I don't buy those digital cards. They are smoke. Selling photos of imagined items used to be a scam. Sad to say that younger generations may grow up with the scam as acceptable. I agree though that most of those over 40's comic book readers will not convert.

As for the activity at comic book stores, well I really don't know where there is a dedicated comic book shop anymore. There is only one local hobby store near me left and they diversified their inventory long ago. Good thing or they would be out of business by now. Maybe online sellers can concentrate on just comic books, but brick and mortar needs all the different kinds of entertainment collectibles to bring in enough customers and the good profits is in gaming cards, related toys and high-end models, and still some sports cards.

Comic book fans were always cheap business, only the volume helped when it was there. Prove that you say? Just visit any hobby store you can find on free comic book day. By me, my LHS literally has a line around the block with kids of all ages and parents every time. They have to bring in full staff just to manage the traffic and watch shoplifting.

So who are these people? Strangers hitting every participating store, sometimes twice if they can. They have come for anything that is free. They will not become customers because they won't come back till the next free day. They usually do have kids and the comics they get aren't worth much, so it's not really a cash grab. Just a cheap day out. If they do get the kids something, it's from the $1 bin.

So I agree with Tommy, you don't find many people buying comics anymore. My take on it is that they don't want to spend the money. If it's because it's too much money for new comics or just because they are cheap, I don't know because I don't price them anymore. All I do know is that if you yell free comics, you will still get a crowd.